The holiday season, while festive and cheerful, can also be one of the MOST stressful times of the year. You have to buy presents, wrap presents, bake, send cards, resist eating ALL OF THE COOKIES (or is that just me?), and get to all of the places that you need to go in a timely manner (funny joke). People like me, who are emotional eaters, can have a hard time during the holidays. The stress and constant presence of delicious foods everywhere can combine into a fat nightmare.
BUT NOT THIS YEAR. (Ironically, as I write this, I am fighting to resist fresh donuts at my office.)
Here's what I suggest for the holidays:
STRESS:
STRESS. Some people can get soooo stressed during the holidays (*raises hand*). What I did differently this year is that I got everything done early. I made a list of all the people I needed to shop for and and bake for, figured out what I wanted to get each of them, and bought the presents. It's 12/13 and I am done with my Christmas shopping AND my cards (baking comes later). For cards I put everyone's addresses on address labels in Word and printed them out on stickers. Way easier. The stickers I bought came with a template number to use in Microsoft Word so that you literally just type in the addresses and print it. DONE. And it'll be ready for next year. SO much easier.
I also have been taking the time to just relax with some nice piano music. It doesn't have to be very long, but just a few minutes can really help.
As for the stress of getting everywhere..... I'll just fight that battle when it comes. I haven't figured that part out yet.
FOOD:
I'm going to approach this the same way I approach my meals and snacks everyday. As many of you know, I have an app called Calorie Count on my iPhone. I log everything that I eat so that I know exactly where I stand on calories. I can also look up food before I eat it to decide if it's worth it. If I see one donut (God I want that donut) is 400 calories, it makes me want it less (THAT IS WHAT I WILL KEEP TELLING MYSELF).
If you don't have a smartphone (get one....), just try to think before you eat. Treats are fine, but do you NEED five cookies? Why not just have one? That's how I got through Thanksgiving. I put small portions on my plate, cleared it, and then waited to let the food settle. Then I was full and didn't need seconds.
If you absolutely can't resist, try to limit it to the actual day of the holiday. A week long binge is probably a bad idea. Bad days happen- I know I'll have one and that I'll have to skip the gym a few times because I'll be out and about. But I will do my best!
Let's all do our best this holiday season to not overeat, to stay active, and to not kill anyone/blow up/go insane/go into credit card debt!
<3 - CFC
P.S. Here's some Holiday Diet Tips from WebMd and here's some Holiday Diet Myths!
BUT NOT THIS YEAR. (Ironically, as I write this, I am fighting to resist fresh donuts at my office.)
Here's what I suggest for the holidays:
STRESS:
STRESS. Some people can get soooo stressed during the holidays (*raises hand*). What I did differently this year is that I got everything done early. I made a list of all the people I needed to shop for and and bake for, figured out what I wanted to get each of them, and bought the presents. It's 12/13 and I am done with my Christmas shopping AND my cards (baking comes later). For cards I put everyone's addresses on address labels in Word and printed them out on stickers. Way easier. The stickers I bought came with a template number to use in Microsoft Word so that you literally just type in the addresses and print it. DONE. And it'll be ready for next year. SO much easier.
I also have been taking the time to just relax with some nice piano music. It doesn't have to be very long, but just a few minutes can really help.
As for the stress of getting everywhere..... I'll just fight that battle when it comes. I haven't figured that part out yet.
FOOD:
I'm going to approach this the same way I approach my meals and snacks everyday. As many of you know, I have an app called Calorie Count on my iPhone. I log everything that I eat so that I know exactly where I stand on calories. I can also look up food before I eat it to decide if it's worth it. If I see one donut (God I want that donut) is 400 calories, it makes me want it less (THAT IS WHAT I WILL KEEP TELLING MYSELF).
If you don't have a smartphone (get one....), just try to think before you eat. Treats are fine, but do you NEED five cookies? Why not just have one? That's how I got through Thanksgiving. I put small portions on my plate, cleared it, and then waited to let the food settle. Then I was full and didn't need seconds.
If you absolutely can't resist, try to limit it to the actual day of the holiday. A week long binge is probably a bad idea. Bad days happen- I know I'll have one and that I'll have to skip the gym a few times because I'll be out and about. But I will do my best!
Let's all do our best this holiday season to not overeat, to stay active, and to not kill anyone/blow up/go insane/go into credit card debt!
<3 - CFC
P.S. Here's some Holiday Diet Tips from WebMd and here's some Holiday Diet Myths!
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