Instead of regretting “giving in”, try consciously deciding what is worth it.
Picture it: You’ve had a perfectly balanced breakfast, the world’s healthiest lunch and then a coworker walks in with extra apple pie from Thanksgiving…. and it’s your favorite!
So often, you might just have the pie, then spend time regretting every bite and promising to do extra cardio later. But, what you could have done instead is consciously decide that you love apple pie and only get to have it a few times of year — and you could do is trade some of your dinner calories or evening snack calories for the pie because it’s worth it.
No single food is “bad” or a guarantee of weight gain. Your daily energy balance dictates whether you gain, lose or maintain your weight. A lot of my clients have a history of fearing weight gain due to not having a firm grasp on how to control their energy balance and blaming any bites of dessert, processed food or carbs as the problem.
The good news is, if you switch to focusing what you do include in your diet — you can worry less about the desserts, sweets and “less nutrient rich” foods that make up a small part of your diet.
The body loves to maintain homeostasis. If you continually underfeed your body it will lose weight and if you continually overfeed your body it will gain weight. If you spend most of your time as maintenance and occasionally have a few higher calorie days or lower calorie days, your body will even it out itself. What messes us up is thinking that we need to overreact after those low or high days.
Decide what holiday meals, treats and drinks are worth it this season. Yes food is fuel, but it’s also part of celebrations, culture and bonding. Don’t let family or friend dictate your decisions — if you don’t want Aunt Susan’s cookies, say “maybe later”. If you want an extra scoop of ice cream with your pie, have it.
If you’re working towards a weight loss goal, think about swapping those treats for some of another meal’s calories (please note, I’m not saying skip a meal — just make it a little lower calorie by decreasing the fat or carbs and increasing the veggies/fiber).
Want some accountability, support and guidance on how to make smart swaps without feeling restricted or depleted this holiday season? Send me an email!