When the holidays roll around, I feel as if I lose control of my eating, my exercise routine, my life...
YOU are not alone. Most people find themselves facing more food choices, stress, and demands on their time in the months of November and December. However, by maintaining the same flexible attitude that serves you so well throughout the rest of the year, you can breeze through these two months with your health and sanity intact. In fact, during the holidays, you can determine whether or not your eating and activity programs are flexible enough to accommodate all of life's little interruptions.
Part of the stress of the holidays comes from the media's repeated insistence that we curb our urges to eat, drink, and be merry. They offer behavior modification techniques like eating before parties or filling up on raw vegetables at the buffet table. The problem with these recommendations is that they are unrealistic; we do as they say, and then we what we want anyway.
You do not need to develop a whole new attitude or set of strategies to make it through this hectic time of year. You have been honing your eating mentality of healthy food and moderation for 10 months already; why adopt a whole new game plan? The new non-diet philosophy embraces the notion that there are times when food and celebration make perfect partners. Your goal is to strive for balance of the bigger picture. There is no need to start a guilt trip over the candy you had at the office, moan about the cookies you ate last night, or fear the 3,000 calorie Thanksgiving dinner that happens once a year. Guilt is the biggest stumbling block to maintaining balance while eating over the holidays because it leads directly to an "all-or-nothing" mentality - Well I blew it by eating that candy, so I might as well eat this pie...in fact, I will just start over in January. You already know that this pattern doesn't work.
What does work? A balanced eating regimen throughout the holidays that looks like this: You had a high fat meal, so you follow it with a low fat meal. You had a high fat day, so you follow it with a low fat day. Even if you have a high fat week this holiday season, follow it with a low fat week. So you ate "poorly" during a celebratory time. Unless you have a time machine, you have no choice but to move forward. Shake off your guilt, and take some time to practice those good eating habits you have honed throughout the year. Get your body back on track, and move on.
If you find yourself completely out of control with your eating around the holidays, it might also be smart to take a look inwards. Acknowledge that you probably have a good reason to use food as a coping mechanism. The holidays have a tendency to heighten feelings that we carry all year round, especially loneliness. Remember that even though the holidays will pass, those feelings will undoubtedly linger. Try to be aware of your reasons for binge eating, and seek support from a trusted friend or health professional.
If you are already stressed about the struggles of this holiday season, remember, focus on enjoying time with good friends and family. Although food can be a big part of the season, it doesn’t have to be the main focus. Holidays are a time to reunite with good friends and family, to share laughter and cheer, to celebrate and to give thanks. Give thanks for the people in your life who make the holidays worthwhile, and don't stress the little things.
Randy Sabourin, November 21st, 2016
