5 TIPS TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS WITH MINDFUL EATING

The holidays can bring up a mixed bag of emotions, food often being a big part of that. Between work parties, family dinners, and social events, the food and drinks are everywhere! All of the goodies, baked with love, intended to bring joy and pleasure, often end up having the exact opposite effect – stress, guilt, lethargy, and a heavy dread of the reality check come January 1st. 

Year after year, my clients come to me after the holidays with regret, wanting to wash away all of their sins. As you guys probably know, I love food. Food is a big part of celebration, connection and is often what brings us together during the holidays. So I want to help you  navigate it all in a feel good way and find that elusive balance. It truly doesn’t have to be all or none.

Watch the video here or keep reading for 5 Tips to Ditch The Food Guilt with Mindful Eating

Mindful Eating is a bit of a buzzy term right now, but I am a huge fan for it’s ability to allow us to truly find balance and have the best of both worlds.

To put it simply, mindfulness is awareness without judgement.

By learning to tune in and actually listen to our bodies, it becomes so much easier to avoid that battle of the shoulds and shouldn’ts and the mental acrobatics that often accompany the endless decisions around food. 

I’ve also put together this downloadable checklist for you to keep on hand and help you apply these tips for a truly feel good holiday season!

DON’T DO IT!

That temptation to skip meals or swap out your regular lunch for rabbit food?

THIS WILL ONLY SET YOU UP TO DISASTER! Going to an even starving is like watching and waiting for a bomb to go off! (more on this in 5 Tips to Manage Cravings) but basically, the hungrier get, the more intense our body’s signals (aka cravings) are to eat. In this state, physiologically we will crave sugar, high fat, and processed foods. We are more likely to eat mindlessly and eat way past feeling full or satisfied.

So what can you do…

1. 1. DON’T skip meals – eat your regular breakfast, lunch, and if it’s a later event, even a light dinner
   2. DO add extra nutrient dense foods like a handful of greens into a smoothie or extra cup of veg at lunch
   3. DON’T swap meals for rabbit food – include a protein + fat + fiber at each meal
   4. DO snack before you go. Enough to tide you over but still have room to enjoy your favorites

All of these things arm you with a super powerful tool to actually allow mindful eating – stable blood sugars!

Where we can find ourselves in trouble is getting is the trap of “the last supper mentality”. Where we convince ourselves it is the last time we’ll have the opportunity to eat that food. As convincing as our thoughts can be sometimes, it’s simply not true.

So what can you do…

1. Remember, these foods are available all year round – even if it’s a special holiday dish, you don’t need a special occasion to eat or enjoy it!
2. Give yourself permission to eat and enjoy these foods. This simple act can transform your mentality and actually allow you to tune in to whether you truly want it or not!

When we go in with this mentality we will be less stressed, and more in tune with what actually makes us feel good!
A girl’s gotta check out her options, right? It can be overwhelming stepping into a party. With so much going on, so many people to talk to, and so much delicious food winking at you, it’s easy to just dive right in and start piling up your plate.

So what can you do…

1. Fill your plate with some veggies first (we tend to put the most of whatever we dish up first – this way at least you’re getting some of those filling, nutrient rich goodies!)
2. Check out your options, find your faves and fill up the rest of your plate with those treats you love!

If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a minute to ground yourself and check in. Take a few deep breaths or tune in to the conversation, the music, and the delicious smells around you. Mindful eating doesn’t mean you have to be so focused on the food, making every bite count. It is also about enjoying the overall experience of where you are and who you’re with.

When it comes to the food, you can take mindful moments to check in.

So what can you do…

1. Check in part way through the meal and ask “am I still enjoying this?” as we start to fill up, often the food doesn’t taste as flavorful as it did at the beginning of the meal. This is often one of the first cues from our body that we’re starting to fill up.
2. Stop “should” ing all over yourself. Forget the shoulds and shouldn’ts. When deciding whether to stop eating or have more, connect to intention and ask “what is the most loving thing I can do right now?” It might be to have a few more bites because it tastes dang good, or stop because you’re satisfied. Both are OK! Choose with love. Decision made. Move on.

Check in and see if you’re leading with your mind or your body and honor what truly feels best for you.

When it comes to exercise, it can often feel like one more thing to add to the list. A guilt induced “should” to make up for everything you ate last night.  Again here, intention is everything. When we look at it as punishment, it’s not going to feel very good or be very appealing. But if we tune in to what really makes us feel good – what we’ll likely realize is that it feels good to move our bodies!

So what can you do…

1. DO move because it feels good!
2. DON’T exercise to “earn your food” or “make up for” what you ate last night
3. DO enjoy those feel good endorphins and the boost of energy and calm exercise can bring

So all of this to say, listen to your body. It is smarter than we give it credit for! And when we strip away all the food rules, the shoulds and shouldn’ts, and the pressure we

Take a minute to pause and tune in to what your body is telling you, whether that’s tuning in to your hunger and fullness cues, practicing giving yourself permission to enjoy, not feel guilty about enjoying the delicious food and company around you, or ….., let your body lead, trust it, its’s smarter than you think and when we get out of our heads it really gives it a change to shine.

As I mentioned, I’ve included a checklist with the tips we discussed today and some tools and action steps to put them into practice!

xo Lindsay

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