Do you frequently experience overeating during the holiday season? If yes, you’re not by yourself, and we’re here to assist. Continue reading to discover how to curb overeating this holiday period.
The holidays return annually, bringing a wave of emotions. Some feelings are joyful and reminiscent, while others can become quite burdensome and anxiety-inducing. Consequently, managing food and nutrition during this time can be especially challenging.
This year, by simply incorporating a few strategies from a registered dietitian, you can enhance your chances of success and steer clear of overeating this holiday season.
Overeating During the Holidays
So, what causes this phenomenon? In reality, there are several explanations. The holidays typically call for celebrations, and celebrations often entail social occasions. And what do we usually encounter at these social events? Food!
Moreover, nostalgic customs that are often centered around food accompany the holidays. Perhaps it’s a particular grocery chain’s seasonal baking mix or your grandmother’s festive cookies. Regardless, it’s clear that the holidays and food are closely linked.
The tendency to overeat arises when these two elements are combined with scarcity and mindlessness. Let’s discuss how to counteract scarcity and mindlessness, allowing you to combat overeating during the holiday season.
5 Tips to Prevent Overeating During the Holidays
Begin by applying these 5 strategies this holiday season to help avoid overeating.
Mindfully Savor Your Holiday Favorites
Wherever you might be during the holiday season, you’ll always come across lackluster holiday treats and foods. Whether it’s the stale sugar cookies in the office breakroom or the uninspiring bread pudding your aunt insists on preparing every year. At the same time, there will also be those scrumptious, enticing treats and dishes you’re eager to enjoy.
The first essential aspect of navigating the holidays and preventing overeating is to mindfully relish the holiday food items that you truly treasure. Look for the food items you eagerly anticipate each year, and let the others go.
There’s no obligation to take that stale cookie you’re not interested in or to yield to your aunt’s pressure to sample the bread pudding. Focus on what you genuinely enjoy, and disregard the rest. This is one of the most effective methods to curb overeating during the holidays.
Don’t Allow Scarcity to Control You
Now that we’ve established that we’ll only indulge in the food items we genuinely desire, we need to address the scarcity mentality. This mindset convinces us that we must consume as much as possible right now because we may not have access to it for a long time.
The result? You end up feeling excessively full and probably anxious or overwhelmed as a consequence. Regret sets in, and you’re left wondering how you ended up overeating during the holidays once more.
First off, we’ve all been there. It’s a normal part of being human! But I’m here to offer you a quick tip to help prevent this scenario from happening again this year. While savoring those festive sweet treats and savory dishes, remind yourself they will return. The holidays come around every year, and you’ll get to enjoy them again. Furthermore, you can always prepare them outside of the holiday season if they truly delight you! Ask for that recipe from a friend or family member, or discover how to create something similar available at the store.
The more you can acknowledge and prepare for the scarcity mentality, the more empowered you will feel around food. This will help you to avoid overeating during the holidays.
Strike a Balance Between Nourishment and Enjoyment
Given the surge in holiday social events, it’s easy to tip too far into the enjoyment side of things during this time of year. Often, this is entirely unintentional! Before we know it, the holiday season has passed, and we realize just how much we have indulged in enjoyment-based foods.
To combat overeating during the holidays, lead with mindfulness and intention. To achieve this, you can utilize Nutrition Stripped’s Balance Spectrum. This spectrum is divided into two halves; one symbolizes nourishment while the other suggests enjoyment. In the center, we find the ideal balance between the two.
Refer to this visual to assess your status. Are you spending an excessive amount of time on the enjoyment side of the spectrum? If so, how can you bring yourself back to the center or slightly towards the nourishment side? Aim for a balance between the two from the outset rather than favoring one over the other.
Never Arrive at a Gathering on an Empty Stomach
This advice applies to all social events throughout the year, honestly. How many times have you thought, “I won’t eat all day so that I can truly enjoy myself at this dinner.”?
If this resonates with you, then you likely know the uncomfortably full, distressing sensations that often follow a meal or a gathering you attended.
Fasting can lead to intense hunger, which sets the stage for overeating. To avoid this, make sure you are well-nourished before the gathering or meal. Conduct your day just like any other day! This way, you’ll still have an appetite and enjoy yourself without feeling overly famished and compelled to overeat.
Take Time to Manage Stress
The holidays can be hectic, stressful, and a bit chaotic, to be honest. Don’t misunderstand me; I genuinely love the holiday season! Yet that doesn’t change the fact that it can be overwhelming. Often, overeating is merely a response to mindlessness as we try to navigate the holiday season while preserving our sanity.
Introduce some active stress management techniques. Write in a journal, meditate with some calming music, or practice a short yoga routine. Managing stress effectively can help reduce stress-related eating, which in turn minimizes overeating.
The Conclusion
Embrace mindfulness, relish your favorites, incorporate some stress management, and nourish yourself as usual, and you’ll successfully break the cycle of overeating during the holidays! As always, take these suggestions one step at a time. Experiment with one at a time, evaluate its effectiveness, make it your own, and then proceed to the next one.
Please remember to share your progress with us by tagging us on social media!
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original publish date: 12/9/22