Holiday Celebrations – An Informed Choice!

Holiday Celebrations – An Informed Choice!

The holidays can be a time of festivities and celebration and heartfelt memories with family and friends. It can also be a challenging time and can certainly tempt us to stray from our newly learned lifestyle changes and return to the false comfort and solace we have found in food.

The financial strain of this particular season adds additional stress and all of this combined can bring great highs and lows, happiness and depression, and can threaten to derail our weight loss efforts. Let’s see if we can examine what is happening, mentally and physically, and begin a plan of action to keep us on track or to rescue us if we fall. READ MORE...

The holiday season is bustling and our list of things to accomplish grows more than the time we have allotted. This brings stress, takes precious time and our plans to make a healthy dinner or exercise can fall by the wayside. It is understandable but too often we allow it to be the excuse that lets us drift from Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s like a gigantic month long eating frenzy.

Stop for just a few minutes and take a deep breath. Slow down and let your brain think about what you truly want to do and where you want to be on January 1st. Do you really want to be 5-20 pounds heavier or would you like to be 5-15 pounds lighter? The choice is yours, but you owe it to yourself to examine the consequences of your behavior and make an informed and knowledgeable choice.

Plan for Success -

Take a look at all the things you want to do and compare it honestly with the time it takes to do it and decide what truly needs to be done and what does not. No one is expecting you to be Martha Stewart or Alton Brown. There are times you can enjoy the holiday more if you busy yourself less.

Realize that moderate exercise is needed and actually counteracts stress and revitalizes you. It also helps by elevating your mood and increases physical endurance.

Choose foods and portions wisely. If you are truly craving a seasonal treat, then eat a few bites very slowly, savor it and then stop. That is called intuitive eating and it allows you to satisfy those holiday cravings without derailing your efforts. You do need to implement control and learning this step is key in making a permanent transition to a healthy lifestyle.

If unable to abide by intuitive eating there are two options; either avoid the food altogether or eat with a friend and tell them you are only going to eat 3-4 bites and then discard the rest. Ask for their assistance and portion off 3-4 bites and remove the rest. If you’re tempted, pour water on the remaining portion; you won’t want it after that.

“The difference between a successful person and others is not the lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will.” Vince Lombardi

What will you choose? Will you be joining us and participating now … or in January?