How was last years Christmas? Enjoyed yourself a bit too much at table? It’s completely ok if you decide to just throw away the rules of healthy eating for a week at the end of the year. If you do you can close this article and enjoy you Christmas without boundaries!
Had too much stress last year because you wanted to enjoy yourself and you wanted to keep your health in check? Let’s see what we can do to prevent this from happening again. First off, don’t stress yourself about anything. There is no need for stress during the amazing time you will have with your family. An added benefit from not having stress is that your cortisol levels wont rise. If you are stressed you will have higher levels of cortisol and increase your appetite, which in turn will cause more overeating. So no matter how you plan in your Christmas, no matter how it ends up, don’t stress it.
I love food and feel that it is something that should be enjoyed. I eat whatever I want. I just don’t overeat. – Tyra Banks
Now on to the planning of your great Christmas party. There are many different ways you can enjoy your time and have the least amount of implications into your daily life. The first thing you can do is help decide what you are going to eat. Go for something with lots of vegetables and/or fruit. This will help you fill up and get the much needed building blocks for a good health. Besides this option you can also eat a piece of fruit before going to the party or drinking a couple glasses of water. This will help you feel satisfied earlier than if you didn’t do it.
You are thinking about changing this years Christmas, ask yourself how about your friends and family that you will spend your time with? Are they focussed on their health aswell? Maybe they never told you about it but are they also stressed about all the food they are ‘forced’ to eat. Have a relaxed talk about it with them, don’t oblige them to follow your goals just have a chat and see if they want to adjust the Christmas aswell. It might have been the unspoken worry for many of you sitting at the same table.
If all of this doesn’t seem to be an option consider changing your meals around the big meal. Eating a certain amount every morning? Go a little bit less hours before the big meal. After the meal when you are back home or when family has left take a small healthy meal, maybe even a couple of them. Just consider what you can do different to end up being happy with how you handled the day.
Above all enjoy yourself and don’t stress the small stuff!