Well, we are deep into the holiday season. I don’t know about the rest of you but Thanksgiving was a feast that turned into the whole weekend for me. Not only did I fall off the “healthy eating” wagon, the wagon exploded. I landed in “Carb City” and spent my time on “Sweet Street”! There was no stopping me. How did one day turn into a full weekend of eating? It was like I was on vacation and it was a free-for-all with food. Okay...a show of hands... who else went hog wild? Haha nice show of hands! It’s comforting to know I wasn’t alone but come on people, you know better than that. So the question is why do we do that? Why do we fall back to our old habits after following an awesome plan that gets us results? It comes down to more than just willpower. It’s how we think about food from an emotional level. Thanksgiving is a time we spend with our loved ones and friends. We share long family traditions which usually involve special foods. We make the connection with the food and our family time. It’s comforting and feels good so we indulge. I still eat ice cream for comfort. I eat ice cream when I’m celebrating something or just not feeling like myself. It’s my go-to comfort food for any mood. Growing up, my family would have ice cream after dinner and watch TV together. We often went out for ice cream so it meant family time. We still get ice cream together as a family. There is no doubt when I am in Florida over Christmas break that we will go to get ice cream at our favorite place (The Love Boat) and my father will probably make waffles and ice cream sandwiches at least once. It’s an emotional bond on many levels. So how do we survive the holidays and keep our emotional connection with food in check. I think the best way to make it through the holidays without falling so far off the wagon is by keeping our goals in sight. Why did you start eating healthy? Was it for health reasons? Weight loss? Perform better in the box? Whatever your reason is, keep it in sight. It’s okay to indulge occasionally. We all do it. We just have to remember that we have the tools to get back on track. So as we continue to navigate through this holiday season, remember why you chose to make better food choices. Keep things balanced. If you know you will be spending time with friends and family, make better choices leading up to that event. Limit yourself to your splurges. Keep your splurge to just that day. After your event, get back to it. The little bit of weight gain you may see or that uncomfortable feeling you get when you decide to eat something you typically don’t eat anymore will go away in a day or two as long as you get right back at it. Don’t let this holiday season get the best of you and your health. Keep doing what you do best with your food choices and you will be happy when the holidays are over and you’re still feeling great! Don’t hang out in “Carb City” or on the corner of “Sweet Street” for too long. That’s no place for strong healthy minds and bodies! -Coach Liz
