I don't know about you, but every time those dreaded holidays roll around, I always end up gaining weight. I think last year I hit a new all-time high right after New Year's. A college friend celebrated her 50th birthday on the day after New Year's and I used that excuse to extend my feeding frenzy for an extra day. It was a scary sight for all the guests. When they saw the plate of desserts I intended to scarf down, everyone did a double-take, eyes bugging out of their sockets on springs.
Recently, I wrote about my goals for the upcoming holiday season, but I neglected to mention anything about weight loss. Am I going to try to LOSE weight over the holidays this year? NO! That would really be ludicrous. But my goal is to begin the holiday season at a weight that feels comfortable and just maintain it.
This is way easier said than done.
Why are the holidays so darn difficult on our diets? Well, there are those holiday parties and gatherings, for one thing. And depending on your situation, you might be attending quite a few of those. If you only ate one celebratory meal on Thanksgiving and one on Christmas Day, this really wouldn't harm your diet in a significant way, no matter how much you ate. But this is not the case for most of us. The "holidays" tend to spill over from Halloween candy munching to Thanksgiving pies and plates of leftovers to multiple cookie swaps during the month of December to Hanukkah's chocolate coins and potato latkes to Christmas puddings to New Year's bashes with beaucoup de champagne. This could easily amount to two full months of overeating and overindulging.
I have to admit, I feel just the teensiest bit like Scrooge even suggesting that anyone should hold back in the celebration department. After all, don't we all deserve to be happy? Joyous? Jolly like Santa Claus? (But look where it got Santa...)
So the real question is: how can we celebrate all kinds of holidays and events in our lives without feeling the need to go overboard? Would your Thanksgiving include less gratitude if you restricted yourself to one slice of pie? Would your Christmas feel less blessed if you only ate one cookie? On your birthday, will one slice of cake suffice?
Here in America, we tend to overdo everything. The bigger, the better. Supersize the celebration! And I get it. I really do. The more food, the more varieties, the more dishes, all that abundance makes us feel wealthy and safe and loved. If we are hosting a gathering, making too much food helps us feel generous and welcoming toward our guests. So where do we draw the line?
As the holidays begin their approach, I am taking some time to consider all these aspects of celebrating together. I know I am not going to ban all sugars or grains from my Thanksgiving or Christmas meals. But I do plan to walk a middle path, trying to be more moderate in terms of the treats I make and eat. I hope to share ideas, recipes, and menus for meals that will be both healthy AND delicious, nutritious AND joyous! And I could really use your help. If you are thinking along these same lines, please share your wishes and concerns with our healthy-eating community. I hope we can work together to make this happen.
Recently, I wrote about my goals for the upcoming holiday season, but I neglected to mention anything about weight loss. Am I going to try to LOSE weight over the holidays this year? NO! That would really be ludicrous. But my goal is to begin the holiday season at a weight that feels comfortable and just maintain it.
This is way easier said than done.
Why are the holidays so darn difficult on our diets? Well, there are those holiday parties and gatherings, for one thing. And depending on your situation, you might be attending quite a few of those. If you only ate one celebratory meal on Thanksgiving and one on Christmas Day, this really wouldn't harm your diet in a significant way, no matter how much you ate. But this is not the case for most of us. The "holidays" tend to spill over from Halloween candy munching to Thanksgiving pies and plates of leftovers to multiple cookie swaps during the month of December to Hanukkah's chocolate coins and potato latkes to Christmas puddings to New Year's bashes with beaucoup de champagne. This could easily amount to two full months of overeating and overindulging.
I have to admit, I feel just the teensiest bit like Scrooge even suggesting that anyone should hold back in the celebration department. After all, don't we all deserve to be happy? Joyous? Jolly like Santa Claus? (But look where it got Santa...)
So the real question is: how can we celebrate all kinds of holidays and events in our lives without feeling the need to go overboard? Would your Thanksgiving include less gratitude if you restricted yourself to one slice of pie? Would your Christmas feel less blessed if you only ate one cookie? On your birthday, will one slice of cake suffice?
Here in America, we tend to overdo everything. The bigger, the better. Supersize the celebration! And I get it. I really do. The more food, the more varieties, the more dishes, all that abundance makes us feel wealthy and safe and loved. If we are hosting a gathering, making too much food helps us feel generous and welcoming toward our guests. So where do we draw the line?
As the holidays begin their approach, I am taking some time to consider all these aspects of celebrating together. I know I am not going to ban all sugars or grains from my Thanksgiving or Christmas meals. But I do plan to walk a middle path, trying to be more moderate in terms of the treats I make and eat. I hope to share ideas, recipes, and menus for meals that will be both healthy AND delicious, nutritious AND joyous! And I could really use your help. If you are thinking along these same lines, please share your wishes and concerns with our healthy-eating community. I hope we can work together to make this happen.
Comments
Post a Comment
Please share your helpful questions and comments here! Thanks for being part of this balanced community!