Avoiding Holiday Weight Gain

For most of us, however, it’s a time of frantic doing, buying and mindlessly eating and overeating.  So I wanted to share some ideas and tools that I think you will find helpful in enjoying your holiday foods instead of eating them compulsively – and it should help you avoid gaining weight over the holidays.   

I’ll be sharing some of my experiences eating in Italy last month (where I got to practice both compulsive and exquisite eating!) 

I also want to let you know that I’ve scheduled my workshop  “Overcoming Emotional Eating with EFT” (Emotional Freedom Technique) for the Monday after Thanksgiving  click here for more  information.

Eating in Italy

I had images of pasta, pizza, gelato and wine, slow delightful meals of fresh foods, beautifully prepared and eaten slowly and with pleasure.

While I was excited about the food, I was also worried, as I have a sensitivity to wheat and had been gluten-free for a year. So I got special enzymes from my nutritionist for the special
occasions in which I couldn’t – or didn’t want to -resist the pasta or pizza or bread. Also, for several years, I have eaten sugar only occasionally (only if it’s really good and I really want
it) and in small amounts, always balancing it with protein and fats because, with my hypoglycemia, large amounts of sugar or eaten by itself can throw off my blood sugar easily.

My biggest concern about eating in Italy was breakfast. My typical breakfast is eggs with vegetables and yams or gluten-free toast. Their typical breakfast is orange juice, pastry
and coffee! So I brought protein powder and a shaker, almonds and a couple of cans of sardines for emergencies. And most of the b&Bs agreed to give me gluten free breakfast – but that turned out to be cake without flour!

If you have read my book or my occasional newsletters, you know I have a long history of
compulsive eating – which I had mostly licked with occasional lapses – easily getting back on track by using the “Making Peace with Food & Your Body” approach.

This trip, however, it was very difficult to get back on track. I was surprised by how quickly my sugar cravings returned – it was hard to resist the cake (especially when the b&bs had bought it specially for me and would throw out whatever I didn’t eat) and once I got into the habit of eating it, my body craved it.

I finally got back on track.

How did I do it? It started with having the intention to get back on track, making a plan using my tips (below) like eating the cake only if I really wanted it and it was fabulous, eating a smaller amount and throwing out the rest, and bringing in the most delicious pecorino cheese to eat for breakfast. And having fabulous food the rest of the day. 

Surprisingly, the simplest foods, like the green beans with tomato sauce  and garlic and olive oil, black taglioli pasta with truffles and pistachios (OK, that’s not simple)or minestrone soup, were sometimes the most delicious and satisfying.

So, since change starts with intention, how would you like to eat this holiday – and
the days and weeks to come?  Calmly or frenetically? Choosing exactly what you want or eating whatever is in front of you or out of obligation not to hurt the feelings of the cook? Eating mindlessly or savoring each bite? Stopping when the plate is empty or you  are stuffed or when you feel satisfied and energized? (The French say that they have hunger and when they have had enough, they don’t say they are full; they say that they no longer have hunger.)

Many of us struggle with food around the holidays because there are so many delicious foods that we don’t normally have the opportunity to eat – or give ourselves permission to buy. So how  do we deal with all these temptations? 

I have listed my “Tips to Making Peace with Food for the Holidays” below. You may want to
add your own. But the guidelines will not be helpful unless you make a clear intention about how you want to relate to food this holiday season.

Try to make your intention clear, concrete and said in the affirmative. For example:

This holiday season, because I want to feel calm, satisfied and energetic, I will:

-eat regular meals so I have energy and can make good decisions around food

-choose foods that will nourish my body

–choose and eat treats with my  full attention and pleasure

-take pauses while I am eating, so I can stop when my body has had enough and I still have mental and physical energy

It helps if you write down your intentions and read them every day. Or, if you know EFT, use the tapping with the affirmations.

Most importantly, do it every day. Without this reinforcement, we fall back into old habits and automatic reactions.

You may also find it helpful to ask yourself a few questions before choosing what to eat:

Do I really want it?

How will it make me feel?

And if you choose to eat it,

Am I willing to eat it mindfully and lovingly, savoring every bite?

Most importantly, when (not if!) you fall back into old patterns – eating mindlessly or eating too much, do not beat yourself up!  Get the learning, reset your intention and let it go.

I wish you a holiday season that is peaceful and pleasurable – with food, with friends, family and activities – and with yourself.

Warmly.

Barbara