Holidays are a time for celebration, and for the majority of holidays that celebration tends to include food and drink! In short, holidays are a time of indulgence; a time for enjoyment; a time to let loose and have fun.
However, indulgence doesn’t have to mean destruction, especially when it comes to ones health. If you’ve been known to over indulge in the past, whether at the annual turkey dinner during thanksgiving, or sneaking a few extra of Santa’s cookies, it may be time to look at tips and strategies to avoid, or at least manage the holiday binge.
In this article, you’ll learn how to you can still enjoy the holidays without destroying your progress. Additionally, you’ll learn how to implement certain tips and tricks so that you can rest assured that you won’t cheat or quit on your promise. Lastly, you’ll learn the importance of balance and the power of delayed gratification.
So, if you’re one of the millions of people annually who over indulge over the holidays, this article is for you! Keep reading to change your life…
Create a Plan, and Stick to IT!
While you can’t plan for everything during the holidays, you can definitely plan around your eating plan. It may be difficult, but it can be done.
So what will this holiday eating plan look like? Approach it with the 80:20 principle in mind. In other words, allow yourself to let loose 20% of your meals, whilst sticking to your regimen for the majority (80%). This will not only allow you to enjoy the indulgences and luxuries of what it means to eat and be marry over the holidays, but it will also provide you with a plan to commit to for the majority of the holiday.
Think of it as having the best of both worlds.
To be more specific, your holiday eating plan should adjust for portion sizes you’ll be limited to, a food list that will account for what you can and most definitely cannot eat, and even strategies noted to remind you of how you’ll revert from any habits that you catch yourself resorting back to, as this is likely and inevitably going to happen at some point during the holidays.
Avoiding temptation is difficult, especially when those around you are encouraging you to do so. However, by implementing a rigid plan before the holidays begin, you’ll have a good idea of how the holidays go, and this reassurance will give you the comfort to tackle the holidays head on.
Put The Word Out There – Ask For Support
As mentioned above, it can be difficult to retain the willpower required to avoid the indulgences of holiday celebrations, especially when those around you are encouraging you to do so.
However, by building a support system around you that will not only have your back when the going gets tough, but will also vouch for you every step of the way. Having a positive support system whether it be your family or friends will not only improve your holiday experience and make you feel less pressured to revert to your old ways, but it will also give you the motivation to set out and finish what you started.
If you have a moment of weakness, your support system will be there. If you made a mistake along the way, your support system will be there to encourage and build you back up. And when you are successful in avoiding the binge, your support system will be there to congratulate you.
In short, by putting the word out there and asking for support, it not only takes the pressure off of you to join the indulgence party, but it also gives you the tool of having backup when things go awry.
After all, the hardest part of avoiding the holiday binge is the temptation and peer pressure to let loose and join the party…
Master the Mind.
As a great Segway, mastering the mind is probably the one thing you must take away from this article of tips and tricks on how to avoid holiday binge eating. Planning and putting all the proper procedures in place can only do so much. As such, they will only be effective if your mind is strong enough to be disciplined and committed.
After all, the peer pressure and temptation to join the party is at its highest during holiday season. What happens when the feelings of stress and guilt arise? What happens when boredom and regret set in? What happens when you have a moment of weakness and break? What happens if you lose sight of the bigger picture and decide to stop pursuing the goal of health and wellness?
Mastering the mind will give you the strength to persist. At the end of the holidays, if you’ve successfully achieved what you set out to do, you’ll be so proud that you did. And as a result? A thinner, happier, and healthier YOU.
Pro Tip – Eat Before You Go Out
Once you’ve mastered the mind and implemented the necessary plans and procedures to ensure avoidance of holiday binge eating, the only thing to enhance your defence is to partake in a few simple tricks.
One of these tricks is to eat before you arrive to the holiday dinner or party. By doing so, you’ll not only have the choice to eat healthy without outside pressure, but you’ll fill your stomach so that upon arrival to the party, you won’t have any desire to indulge anyways!
So, the next time you’ve been invited to a holiday dinner, inform the hosts and guests invited that you’ll be there but that you are embarking on a quest to better health so you won’t be indulging in all that is the holiday feast. In addition, be sure to detail these things to your support system so that, in the case of potential disaster, you have the back up to defend yourself. Lastly, before you walk out the door, cook up a healthy feast of your own.
The only thing left to do then is arrive with a full belly, and a full heart to boot!
All In Moderation
At the end of the day, unless you’re an elite athlete training for the olympics, or a pro preparing for the big competition, your only obligation is the obligation you’ve made with yourself.
Treating yourself in respectable amounts? Totally fine! Making a mistake or two along the way? Don’t be so hard on yourself!! Life is meant to be lived, so enjoy it while you can. After all, the holidays are a time to come together and celebrate all that is good in the world.
Just remember, all in moderation. If you do that, you’ll be sure to avoid, or at least manage, the aforementioned holiday binge!
BONUS TIPS!
If that wasn’t enough, here are some bonus tips for you to try to double your chances at success.
- Never have a free hand! Whether you keep the same drink in your hand for the entire night, or constantly fill up on those healthy hand picking snacks, keeping your hands fill will give you the excuse to say no and give you no choice but to avoid those binge-worthy foods and drinks.
- Restrict alcohol consumption! Okay, have a few drinks. Like mentioned earlier, life is meant to be lived, especially during the holiday season. However, by at least limiting the amount of booze you consume throughout a given night, you reduce the chances of becoming care-free and becoming self-sabotaging with your impaired decision making.
- Increase the amount of exercise during the holidays! In the case that you do over indulge a little more than you said you would, at least by walking more or exercising more, you mitigate the damage just a little better.
And there you have it! How to avoid holiday binge eating, or at the very least minimize the damage when things go AWRY!
You May Also Be Interested In:
