I was in the store the other day and saw Christmas decorations. It’s barely October! It comes earlier every year but it reminds me that it might not be a bad idea to start helping people prep for the holidays where we won’t gain weight but maybe even lose weight. Let’s make that shift now before it’s too late. Halloween parties are around the corner.
I want to help you get away from those self-sabotaging behaviors. If you’ve ever used willpower or commitment as your diet plan, you’ve already lost. You have set yourself up for deprivation and you feel like you’re suffering. Your body does not like to suffer so it’s a consistent tug-of-war in the brain. You inevitably break down, break your resistance to “bad” food, and plummet your self-esteem in the process. Feeling self-defeated, you focus even harder on your New Year’s resolution to resume this vicious cycle of yo-yo diets. I
If you do this then you associate deprivation and misery with what it takes to loss weight. This has not, will not, and does not work. It will come back to bite you and you’ll gain the weight all back plus more. Misery is NOT the answer to a healthy lifestyle. Let’s start by making some minor changes and follow up with me for deeper lifestyle transformation.
- Starving before a holiday party. Why do we automatically assume that holiday parties equal pigging out? Maybe it’s because we impose guilt, anticipate our actions to over-eat, starve ourselves in anticipation, then play out what we envisioned since we are starving before a huge display of fatty and sweet foods. The holidays are about food and people and joy. Don’t make it about misery and torture. If you’re eating a well-balanced meal throughout the day, you won’t pig out, and your metabolism won’t slow down due to starvation. Don’t robe yourself of joy. Make joy the focus this holiday (and every day).
- Stress. So many people say the holidays are stressful. Why? Isn’t it about joy, fun? Why does the party have to be perfect, why so many gifts, why do all the things you hate? The problem with stress is the body responds by excreting cortisol hormone. So even if you eat right and exercise, cortisol prompts your body to store fat, especially belly fat. This year, shop a little less and engage a little more with those you enjoy.
- Relaxing. Yes, relaxing is so important to release stress and improve metabolism but many people interpret this as laying around all day. This makes us more tired because calcium builds up in our blood stream instead of our bones, and this makes us feel lethargic. How many times have you sat around watching TV all day and eating just to find that you are exhausted. This holiday, go out and plan lots of fun things. Do the things you love and move your body. You’ll find that you will brighten up with so much more energy, efficient metabolism, and a healthier lifestyle that you CAN sustain because it’s actually fun and not torture.
