5 Tips to Avoid Holiday Overeating Pitfalls
Those of us who’ve spent the majority of our lives being overweight, often attempt to blame the holidays for our plight. Starting with Halloween, and running well through New Year’s, the sugary sweets and large meals are plentiful. We find ourselves saying, “I’ll start eating better after..."
5 Tips on How to Survive Holiday Parties Pre & Post Gastric Sleeve
1. Keep Your Hands Full
2. Pre-game Before the Main Event
3. BYOP: Bring Your Own Protein
4. Offer to Help the Host
5. Host the Party Yourself
I get it, the holiday season can be very stressful at times. Families and friends get together. What starts out as being a festive night, then may turn into a tense gathering. Possibly old arguments resurfaced and we may find ourselves overeating to manage our own stress and anxiety.
Holidays can often bring up painful memories. Maybe we are coping with a recent death of a loved one. This holiday just isn’t the same without that person in our life. We find ourselves overfilling our plates, and eating after the point of fullness.
Maybe we are simply just working too much, and not taking care of ourselves. Drive-thru dinners become the norm and we are not moving our bodies enough. The weight begins to pile on, but we hide under big sweaters.
As the holidays are approaching, the dreaded “holiday weight” opportunities arise. From the office parties to the holiday happy hours, what is a guy or gal to do? We think, “how am I going to get through this?” All hope is not lost. With intentional planning, you can not only get through the holiday season, but you can enjoy it as well.
Here are five helpful tips on how to help avoid holiday overeating this year.
5 Tips on How to Survive Holiday Parties Pre & Post Gastric Sleeve
Keep your hands full:
It’s hard to overeat when your hands are full. One hand with your phone, snapping those selfies and the other hand with a drink in hand (ahem, water or protein shake).
Pre-game before the main event:
Eat a healthy meal or drink a protein shake prior to the party. Simply turn down the sugary snacks and calorie laden alcoholic beverages.
BYOP: Bring Your Own Protein:
Bring a variety of protein snacks with you to the festivities. Some great ideas are jerky, turkey roll ups, raw veggies, etc.
Offer to Help the Host:
Helping the host means you’re too busy to be grazing and spending too much time at the snack table. Besides, running around will help you burn calories too!
Host the Party Yourself:
Planning the party yourself means you are in charge of having healthy foods and drinks available.
Final Thoughts/Takeaway
If you've already had weight loss surgery, you may find your first holiday season difficult. We often don’t realize how much our lives are centered around eating. You may begin to feel resentful as you attend various holiday parties or gatherings because you believe you can’t eat the way you used to. You’re right, you cannot eat the same or as much, but you can still enjoy the festivities.
Reminding yourself that weight loss surgery is simply a tool. Our bodies are beginning to change, in turn so must our thinking. If you are newly post-op, you may enter into a grieving process. This is normal. You are grieving the foods that you used to crave and love. You are grieving an activity of overeating, which used to be a form of self-soothing.
Just remember, perfection is not the solution. Find ways that work for you as the holidays can be stressful enough. Each year will get easier as you learn new habits. You are in the process of a lifelong transformation. BariBoss is here to help. Please let us know what your struggles are and how we can support you.
Holiday Season Action Items
Get moving! Join a gym or simply start walking. The more your body moves often the better you will feel.
Get accountability. This can be done by finding an accountability “buddy”.
Get serving. Find a place where you can volunteer for others, such as a homeless shelter or animal shelter.
Get support. Hire a wellness or weight loss coach who can help you achieve your goals.