Welcome to this new week of Losing Weight For The Holidays! We’ve been focused on our goal of doing this holiday season differently so the weight gain hangover from eating our way through the holiday isn’t what we dread going into the New Year. We’ve talked about using food for fuel and honoring our signals for hunger and fullness, and we’ve worked through why holiday food tricks us into overeating.

 

This week I want to equip you for the actual holiday meal. Thanksgiving is a few days away!

 

 

Let’s remember together how the holiday meals went in years gone by. In the past, you’d eat through the day, sampling the pigs-in-a-blanket and crunching on veggie sticks from the veggie tray (it’s ok, because it’s veggies, right?), and tasting all the foods before they were served. By the time the full meal was ready, you weren’t hungry, but you’d pile your plate with everything so you could try it all. You’d have a mini mountain in front of you and even though you were full before the plate was half empty, you’d plow ahead and finish it. Because you can’t waste this special food, right? You’d end up stuffed like a turkey, exhausted and needing a nap, but dragging yourself through the cleanup because every pot and pan in the house was out and needed to be cleaned.

Sounds like fun, right?

 

This year can be different! You don’t have to experience the holiday meal the same way this year. But in order to make sure you do this a new way, you have to get prepared.

First, it’s not as if you planned to stuff yourself – it’s just what you did. Ever notice that when you get to a special meal like Thanksgiving that despite all your best plans, the plan falls apart in the face of the table of food? You’ve been doing great on your plan and then all of a sudden the holiday meal sets you back two weeks because you ate everything on that table?

 

 

The most important thing to know is that there’s nothing wrong with you. The number one reason why holidays trip you up is that they only happen once a year. You get to practice your everyday life every day – but you only experience the holiday once a year, so you’re falling back into old patterns of how you did it in the past. You brain loves efficiency, so you go on autopilot.

 

Your first tactic to battle the autopilot is to make a plan.

 

 

You might be hosting and know all the foods that are being served. Or, you might be going to someone’s house and have a fair idea of what’s being served. Your job is to consider what you know and make a plan for what you’re going to eat when the day comes. Want to be hungry for the big meal? Plan the hours before the meal so you’re hungry. Do you love the cornbread dressing and gravy but couldn’t care less about the turkey? Plan room on your plate for the dressing and leave out the turkey. Have to have the sweet potato pie? Plan to have it first or leave room in your stomach to finish off the meal with the pie without the pain and fatigue from an overfull belly.

 

Your second trap comes in the form of people. You love your family, but there may be some dynamics you need to navigate when you gather together. The mess in the kitchen, the old arguments, the noise, and the chaos might be challenging. Your autopilot is going to kick in and suggest that you eat to soothe the stress. You’re going to think that the food is the answer to calming your nerves, and this thought is hardly conscious.

Don’t do it!

Food doesn’t solve stress – it’s only food. Food is a distraction and in the moment stops you from feeling the stress, but once it’s gone, the stress comes back AND you’ve overeaten. Food is only fuel, so it only is needed when you’re actually hungry. Cravings, stress, frustration, soothing – eating to solve any of these is what will cause the scale to go up.

 

What if instead of eating to handle the family dynamics, you decided that this is a once-a-year event where you’re creating new memories? What if you plan to enjoy seeing your cousin and reminisce over the sleeping bag sleepovers you used to have when you were kids? What if you decide to look at your drunk auntie with compassion instead of aggravation? Whatever the situation might bring, you get to decide that you can experience it without needing food to help you through it. You can enjoy your holiday AND enjoy the food AND lose weight!

 

 

You can do this! If you know you’re ready to lose the weight for good, but you really want support and accountability, I’m here to help. It’s time to turn this weight problem around! If you’re ready to invest in yourself and get yourself an early Christmas gift, email me at drandreachristianparks@gmail.com and we will set up your one-hour free consultation. Being overweight and living on the diet roller coaster doesn’t have to be your life anymore!

 

Here’s your video help for the week!