The holidays are a time for celebrating and spending time with friends and family. Here are a few tips on how to enjoy while avoiding feeling terrible come January.
- Don’t skip meals to save your calories. Skipping meals in an attempt to save up your calories can aggressively backfire when you finally get to your meal, after a long day of not eating, and are ravenous. If we go into our big meals, thinking that it’s like a free for all and we can just eat whatever we want because we haven’t eaten much that day, you’re much more likely to consume more overall calories than you would be if you had consumed healthy meals throughout the day.
- Ask yourself, “How is this going to make me feel tomorrow?” Our emotions play a big role in our decisions, especially when it comes to food. So if you are going through a meal or going through a day, and you’re debating like, “Do I have room for more treats?”. Or maybe the question comes up when it comes to how much alcohol to consume. Eating and drinking mindfully can help you stay on track with your health goals and avoid overindulging. By taking a few minutes to think about how your food choices will affect you down the road, you can make better decisions for your overall well-being. So the next time you’re deciding what to eat, ask yourself these questions, and you’ll be able to enjoy your meal without worrying too much!
- Avoid the idea of restriction. Restricting yourself from certain foods can backfire and make you crave those unhealthy foods even more because you’re going to think about those foods you told yourself that you couldn’t have. So what’s the solution? Find a healthy balance and enjoy everything in moderation. Don’t tell yourself you can’t have something; just set yourself up for success by saying something like, “I’m going to enjoy a little bit of the things that look really good to me!” Focus on eating smaller portions of unhealthy foods instead of completely cutting them out of your diet. With that, you can avoid feelings of restriction and depriving yourself of things.
- Avoid having the mindset of “Christmas only happens once a year. So I have to enjoy every Christmas treat”. In the lead-up to Christmas, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the “special” food. There often seems to be so much pressure to overindulge and enjoy yourself – after all, Christmas only happens once a year, right? But if you go into the holiday season with this mindset, you could be setting yourself up for failure. In reality, you can enjoy holiday foods even in other months. Instead, just pick up your favorites, savor them, and enjoy them in moderation. That way, you’ll be able to get festive without feeling guilty!
- Always be “double fisting” when taking Alcoholic drinks. Double fisting means that you’ve got your drink in one hand and your water in the other (no, not two drinks at once lol). The goal is to always make sure you’re drinking a full glass of water for every alcoholic beverage you have. This will help you slow down a little bit, and also help keep you hydrated and may slow the effects of the alcohol. Just be mindful of what you’re consuming with your drinks and enjoy them slowly.
It’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of the season and indulge in all of the goodies around us. But with the right mindset, you can stay on track and enjoy your holiday season without sabotaging your healthy eating habits!