Halloween Hangover? Enjoy The Rest of the Holidays Without Gaining Weight

by Michelle Leah on November 1st, 2012 | No Comments »

If you are like a lot of moms, myself included, the Halloween treats may have gotten the better of you last night. Maybe you're even a little worried about the consequences eating all those treats (i.e. tighter jeans), how you'll make up for it (a.k.a. sentencing yourself to hours on the treadmill), or how you'll get through the rest of the holiday season without totally losing control.

First of all, BREATHE. Send yourself some compassion. There's no need to punish yourself for the supposed crime of eating. Here are a few tips to help you get back on track gracefully this week and find more peace with food throughout the holiday season.

How to Enjoy the Holidays Without Gaining Weight and Losing Control

Avoid the tendency to skip breakfast or lunch or restrict your calories in some dramatic way. This is one of the biggest mistakes people make. Doing so could actually slow your metabolism and signal your body to store more of the calories you just consumed as fat. But even worse, it could trigger you for a binge later on if you allow yourself to feel starved. Instead, resume your normal eating routine right away, perhaps just reducing your portion size a bit and adding a few extra glasses of water. Your body will know what to do. Food is fuel for your body and your mind. Running on an empty tank will only add to holiday stress.

Get into motion. I don't mean punishing exercise. I mean simply moving your body in a way that feels good to you, in a way that has you taking in more oxygen, relaxing, and enjoying the moment. Maybe that's a walk outside on a crisp morning or a gentle yoga class or, one of my favorites, dancing around the living room (embarrassing, but fun!).

Give yourself permission to enjoy pleasure! So you ate chocolate ... was it delicious? There’s so much guilt around eating in our culture. We say, I was "bad" for eating that dessert, or I have to be "good" today. Food is one of life's great pleasures. In fact, pleasure itself is a nutritional and metabolic requirement. Don't judge yourself or buy into the guilt-talk because you enjoyed some sweets. “The yearning for sweetness is simply the heart’s desire to smile,” said Marc David.

If you think you overate, what did you learn? What did you notice? Were you munching to distract yourself from uncomfortable feelings or nervousness? Or did you simply want to taste more? Perhaps you were wanting to recreate a past experience or memory that centered around a certain food. Whatever you notice, it's all great information to help you learn and grow and experiment with different choices in the future.

Want to learn more about the real reason behind holiday weight gain, how to avoid common holiday eating mistakes, and the secret to a season of freedom and pleasure? You’re invited to my FREE CALL Monday November 8 at 5 p.m. Pacific Time. Click here for more information and to reserve your spot on the call.

What do you do to avoid overeating during the holidays?

Michelle Leath is a coach, mentor, speaker, and the founder of www.unlockyourpossibility.com. She teaches women how to harness the power of possibility, permission and pleasure to create the lives they truly want and deserve. She specializes in helping women create a relationship with food and their bodies that works for them, so that they can release unwanted weight or food habits without dieting or depriving themselves, and so they can show up like the rock stars they are in their businesses, lives, and relationships! Having found recovery from an eating disorder herself, Michelle is passionate about helping others heal their food issues, and she also authors a blog on eating disorder recovery at www.michelleleath.com.

Michelle is a graduate of the Coaches Training Institute, a Certified Food Psychology Coach, and has a degree in Psychology from the University of California at Santa Barbara. She has helped women connect with their potential in various ways for over 20 years.