Wednesday, 26 December 2012
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Holiday Peace (With Eating)
The seasons of dieting tend to go like this: feel guilty/crash diet from November-February. March-April consists of trying to lose winter fat for spring break. And then May-October is trying to maintain the summer body.
But let's focus on November-February, the holiday season. We already made it through Thanksgiving and Hannukah, but there's still Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year's Eve and the abundance of chocolate available for Valentine's Day (whether you're single or not - there's always chocolate there for support).
I want to talk about making peace with your body during this time. Because unless you have adapted a strict, all year round, healthy diet (in which case, good for you), many of us fall to the temptations of the holidays. I know that I personally cannot resist my mother's baking and holiday cookies.
So instead of making ourselves feel guilty about these foods that we've eaten since childhood, or attempt unhealthy crash diets in between the holidays, I think we should just accept the foods we want to eat. They come by once a year, and we might as well enjoy them.
After spending four months abroad in Italy, I've realized the importance of enjoying the food you eat; there's no reason to feel guilty about it. But the Italians also understand portion control, something we, as Americans, need to get better at.
Eat those Reindeer cookies, but don't finish the entire batch by yourself. Try the classic "eat when you're hungry, stop when you're not" approach; it'll allow you to eat your favorite foods without overindulging. This method helps prevent further weight gain, while allowing you to eat your favorite holiday treats. You can also put your leftovers in a baggie and eat it the next day!
While baking, try some healthy substitutions; egg whites instead of eggs, cooking spray as opposed to butter at the bottom of a pan and incorporate some whole wheat flour with the regular kind. There's also no reason to taste check every cookie in the batch - refrain from licking your batter bowls and having a "quick taste" of cookie dough.
Exhibit some self-control, but also feel free to eat the holiday treats. There's no reason to miss out on your favorite foods; and there's definitely no reason to feel guilty about it. Make peace with your holiday self!
Are you opening up to your favorite holiday treats this winter? What will you be eating?
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About the Author
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- From: NicoleS
- Name: NicoleS
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- About Me: A third year college student who loves to run, workout, eat, and live a healthy lifestyle- and who also loves writing about doing those things.
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Comments (5)
i actually did better on portion control this year compared to previous years. the best tip i can give anyone on a holiday is to eat a protein-rich breakfast before going to your holiday parties so you don't eat too much of the unhealthy holiday food. this year, i had 3 parties to go to on christmas day and on thanksgiving i usually have 4-5 to go to (my parents are both divorced and remarried, so that makes my holidays very busy!). i was surprised that i was actually hungry by dinner time on christmas after eating a christmas lunch as well. i did have some cookies and fudge, but like you said, it's okay to indulge a little on the holidays. there are no other times during the year where there is so much variety in food, so you might as well enjoy it. my favorite holiday foods are sweet potato soufle and mashed potatoes.
I did surprisingly well this holiday season. Granted, I've been starving myself quite a bit the last couple months (not really intentionally.. it's the typical "not being hungry because I see the pounds dropping off" cycle, but I mean as far as portion control on the holidays & not bingeing. I tend to fall into a binge/starve cycle, especially around the holidays. My thing is, I have to fill my plate & I have to finish it all or bad things will happen. Now I can sort of stop myself and say, "If I don't finish it, I'll have dinner tomorrow night."
Anyway, got a little off track there. This was a great post, and you're right. Every New Year's I resolve to make peace with my body, but maybe this New Year's will actually be the real deal.
the secret to enjoying holiday eating with no strings attached, is eating healthy the rest of the year...
it's a no-brainer...
to your good health,
foxy sage
make friends with cookies so you can eat your friends.
yeah, portion control, as well as eat in variety and moderation, really help me to maintain the same pants size for many years. that said, though, it always helps to eat better than you normally would when you expects a feast. like this month, for me. chinese year is coming this february and i'm already watching my intakes. i'm preparing for an eating frenzy :)