Maintaining a Healthy Diet During the Holidays

by Sebastian
(Ventura, CA)

Dieting is hard any time of the year, and the holidays make it even more difficult. It's not just the food alone that tempts us, for the holidays mean over-stuffing ourselves with family just as much as we do with potatoes and pie. For me, maintaining a healthy diet is especially challenging when I'm stressed. For many people (and especially myself), the holidays plus family equals stress - a guaranteed diet disaster.
Overcoming this challenge is not easy, but I decided to approach it with the same principles I use to maintain a healthy diet every day: moderation, positive reinforcement, and flexibility. In this case moderation meant smaller portions and slower eating. I chose not to make a gargantuan pile on my plate, and between every few bites I stopped and engaged in conversation or just relaxed and sipped water for a minute. This meant I felt more full after less food than I would have with my normal "shovel-it-in" method.
The last two principles (positive reinforcement and flexibility) meant not punishing myself for doing something "wrong" like taking a slice of cake, but rewarding myself for doing something "right" like choosing a whole wheat roll. Focusing on the positive makes us happy, and maintaining a healthy diet is certainly easier when we're not focusing on the negatives or putting ourselves down. This also means giving yourself some breathing room and learning from your mistakes instead of dwelling on them. Sure, I had some pie and maybe a little too much ham this holiday, but using these principles I was able to come out on top, healthy and happy.