On to the Holidays!
With Halloween behind us, we have officially entered the Holiday Season. Let's start thinking about how we're going to make it to January 2nd still fitting into our clothes, shall we?
Here are a few preliminary points to keep in mind:
* It is fine to pick a few "Indulgence" occasions during the holidays -- Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day come to mind. Perhaps there is another event, too -- a particularly good party, or a family cookie swap. Fair enough. The thing to guard against is simply throwing up your hands, saying "It's the Holiday Season!" and declaring an existing state of Indulgence for the next eight weeks. That way lies madness, not to mention larger jeans.
* Keep in mind, too, that though the holidays are joyous, they can also be stressful and jam-packed with work to be done, details to be attended to, and personalities to cope with. Who needs to be dealing with a sugar crash?
* If you are, indeed, planning to Indulge at holiday meals, give some thought now to which traditional holiday foods really matter to you, and which you've always eaten just because -- well, because you've always eaten them. (An example from my own life: creamed onions. My mother served creamed onions for every holiday meal -- not the carb-y-est dish, but the sauce was thickened with flour. And though I grew up having a portion every Thanksgiving and Christmas, truly, my reaction was a lukewarm "Meh." I don't bother with creamed onions anymore.) Don't waste an Indulgence on anything that doesn't light up your tastebuds like a Christmas tree.
* If you're cooking your own holiday dinners, consider swapping out old recipes for healthier versions. It's one thing to eat sweet potatoes -- carby, but certainly nutritious. It's another thing to spike them heavily with brown sugar and marshmallows! Green beans don't have to be mixed with cornstarch-laden cream of mushroom soup; consider toasted almonds instead. Your grandmother will not come back from the grave and haunt you if you change up the menu just a tad. (And if anyone else complains, tell them "Fine, next time you cook dinner.")
* Remember your high protein breakfast on Thanksgiving Day! Don't starve yourself all day in anticipation of the holiday feast. Have at least a couple of eggs, a cup of yogurt, something to stabilize your blood sugar and control your hunger. Not only will this help you make wise choices, it will also improve your mood. We all know how big family gatherings can devolve into snipping and sniping. Give yourself and your family the gift of high energy and a stable mood!
* If you're eating at someone else's house, do not succumb to pressure to eat more than you want, or to eat foods that aren't your favorites. You do not owe it to your mother, your mother-in-law, your grandmother, or anyone else, to waste a precious Indulgence on foods that are not your personal favorites. Repeat after me: "No, thank you. I'm too busy filling up on this delicious turkey!" Repeat as many times as necessary. Remember, you are not being rude, they are.
Next: Sneaky ways to decarb your Thanksgiving Dinner!
