Tis the season of food, food, and more food. How will you fare this Holiday season when it comes to maintaining your waist line?
It may seem hard to believe, but it is completely realistic to avoid the Holiday pounds we simply expect and regretfully accept each year. By practicing the following nutrition and wellness strategies, you will for possibly the first time in your life, breeze through the Holidays without having to revert to wearing your "fat clothes" or killing yourself at the gym.
It's ALL in Your Head
The first place to start is with your goals. Write down your goals on a piece of paper and commit to reading them out loud to yourself each day. Make sure to approach your goal(s) by saying I can rather than I can't.
Unfortunately, it is common for us to focus on the foods that we can't eat. It's not our fault since most diet and weight loss programs set this premise. We say to ourselves, I can't eat anything at any Holiday parties, I can't eat any of my favorite Holiday foods, or I can't have an alcoholic drink. We consistently deprive ourselves of everything, leading us to hate what we're doing and lose sight of our goals. It's not surprising that diets only last a few days for most of us before we simply cannot take it any more.
Fact: When you begin telling yourself I can't, you have already set yourself up for failure. You lose sight of your goals and lose the willpower to continue.
On the other hand, when you approach your goal(s) saying I can, you are mentally in a place to handle the challenges you WILL be faced with this Holiday season. Here are 3 ideas to be in a strong mental space to get through the Holidays:
It's all in your Belief - What you think about, you bring about!
It is as simple as this: If you tell yourself you won't gain weight this Holiday season, you truly won't. You believe in your goals, and most importantly, you believe in yourself.
Take the following steps to building a strong belief in yourself this Holiday season:
Identify your belief(s). Example: I won't gain weight this holiday season! I CAN do this! I want to be successful this Holiday season! I deserve to achieve my goals! I'm worth it!
Examine your belief(s) in more detail. Determine the reasons that it is important to you that you do not gain weight over the Holidays. Make a list of all the cons to gaining weight over the Holidays. How will it make you feel? How will you look? How will your clothing fit? How will gaining weight affect your family? What about your health? Re-visit this list and your goals each day through the Holiday season.
Create positive action through frustration. This means finding a way to disturb yourself. One of the best ways to do this is to try on clothing. Any of the following actions will work: trying on your bathing suit; looking at yourself naked in the mirror; putting on jeans that no longer fit, or any other clothing that you love, but that you simply cannot wear comfortably anymore. Do this frequently (at least once per week) to remind yourself why weight gain is not an option for you this year.
Take positive action. Start journaling your dietary intake and physical activity. Commit to yourself by writing your goals down and making your list of cons. Schedule the times during the week that you are going to exercise. Attend group fitness classes, meet with a personal trainer, schedule an appointment to meet with me to start off on the right track. The most important step is taking action. Once you've done this, the rest will simply fall into place.
Positive thoughts and a belief in yourself are the key to avoiding the Holiday pounds this season. Do yourself a favor and get started today!
Healthy wishes,
Alissa Robertson, MS, RD
Lifestyle Nutrition
(802) 999-5684
[email protected]
It may seem hard to believe, but it is completely realistic to avoid the Holiday pounds we simply expect and regretfully accept each year. By practicing the following nutrition and wellness strategies, you will for possibly the first time in your life, breeze through the Holidays without having to revert to wearing your "fat clothes" or killing yourself at the gym.
It's ALL in Your Head
The first place to start is with your goals. Write down your goals on a piece of paper and commit to reading them out loud to yourself each day. Make sure to approach your goal(s) by saying I can rather than I can't.
Unfortunately, it is common for us to focus on the foods that we can't eat. It's not our fault since most diet and weight loss programs set this premise. We say to ourselves, I can't eat anything at any Holiday parties, I can't eat any of my favorite Holiday foods, or I can't have an alcoholic drink. We consistently deprive ourselves of everything, leading us to hate what we're doing and lose sight of our goals. It's not surprising that diets only last a few days for most of us before we simply cannot take it any more.
Fact: When you begin telling yourself I can't, you have already set yourself up for failure. You lose sight of your goals and lose the willpower to continue.
On the other hand, when you approach your goal(s) saying I can, you are mentally in a place to handle the challenges you WILL be faced with this Holiday season. Here are 3 ideas to be in a strong mental space to get through the Holidays:
- Focus on positive actions only.
Make sure to read your goals OUT LOUD every day. Rather than obsessing over the foods you can't eat this Holiday season, focus on all the positive and healthy choices you are making. Give yourself credit where credit is due! It's not what you do one time that makes you healthy or not healthy, it's what you do MOST OF THE TIME that matters most. Focus on moving your body. Take every opportunity to get some sort of exercise. Park your car further away, do sit-ups during commercial breaks, stretch while watching t.v., go for a walk, or maybe you can get to the gym. Every time you move your body, write it down. You'll be amazed at how having a focus on positive, healthy behaviors can empower you to keep going. - Make preplanning a priority.
It is important to plan for the unexpected. If you're going to a Holiday party, eat a little something before you go. Bring a healthy dish that you will eat - you'll be surprised at how many other people will eat it too! Bring snacks in your purse or in your car so you'll always have a healthy option, regardless of where you are. Remind yourself of your goals prior to going out to eat or going to Holiday parties. Remind yourself that these foods are ALWAYS going to be available another time. Decide which foods are most important to you to have, and allow yourself to have a small amount of it. It is also important to schedule time to exercise. During this busy time of year, this is often put on the back burner. Make exercise a priority and schedule time EACH DAY to move your body. - Reward yourself for positive action.
At the end of each day make sure to take the time to evaluate your day. Reward yourself for all the positive actions you took. Did you exercise? How were MOST of your food and beverage choices during the day? Did you read your goals? Did you drink water? Did you eat every 3 hours or so? Did you resist temptation or eat less of something you would normally have eaten more? Make sure you DO NOT use food as a reward. Reward yourself with new clothing, a book you've been wanting, a nap, a massage, or getting your hair or nails done.
It's all in your Belief - What you think about, you bring about!
It is as simple as this: If you tell yourself you won't gain weight this Holiday season, you truly won't. You believe in your goals, and most importantly, you believe in yourself.
Take the following steps to building a strong belief in yourself this Holiday season:
Identify your belief(s). Example: I won't gain weight this holiday season! I CAN do this! I want to be successful this Holiday season! I deserve to achieve my goals! I'm worth it!
Examine your belief(s) in more detail. Determine the reasons that it is important to you that you do not gain weight over the Holidays. Make a list of all the cons to gaining weight over the Holidays. How will it make you feel? How will you look? How will your clothing fit? How will gaining weight affect your family? What about your health? Re-visit this list and your goals each day through the Holiday season.
Create positive action through frustration. This means finding a way to disturb yourself. One of the best ways to do this is to try on clothing. Any of the following actions will work: trying on your bathing suit; looking at yourself naked in the mirror; putting on jeans that no longer fit, or any other clothing that you love, but that you simply cannot wear comfortably anymore. Do this frequently (at least once per week) to remind yourself why weight gain is not an option for you this year.
Take positive action. Start journaling your dietary intake and physical activity. Commit to yourself by writing your goals down and making your list of cons. Schedule the times during the week that you are going to exercise. Attend group fitness classes, meet with a personal trainer, schedule an appointment to meet with me to start off on the right track. The most important step is taking action. Once you've done this, the rest will simply fall into place.
Positive thoughts and a belief in yourself are the key to avoiding the Holiday pounds this season. Do yourself a favor and get started today!
Healthy wishes,
Alissa Robertson, MS, RD
Lifestyle Nutrition
(802) 999-5684
[email protected]
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