Yo Yo Yo…Happy Holidays
Granted, the title of this article should probably say “Ho Ho Ho,” but unfortunately during the holidays many people don’t feel the “Ho” as much as they feel the “Yo,” meaning the yo-yo of the scale from (oftentimes) over-eating. And that my friends lead to the yo-yo on the scale.
But we need to keep in mind, it’s not that poor, innocent piece of equipment that sits quietly in your bathroom 23 hours and 59 minutes throughout the day that causes our eating habits to go south, it is the abundance of holly good cheer, too many potato latkes (otherwise known as pancakes) or one too many helpings of jambalaya (for my friends celebrating Kwanzaa).
We all know, all too well that the yo-yo on the scale doesn’t just mean your favorite jeans are just a little tighter, or your dress is not as loose as when you bought it, it often means that all the emotions with watching the scale tip up a bit around the holidays means that the celebrations may be a little less bright.
I have a client who said it best, “When the scale goes up, the diet goes out the window!” It can be a vicious circle!
So, this article is not about trying to help you be mindful of what you are eating around the holidays, though come January your mindfulness will certainly pay off. No, this is about shredding (no pun intended) the mindset that if, or let’s face it, more like when you overindulge throughout the holidays you not only accept it, but you own it. Yes, YOU make a conscious choice that you are going to indulge. Let go of the mind game, “well if I don’t do this, I can do that,” or, take Hanukkah for example, if I don’t have that third potato latke, I can have the sufganiyot (Hebrew for jelly donut, a traditional dessert at Hanukkah). Forget the deals you make with yourself, literally save those for game night, because in the end what do you end up with? Generally, a terrible guilt hangover that two aspirins in the morning will not take away.
When I coach clients who want to change their eating habits (and this includes not just what they eat, but when, how, what they are feeling when they eat, etc.) we don’t focus on deprivation because that just leads to that nasty four-letter word my client mentioned earlier…DIET (shudder). No, weight loss or gain comes from many factors including habit, identity, or mindset change. In the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear, habit change is not just about setting your alarm every day at 6 AM to run, but rather changing your mindset from “I can’t get up that early,” to “I am someone who gets up early to exercise,” (mindset change), “I’m not a runner,” to “I am a runner” (identity change), and “I get up once in a while to exercise,” to “I am someone who runs at 6AM, 5 days a week,” (habit change). Changing our mindset, identity and habits are the most important factors in changing all areas of our lives, especially eating.
Let’s take that holiday party for example, when you know everything is going to be delicious…if the message is, “I’m overweight so what difference does it make what I eat?” (Identity and mindset) then chances are your habit will be to overindulge. However, if you begin the night by saying, “I’m going to mostly choose healthy foods because I want to take care of my body and choose one or two small things to indulge in,” then you’ve gone into the evening with a positive self-image (identity and mindset) and maintained your healthy habits. In addition, you are making a conscious choice, you have the power, the food does not have power over you.
That all being said, if and again when (because we all do) let food do the controlling my best advice to my clients (and in the words of Taylor Swift) shake it off! Everyone has those meals that feel just a little bit, or a lot, out of control. And when I say everyone, I mean EVERYONE! In that case, let the guilt go and wake up in the morning knowing that it’s a new day and a new opportunity to be positive, take care of your body (because it is a damn temple) and start fresh! And if that doesn’t work, take two aspirin and call me in the morning ;-)
Happy and Healthy Holidays!