Like every year, this year (or not) the holidays will mark the beginning of the “Holidays are let’s eat” worldview or even more complex: “You waited for the holidays to diet, what do you do the rest of the year?”

If you have such negative thoughts like “I know, the holidays are not my strong point.. I’ll gain weight again like always” or “Come on baby Christmas is now I can eat as much as I want”, then you need to change… your mind! These thoughts do not help you at all, they just frustrate you and make you more prone to any small or big “mishap”.

Believe that you can change this established pattern: find what small steps will make a difference this year, choose to pay attention to them, equip yourself with determination and drive, and don’t let the battle be lost without even fighting.

The days of the holidays follow the logic of everyday life in terms of organization of meals i.e. you need your breakfast, a complete lunch and dinner and of course your snacks in between. As on the rest of the days it is very important to have fruits, vegetables and adequate water intake on a regular basis.

Sweets action plan

The environment these days is full of temptations and sweets. It is important, as much as possible, to have a supportive environment: Delay the preparation or supply of sweets, keep only as many sweets as you need and not more, and ideally do not leave sweets in visible places (in contrast, an opaque box will get you into less trouble).

Say yes to temptation by finding the measure that suits you! For example, choose the time of day when it is most important for you to enjoy your dessert and decide that for you that moment is important, e.g. “I’ll eat dessert in the afternoon with my coffee or tomorrow morning with my breakfast” and enjoy it then, calmly and with boundaries. This way you will not give in to the random sweets that appear throughout the day and at the same time you will not feed the feeling of deprivation inside you.

At the festive table

• As with the rest of the days of the year, it is important to enjoy your meal while eating calmly and consciously: keep yourself away from distractions or intense conversations while eating so you can focus and enjoy it. Keep your mind on the process, put the cutlery down in between and take your time.

• Decide in advance what you will eat: make your plate with everything you need and save a spot for the salad. This way you’ll be more aware of the amount and know how much you’ve eaten when it’s over. Stick to one plate and make sure to serve meat first to make sure you’re full. Add salad as often as you like.

• Mark the end of the meal: since the time spent at the table is long at these types of tables, let your brain know that the meal is over so that it does not go into the process of snacking some more while the food is in front of it. Banish your plate or make it inaccessible, change flavor (gum, candy, fruit, coffee, calorie-free soda—anything strong will reset the pH in your mouth to neutral and distract you from the food), or even change environment and continue with something else consciously e.g. drink coffee etc.

• Exercise: Exercise should be part of your daily routine all year round. But even if it isn’t, you can by exercising lightly, even for this period, compensate to some extent the increased consumption of holiday calories and hold back any possible increase in your weight. At best you might manage to make it a habit.

• If you are new to exercise, start with me brisk walking for a few minutes and try to increase it day by day. If you still feel like you can take it longer, walk for 30 minutes. This time does not refer to luck.

• On holidays schools are closed, so you could do something together with your children. In addition to burning calories, you’re helping kids get used to exercise and love it. If all goes well, they could incorporate physical activity into their lives permanently and thus lay the foundation for a healthy weight for life.

Think of it another way

The coming days are days of love and it is important not to forget that: the body (and the mind behind the body that makes the decisions) also needs love and acceptance. So, good eating behavior starts from within you and we hope that it accompanies you these days as well, so that you achieve the corresponding respect for your body and its needs.

“Give yourself permission to spoil him. Take at least 15 minutes to enjoy your favorite holiday food habit. Whether it’s a hot chocolate drink, a large chocolate ginger cookie, or your habit of cooking your favorite spaghetti dish and sharing it with your family, choose your dietary pleasure, schedule it, guilt-free.” .