I’ll only have a few cookies today.  I’ll skip breakfast and lunch and then I can eat all I want at dinner.  It’s the HOLIDAYS! What’s one more glass of wine..more or less?

Although Thanksgiving has come to an end, it isn’t just the madness of Black Friday shopping that starts the official march toward Christmas. Thanksgiving seems to be the kick-off event that puts us into a downward spiral of overindulgence, culminating with New Year’s Eve and the January 1st promises we make to ourselves to never let that happen again!

You may rationalize that you’ve been good all year, or may tell yourself that it’s your body and you can do whatever you want! Maybe you really DO want to change your habits, but you just don’t know where to begin!

As busy, working Moms, we often experience the Holidays in ways that only other Moms would understand.  Not only are we responsible for decorating the house, trimming the tree, managing the family’s social calendar and stepping up our game in the kitchen, we’re expected to do it with a smile on our faces.

Maintaining healthy habits throughout the year is stressful as is, never mind adding in the stressors of parties (and what to wear), families (and what to buy), celebrations (and what to prepare).

The thing is, you don’t have to feel guilty for enjoying that extra helping of stuffing or that extra slice of pumpkin pie (after you already tried the apple), because there are actually ways to navigate the Holidays without giving up your social calendar or the foods you love!

Three Simple Ways To Navigate The Holidays and Prevent Overeating:

Treat the Holiday as one day:  Yes, it’s called a “Season” for a reason, but unless you’re a bear preparing for hibernation, or a squirrel gathering enough food for the winter, chances are there will likely be food in abundance (or in many cases, overabundance)!  Clients who come to me for 1:1 Coaching or who invest in my DIY programs, are taught how to navigate Holiday meals and the stress often associated with “Holiday overwhelm” by making decisions based on desired outcomes or goals.  Sometimes the goal isn’t to eat less, it’s to eat better. Mentally planning how the ideal day would play out, often provides a plan or framework for how it can turn out.

Continue to maintain healthy eating habits:  If you’ve been working hard this year to lose weight or improve your eating habits, but you’re doing so in a way that is restrictive or completely different than anything you’ve ever done before, chances are you’re on a diet.  We’ve all heard that “diets” aren’t healthy for us and blah-blah-blah, but what does that even mean?  I once tried the South Beach Diet.  The food looked healthy enough and I did lose weight, so how could that be bad or unhealthy? For starters, I only lasted about six weeks (after which my weight went right back up). It was a hassle trying to stick to the food menus outlined for me! Secondly, I started getting resentful. Not only was I always worried about what I was “allowed” to have, I obsessed about all the things I wasn’t allowed to have. In order for healthy eating to be permanent, it has to be an extension of how you normally eat–foods that you enjoy preparing and eating.  If it’s something you “have” to eat, it won’t be long until you’ll use any excuse for eating something different...”It’s the Holidays”

Take time to enjoy your food: So much energy during the Holidays is spent in angst.  Not only are we dealing with the “normal” things we as Moms have to balance: Careers, fourth quarter deadlines, household chores, our children’s schedules, but there are all the “extras”:  “Company Christmas parties, school functions, decorating the house, entertaining guests/relatives. It’s easy to take that “energy” we feel (whether positive or negative) and turn it in on ourselves:  “I’m so stressed out right now, what’s one more piece of pie?!”“This is a fabulous party and I’m feeling so good, what’s one more piece of pie?!” In both these scenarios, “pie” plays similar roles. It isn’t satisfying your hunger, which is a physical need, it’s a response to a stressor.  Stress eating shifts eating, as a way of nourishing our bodies, to eating as a way of dealing with our emotions.  How can you break the cycle? Taking time to enjoy your food (the way it looks, the way it smells and the way it tastes) apart from how you are feeling, is one step.  Noticing when you are feeling stressed and naming why, is another way you can break the cycle. Journaling about your feelings or setting aside some time (when you’re not stressed) to come up with alternate ways of dealing with your emotions in those circumstances, can also be of benefit.