Holidays are always a stressful time, but even more so for the holiday dieter.  The thought of sitting down at the holiday dinner in front of all those scrumptious, fattening, delectables is enough to make you want to pull your hair out…or someone else’s!
Holiday over-indulgence can lead to guilt, remorse and further over-eating, creating a cycle of diet sabotage.
Luckily, there are ways in which you can cope with all the stress and sit down and enjoy the same meal as everyone else.
According to Today’s Dietitian, mindful eating is the trick to not only overcoming the stress but enabling you to enjoy the holidays.
Today’s Dietitian Magazine’s tips for mindful eating during the holidays:
- Choose foods that you truly want and avoid the rest.
- Become aware of physical hunger and satiety cues and let these cues guide your decision eating around holiday celebrations.
- Give yourself permission to mindfully eat holiday favorites. This takes the power back from the food and reduces your guilt which can trigger over-eating and that nasty cycle of diet sabotage.
- Don’t over-think it. If your mind becomes too occupied on food, it may backfire on you, causing too much tension and ultimately leading to overeating.
- Enjoy the pleasure of food. Â Choose foods that taste great and feel good to the body. Avoid the “it’s now or never” philosophy when faced with the holiday dessert tray.
- At holiday gatherings, sit or stand away from the line of site of the food table.
- At home have people self-serve, away from the dining table.
- Use smaller plates, bowls and glasses at your holiday meal.
- Don’t leave bowls of candy and plates of cookies in easy access places. Â Put these things out of reach and out of your site.
- Most important, take care of yourself during the holidays.  When holiday schedules, shopping and social obligations create stress, take time for the activities you enjoy and get enough sleep. Sleep deprivation interferes with hunger and fullness cues.
When you eat holiday foods in a mindful way, you will enjoy them so much more. Exercise mindfulness by savoring every sense; taste, smell, texture, appearance of your food choices and you will be well on your way to enjoying your holiday celebration.
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Sources: Today’s Dietitian. http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/1116p22.shtml
