A New Perspective for Thanksgiving This Year
Happy Thanksgiving-Eve! I've just started all the baking shenanigans that come with this wonderful time of year. We're doing a small Thanksgiving with some friends, but I am so excited to cook all the things and be in the kitchen literally all day! I'm thinking of setting the mood listening to some Buble' or Jack Johnson in my apron and making a whole thing of it!I wanted to share some words with you today that will be a little bit different than I've been writing lately. I want to write to encourage you this Thanksgiving to take on a new perspective on the holiday. You see, I know that Thanksgiving can be the start of a new unhealthy cycle of restricting --> binging --> restricting hard core again come January 1st. I know because I've been there. I remember this time of year with so many wonderful holiday parties with such delicious food being a time of anxiety because..."what if I gain weight this year and can't get it off!" and "what if I get stuck in an unhealthy diet and can't eat healthy again!" What is it for you that makes you anxious about holiday eating?
These were all thoughts that came into my head at the start of the holidays along with the joy that holidays bring with family and friends. But food was not my friend and my anxiety with food kept me from experiencing real joy at what should be such a joyous time of year.But not anymore.
I was driving to my favorite local coffee shop today to do some work and write and was thinking about my own thoughts going into this holiday season. Wow how things have changed! No longer do I have this anxiety that I am going to eat too much and feel so uncomfortably full tomorrow or with the upcoming events where food is inevitably and rightly such a huge part of people getting together. No longer am I freaking out when cooking about the amount of butter I'm putting in some of the dishes I'm making. No longer am I worried that one holiday party will lead to endless eating and feeling out of control in my body. No longer am I worried that I'll never want to eat healthy food again if I let myself indulge in less healthy foods.Here's the realization that has helped me get to this place and I believe will help you as well.It's just food.
Food is not the main thing we are celebrating with the holidays. And it shouldn't be your main concern or what keeps your attention. You are celebrating all that you have to be grateful for this past year and in your life. You are celebrating the people who you are with or who maybe aren't with you but who have had an impact on your life. Food is not the main attraction.It's also just food, so you can enjoy it like any other food you enjoy! Sure you may not have pumpkin pie all the time, but you CAN have it at other times besides Thanksgiving if you so choose. The ingredients are available. You can enjoy the holiday staples like sweet potato casserole and creamed corn and savor each bite without the feeling of future deprivation, which is often what leads us to eating too much at Thanksgiving and then feeling like we have to diet afterwards.
Now, here's the thing. You MAY eat to uncomfortable fullness tomorrow and that is OK! It's one day and isn't going to kill you. But the important thing is to remember that you are the one who is empowered to be mindful in eating and to eat without guilt. You are not a worse person for overeating.
But if you want to not eat to crazy fullness tomorrow, here's a few tips to empower you in that:
Eat a hearty breakfast. Any time you restrict meals you're more likely to binge when you do eat. Restriction leads to heightened senses and cravings as well as less clarity when you do eat so you're less likely to be able to practice mindful eating. More so, at this crazed state when you eventually do eat, you enjoy the food less because you're more concerned with just consuming food out of hunger! So eat breakfast! I'd recommend something high in protein and lower sugar such as some scrambled eggs with sprouted toast and butter or avocado for a filling and well rounded meal that will help your blood sugar stay more constant and prevent a quick spike and then fall.
Get some activity in. Start your day with a little movement, preferably outdoors. With most of the day being inside and in the kitchen for a lot of us, give yourself some "you time" outside with a walk or a run to get the blood pumping. Or, if that doesn't sound good to you try some yoga as a practice of some mind-body connection before the big meal. Your body and mind will thank you :)
Focus on the conversation around the table. Remember the reason for what you're celebrating. We have so much to be grateful for and turning our focus from the food to the people we're celebrating with can help us to reiterate that within ourselves.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to truly enjoy your blessings whatever they may be.One last thing...Thank YOU for your presence here! I'm so grateful for each and every one of you and your support of this small part of the internet that I am blessed to be apart of! Thank you!