10 Tips To Help You Stop Eating Your Way Through The Holidays
10 Tips To Help You Stop Eating Your Way Through The Holidays - Are you eating your way through the holidays, and are you well on your way to the annual 5-10 pound gain? Here are 10 tips to help you stop now and minimize any further weight gain and damage.
1. STAY HYDRATED
Avoid fruit juices! Most or all of the fiber has been removed. It's like drinking sugar. Eat the whole fruit instead.
Try not to overdo the diet soda. While it doesn't add calories, people often use it as an excuse to eat more. And while artificial sweeteners may be helpful in small quantities, some people are adversely affected.
Drink lots of water. If you don't particularly like water, try seltzer or sparking water. Make it special by adding fresh lime or lemon. Try making iced tea from herbal tea.
2. EAT!!! Surprise!
Eat normally all day, as many days as you can. even if you have a party or event in the evening. Most sources say that means 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Consult with your nutritionist or physician to determine what is best for you. What's important is to minimize times that your blood sugar crashes or spikes.
Eat a good nutritious breakfast. Most sources now say to eat between 300 and 400 calories. Why? It kicks off your metabolism for the day.
3. SELF CARE
Be good to yourself: Take a nap. Have a cup of tea. Spend 5 minutes after a long day with a cold lavender-scented washcloth over your eyes.
Stay active (with your physician's permission). If you already belong to a health club, try to keep up your exercise routine. Even if you have binged, and you are embarrassed or uncomfortable, go anyway. The sooner you deal with it, the better. Take a walk! Watch for ice and snow, of course. Wear good supportive shoes and take a bottle of water with you.
4. EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY, AND STOP EATING WHEN YOU ARE FULL. Sounds simple, right?
Re-learning to eat normally - eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full - takes time and patience. It can be a bit of a trial and error process. You can start now. Perfection is not the desired or required outcome. Pay attention to how you feel after each meal. If you feel overfull, then put less on your plate the next meal or the next day. See tip 10, below.
Many people have spent so many months or years alternating dieting with binge-eating, that they don't really know when they are hungry or when they are full. When we diet, we train ourselves to ignore our natural hunger signals. Then when we binge, we train ourselves to ignore our natural regulating signals to stop.
5. LIMIT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
At parties, and especially where alcohol is provided to you at no cost, try alternating alcohol with non-alcoholic drinks. Use festive glassware and a colorful straw to make it seem more special. Try adding sparkling water to wine to make a spritzer.
Alcohol lowers our inhibitions for many things, including food. We often use it as an excuse to eat more holiday food. It can also cause us to become more depressed, leading to further binge-eating. Consume in moderation.
6. MAKE A REALISTIC EATING AND DRINKING PLAN BEFORE HEADING TO A PARTY, DINNER, OR EVENT YOU KNOW WILL INVOLVE FOOD.
Do your best to follow your plan, but if you still overdo it, forgive yourself and move on. Don't dwell on what you might have done wrong, but decide how you might do it differently the next time.
DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF - eat what you want. Does that surprise you? Restricting food intake and feeling deprived may lead to binge-eating. Food this time of year can be special. Eat it in small quantities and enjoy it. Then DON'T FEEL GUILTY!!!
Don't go to the party hungry. That seems counterintuitive because there will be food. But going hungry may result in eating more, and you may be more likely to end up overfull. Make sure you have had meals during the day. Consider having a cup of broth or vegetable juice before going.
Eat only what tastes good! If you take food onto your plate, does your membership in the 'clean plate club' dictate that you finish it? What if it doesn't taste that good, or you get tired of it? Stop eating it!! Leave it on the plate and give it away or throw it away! The little starving children in Africa (or wherever) will not suffer any more if you throw it away, nor will they benefit if you eat it. Hopefully your parents aren't watching over your shoulder, getting ready to shame you for throwing away food.
REMEMBER: 'FREE' FOOD IS NOT REALLY FREE! Confused? All choices have a cost, even if it seems like the food is free. If you eat too much free food and gain weight, you might have to spend money on new clothes that fit. If you eat free food and feel sick, you might have to miss a day of work. If you feel guilty about eating the free food and it makes you continue eating in a problematic way, it's hardly free. And of course, there's the money you spend trying to lose the weight later. It's okay to eat the food at parties. But don't feel you need to stuff yourself or eat as much as possible because it's 'free.'
7. DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY
Of course it's difficult to resist stepping on the scale every day. Try weighing every other day. Once you get comfortable with that, try weighing every third day. This process could take weeks or months to get comfortable and trust yourself. Eventually, you can get to a weekly weigh-in. Don't give up!
Our daily weight may go up or down a few pounds. Daily fluctuations are generally an indication of fluid retention or loss. A weekly weight, taken at the same time on the same day each week, is a much more meaningful indication of our true weight. Unfortunately, when you weigh yourself daily, it's easy to feel unreasonably good or bad, and to make problematic eating decisions based on that one number.
8. DO NOT GO ON A DIET OR PLAN TO GO ON A DIET!!
We know that for many people, going on a diet is what led them to develop an eating disorder. Even the best weight loss programs have a long-term success rate of only 5%. You COULD be the one person in 20 who loses the weight and keeps it off. But how many times have your diets ended in a binge? Going on a diet is more of the same thing you have always done. Why would doing the same thing result in a different outcome this time? The key is to learn to get in touch with your hunger and appetite signals and to eat accordingly.
If you plan to go on a diet, you may use it an excuse to eat more now. All this does is add more weight that you will have to work hard to lose, not to mention all the emotional issues. It's better to try to minimize or avoid the weight gain, if possible.
9. ENLIST HELP, BUT BE CAREFUL CHOOSING YOUR BUDDY!
If you wanted to stop drinking alcohol, would you hang out in a bar or with friends that will push you to drink? Of course not! So be careful not to hang out with a binge-buddy. He or she will encourage you to binge and may even make you feel bad if you say no. This is too much pressure.
It's not unusual to be secretive about having a problem with food,. It's scary to think about people judging you or not understanding you. My own experience has been that once I disclosed information, others do as well. But there is no guarantee. Make sure you are emotionally safe before taking that risk.
10. GET HELP
Self- help: There are many books available to help you deal with food issues. How do you know which ones will actually help you? How do you know which ones are right? In my practice, I use and recommend a variety of books, depending on client needs and behaviors. All of the following books are available from the publishers or from Amazon.com. My favorite book, which is relevant to almost everyone is:
The Appetite Awareness Workbook by Linda W. Craighead, Ph.D. It is published by New Harbinger Publications (2006).
The Rules of "Normal" Eating by Karen R. Koenig, LICSW, M.ED. It is published by Gurze Books (2005).
The Food and Feelings Workbook by Karen R. Koenig, LICSW, M.ED. It is published by Gurze Books (2007).
There are two workbooks I often use or recommend. They are designed to be used by individuals, but I also find they are useful in individual and group therapy situations, as well. They are:
Seek professional help: A therapist - counselor, psychologist, social worker - can help you work through the issues that may have contributed to causing your eating problems and/or maintaining your problematic eating behaviors. There are both local and national websites that can help you get a referral. My experience has been that most therapists will say they can work with eating disorders, so ask potential therapists specific questions about how they treat eating disorders. Look for someone who will help you work through the food issues as well as the emotional issues. Lasting recovery from disordered eating or an eating disorder takes time, so try to view it as a process, rather than simply an outcome.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!
1. STAY HYDRATED
Avoid fruit juices! Most or all of the fiber has been removed. It's like drinking sugar. Eat the whole fruit instead.
Try not to overdo the diet soda. While it doesn't add calories, people often use it as an excuse to eat more. And while artificial sweeteners may be helpful in small quantities, some people are adversely affected.
Drink lots of water. If you don't particularly like water, try seltzer or sparking water. Make it special by adding fresh lime or lemon. Try making iced tea from herbal tea.
2. EAT!!! Surprise!
Eat normally all day, as many days as you can. even if you have a party or event in the evening. Most sources say that means 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. Consult with your nutritionist or physician to determine what is best for you. What's important is to minimize times that your blood sugar crashes or spikes.
Eat a good nutritious breakfast. Most sources now say to eat between 300 and 400 calories. Why? It kicks off your metabolism for the day.
3. SELF CARE
Be good to yourself: Take a nap. Have a cup of tea. Spend 5 minutes after a long day with a cold lavender-scented washcloth over your eyes.
Stay active (with your physician's permission). If you already belong to a health club, try to keep up your exercise routine. Even if you have binged, and you are embarrassed or uncomfortable, go anyway. The sooner you deal with it, the better. Take a walk! Watch for ice and snow, of course. Wear good supportive shoes and take a bottle of water with you.
4. EAT WHEN YOU ARE HUNGRY, AND STOP EATING WHEN YOU ARE FULL. Sounds simple, right?
Re-learning to eat normally - eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full - takes time and patience. It can be a bit of a trial and error process. You can start now. Perfection is not the desired or required outcome. Pay attention to how you feel after each meal. If you feel overfull, then put less on your plate the next meal or the next day. See tip 10, below.
Many people have spent so many months or years alternating dieting with binge-eating, that they don't really know when they are hungry or when they are full. When we diet, we train ourselves to ignore our natural hunger signals. Then when we binge, we train ourselves to ignore our natural regulating signals to stop.
5. LIMIT ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION
At parties, and especially where alcohol is provided to you at no cost, try alternating alcohol with non-alcoholic drinks. Use festive glassware and a colorful straw to make it seem more special. Try adding sparkling water to wine to make a spritzer.
Alcohol lowers our inhibitions for many things, including food. We often use it as an excuse to eat more holiday food. It can also cause us to become more depressed, leading to further binge-eating. Consume in moderation.
6. MAKE A REALISTIC EATING AND DRINKING PLAN BEFORE HEADING TO A PARTY, DINNER, OR EVENT YOU KNOW WILL INVOLVE FOOD.
Do your best to follow your plan, but if you still overdo it, forgive yourself and move on. Don't dwell on what you might have done wrong, but decide how you might do it differently the next time.
DO NOT DEPRIVE YOURSELF - eat what you want. Does that surprise you? Restricting food intake and feeling deprived may lead to binge-eating. Food this time of year can be special. Eat it in small quantities and enjoy it. Then DON'T FEEL GUILTY!!!
Don't go to the party hungry. That seems counterintuitive because there will be food. But going hungry may result in eating more, and you may be more likely to end up overfull. Make sure you have had meals during the day. Consider having a cup of broth or vegetable juice before going.
Eat only what tastes good! If you take food onto your plate, does your membership in the 'clean plate club' dictate that you finish it? What if it doesn't taste that good, or you get tired of it? Stop eating it!! Leave it on the plate and give it away or throw it away! The little starving children in Africa (or wherever) will not suffer any more if you throw it away, nor will they benefit if you eat it. Hopefully your parents aren't watching over your shoulder, getting ready to shame you for throwing away food.
REMEMBER: 'FREE' FOOD IS NOT REALLY FREE! Confused? All choices have a cost, even if it seems like the food is free. If you eat too much free food and gain weight, you might have to spend money on new clothes that fit. If you eat free food and feel sick, you might have to miss a day of work. If you feel guilty about eating the free food and it makes you continue eating in a problematic way, it's hardly free. And of course, there's the money you spend trying to lose the weight later. It's okay to eat the food at parties. But don't feel you need to stuff yourself or eat as much as possible because it's 'free.'
7. DO NOT WEIGH YOURSELF EVERY DAY
Of course it's difficult to resist stepping on the scale every day. Try weighing every other day. Once you get comfortable with that, try weighing every third day. This process could take weeks or months to get comfortable and trust yourself. Eventually, you can get to a weekly weigh-in. Don't give up!
Our daily weight may go up or down a few pounds. Daily fluctuations are generally an indication of fluid retention or loss. A weekly weight, taken at the same time on the same day each week, is a much more meaningful indication of our true weight. Unfortunately, when you weigh yourself daily, it's easy to feel unreasonably good or bad, and to make problematic eating decisions based on that one number.
8. DO NOT GO ON A DIET OR PLAN TO GO ON A DIET!!
We know that for many people, going on a diet is what led them to develop an eating disorder. Even the best weight loss programs have a long-term success rate of only 5%. You COULD be the one person in 20 who loses the weight and keeps it off. But how many times have your diets ended in a binge? Going on a diet is more of the same thing you have always done. Why would doing the same thing result in a different outcome this time? The key is to learn to get in touch with your hunger and appetite signals and to eat accordingly.
If you plan to go on a diet, you may use it an excuse to eat more now. All this does is add more weight that you will have to work hard to lose, not to mention all the emotional issues. It's better to try to minimize or avoid the weight gain, if possible.
9. ENLIST HELP, BUT BE CAREFUL CHOOSING YOUR BUDDY!
If you wanted to stop drinking alcohol, would you hang out in a bar or with friends that will push you to drink? Of course not! So be careful not to hang out with a binge-buddy. He or she will encourage you to binge and may even make you feel bad if you say no. This is too much pressure.
It's not unusual to be secretive about having a problem with food,. It's scary to think about people judging you or not understanding you. My own experience has been that once I disclosed information, others do as well. But there is no guarantee. Make sure you are emotionally safe before taking that risk.
10. GET HELP
Self- help: There are many books available to help you deal with food issues. How do you know which ones will actually help you? How do you know which ones are right? In my practice, I use and recommend a variety of books, depending on client needs and behaviors. All of the following books are available from the publishers or from Amazon.com. My favorite book, which is relevant to almost everyone is:
The Appetite Awareness Workbook by Linda W. Craighead, Ph.D. It is published by New Harbinger Publications (2006).
The Rules of "Normal" Eating by Karen R. Koenig, LICSW, M.ED. It is published by Gurze Books (2005).
The Food and Feelings Workbook by Karen R. Koenig, LICSW, M.ED. It is published by Gurze Books (2007).
There are two workbooks I often use or recommend. They are designed to be used by individuals, but I also find they are useful in individual and group therapy situations, as well. They are:
Seek professional help: A therapist - counselor, psychologist, social worker - can help you work through the issues that may have contributed to causing your eating problems and/or maintaining your problematic eating behaviors. There are both local and national websites that can help you get a referral. My experience has been that most therapists will say they can work with eating disorders, so ask potential therapists specific questions about how they treat eating disorders. Look for someone who will help you work through the food issues as well as the emotional issues. Lasting recovery from disordered eating or an eating disorder takes time, so try to view it as a process, rather than simply an outcome.
Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season!
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