The holidays are here. That means parties, food and fun. While it is great to get together with friends and family, no one wants to end up putting on extra pounds. The truth is that weight gain doesn’t have to be the price you pay for celebrating. With these mindful eating strategies, you can actually have your cake and eat it too! Here are my top 5 recommendations:

Mindful eating strategy #1

Notice what just happened. Thanksgiving ended about a week ago.   How did you do? Did you celebrate on Thanksgiving with a quick return to normal or light meals afterward? If so, you are on a good path.   If not, the time to pay attention is now.

The holiday season doesn’t mean that you have to overeat at every possible opportunity. The mindful way to view the holiday season is by noticing that we have more special occasions than normal. These special occasions need to be balanced with the remaining regular days. Those are days on which you can focus on making healthy low calorie choices. The tired old story that there is no point in making an effort now because it is already too late, is complete nonsense. Please, don’t try to pass that one over on yourself again. No one believes that anymore. Not even you! There are plenty of opportunities for good choices, take advantage of them.

Mindful eating strategy #2

Eat foods that are comforting and nourishing but not highly caloric. The holiday season is a time of colder temperatures and darker skies. These environmental changes tend to make us want to eat more. But let’s face it; we are not bears preparing for hibernation. Overeating has absolutely zero benefit for us modern city folk. If you feel the need to be warm and cozy opt for spicy cinnamon or chai tea instead of hot chocolate. Treat yourself to some delicious broth soups (sans cream) and roasted vegetables.   Personally, I find that hot baths with a cup or two of Epsom salts are incredibly relaxing and luxurious – especially if I enjoy them with my favorite music. It is like bringing the spa experience home and it has zero calories!

Mindful eating strategy #3

Alcohol is like kryptonite for the mindful eater.   Not only does it have loads of excess calories but that good-feeling sensation you get from drinking tends to open the floodgates to mindless eating. Knowing the trouble that alcohol can cause makes it imperative to think about your drinking strategy in advance. There are a few ways you can protect yourself from this caloric quicksand. First of all, stay away from the high calorie drinks and stick with wine or a vodka tonic type drink. The empty calories in those craft cocktails are not going to feel so empty when you try to fit into your favorite jeans in January. Talk about not worth it! Decide in advance how many drinks you really need to enjoy your evening. I would encourage you to keep it to two. Yes, two! After your two drinks you can enjoy sparkling water. Or better yet, start the evening with sparkling water and start drinking later. Most people drink way more than necessary to enjoy their evening. You are not most people. You are someone that cares about your body.   You can enjoy alcohol and have a great body too, as long as you are mindful.

Mindful eating strategy #4

Don’t go to a party hungry. This is a classic strategy that never goes out of style. You can use it for the holidays and keep using it all year long. One of the worst mistakes people make is showing up hungry at a party. If you do that, you have probably lost the battle before you walk in the door. Have a snack before you leave your house. You can have an appetizer of last-night’s dinner leftovers, some fruit with nuts or hummus with a few crackers and tea. If you walk into a party in a comfortable physical state with the idea that you will eat a reasonable but not excessive amount, you set yourself up for success.

Mindful eating strategy #5

If all else fails, I will be running my annual sugar detox cleanse at the end of January and a new mindful eating program in February. Whether you need to lose weight or just want to up your game with healthy eating and weight loss, I would love to have you join me. I will send out more information on these programs in January.

Enjoy the holidays!