It’s less of a question of why we overindulge during the holiday season, but more of what can do to stop it.
The excuses during the holidays are endless. Like anyone else, I love having a few cheats here and there, but more often than not I find my self justifying why it’s OK to have a full cheat week (or more) of overindulgence. Between office parties, family gatherings, religious celebrations, and neighborhood get-togethers, it gets pretty difficult to not indulge when everyone else is.
This season, it’s time to bust those excuses we all make for ourselves.
The first excuse that comes to mind is that it’s a holiday that arrives once every year. That’s just it. It happens once every year. Choose your splurging wisely. Don’t make one holiday turn into a several highly caloric food events.
It looks and tastes so great! Though this may be true, question how you will feel afterwards. Probably not very good. In fact, you may even feel guilty, which will cause even more of a downward spiral, questioning yourself “At this point, how much worse can it get?” Think before you indulge in the high calorie holiday treats!
Everyone else is eating, why shouldn’t I? Well, you are not everyone else. Stay on a safe, healthy route, but still indulge. Choose smaller portions and get nibbles of certain dishes to satisfy any craving or temptation you may have. If you can’t just eat half, avoid it all together. Before going to parties where you may be tempted to eat a lot, consume a small snack before arriving.
Making foods for the pleasure of guests—like desserts. This is the surest way to give into temptation. If you are hosting your own holiday event, make healthy food options that also will satisfy your guests. Use less sodium, sugar, or fatty ingredients to lower the unhealthy amounts of carbs. Your guests will probably thank you for this too.
Recognizing your excuses and finding an alternative solution is key to maintaining your health, and figure, over the holidays. Indulging and celebrating with family and friends is always encouraged, but overeating may turn the joyous holidays into a guilt-ridden break.
How do you avoid overindulgence during the holidays?
Photo: Thinkstock
It’s SO hard not to splurge during the holidays. Here’s my Thanksgiving trick: fill your plate up with a ton of turkey and veggies (if they’re not doused in butter or other crap). Fill up on that and then have just one bite of all your naughty favorites. Other tips: never go to a holiday party starving, you WILL overeat the indulgent passed apps. And make your tasty treats. That way you can make sure they’re healthy and eat as much as you want!
I think trying to stick to any diet on the actual day of Thanksgiving is beside the point. In the long run, ONE day of NOT worrying about whether food is “good” or “bad” for once is probably good for us all. It is letting the whole season turn into a feast that is hard. I just try not to be the person with all the leftovers, haha…
I treat Thanksgiving like any other day. I cook up deliciously healthy foods and I fill up! I also get my usual work out in there too. The nice thing, is I have it lucky, my family is extremely healthy so we have a ton of healthy options. Even if we didn’t I have crazy willpower- and I would never even touch sugary things – plus, I cannot thanks to my intolerances and allergies.
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