The holidays are here. And that means food, lots of food!

 

If you’d like to stay on your healthy routine during the holidays or if you’re just looking for some strategies to help you feel less challenged this season, I’ve got 4 tips to help you survive the holidays.

 

 

 

Everything in moderation (is the worst advice ever).

You’ve heard this before. And I’ve got two reasons why it’s the worst advice ever: First, I can think of a lot of things that aren’t good in any amount (a recovering alcoholic can’t drink in moderation; anyone like me with Celiac disease can’t have a little gluten). And second, the concept of moderation works only for moderators, not abstainers.

Are you a moderator or an abstainer? If you’ve ever kept a chocolate bar in the fridge and easily eaten only one square per night, if you sometimes push away a dessert after only a few bites because that’s all you needed to feel satisfied, or if you’ve said you feel deprived if you don’t have treats, congratulations­­—you’re a moderator! Practice appropriate moderation.

If, on the other hand, a chocolate bar in your presence won’t make it long enough to see the inside of your refrigerator, if a few bites of dessert makes you want finish off the whole cake/pie/container of ice cream, and if you don’t have treats, you generally don’t miss them, congratulations—you’re an abstainer! Now please stop listening to people who preach moderation. It’s not for you. I assure you this not a moral failing or a character flaw on your part. The goal is not to grow up to be a good moderator. Instead, know yourself and choose the strategies that work for you.

 

Out of Sight, out of mind.

It’s not the two or three holiday meals that get us into trouble. It’s all the other eating that goes on over the last two months of the year. The solution is to set up your environment for success. If you don’t want to eat it, don’t keep it in the house. If you have to have treats (because another adult in your home chooses to eat them), store the treats somewhere you won’t immediately see them like on a high shelf in the pantry or in the back of the refrigerator. You will eat less if you don’t see it on the counter every time you walk by.

For my fellow abstainers, my best advice is to let go of feelings of guilt over not indulging. It’s ok to throw away left-overs you didn’t want to take home or to donate or re-purpose treats from well-meaning friends and family. Just as you wouldn’t feel obligated to eat a food you’re allergic to, it’s ok to pass on foods that make you feel less than great (physically or emotionally). Keep in mind, the treat-giver’s Love Language may be Gifts. That means she shows love and receives joy from giving you the gift. All you have to do is receive the treats. You don’t have to eat them.

 

No food is forbidden.

In case you thought carbs were the enemy this time of year, let me remind you that vegetables are carbs. Ok so maybe it’s processed carbs and sugar that are the enemy. Then I ask you, do you really want a life without any cookies, cake, or ice cream ever? Logically you know treats ARE a part of a healthy lifestyle. But if you’re telling yourself that some foods are “forbidden” what happens when that food is everywhere? You just can’t help yourself, right?

Try this instead: Set yourself up for success during the holidays by enjoying a treat (maybe once each week) all year long. This isn’t a reward that you have to earn for sticking to your workout schedule or eating salads for lunch. It’s a treat that’s as much a part of your healthy lifestyle as drinking water and hitting your daily step goal. As you create a healthy life that includes treat, the holidays will be a lot less challenging.

 

Honor your decision, whatever it is.

Over-indulging isn’t the worst thing you can do when it comes to holiday eating. The worst thing would be to over-indulge, feel guilt or shame, beat yourself up, then either console yourself with more comfort foods or do something really unhealthy like trying to “exercise off” the extra calories or skip meals the follow day to compensate.

If you want to indulge, make a conscious decision to eat the cookies, to have the second slice of pie, or to eat the left-overs, honor your decision, ENJOY, and move on.

 

Practicing healthy habits and a cultivating a healthy mindset around food all year long will make surviving the holidays a whole lot less challenging.