How to Have Your Best Holiday Season Yet! {Part 2}

[Click for the 2 minute 'Sum it Up' Audio Summary]

Do you want to experience your holidays with all the fun and good food, but still maintain your weight and health goals? It's possible to do both! Don't shelve your health goals until January. Keep those goals in hand now, during the holiday season, and you won't feel that same uncomfortable pressure in January to "get it together." Take these three holiday strategies into this holiday season to have a much smoother transition into the new year!

Planning

Portions

Powerful Decisions

We've talked through planning, now it's time to talk about portions!

PORTIONS

Let's start by defining what a "portion" is in this context. When I mention a portion, I'm talking about a set aside amount of food or beverage that you plan to eat or drink. In this case, a portion is not 1 cup of something, or a specific measured amount that applies to everyone. I'm simply referencing the amounts of things that you choose to enjoy.

{Mindset Moment}

What do you think of when you hear the word "portion?" Do you hear restriction and limitation? Sometimes nutrition focused language can carry a negative tone to it because of all of the years it's been used in a dieting context or by the media in ways that leave you feeling restricted, fearful, or pressured.

So if you notice that you hear or sense something negative when you read the word "portion," just take note of that and how it affects you as you continue to read. Practice throwing off any negative messages or experiences attached to the word, and begin seeing it freshly as a neutral term.

So if a portion is simply a set aside amount of food, why is it such a big deal for the holidays? Well, it's the key that is going to allow you to have ALL your favorite things this holiday, without tacking on 5+ extra pounds. Being mindful of your portions, how much you take of each food represented, will make it easier for you to enjoy all of those holiday favorites without regretting it later!

PUTTING PILLAR #2 INTO PRACTICE

Holiday meals such as Thanksgiving or Christmas Day aren't regular meals are they? There tends to be much more food on the table for these special days, so using a portions based strategy will help you enjoy those foods without needing 4 plates to fit it all.

Let's take Thanksgiving as an example. There can be 2-3 protein based entrees (turkey, ham, etc.), 4-6 side dishes, and maybe one green vegetable based side dish amongst them. Do you put everything on your plate? Well if you really like everything offered, you sure can!

The full plate of holiday food likely won't be nutritionally 'balanced,' but that doesn't necessarily need to be the goal for a holiday meal! These are special times of the year and food happens to be a big part of that. Use this real-life, reasonable strategy to help you maintain your weight now and in future holiday seasons.

Instead of loading the plate up with everyday sized portions (~1/4-1/3 of the plate, per item), take smaller, holiday-sized portions (1/8- 1/4 of the plate, per item). Holiday-sized portions are simply smaller amounts of the foods. By themselves they'd seem a bit small, but when you put 4-6 holiday sized portions next to one another, it certainly adds up to a full plate of food!

As you can tell, this is not an exact science type of strategy- you don't need to count your calories or tote a food scale to the dinner table. This is a practical strategy that can help you through those big holiday get togethers in a way that will help you enjoy your favorite things without letting the amounts get away from you!

Another important way to manage your portions at holiday meals is to determine ahead of time how much you're going to eat. For example, it can be helpful to plan to only eat one full plate of food instead of going back for seconds and thirds. Don't forget- dessert is coming too! If you'd like to have more than one form of dessert, use the same strategy of taking smaller than usual portions to put on your dessert plate.

Taking smaller portions of the items you like and sticking to eating one plate of food will really help you achieve that holiday health goal you have of maintaining your weight. It may sound simple, but simple isn't always easy to put into action, right?

The holiday challenges aren't just on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day. In fact, it's all the days in between when there are cookie exchanges, parties, gatherings, and more! If you'd like more tailored guidance along with having a Dietitian available to support you through the holidays, check out the Holiday Helper Package! The package will get you access to 3 sessions with me (the RD), an app where you can text me between sessions, send me photos of your portion sizes, get fresh recipes, and more! I'd love to support you through the holidays, not just after them. Sign up now so you can get support for the rest of December and January!

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