Let's take a few minutes to talk about food over the Christmas season... Advent has begun, the shops are marketing & everywhere we go there’s Christmas parties & end of year events… usually focussed around eating & drinking. How does it make you feel? Do you truly feel free to eat what you want – to JUST ENJOY the treats without shame or fear (fear of losing control or packing on the weight, or fear of judgement)? Does all the talk of “good & bad” food, overeating, diets & weight that seems to come with occasions such as Christmas cause you anxiety? Do you only feel free to eat the treats because you plan to go on a diet the day after Christmas/ or New Year? (If some of these feelings ring true for you and you hadn’t realised it, then your relationship with food is probably not as healthy as it could be and I’d love to help you with that).
Or, maybe you feel a bit sad because you have food sensitivities that mean you can’t join everyone else with all those delicious Christmas goodies.
Unfortunately these feelings are true for so many people and with little wonder - our culture markets indulgence while at the same time selling us a diet mindset! I’ve pulled together a few tips that I hope help and perhaps bring more freedom and enjoyment to your Christmas Season:
1. Don’t plan to go on a diet after Christmas (firstly because diets don’t actually work & because actually with that in the back of your mind, your body will already be preparing for restriction, and you are more likely to lose control).
2. Give yourself permission to eat WHAT YOU WANT without restriction, and enjoy it. As in, eat what you actually WANT, not to be confused with ‘eat anything & everything in sight’. Save your indulgences for the foods you really love (this goes for all year really – not just Christmas). Not a big fan of mince pies? Then don’t eat them. Save the space for some Christmas pudding or gingerbread instead. There’s no need to eat foods you don’t particularly like just because it’s Christmas.
3. I’ll repeat the last part of the sentence above – ENJOY IT! I mean REALLY enjoy it. Eat mindfully so that you truly experience every morsel. (And if you aren’t really enjoying it, then that sounds like a good time to stop).
4. Think about why you’re eating. Are you hungry or just eating because it’s Christmas? If you’re not really hungry, then again it’s perhaps a good time to stop.
5. Be prepared for all the diet and weight talk and know your own capacity. If you’re up for practicing assertiveness then you can be direct and let people know that sort of talk is unhelpful for your own mindset; but if that’s too confronting for you, then change the topic or remove yourself from the conversation. If you need to, have someone safe that you can call or vent to.
6. If for you the problem lies in food sensitivities, then find some really special treats of your own that you can eat while everyone else is enjoying their pavlova & Christmas pudding. And feel free to share recipes in the comments section with others who might have the same sensitivities.
I pray you have a beautiful Christmas season & are able to find freedom & delight!
Love Tania
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