Holiday eating presents a seemingly insurmountable series of obstacles to remaining steadfast with any weight loss plan.  

It causes some people to pause their current weight loss strategies until “after the holidays”, and a large subset of those people to never return to their weight loss efforts. For others, holiday eating serves as another excuse to not even begin a weight loss program, as the magical “start of a new year” is just around the corner, bringing with it resolutions and the theoretical starting point for a new weight loss undertaking.  A third class of people use holiday eating as an excuse to indulge in so-called “cheat” days on their weight loss program, a concept which sounds innocent, yet is insidious and quite destructive in reality.

The fact is, though eating around the holidays is not without its challenges, it is also one of the best times of the year to test and perfect your weight loss program.  The temptations and obstacles of holiday eating provide you with opportunities to confirm the direction of your weight loss program and the ways in which the tools at your disposal have prepared you to face the largest of challenges.

Only as Devoted as Your Options

The most backhanded compliment you can give someone who appears devoted to a cause, an issue, or even another person, is to say they are “only as devoted as their options.”   Meaning, sure, they seem true to the cause now, but what were their other choices, really?  That relates to food, especially around the holidays.

Most likely if you’ve been doing well on your weight loss journey, part of what you’ve done is reduced your “options.”  You’ve changed your grocery shopping habits so that there are far fewer unhealthy temptations available at home.  You might also steer clear of certain types of restaurants which predominantly serve food which you’re trying to avoid.  Both good strategies.

Come holiday time, however, you’re going to be faced with dessert tables, and once a year specialty foods made by distant relatives… things that are a lot more difficult to pass up than merely driving past a pizza joint.

You need to see this as an opportunity, not an obstruction, to your weight loss plan.  Whatever foundation you’ve been building towards eating healthier and smarter is only valuable if can withstand the test of actual temptation.  The holidays give you that chance.

Happy (to Wait ’til) New Years!

Anyone who has weight to lose has used this excuse before… it’s just a matter of how far you’ve stretched it.  “It’s the holidays now, with all the great food and everything… I’m just going to wait and start fresh after New Year’s Day with a new weight loss plan.”

Sure… if you say that mid-December you’re giving yourself a two-week free pass.  But if you say that the day before Thanksgiving, you’re giving yourself a six-week free pass.  If you try to rope in Halloween? You’re really pushing things.

Regardless, as noted above, by not at least acknowledging your weight loss goals during the holidays you’re missing a big opportunity to build up the confidence that you can handle any situation.  In fact, you are all but admitting that you cannot handle the end of the year festivities… and most likely setting yourself up for “taking a break” from whatever weight loss plan you might be working on at this point next year.

Don’t automatically set the holidays up as a time when it’s impossible for you to be aware of your goals.

Plus, please remember that there is no secret compartment in your stomach where holiday food goes.  If you completely overeat during the holiday period, with the intention of beginning your weight loss program on New Year’s day? That’s the equivalent of having a starting point for a race… and then purposely deciding that you will back up run an additional mile just to get to the starting line. That’s the trap in deciding to “take it easy” over the holidays. 

It’s Not Cheating, it’s Just Eating

Some people decide they’ve been so good on their weight loss program that they deserve to be able to “cheat” for a few days or weeks during the holidays.

Let me ask you this – why does a skinny person indulge and an overweight person cheat? Do they not deserve to eat too?

The whole concept of the “cheat day” bothers me.  Logically, if you’re a “cheater” you’re breaking a rule, doing something you’re not allowed to do. I’m sorry, but skinny people do NOT have a monopoly on eating delicious food. They’re just a heck of lot better at managing how much of it they eat, AND they’re better at NOT eating awful food and mistaking it for the good stuff.

My point? The holidays are a time of celebration.  If you’re taking a single bite of something delicious and thinking while doing so that you’re doing something wrong?  You’re wasting some really good food.

Eat Happy During the Holidays

So how best to approach this season’s eating? Whatever weight loss program you’ve working through that’s brought you results and personal satisfaction? Bring it with you to every office party, family get-together, friends celebration, etc.   Just use it as a lens through which to examine your options and make the best choices available to you, given the circumstances.

Remember, weight loss isn’t a one-decision per day game.  There are dozens and dozens of chances to make good choices, and around the holidays all you want to do is know that you’re making the best ones you can, while still enjoying yourself.

Your Aunt made her famous potato gnocchi dish for the holidays, and you’ve pretty much stopped eating both potatoes and pasta?  Well, you could be the one person not to have any and be miserable… or you could have a small serving and really enjoy it, and just know you’re not going back for seconds and thirds like you used to.  Have small pieces of things you used to eat huge pieces of… pick your favorite of two similar desserts… however you want or need to work it out for yourself.

The idea, though is that whatever plan you’ve had in place? Well sure, it might bend a bit on a few specific days? But it won’t break.  And you’ll also find that after you get through a Thanksgiving dinner feeling like you both ate a delicious meal AND made some choices that were smart and in keeping with your weight loss goals, you’ll want to do even better when the next chance to test yourself arrives.

There’s lots of ways to enjoy yourself around the holidays.  Good friends, loving family, great food, and making smart choices about what you’re eating.  There is absolutely no reason that you cannot partake in each and every one of those if you set your mind to it.

Happy Holidays!