The Holidays are upon us!!  Take a deep breath and brace yourself.  The Holiday season with its many social obligations, "must buy" shopping sprees, stressful family get-togethers and mounds of food is just around the corner. If you are feeling a little frantic, you are not alone.  This article will discuss how to survive the holidays for you and your family.  This is the most romanticized season of the year, which begins with a gigantic Thanksgiving dinner.

Many people are overwhelmed by all of the shopping, partying, and sometimes painful family gatherings and tear-jerking television specials that are supposed to provide enjoyment.

Since food is so much a part of the holiday celebration this time of year can become a frightening source of discomfort for a person with food-related anxieties.

This is the time of year that we traditionally have great expectations that are unrealistic.  Through planning, you can get through and even enjoy what many people consider the most difficult time of the year.

First and most important is to listen to your body.  Remember the body does not lie, the head does. Accept the body that you have and congratulate yourself for the wonderful lifestyle changes you have made to date.  Remember this is your new lifestyle, one that you can live with, that doesn't require dieting or deprivation.

Be honest with your feelings with your family

Do not try to avoid situations that involve food--if you listen to what your body is telling you, you will tend to not overeat.
 
Check in with your hunger scale and incorporate GENTLE EATING.  Look at the food, smell the food, take a biteful, set your fork down, chew the food and swallow it, BREATHE, and when are ready take your next bite.  Does this bite taste as good as the first bite?  SLOW DOWN AND LISTEN TO WHAT YOUR BODY IS TELLING YOU.

Do not spend a lot of time by yourself.  Interact with people.

Remember holidays are about friends, family and fun, not food.

Eat what your body wants.

Don't "should" on yourself.

Do not think about what is in the food, just enjoy the meal.

Spend more of your focus on family and friends instead of food.  They are more important.
If you feel yourself struggling, contact someone who understands what you are going through before it gets too big.

Don't listen to your internal critical voice.  Challenge that voice.

What are you feeling when you feel like overeating?  Identify the emotion and feel the feeling.  Nobody ever died from a feeling.

STOP DROP ROLL!  Those who have gone through Regaining Control know what that means.

Find things and activities other than food to focus on.

Remember if you overeat one time it will not make a difference in your weight.  Trust your body.

Don't deprive yourself of what you really are desiring.  This will set you up to overeat later.

If you overeat, stay away from the mindset that you've already blown it and might as well eat the whole thing and start over tomorrow.

Be patient with those who do not understand your eating anxieties.

Fire the Food Police.

Help others to help you.. Talk to them about what they can do and what you can do to help.

Relax and breathe.

You are not powerless over food.  Food is just an inanimate object.

Let go of guilt.

Take time for yourself.

See the people you really want to see.

Eat frequently and lightly during the day.  Remember your body is like a wood burning stove.

Remember the Log Metaphor.

Take time to journal.

Plan an activity after your meal.  Take a walk, go to the movies, go out and play!

Don't weigh your self-esteem, it's what's inside that counts!See yourself as a whole person--Mind, Body & Soul.

SUGGESTIONS FOR FAMILY AND FRIENDS

• Support this individual by focusing on interests that don't relate to food or body-image.
• Ask the individual what they need from you.
• Don't be the Food Police!
• Don't should on the individual.
• Know that the new lifestyle change is a process.
• Be honest in your communications regarding your concerns.

All of us at H3I wish you all a safe and healthy Holiday.

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