Z. Johnson
It’s that time of the year! The holiday celebrations! Yayy! Can we just say Hallelujah!! Lol… The Christmas season has always been my favorite time of the year. This is the opportunity to share with loved ones, friends, cherish good times and be thankful for another year. I have so many good memories of this season, I’m sure you can relate with me. It is also the time in which most of us enjoy sharing a variety of delicious foods. Indulging is part of the season, and it’s completely ok. However, some people tend to worry about overdoing it, to the point that it makes them feel guilty or under stress later. You don’t want to be that person, do you? So, I’ll share with you some of my secrets on to enjoy holiday eating without worrying about weight gain.
Relax!!!
This is the time I cherish a lot, since it gives me the opportunity to spend quality time with the ones I love. I also engage in cooking with my mom those delicious christmas recipes. I’ve been able to learn not only about the recipes, but also get creative about certain ingredients to make different versions of those foods. Yes! Holiday eating is something that we should enjoy without guilt. Why? Because, first it’s the time for it, and second, it’s part of a healthy balanced life. To be honest, I don’t even worry about weight gain after the holidays. And the reason is simple, there are many easy ways to include balance and still indulge, without pressure or having serious health issues. If you are a person that struggles every time with holiday eating, worry about weight gain or have a chronic condition, this guide is for you!!
Keep your balanced eating schedule on regular days
I must say this is sooo important! If you’re not going to a social gathering or party everyday, why not keep up with a regular eating regiment on those other days? In my previous post about the top 12 holiday eating tips, I share more in depth about this. But, you already know the drill, I’ve stressed about this in other blog posts. It’s important that you develop healthy eating habits all year round so that when this time of the year comes, you don’t feel stress or guilt at all.
Also, having a regular healthy eating lifestyle that includes foods from all the groups, will help your body’s metabolism to work more efficiently on the long run, and it will prevent you from having constant food cravings. It’s about balance and keeping your body in fat burning mode! Make sure you still eat a variety of foods from all the food groups and stay hydrated.
Stay active whenever you can
The same thing applies to exercise. On those regular days, when you have a normal schedule, keep up your workout routine. There’s no reason to skip your exercises, unless you are going on vacation, or on a busy day full of social activities. But, in my case, I even workout when I can if I have the time to squeeze it in my schedule on busy days.
Don’t overdo it either! Don’t punish yourself the following day after indulging. Keep your regular workouts and go back to your normal schedule and routine. There’s no need to go running on the treadmill for 2 hrs because you feel you overate on a party last night! I always do cardio and strength exercises. Keeping your muscles active is key to have your body burning fat.
Also, rest when needed! This is a busy season for everyone, so it’s important to rest on the days you can, not only from workouts, but also for the days when you party. It is proven that not sleeping enough can trigger more cravings and cause you to binge.
Give yourself permission to indulge during holiday eating!
It’s the time to make peace with food. Let’s forget about demonizing food groups. When you do restrictive dieting, your body automatically starts craving more of those “forbidden” foods. There’s no such thing as bad and good foods. There’s simply proportions for each food group, so it’s important that we stop labeling foods. Allow yourself to enjoy from a variety of foods, especially during the gatherings. Holiday eating is about finding enjoyment in those special foods for the season. This is not the time for a “dieting” mindset. When you think of restrictions and have a “dieting mindset”, you tend to put your body on stress mode and cause the opposite reaction to binge. In my guide to stop bingeing, you will find how to master this.
Also, practice more of mindful eating and intuitive eating. Learn to listen to your body and eat only when you feel like it. Sometimes, when we go to parties, we tend to forget about what we feel, how much hungry or full we are. It’s easy to get distracted looking at what everybody else is eating, or fall into the temptation of fulling our plate like there will be no food after!! Pleaseeee don’t go to this extreme! Be conscious about the foods you love to eat, savor each bite and honor your hunger and fullness signs.
Golden tip for holiday eating: Don’t go hungry to parties!
This goes a long way, friend… Many of us done this in the past. Going hungry or “saving up for later”, to only end up eating up a whole lot more than we ever wanted. Sounds familiar to you? Well, the best we can do to avoid overeating unnecessarily, is simply sticking to regular eating throughout the day. As a matter of fact, snacking during the day helps us to avoid going hungry to parties. If you haven’t checked out my dining out guide, find it here.
Also, when you go to parties, look at the food variety and choose accordingly. Fill up your plate mostly with nutrient dense foods. You should eat a little of everything. Yes! Including those veggies! You can even offer to take a salad dish or get yourself creative with how you prepare the veggies. Another thing when holiday eating is making ingredient swaps. For example, if you want, you can use chicken gravy instead of pork gravy.
Forget about the scale and fad diets during holiday eating!
Don’t even weigh yourself! Thinking about the scale and your body weight will only make you feel more anxious than you should. This is not the time for that, seriously… Keep you healthy eating balanced life in check and the rest will come into place. It also goes with fad diets. Starving yourself, or even long fasting will only do your body more harm than good.
Listen to your body and mind: Do what makes you feel good!
Think about the reasons behind your holiday eating and celebrating this season. Are you just thinking to indulge just because everybody else is doing or because you truly enjoy doing it? It’s the same thing with alcohol. There’s nothing wrong with having those shots of your favorite drink. But, first of all consider it as a pleasurable experience and not something that will make you feel bad later. You have to do this for you and for your own enjoyment.
Can I still indulge if I have special dietary needs?
Yes! You can! As a matter of fact, you should! Allow yourself to enjoy of those special treats this time of the year. There are many healthier alternatives that you can find to satisfy your needs. If you are diabetic, suffer from high blood pressure, are vegan or follow a gluten free diet, for example, there are many food options out there. You don’t have to compromise your health just because it’s christmas season. You can still have control of your holiday eating and indulge in a healthy way. There are many substitutes to certain ingredients, recipes to fit your goals and eating lifestyle. If you need further guide with this, contact me.
Enjoy the celebrations! It’s not all about food
This season is not just about food. Sometimes we focus so much on holiday eating, that we forget the essence of the celebration. Share with your friends, hug your loved ones, take some time to catch up on anything you may have missed about their lives, laugh, simply live and enjoy the present moment! Engage in meaningful conversations, cherish the time spent together.
If there is a party and you have the chance to dance, do it! Not only will this help you keep your body moving, but you will enjoy the moment and have lots of fun! Dancing is one of my favorite things to do this holiday season.
Finally,
The holiday season is about getting together, celebrating, and making joyful connections. Holiday eating should not cause you stress or fear of gaining weight. Remember, there are healthy ways to embrace this season and you can still enjoy without guilt. If your weight changes, just get back on track… Just focus on balance and moderation, and don’t overdo it! Enjoy this season! Share this with someone who needs some inspiration! Comment below. Until then,
Xoxo
