The holidays are fast approaching, and so are all the opportunities to overindulge and feel like all the hard weight loss work you’ve done during the year has going down the drain.
Following on from our latest podcast episode, here are some handy tips to keep in mind to help you enjoy the festive season and manage your intake as best as you can!
TRY KEEP CELEBRATORY EATING LIMITED TO SPECIAL OCCASION DAYS
Pick a choose certain days (for example Christmas, Christmas Eve, and New Years) where you’ll allow yourself to overindulge without guilt, and return to “regular” eating patterns on the other days. This will help stop the one day of eating and drinking lots, turning into 2 weeks of eating and drinking lots, and the terrifying “stuff it” mentality coming into play. Give yourself a little bit of love and wriggle room on these days, and if you’re on a weight loss journey, focus on maintenance rather than still aiming for weight loss.
DON’T OVERBUY FOOD
When doing the shopping for your Xmas party, WRITE A LIST and be realistic with the amount of food you need. It will essentially be needing to cater for a set number of people over 1-2 meals, so just buy what you need and try to resist the temptation of 3 for $5 sales. If you’re asked to bring a plate, just bring what was asked, there will be more than enough food to go around!
SIT DOWN WHEN EATING
Sitting down with a plate of food will help with mindfulness and your hunger and fullness signals, rather than the continuous grazing around the platter station that most of us end up doing! If the temptation to graze is still very present, then pull up a chair that is further away from said temptation and enjoy a plate and an engaging conversation there instead.
GET CREATIVE WITH DELICIOUS SUMMER SALADS & FRESH PRODUCE
If you’re asked to bring a plate, or if you’re the host, look up some fun recipes for fresh salads and dressings. This while provide some lower calorie, vitamin-packed, and high fibre options amongst all the other delicious meats and carby goodness.
GIVE LEFTOVERS AWAY
Also don’t feel obliged to say yes to taking leftovers. By giving leftovers away to neighbours or friends, you’re less likely to overeat for a longer period of time along with minimising waste.
MOVE YOUR BODY IN WAYS THAT ARE FUN & ENJOYABLE
It’s easy to fall into the trap of feeling full and sluggish over these holiday periods, but you will definitely thank yourself for getting a bit of physical activity in. Why not make it a whole family affair with traditional games like tug of war, egg & spoon races, 3 legged races, or sack races! You might even start a new Christmas tradition of a family sports day competition!
OFFER TO BE THE DESIGNATED DRIVER
This will help to limit your overall alcohol consumption which often goes hand in hand with the continuous grazing that starts to happen when you’ve had 5 too many mimosas.
HAVE FUN, DON’T BE TOO HARD ON YOURSELF, ENJOY THE HOLIDAYS
At the end of the day, a couple of days of indulging on some good food is ultimately not a big deal. The key focus is to dust it off and return to your “regular” eating patterns at the next meal or the next day. The worst thing you could do is fall into the cycle of shame, guilt, and restriction. All the hard work that has gone into your goals in the last year won’t magically disappear from a few days of holiday festivities.
