Don’t Eat Just Because it’s Holiday Food

I get it.  The Holidays are filled with deliciousness.  There are gingerbread cookies, shortbread cookies, pecan pies, pumpkin pies, eggnog, hot buttered rum and many more unbelievably amazing confections.  Sometimes I run into people who are literally eating themselves through the holidays.  Did you know that most people who pack on a few pounds every holiday rarely take those pounds off in January?  Instead they are walking around year after year carrying a little more weight.

Why do we wait till the holiday season to gorge on our favorite treats?  This year, instead of feeling like you need to have Grandma’s shortbread and Aunt Mary’s pumpkin pie all in one day, make a deal with yourself to ask for the recipes.  In May or June, when there’s absolutely no reason what so ever to bake shortbread, pull out that recipe, make a little pan of cookies and enjoy them then.  Have a little holiday treat again in July or September.  This takes the pressure off the NEED to fill our bellies with every holiday treat all in a few days.  I know that for myself, when Easter mini eggs became available all year around, I no longer NEEDED to eat 12 bags of them at Easter. In fact, I didn't really want them anymore at all. (Yes, that’s right, I loved mini eggs!!)

Our brains are conditioned to want something more if we feel deprived or if we think we may never have the chance to have something again, so we need to eat it right now.  We can take that conditioning away by committing to ourselves that we will pull out our favorite treats throughout the year.  It’s also fun because in some silly way it feels like we are breaking the rules!  I mean who decorates gingerbread men in July?  But how fun would it be to make them and decorate them with sunglasses and swimsuits for a pool party? 

Bottom line, listen to your body, don’t just stuff your face because it will be a whole year till these holiday festivities come around again.  Just because it's limited doesn't mean eat it. We can make small indulgences throughout the year and spread out the celebrations and fun. If you tell yourself, you are deprived you will only feel more urgency to eat!

I look forward to hearing about what treats you can think of to fit in at other times of the year!  I love all the comments everyday!!  Thanks for sticking with this challenge!  We’re a third of the way there!! Keep up the great comments!! See you tomorrow!!