Holiday Eating Tips: No-Diet Version!
If you google “Holiday Eating Tips” there is no end of diet garbage that comes up.
Holiday diet eating tips that deny you types and amounts of food also deny you the pleasure of the season. And let’s remember that diets don’t work anyway!
Instead, here are my tips for relaxed and fun holiday eating.
⚡ Ignore all advice that is rooted in a negative attitude toward eating. That includes “portioning” (just another way to restrict), avoiding certain food groups or macronutrients, or trying to trick yourself out of eating what or how much you really want. Strive instead for a positive attitude toward eating, which means nourishing yourself, trusting your body, and enjoying food.
⚡ Give yourself regular meals and snacks throughout the day. So many people coming from diets and disordered eating don’t feel their hunger until it is so intense it’s unpleasant. That can make eating unpleasant, too, when you need to eat so much so fast. Diet tricks like “saving your calories” can lead to arriving at a meal ravenous and then overeating and feeling sick. Regular, good tasting meals and snacks will enable you to eat exactly what you want at all the special meals and feel well doing it.
⚡ Eat exactly what and how much you want of the foods you enjoy. Permission is the name of the game. Your brain and body need to know they can get enough of what they want so you can calm down and eat enjoyably. So many people think this is counterintuitive but research shows that unconditional permission to eat enables us to eat the right amounts for our body. Why? Because eating is internally regulated – not externally!
⚡ Set some loving boundaries for yourself and others. While I don’t recommend you police everyone’s conversation for diet talk, you don’t have to participate. You can remain silent, or try to subtly change the subject, or politely leave the conversation. You can also participate by stating your views. (“I don’t do diets anymore, want to hear about it?” is probably a great conversation stopper! Be prepared for disagreement.). You can set a firm boundary that friends and family members don’t talk about your body. Simply state, “My body [size, shape, health] is not available as a topic for conversation.” Then change the subject. Remember no one has to agree with you, nor you with them. “Agree to disagree” is a great way to end uncomfortable conversations.
I hope you get to spend your day with people you enjoy eating food that is good! If you’d like to hear even more on the topic, check out this classic Dietitians Unplugged episode about holiday eating!
Do you struggle to feel good about eating?
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