Holiday Hangover Help!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
I was going to write about my kickboxing today BUT since I have been reading on the blogs a lot about post holiday food hangover & the thoughts that go with it, I thought I would address that instead. Kickboxing will come tomorrow!
Many of you out there have taken a great approach to the holiday food eating. You decided what you were going to eat, you ate it, you did not feel guilty, you enjoyed it & then just went back to your regular routine the next day. You understood that one day of eating or even a couple extra pounds on the scale is no biggie if you get right back to eating better & exercising. None of that, "I will start back to it after the new year stuff!"
Others ate pretty much everything in sight whether you wanted it or not, ate to excess even after you were full & then felt physically & emotionally like crap afterwards since you realized that you did not even want a lot of the food you ate anyway. HERE COMES ONE OF THE LIFE LESSONS WITH LOSING WEIGHT ..... IT IS SO EASY TO FALL BACK INTO OUR OLD HABITS! BUT, the key is to realize to stop right there & do not let this take you down. Don't throw up your hands & say you might as well just keep eating thru New Years .. or even after! The longer a person stays away from a healthier eating & exercise lifestyle, the more likely it is that you will not go back. SO, get right back to your healthy routine. DO NOT WAIT for January 1st or 2nd! A lesson learned ..... you still have patterns to break in terms of your relationship with food!
I can remember my problems after I lost weight & went to holiday gatherings. For years I looked forward to every holiday meal because I was just going to eat anything I wanted (and all the stuff I don't eat anymore) & most of the time that was centered on the sweets! Even to just a few years ago, you could catch me eating 6++ of my fav cookies at the holiday parties we had as a family. Of course I would bring the cookies I wanted & ate them way past the point of fullness & I knew it. Like many with regular food, my weakness is sweets. I finally got past this "overload party" of mine but it took a long time. I do understand! Even now, I still may catch myself eating more cookies then I need at my birthday or a holiday party .. BUT, when I do this, I have consciously decided to do it, I know what the ramifications will be AND I know what steps I will take to get back on track the very next day!
So, as you move have moved from Thanksgiving to Christmas and now the New Year's celebration, just take a minute or two or 30 minutes to think through your feelings about food, your relationship with it, what feelings it brings up in you & then plan preventative steps to get past this! YOU CAN SURVIVE this & if you decide to enjoy, make a pact with yourself that you will NOT feel guilty and know that tomorrow you will be back to eating better & exercising!
Post holiday food will make you feel sluggish & bloated and more if you eat too much junk. Here is what you can do:
1. Drink lots of water to flush out all the extra sodium. We tend to dehydrate ourselves by not drinking our water BUT drinking too much alcohol!
2. Exercise of course. Even up the intensity a bit but do it safely.
3. Eat less starches. We tend to overload on more junky carbs than we would normally so just cut back for a couple days or so to bring your bod back to normal. The sodium & overload on starchy carbs & sweets will reek havoc with your bod!
4. Watch the snacking. Get back to the small mini meals or portion control snacks.
5. Eat a bit more protein which tends to keep you fuller.
6. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER NEW YEARS TO DO THIS. TODAY IS THE DAY!
7. STOP ALL NEGATIVE SELF TALK WITH YOURSELF! (I am guilty of this too) YOU LEARNED SOMETHING FROM THIS. MOVE ON AND THINK ABOUT ALL THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE MADE SO FAR AND ALL THE NEW ONES TO COME!
I was going to write about my kickboxing today BUT since I have been reading on the blogs a lot about post holiday food hangover & the thoughts that go with it, I thought I would address that instead. Kickboxing will come tomorrow!Many of you out there have taken a great approach to the holiday food eating. You decided what you were going to eat, you ate it, you did not feel guilty, you enjoyed it & then just went back to your regular routine the next day. You understood that one day of eating or even a couple extra pounds on the scale is no biggie if you get right back to eating better & exercising. None of that, "I will start back to it after the new year stuff!"
Others ate pretty much everything in sight whether you wanted it or not, ate to excess even after you were full & then felt physically & emotionally like crap afterwards since you realized that you did not even want a lot of the food you ate anyway. HERE COMES ONE OF THE LIFE LESSONS WITH LOSING WEIGHT ..... IT IS SO EASY TO FALL BACK INTO OUR OLD HABITS! BUT, the key is to realize to stop right there & do not let this take you down. Don't throw up your hands & say you might as well just keep eating thru New Years .. or even after! The longer a person stays away from a healthier eating & exercise lifestyle, the more likely it is that you will not go back. SO, get right back to your healthy routine. DO NOT WAIT for January 1st or 2nd! A lesson learned ..... you still have patterns to break in terms of your relationship with food!
I can remember my problems after I lost weight & went to holiday gatherings. For years I looked forward to every holiday meal because I was just going to eat anything I wanted (and all the stuff I don't eat anymore) & most of the time that was centered on the sweets! Even to just a few years ago, you could catch me eating 6++ of my fav cookies at the holiday parties we had as a family. Of course I would bring the cookies I wanted & ate them way past the point of fullness & I knew it. Like many with regular food, my weakness is sweets. I finally got past this "overload party" of mine but it took a long time. I do understand! Even now, I still may catch myself eating more cookies then I need at my birthday or a holiday party .. BUT, when I do this, I have consciously decided to do it, I know what the ramifications will be AND I know what steps I will take to get back on track the very next day!
So, as you move have moved from Thanksgiving to Christmas and now the New Year's celebration, just take a minute or two or 30 minutes to think through your feelings about food, your relationship with it, what feelings it brings up in you & then plan preventative steps to get past this! YOU CAN SURVIVE this & if you decide to enjoy, make a pact with yourself that you will NOT feel guilty and know that tomorrow you will be back to eating better & exercising!
Post holiday food will make you feel sluggish & bloated and more if you eat too much junk. Here is what you can do:
1. Drink lots of water to flush out all the extra sodium. We tend to dehydrate ourselves by not drinking our water BUT drinking too much alcohol!
2. Exercise of course. Even up the intensity a bit but do it safely.
3. Eat less starches. We tend to overload on more junky carbs than we would normally so just cut back for a couple days or so to bring your bod back to normal. The sodium & overload on starchy carbs & sweets will reek havoc with your bod!
4. Watch the snacking. Get back to the small mini meals or portion control snacks.
5. Eat a bit more protein which tends to keep you fuller.
6. DO NOT WAIT UNTIL AFTER NEW YEARS TO DO THIS. TODAY IS THE DAY!
7. STOP ALL NEGATIVE SELF TALK WITH YOURSELF! (I am guilty of this too) YOU LEARNED SOMETHING FROM THIS. MOVE ON AND THINK ABOUT ALL THE GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENTS YOU HAVE MADE SO FAR AND ALL THE NEW ONES TO COME!
I would be remiss if I did not point out that holidays often bring up emotional issues due to family losses, family problems or even just wishing for the kinder & simpler times when you were young & the traditions that you loved then. For me, this is the bigger one over food. I have lost my parents & my Aunt/Uncle that lived near me. There are some family problems as well, so for me, I have to work more through my emotional issues tied to that rather than my relationship with food. It is a time when I can easily get sad about the whole thing so I work hard to combat that. It is not that it works all the time BUT I work to make sure I don't let myself take it out on food & cookies.
What are your favorite post holiday suggestions for getting back to the basics after a crazed eating session.. or two or more? :-O Were you right back to eating better & exercising after the holiday parties? Have you made a plan of action for New Year's eve/day? OR, are you just going to enjoy but know that you will be right back to your normal routine the next day? Me, I keep to my regular routine all year round & plan exercise around the events. I change up days I normally exercise if necessary.
Are you like me & have more of the family/loss of loved ones issues? Have you thought thru how to deal with this without food being your medication of choice? Do you have friends or other family that can help you thru this? Make sure & find a plan of action to deal with your emotional issues. Catch it before it gets past the point of bringing you down.
Posted by truth2beingfit at 12/29/2009 1:00 AM 
Categories: Wellness, Motivation/Support, Tips, Weight Loss
Categories: Wellness, Motivation/Support, Tips, Weight Loss
Great post Jody. I'm with you on the family stuff. Thank goodness I've long ago made my peace with food, so I don't have that issue haunting and stalking me all the time.
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Bethe, yup, it sucks!
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Do you have the triple picture of a girl before, during, and after eating a big icecream dish? I think it was you who posted it. that pic is worth 1K words!
Happy New Year
Foggy in SF
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Foggy, I don't have that pic BUT if you find it, send it my way.. would love to see it!!!!!
HAppy New Year to you too!
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I'm back on track. I will let myself eat for a couple of days, but not for the whole season through December like I used to. It's a big change and I thought I would feel deprived not having an eggnog latte every day, but it's just not true. You don't need to eat like that all the time LOL!
I have frozen the cookies to keep temptation to a minimum.
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Lori, I had no doubt you would be back to it! I love your whole attitude with your food & approach to it! I keep my cookies in the freezer too!
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Your comment about the loss of loved ones and the holidays touched me. As you know, my mother died earlier this year. Perhaps I'm fortunate, but when I'm emotionally distraught, eating is the last thing I feel like doing.
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Dr. J, I don't recall the loss of your mom.. I am so sorry. I probably knew but forgot.... it is hard...
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I agree! What wait?! Even if you only take small steps this week, it's at least a start.
As for me, I'm back to my normal way of living, give or take 5%.
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Cammy, nuts are good for you if we portion control so that is cool! I love my almonds!!!
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Thanks for the tips Jody. I am trying to get caught up online and then am planning a nice long 5 miles on the elliptical machine as long as my knee is willing. Drinking lots of water too. I feel good about my choices this weekend, definitely veered a little off course, but am not beating myself up. That is major progress! Thanks again for this post - very helpful!
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Kat, glad you got some good info here. Sure hope that knee gets better!!! Definite progress when you do NOT beat yourself up!
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YES! I'll second everything you say - especially not waiting for another day to get back on track.
Doing that (waiting) was what sent me on the gaining road more times than I can even count. I'd think, "Well, I messed up so why bother." I'll just start another day and then that day never came.
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Diane, yes, if people keep waiting, the day never comes! You have to grab the reins right now!
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Keep on talking Jody! This is one of those messages every one of us needs to hear/read.
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