All the food. All the alcohol. All the parties and fun!
Ahhh, Christmas. That festive period of time that starts in November (!), carries all the way through to the end of December and often involves many, many, many catch ups with friends, work functions and family get-togethers – virtually all of which involve food and alcohol.
It’s wonderful, yes. But it can also be quite stressful if you’re trying to stay healthy or effectively maintain a healthy weight.
In fact, many of my clients come to me each year during these months for help on coming up with a plan to deal with the Christmas season so they can realistic with their expectations and stay focused, despite the tempting festivities going on around them.
Don’t worry; I’ve got you covered. Here are five ways to stay on track during the Christmas party season.
1 .Keep track of your upcoming Christmas events on a calendar on in a diary
This is a particularly useful tip – if you know that you will be out three nights in a given week at some Christmas celebration or another, then you can make sure that the food you buy and consume for the other four days of the week is healthy.
This means if you over-indulge at your Christmas functions, you can be reassured that you’re staying on track during the other days – and it also means that you won’t buy more food than you need and waste it (and your money!)
2 .Get in the right mindset
It’s very easy to think that having control over what you’re eating at this time of year is impossible, resulting in you giving up on any form of healthy eating and completely sabotaging all your hard work.
If you have this mindset every year that Christmas parties will rule your life, you’re going to be feeling pretty unhealthy and unhappy once the new year rolls in! Approach the silly season with you being in control. Just because you eat too much, or too badly, on a few days doesn’t mean you have to for the next month.
3. Try to eat mindfully
Most of us have had that “what the heck, I’ll eat it all!” feeling, but you’ll regret it later. Allow yourself to enjoy eating what you like the look of, rather than gorge yourself with food. Be in the moment. Listen to your body and what it wants, such as certain types of food, and how much. Pay attention to when you’re full, and then stop.
Suddenly, the pressure you have put on your yourself disappears, and that work function doesn’t seem like such a big deal any more.
4. Stop worrying about what other people think. It’s Christmas, after all!
Are you concerned about bringing attention to yourself by choosing not to drink alcohol or eat certain foods at these parties? Guess what: most of the time, everyone is going to be far more concerned with what they are eating or drinking to worry about you!
You are allowed to choose to not eat or drink what is being served. Nobody gets to say what goes in your body but you! Be comfortable and confident with the choices you make for yourself.
5. Don’t beat yourself up in the coming days/weeks
It’s normal to occasionally overeat – just as it’s normal to occasionally under-eat. Look at the bigger picture and don’t blow the situation out of proportion.
Feeling guilty for eating a bit too much one night doesn’t need to turn into “what did I do that for… well, I may as well just start again next year.”
Do you have any other tips or tricks for dealing with the Christmas party season? I’d love to hear them?
Find me on social media!
Check out my Facebook and Instagram pages for the latest news from Essence of Eating.