Top 10 Ways to Get Rid of Guilt About Not Dieting This Holiday Season

by Signe Whitson, LSW on November 5th, 2010 | 1 Comment »

So, what do you think? How many years after childbirth can us moms still get away with the “It’s just baby weight” explanation for those lingering, extra five (or so) pounds? As we enter into the Halloween-Thanksgiving-Christmas-New Year’s-Marathon-of-Eating season, I say lose the guilt, eat with abandon, and rationalize it.

10 Tips for Being Diet-Free Over the Holidays

As the Mom, who is most likely organizing and orchestrating your family’s merriment, you deserve to indulge...and these "diet" rules can help you feel good about every delicious moment:

1. Leafy, green vegetables are known to be among the most healthy and nutritious foods. Therefore, all foods that are green in color must naturally be of equal nutritive and caloric value. For optimal health, eat pistachio and mint chocolate chip ice cream in abundance.

2. Any foods that are consumed during a Holiday meal, movie, sporting event, concert, or vacation are considered part of an all-inclusive package deal. Calorie totals and fat grams are irrelevant. That said, it’s like throwing money away if you don’t eat that second slice of pumpkin pie or order extra butter on your popcorn at the movie theater. In fact, be sure to opt for cheesy nachos at the stadium and decadent desserts on vacation. Don’t be wasteful.

3. Anyone who does not order a dessert at a group meal gets the calories from the treats of all those who did. So there.

4. If you order an ice cream cone and walk while you enjoy each savory lick, you automatically burn every single frozen calorie. "I'll have two scoops and a casual stroll, please!"

5. Has your doctor advised you that red wine is good for your heart? Do you know a friend, relative, or person on TV who has received this advice? If so and you drink, wine = medication. Bottoms up.

6. Speaking of wine, there are no calories at Girl’s Night events. An evening—both online or offline—with your best friends is good for the soul and therefore, calorie-free. Cheers!

7. Any foods that are consumed along with a diet soda or water have only as many calories as the beverage. Drink wisely.

8. Everyone knows that you burn calories while you sleep. It follows logically, then, that any foods consumed while in bed have calorie-burning, metabolism-charging properties. For example, eating French toast, served breakfast-in-bed style, is like running five miles on a treadmill!

9. Let’s say you are at the grocery store and you see a great sale: buy one, get one free on pints of Ben & Jerry's. No diet rules can excuse you from the 1,000 calories in the first pint, but refer back to the sale sign: the second pint is FREE!

10. If you take the time to pack exercise clothing and/or gear for a trip, but then don’t get around to unpacking or using them, you still burn the same number of calories that you would have, had you worked out. After all, it is the thought that counts!

Follow these simple diet rules (feel free to pick and choose and elaborate as necessary) for a fun, guilt-free holiday season. Remember! No one is counting the inches on your waist or the size of your thighs. Rather, they are too busy noting the smile on your face and the gleam in your eyes, wondering what it is you know that they haven’t yet learned.

*Warning: These tips are not guaranteed to take inches off of your waist, but they will sure make you feel better about adding them on!

Signe Whitson is a licensed social worker and co-author of The Angry Smile: The Psychology of Passive Aggressive Behavior in Families, Schools, and Workplaces, 2nd ed.. In addition to blogging for Psychology Today, she is the creator of Passive Aggressive Diaries, a blog designed to take a light-hearted look at the hilariously conniving ways in which people encounter and exude passive aggressive behavior in their everyday lives. Her partnership with a baby clothes boutique provides them with advice to share with the parenting community. My Baby Clothes Boutique has a wide selection of everything a baby needs to start out right - beautiful baby hats, headbands and so much more.....