Fitness Trainer Lori Forrester has some holiday hints to help you get through over-eating.
Well, they’re heeeere (insert creepy blonde girl and fuzzy tv screen)! No, not ghosts. I’m talking holiday feasts, parties, and obligations. You know, it should be a relaxed fun time with friends and family. But if you’ve recently started a weight loss or fitness plan and have started to see results but are not quite to your goal, the thought of the holidays becomes this black cloud of temptation. I’m not saying it’s right, but food fear is huge when you have goals to meet. I have it myself even though I’m not necessarily trying to lose weight at the moment. I’m trying not to gain weight — and in my experience, the holiday months are disastrous!
Throughout this season, and especially between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we will be nibbling on all kinds of junk if we lump this entire month into a single thought of “Oh well, it’s the holidays and I deserve it.” December 1st is not a holiday or a special occasion unless you make it one (or it’s your birthday). Depending on how many parties you attend, you could be throwing down an extra 3,000 calories a weekend in appetizers and drinks. Four of those and you’ve put on some serious fat. If you are a school teacher, hair dresser, or anyone who gets treats as gifts throughout the season, you need to be especially careful. You’re snacking on all these things, partying on the weekends, and then the grand finale of Christmas day goodness! Oh my gosh… this is a nightmare. This is why people play the New Year’s game. “Screw it, I’ll start January 1st.″
What works for me is to not think about the holidays as a whole. Halloween was one day, Thanksgiving is one day, and Christmas is one day. The rest of your time needs to be solid. Parties are not an obligation to eat. You may need to go but you don’t need to graze at the food table. Sweet treat gifts that you get are a nice gesture but you are not obligated to eat them. Yes, it’s hard, but give it away to a skinny girl or put it in the teacher’s lounge or break room. Works every time. If you’re like me, you need to get it out of reach ASAP! When stress and/or hunger strikes, that junk does NOT need to be in my view!
Let’s talk about stress eating. I’m the queen! I just had a free-for-all in my pantry recently after my husband left town leaving me at a very difficult and busy time. Stress is real y’all! It not only prevents you from losing weight because of hormones, but we tend to avoid feelings by eating. I seriously don’t know one woman who doesn’t do this. So before we are stressed to the max, let’s get a strategy!
- When you’re about to have a torrid love affair with sugar, drink a huge glass of water and walk around the block.
- Write notes to yourself and hang them in your kitchen. Here is great thing to remind yourself: “YOU ARE STRONGER THAN A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS. BE PROUD OF YOURSELF AND WALK AWAY.”
- Wait 30 minutes and if you still want it, eat it. The moment will pass and you’ll be so glad you made it.
- You don’t “NEED” chocolate, you want it. Please don’t lie to yourself. Be a big girl and see it for what it is.
- Sit down, relax, and have a talk with yourself. We run, run, run nonstop and even eat standing up most of the time. Take five minutes to calm yourself down, breathe deeply. Now, reevaluate what needs to be done.
- Clean something. If this causes you extra stress as it does to me, then don’t do this — but I do know people who relieve stress by cleaning. I’m just not one of those.
- Okay, here is the “break glass in case of emergency” strategy. Get naked. I’m serious. Strip down to nothing and stand in front of the mirror. If you love what you see, you’ll think, “Holy cow, I’ve worked so hard. I’m not messing it up.” Or you’ll think, “This is why I can’t make the progress I want. I give in to these feelings and I let it beat me. I’m not giving in, not today!” If your husband’s home, you’re in luck because either way, your husband loves your body.
I’m just as fearful of the holidays as everyone else. Maintaining your weight is a victory. See it this way: it will be over soon and we can fight the crowds in the gym in January. You’ll be a “winner winner chicken dinner” because you will be the only one in there not punishing yourself or digging yourself out of a hole!
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