Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas . . . oh my!
Are thoughts of the upcoming holidays striking fear in your heart? They don’t have to.
Would you like to know my approach to the holidays?
Do I find new, low-fat recipes to substitute the classics? Do I convince myself that mashed cauliflower is just like mashed potatoes? Do I tell myself I wouldn’t really like that pecan pie anyway?
No, ma’am.
I give myself permission to enjoy the day. I give myself permission not to feel guilty about it.
Why?
My mom makes her homemade dressing three times a year ~ Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas. Three times a year. That’s it. I’m not willing to miss out on my mom’s homemade dressing on those three special occasions. I love my mom’s dressing too much.
My sister-in-law makes the best sweet potato casserole. Y’all don’t even want to know how much butter and sugar . . . ohmyword. It’s so yummy.
Do you know how sad I would be if I missed enjoying it?
There are so many recipes we only enjoy on holidays. Enjoy them.
The changes you are making to build a healthier life for yourself are about lifestyle, not a diet. Giving yourself permission to enjoy Christmas does not mean you’ve fallen off some kind of bandwagon.
Look at your life over the course of the past month, two months, half a year, or a year. What do you consistently see? For me, it’s food journaling, intense exercise, and being conscience of what I put into my body.
Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t mean you always deny yourself and you never enjoy the things you love. It means you’re intentional, careful and try to live a life of moderation.
Some quick tips:
(1) Pace yourself.
Take a little bit of each thing you enjoy.
(2) Stop when you’ve had enough.
As tempting as it may be, don’t stuff yourself. You’ll feel miserable and your plan to enjoy the day will have failed.
(3) Give away leftovers.
Will having leftovers laying around be a trigger for you? Wrap them up and share them with any guests you’ve had over for dinner or maybe make a goodie plate for a neighbor.
(4) When the next day dawns, it’s back to the daily grind.
Get up and get moving. Get to your class at the gym. Put on your running shoes. Whip up a healthy breakfast. Get back to your normal routine.
Great advice! Edie from Living in Grace recently talked about times of feasting and fasting as seen in the Bible. Holidays are times for feasting, no question.
~FringeGirl
Yes!! Absolutely! I full well intend to enjoy my favorites on my holidays. Consistency is the key to reach our goals, and one, two or even three day out of the year are not going to sabotage us. And we can still eat healthier, work out and care for ourselves in the days between. And make holidays active by joining a holiday 5K run/walk! Great advice Ruthanne!
This is such great advice, Ruthanne. We went to the fair Friday and I was reluctant to get my favorite foods. I only ate a small bit of each thing I love and ran the next day. I’m so glad I didn’t miss out on it for another year.
But, my main problem around the holidays isn’t one meal. It’s the pound cake cookies (remember those?) and all the other traditional goodies we bake. I wish I could eat just one and be done with it. I like to keep them around for the family, but it sure is a trigger for me. Maybe a combination lock on the cookie jar? Or an electric shock when I reach for the fridge?
I LOVE this approach. I just have to work on the giving away leftovers part. I tend to want to enjoy it again, and agian, and again…
I like to get a workout in the morning of Thanksgiving and on Christmas Eve, too. It helps set the stage for making smarter decisions throughout the day!!! : )