Surviving the Holidays Without Killing Your Diet

By this time of the month, you’ve probably dodged the bowl of peanut M&Ms that someone brought to the office (why do they do that?!), politely declined the numerous fudge trays that have made it to your desk and berated yourself for even thinking about ditching your diet at the office party. However, there is still one more major hurdle—the actual holiday itself: Christmas. Hopefully, Christmas is about a lot of family, a lot of love and laughter and not even a moment’s thought given to calorie intake. This is especially true if like my family, you drive around to 7 or 8 places during the day and catch dinner on the fly at each one of them. If you don’t tackle this day with a plan, you’re going to end up eating enough for the entire month, let alone the day itself. So what’s the secret? Give in. Yes, you read that correctly. Now keep in mind this will not work if you use the method for every single dish on both sides of the table. Even the one-spoonful method will kill a diet plan if you use it on every single dish offered at the party. This plan is meant for those dishes you wait for all year and it’s just not the holidays until you’ve enjoyed them. You know what I’m talking about…your mom’s chocolate fantasy dessert, your aunt’s sweet potatoes….the list goes on. If you deny yourself these foods, you’re not going to enjoy the holiday like you should and you’re going to think about calories a lot more than you should. Instead, here’s the plan: Have a bite. It’s so much easier to say “no, thank you” to everything else when you’ve responsibly indulged in your favorite dishes. Work your way down the table, decide what you can’t live without and then have a spoonful or two of each one. Two things happen when you do this: 1) You give in to your craving, making the naughty angel on your shoulder very happy. 2) You avoid the guilt because you ate responsibly, making the nice angel on your other shoulder very happy. Sticking to a diet isn’t always about being so strict that you become mentally obsessed with your eating. It’s about learning how to be flexible in different environments and still stay on the healthy track. Christmas isn’t about health food—it’s about making special memories with loved ones and friends. Don’t let your diet consume your thoughts for the day and don’t throw away all the work you’ve done so far. Be responsible, enjoy the foods you love and have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!