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It’s that time of year again when it seems that everywhere you turn you are offered something sticky, gooey, or fatty. The period beginning with Halloween and ending with New Years, otherwise known as the “Annual Food Fest” can make you not only feel as if you have lost your sanity around food, but you may literally lose the ability to button some of your clothes due to holiday weight gain. Sugar cookies shaped like Santa, potato pancakes your future mother-in-law made especially for you to taste, or eggnog with extra cream can all be temptations to deviate from your normal eating pattern.
Rather than giving into the idea that gaining weight is something you must accept about the holidays, there are steps you can take to enjoy both your holiday festivities as well as the pleasure in knowing you won’t have to make yet another New Year’s resolution to lose weight this year. First of all, think outside the box and create new traditions. In the past, you may have stated that “It just isn’t Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie.” All traditions had a beginning and this can be your year to start a new one like having cooked pumpkin as part of a meal or in a casserole and fruit for dessert. I remember celebrating Thanksgiving in London and having duck for dinner. In London they didn’t pay attention that it was Thanksgiving in America. From that year forward, whenever I eat duck, I think of Thanksgiving in London.
Instead of saving up your calories all day to let loose at the party, eat regular meals throughout that day. Prior to attending festivities, take the edge off your hunger and stabilize your blood sugar level by eating some protein, a glass of milk, or nuts before you leave for the party. If you don’t arrive ravenous, you are more likely to eat less at the party and to make healthier choices because your won’t necessarily run for the sugary desserts, alcohol, or other carbohydrates in order to raise your blood sugar to feel “full” quickly.
Remember, it’s not what you say but how you say it. With some family members or what others may call well-meaning “food pushers,” a firm “no thank you” may be necessary in order for them to get the hint that you really are not going to try their casserole they spent hours creating. Kindness and tact go a long way in turning away what some consider their masterpieces or cookies that they prepare for special occasions only. A firm “thank you, I won’t be having any of those today and I really appreciate the time you took to make them” said in a confident, loving tone gets across the point without hurting the chef’s feelings. Let’s face it, you can’t take care of someone else and yourself at the same time, but you can be kind and considerate while taking care of yourself.
Get engrossed in the conversation and company more than in the cookies. Purposefully position yourself away from the food table and get involved in the conversation in which you are participating. Without the distraction of unconscious eating, you may find that you don’t have much to talk about with the people with whom you are conversing. Thus, your appearance at the party you didn’t even want to attend may shorten in length. Conversely, you may strike up interesting relationships and engage in discourse you find more entertaining than how full you feel after eating your third helping of pie.
Most importantly, be gentle with yourself. The holidays are emotionally laden for even the most functional of families due to increased levels of stress. Family gatherings can illuminate the fact that you may have less than perfect relationships and experiencing the holiday for the first time after having lost a family member can bring up emotions that could be easily drowned in a bowl of homemade peppermint ice cream. Deal with your feelings head on and nurture yourself through the holiday period with methods other than through your mouth. Sitting in front of a warm fire, playing your favorite soothing holiday music, or treating yourself to a massage are all ways to lower stress and directly express feelings that may be literally stuffed down.
By approaching holiday eating differently his year, this could be the first season from which you grow richer inside without growing bigger outside.
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