HOW TO HAVE A GUILT AND BINGE FREE THANKSGIVING
If food around the holidays is especially stressful and often leads to guilt and shame for what you ate, this post is for you!
Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Hard to believe right?! I don't know about you, but I am feeling extra grateful this year to actually be able to spend time with loved ones after spending last Thanksgiving cooped up with COVID.
Regardless with whom, where, and what food you are celebrating with this year, I want to help you make a game plan for having a guilt and binge free Thanksgiving. I know that holidays, and especially Thanksgiving, is one that can be challenging when it comes to the food and provoke feelings of guilt and shame for eating too much. You may feel the need to sign up for that Turkey Trot run every year to feel like you've earned your meal or skip out on eating all day to "save up" calories.
If this sounds like you and each year you find yourself struggling with anxiety around your Thanksgiving meal, this post is going to give you the tips you need to be able to go into the holiday with peace of mind when it comes to the food. Let's get into it!
1. Remember, it is just ONE day. If you eat until you are uncomfortably full, know that this feeling will eventually pass and we are all human and do this from time to time. Drink some water, go on a slow walk, and do what you need to do to make yourself comfortable, but make sure you know that one day of eating will NOT make you gain 10lbs overnight, it is not physically possible! One day of eating will not make or break your progress just like one salad or one workout does not make you the healthiest person in the world.
Your mentality around the meal and your relationship with food can highly impact your ability to enjoy this holiday if you let it. Some of these foods only come around once a year and you should be able to enjoy them without spending the rest of your day stressed about what you ate or regretting it. You also don’t need to sit there worrying about what workout you will do tomorrow to burn it all off...
2. Again… it is just ONE day and you don't need to feel obligated to binge on all the foods and then swear them off the next day and go back to "clean" eating and restricting yourself. This will only set yourself up to feel guilty and regret your choices. You don't HAVE to stuff yourself uncomfortably full just because it is the "norm" and almost something that has become almost expected on this holiday. No one is telling you that you have to stuff your face and feel miserable!
My biggest advice is to try and treat it as any normal meal. Listen to your body, eat until you are comfortably full, and then go back for a seconds or even thirds later in the day if you want! The food will still be there. Unless your family never plans for leftovers that is....
3. EAT BREAKFAST. Whatever you do, do NOT fast or "save your appetite" up until your big Thanksgiving meal. This is the biggest thing you can do to set yourself up for a binge and feeling uncomfortable. When you go into any meal ravenously hungry, you aren’t going to be able to make rational decisions. Your stomach will speak louder than your brain until you finally realize that you went crazy on anything and everything you could get your hands on regardless if it's truly what you wanted or not.
Depending on when your meal is, have a light breakfast or at least a few snacks throughout the early morning/afternoon. Your body will thank you!
4. Go into the day with a positive attitude. If food is stressful for you right now, remember that some of these foods might only come around once a year for you and they might be your absolute favorites or part of a more meaningful tradition! You should be able to enjoy them and feel happy about eating them, not guilty!
Have a little extra green bean casserole or second piece of pie if it makes you feel good. Food is not just something that fills our stomachs, it’s something that is meaningful. It is something to celebrate and brings a sense of connection during the holiday season. Be grateful for the opportunity to have food on the table and spending time with loved ones, not guilty for the pumpkin pie that you ate or how much butter grandma put in the mashed potatoes.
Keep these four things in the forefront of your mind going into your Thanksgiving this week. Whatever you do, please do not feel the need to beat yourself up for all you ate. Like I said, it is one day of eating. One day of eating does not make or break your health, it will not make you gain 10bs, and it does not make you a bad person for enjoying the foods you love! I hope you have a blessed and healthy Thanksgiving 2021!
Coach Megan
