Michelle May, MD
is a recovered yo-yo dieter and the award-winning author of
Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat: How to Break Your Eat-Repent-Repeat
Cycle. She is also the founder of Am
I Hungry? Mindful Eating Programs.
 Do
you anticipate the holidays but dread the seemingly inevitable
holiday weight gain? Do your holiday events revolve around
food more than the meaning, people, presents, decorations
or travel?
Eating mindfully and preventing holiday weight gain during
the holidays can be a real challenge unless you have a strategy.
These 10 holiday eating tips will help you enjoy the season
more while eating less.
1. It’s easier to get distracted from signals of physical
hunger and satiety at social gatherings, especially if food
is the main event. Make an effort to pay close attention to
your body’s signals.
2. Be a food snob. Skip the store-bought goodies, the dried-out
fudge and the so-so stuffing. If the food you select doesn’t
taste as good as you expected, stop eating it and choose something
else. Think of how much less you’d eat if you only ate things
that tasted fabulous!
3. Ignore the old diet advice of “eat before you go
to a party so you won’t be tempted.” That is absurd!
You want to be hungry enough to enjoy your favorites. Pace
your eating prior to the event so you’ll be hungry but
not famished at mealtime.
4. Most people are food-suggestible so socialize away from
the sight of the food.
5. Survey all of the food at a buffet before making your
choices. Choose the foods that you really want most and remind
yourself that you can have the other foods another time.
6. It’s common to have holiday treats lying all over the
place this time of year. Grazing mindlessly leads to eating
food that you won’t even remember. Eat mindfully by reducing
distractions and sitting down to eat-even if it’s just a cookie.
Appreciate the appearance and aroma of your food and savor
one small bite at a time by putting your fork down. You’ll
eat less food but enjoy it more.
7. Before overeating, pause and take a breath; ask “How
do I want to feel when I’m finished?”
8. Be cautious of obligatory eating—eating just because
it’s on the table, on your plate, you paid for it, it’s
free or someone made it for you. Deal with food pushers with
a polite but firm, “No thank you.” If you’re
concerned about hurting their feelings, ask for the recipe
or a small portion to take home with you for another meal.
9. Don’t use exercise as punishment for eating. Instead,
look for opportunities to move more. For example, take a walk
after dinner to enjoy the holiday lights, take a few laps
around the mall before it opens to do some window shopping
or take guests to local attractions.
10. Most importantly, delight all of your senses. Enjoy the
company, the atmosphere, the entertainment, and the traditions
even more than the food.
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