The holiday season is officially here. The holidays are meant to be the most wonderful time of year, but when you are focused on your weight and/or following a diet, it can become a battleground full of forbidden foods and willpower. You can feel like you are one bite away from sabotage or slip into “I’ll be good in the new year.” This can create a lot of all or nothing eating. This sort of eating is usuallymindless, often with excessive “splurges,” that fold into months of being disconnected from food and your body. When January comes, the “clean up” from the damage that has been done begins.
There are a lot of layers when it comes to the holidays and eating. There are the specialty foods, all the desserts and sweets, the distant visiting family members, the friends, the parties, the big meals and all the emotions tied into these. The holidays alone, bring emotions with them. Sometimes it may feel like food is the only soother to get you through these events in these several months.
My hope is that this guide will help you navigate this holiday season in a more kind and loving way, keeping the principles of Intuitive Eating in mind. The holidays do not have to be a time of guilt, failing or agony with food. It can be a time to enjoy the celebrations and all the deliciousness that comes with it. You can stay connected to your body and have awareness with how your behaviors with food are. Mindfulness and permission are the key, as well as staying very curious and having a lot of compassion with yourself as you go through this holiday season, maybe for the first time, without the chains of a diet mentality.
