Holiday Eating Nerves

With one week to go until Thanksgiving (and for me the official start of the Holiday season) I’m starting to get nervous about all of the extra calories I tend to consume during that time.  Last year at this time, I didn’t worry about how much I ate or how I would burn it off… and while that was a simpler way to live, it was much less healthy.  So as I move into the holidays this year I have to figure out how I’m going to find a way to enjoy some of my favorite foods, without feeling guilty about them.

That’s going to be the hardest part I think, allowing myself to indulge in some things I typically wouldn’t eat without feeling guilty.  One of the things that will make it easier is how supportive my family has been.  I feel like a lot of times people like to try to sabotage those who are watching what they eat (not that they are always doing it consciously or on purpose) by encouraging them to “treat themselves” or by saying “you’ve been working so hard, you deserve it.” Here’s the thing, I know what I deserve and its to be the best, most healthy and fit version of myself, and I know I won’t get there by eating 2,500+ calories in one sitting like I used to.

Every year I go to my Aunt Sally’s house for Thanksgiving, its been that way for as long as I can remember.  It is one of my favorite days of the year because its one of the only times my Mom’s entire side of the family is together.  My Aunt Sally has been one of my biggest supporters this year as I’ve worked to get healthy. And she’s also an avid reader of my blog J A few weeks ago she reached out to me to see if I wanted her to make something special for me to eat on Thanksgiving since I’ve been watching what I eat.  I can not explain how much I appreciated this.  In the end I made the decision that it was better for me to eat smaller portions of the foods I love so that I can enjoy the holiday, but having the support of people like her around me is more than I could possibly ask for.

The difficult part of this is, my supportive family wont be with me at every party and event I attend over this holiday season and it is much easier to slip when those around you are not supportive.  I think the best way to be sure to stay on track will be to make a plan.  Before every party, make a decision as to how much I want to eat and stick to it.  When I get to parties I also always try to stick to my favorite mantra… “Never give up what you want most for what you want now.”  This is just a reminder for me… because sometimes I forget that the extra slice of pizza I want to eat, is so short lived.

Another thing I have learned this year that I will apply going into this holiday season is NEVER go to a party hungry.  Its sort of like how people say not to grocery shop while hungry.  I always try to eat something healthy before I go, the less hungry I am, the less likely it is that I will eat excessively.

Here is the most important thing I’ve learned about eating at parties this year.  When I get there, I remember, I’ve made a plan and done everything I can to prepare and so I do my best to just enjoy.  This is sometimes hard, because as I’ve said before, I tend to stress about the numbers, but at the end of the day I know that this lifestyle is only sustainable if I let my self indulge a little sometimes.

Crystal

@Fitcrys

#FITJ