Guilt Free Holiday Season

Well that time of year has come upon us so soon. With Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays just around the corner and the colder weather approaching, it is common practice for many of us to indulge ourselves with the festive season food. Holidays are a time of relaxing and spending time with family and friends. I don’t think you should feel deprived of enjoying the food that is on offer at this time of year.

If you have read many of my other articles, you will know that I do not endorse dieting. The more someone tells you to not eat something, the more likely you are to crave that food and inevitably end up overeating the “forbidden” food. I do, however, have a few suggestions to help you manage your self control without feeling like you are missing out.

• Always start the day with a healthy breakfast. This will fire up your metabolism and stop you from overeating later in the day. It is known that people who eat breakfast are less likely to reach for the cookie jar mid-morning. Wholegrain cereal with low fat milk or wholegrain toast with a poached egg are examples of a healthy breakfast.
• Include a minimum of 30 minutes exercise each day. This will keep your mind in a healthy state, boost your metabolism and generally make you feel better. The holidays are one of the best times to get into the habit of regular exercise if you haven’t already, as you may have some time off work.
• If you are having a big lunch gathering, never arrive starving as you will be more susceptible to devour the high fat and high salt pre-lunch nibbles. Try and opt for the healthy choices where possible. If you find yourself wanting to eat the nibbles, by all means do not completely deprive yourself. Place a few on a plate and really savour each mouthful, rather than relentlessly scoffing it down without even realising. This is usually a sign of guilt where you feel that you are eating something ‘bad’, and by eating it fast and furiously you feel it will be over more quickly and the guilt will disappear. At the end, you are more likely to eat more as opposed to eating slowly and really appreciating the taste of each mouthful.
• The same applies to each meal itself. Do not avoid the food you really want to eat. Fill your plate with a sample of everything in small portions and take note of the texture and taste of each item. Most people label food as either good or bad and as soon as they eat something that is classified as bad they feel that they have fallen off the health wagon and feelings of guilt and overindulgence take over. By allowing yourself to eat everything you will be surprised that at times you may not even feel like somethings on offer.
• If you have two functions on the same day, be conscious of pacing yourself through out the day.
• Some people may have several social gatherings spread over numerous days. I would suggest that you offer to bring a plate to some of the events where you can be sure that there will be a healthy choice on offer.
• After all the celebrations and the holiday season comes to an end, return to your usual routine of nutrient rich food with daily exercise.

In summary, the holiday season should be enjoyed without guilt. If you remain true to yourself and are content with your effort in reaching your most comfortable healthy weight on a daily basis then eating more of the “occasional foods” over the course of a few days should not put a dent in your healthy lifestyle.

Life is about balance and should include everything that you desire. If however you feel that the occasional foods are becoming more frequent then you may want to seek professional advice to guide you in improving your lifestyle to ensure that you are living the best and healthiest life you can provide for yourself.

Happy Holidays!!

“Eat Healthy, Keep Moving and Believe in Yourself”
Loretta Mostofi
Australian and World Figure Champion
www.lorettamostofi.com

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