Happy, Healthy, Holiday Eating or How to Avoid Feeling Obligated to Eat
Oregon
Holidays are filled with family, friends, food, and drinks. It’s also a time when we have an extraordinarily hard time sticking with a healthy eating plan. The food, the stress, the temptation may all seem overwhelming.
It’s commonly thought that people gain about 5 to 10 pounds every holiday season. This is an overestimation, although it can feel like that much weight.
According to a study done in 2015, it’s actually more like 0.8 pounds gained over the holidays. The real problem is that the weight gain typically doesn’t go back down after the holidays. 0.8 pounds, in addition to any additional weight gain throughout the year, adds up over time.
Celebration temptations. What do you do at Christmas parties? Or when your aunt tells you to try the fudge she lovingly made herself? Or your dad proudly hands you a giant burger with extra cheese he grilled himself?
The key to avoiding feeling emotionally tortured or blowing an eating plan is preparation. Holidays happen. How do you want it to go? How do you want to feel during and after?
It is possible to avoid that extra weight, stress, guilt and frustration, and stick with a healthier eating pattern. Here are some ways to navigate around overeating and prepare for the holiday season.
Prepare emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Don’t wait for the new year. In the days leading up to the season, plan an adventure for after the holidays you need to train for. Have you been wanting to go backpacking on the Appalachian trail? Run a 5K? Having more to look forward to will help keep you motivated to look past January. It will also give you an easy excuse for relatives that want you to eat more. Another added benefit is that you can ramp up your fitness routine and burn off the Christmas cookies.
Read more about the effects of sugar, artificial sweeteners, and saturated fats on digestion before the holidays. Then read more about the effects of healthy foods. Knowing sugar and artificial sweeteners harm our microbiomes, which in turn weakens our immune system, increases inflammation, and causes other health issues may help keep the treats to a minimum. Healthier foods, like sweet potatoes with skins, mangoes, and berries are even more satisfying than the sugary or artificial stuff. In addition, nutritious foods will boost your immune system during the cold, stressful holidays, when you need it. Because your health is a priority, the facts will help keep you focused.
You could plan on including some treats, whatever you feel will be manageable while staying within limits. Plan the amounts ahead of time. WARNING: Cheat days are not for everyone. This can be a slippery slope. One cookie per week, per day, or whatever may only tempt you into eating more. It may be easy to lose track of how many you’ve had.
Find a healthy eating buddy. Bring your own food or get together with at least one other person and make a deal to have some healthier options available at get togethers. Have some trail mix handy and grab that instead. Make hummus and veggies. Always have at least one food handy that you can eat a lot of and still feel good.
Be ready to distract and deflect people at get-togethers. Most families have at least one person that wants everyone to eat all the cookies, cakes, and candy. They are the tempters, the health saboteurs, the ones who tell people to forget the diet and learn to enjoy life. It’s a little true, but we don’t need someone else telling us what to eat. Getting coerced into eating is not enjoyable. Sometimes people do this innocently, but sometimes, there are trickier ones. There is no pleasing the difficult people. For the well-meaning ones, distraction usually works. Ask them if they tried cousin Bob’s brownies, or offer them a snack plate. For the trickier ones, they might actually be watching and keeping track of what you’re eating. Just know that you and your behavior is not the problem! There’s no pleasing them, so just eat what feels good for you, smile and walk away. Don’t give in to their goading, teasing, pressure, or guilt tripping. You may be surprised at how well blatantly, yet calmly, ignoring them works. They’ll likely get bored with you and move on.
Resources
