There is no doubt in my mind that food is the best part of the holiday season. All of the amazing desserts and entrees, family and friends bonding over meals and drinks! And whatever your favorite is, the holidays are sure to bring some delicious meals to your table. But we all know the feeling…you’re trying to “be good” and stay away from the treats post halloween candy and thanksgiving pie and in rolls December. It feels like everywhere you turn there’s a new treat!
If you’re trying to curb your cravings during the holiday get-togethers and family parties, sugary treats can really make it difficult. So, how do we survive the holiday season and still feel like we’ve managed to stick to our healthy eating plan? I’ll tell you right now that the answer is NOT restriction! Here are some strategies to approach your holiday cravings so that you can still have fun this holiday season.
- Prepare for the party: If you know you’ll be attending a get together later in the day- start off with wholesome meals meeting your protein goals throughout the day. This will keep you full and fill you with the calories and nutrients you need before indulging in the sweets!
- Meal Prepping: During the holiday season, many of us are bouncing between work, shopping, cooking, parties, traveling and everything else that seems to come up at the end of the year. To keep you from overindulging when you feel hungry, try to plan and prepare your meals and snacks when you can.
- Hydrate: Sometimes hunger cues can be mistaken for thirst. Additionally if you plan to have a few cocktails you’ll want to make sure you’ve been hydrating all day.
- Small Bites: There’s no problem in sampling a little bit of everything. Try indulging your cravings but trying small bites. This way you feel like you’ve partied at the party but haven’t overdone it.
- Just eat it! Listen, a day here or there of some sweet treat indulgence isn’t going to completely derail your progress BUT please resume to your regularly scheduled programming the following day! If you’re craving that cupcake at the party, then really have it, enjoy it, savor it and move on!!!
I can tell you from experience that avoiding or stressing about a craving can make you focus on it more! If you practice the tips above and you are still stressed about holiday eating try to utilize portion control. You can do this through mindful eating, which means slowing down, really focusing on chewing and taking your time between each bite.
Remember the holiday season is a time to enjoy your friends and family and not to stress about every fork full of food.
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