Eat ALL the Holiday Treats!
Eat All the Holiday Treats
A Nutrition Coach’s Perspective
The holidays can be a tough time of year to stick to any kind of nutrition plan or dare I say…”diet”… yuck … I hate that word. November through January for many is a time of body shaming and feelings of guilt until the New Year brings new found motivation to change. I have a different plan this holiday season. My hope for all that read this is that we can enjoy all the goodies that the holidays offer, AND at the same time, let go of our shameful thoughts about food, forgive ourselves for wanting to eat ANOTHER sugar cookie, and realize that liking fudge doesn’t make us bad people. What am I talking about and how do we do this?
Intuitive Eating
Intuitive eating is a practice that I am always trying to incorporate into my “bag of tricks” as a Nutrition Coach and lover of food, but it is especially active during the holidays. The best way to put intuitive eating into practice is to eat SLOWLY. Try putting down your utensils or food in between each bite. Be mindful of the flavors, textures, emotions and memories the food provides. Pay attention to hunger and fullness cues (which is much easier when eating slowly and intentionally) and honor these cues. If indulging in a holiday treat elicits obsessive food thoughts or anxiety about “going off track” then spend some time getting to the bottom of these thoughts.
Journaling or talking these feelings out with a trusted friend or support group is extremely helpful. Are these thoughts happening consistently around a certain person/group? Are they grounded in truth or just BS you keep telling yourself to hold yourself back? Do these thoughts keep coming up in a certain situation (like at holiday parties where everyone’s little black dress is perfectly fitted and you don’t see an ounce of cellulite on anyone else’s butt/thighs/legs/arms)?
Ahem. Guilty.
My advice for dealing with these thoughts is to RECOGNIZE them for what they are: lies we tell ourselves about how we are never going to be able to lose the weight, stick to a plan, or be good enough. Then, devise a PLAN to deal with the people, events, or emotions that trigger these thoughts. Use the INTUITIVE EATING practice to slowly and mindfully indulge in holiday treats and do not, I repeat DO NOT, give any more thought to your indulgence. You deserve to eat delicious food. You deserve to fully experience the holidays … just do it a little slower.