Holiday Weight Control with Mindful Eating Strategies

Dec 15, 2010 Cheryl Heppard

Avoid Holiday Weight Gain - Free Foto

The holidays are usually a flurry of holiday parties, which include fattening foods and drinks every where we turn. Many people who kick off the season with the best intentions fall into temptation more often than they had originally planned. When the holidays finally wind down in the New Year, it's not uncommon for some to gain an extra five to ten pounds which lingers long after the holidays are over.

Between the extra stress that accompanies the season, and all the food pushers at the office and at parties, it can be a struggle to avoid weight gain. One fatal mistake that many people make during the holidays is planning to completely avoid holiday parties, treats, and temptations. In research published recently in the journal Behavior Research and Therapy, doctors found that dieters who tried to control their appetites using avoidance strategies were at greater risk for overeating than those who developed coping skills to control their overeating.

Calories in, Calories out still applies

The good news is that studies show the average person usually only gains about a pound over the holidays. The problem is that many people don't take the weight off after the holidays, so it becomes cumulative over time. Weight gain over the holiday season happens for the same reasons as any other time of year, which is too much eating and not being active enough. November and December create a perfect storm between all the tempting treats, rich meals and being too busy with planning, shopping, wrapping, cooking, baking and attending parties to make time for exercise.

Mindful eating is an excellent strategy that can be used during the upcoming season to avoid the holiday bulge. Mindful eating depends upon recognizing the relationship between eating and the feelings that are present. It's a concept based on learning to identify why people eat what they eat, and how it makes them feel.

It's crucial to focus on the eating experience in order to eat mindfully, instead of mindlessly. Then it becomes less likely to miss satiety cues, and more likely to notice a feeling of fullness and stop eating. For example, eating a meal should be a nourishing experience for more than just the stomach. Set the mood and the table, light a candle, and use nice dishes and placemats. Each meal should feel special. This nourishes all of the senses and makes the meal a much pleasurable experience. When we have intense pleasure, it becomes a richer experience overall which results in eating less and feeling full faster.

Food Experiments Illustrate Lack of Mindful Eating

Dr. Brian Wansink is the author of the best selling book, Mindless Eating. Dr. Wansink is a well respected psychologist who completed 250 experiments which studied the psychology of eating. His experiments illustrated that people have no idea what they put into their mouths, or why. His entertaining and interesting studies concluded two basic facts :

• The bigger the bowls, plates, cups, etc. that people eat or drink from, the more they tend to eat or drink.
• The more foods we are served, the more we eat

Use these mindful eating strategies for a happy and healthy holiday season.

• Get in touch with overall happiness, and satisfaction about how this year went for you. Often times eating is just a band-aid for unhappiness, stress, anxiety, or depression. The holidays can bring a lot of emotional issues to the surface, so take some time to sort out how your feelings can possibly relate to your eating habits, and consider how to make any changes you feel you need or want to make.

• When it's time for a meal, sit down and really enjoy it. Make it an experience instead of eating out of the refrigerator or eating while standing up or driving in the car.
• Weigh yourself once a week during the holidays. Studies show that this can give an 80% increase for successfully reaching weight related goals.
• Set goals for how a personal eating and exercise plan will take shape. Tackle the easiest goals first and then work on the harder one. Start with three goals and then create more as you go.
• Be sure to eat breakfast every day, studies show that people who eat breakfast eat less over the course of the day than those who skip breakfast.
• Be sure to hydrate and drink enough water. Many times we think we're hungry but we're really just thirsty. Stock up on sparkling waters and delicious teas.
• When attending parties, have a light and healthy snack before you go. Some veggies and hummus, or fruit and yogurt. It's easier to resist fattening foods when the stomach isn't empty. It's extremely difficult to have willpower and discipline when the body is doing everything it can to be convincing that food is needed immediately.
• Have one glass of water for every cocktail or glass of wine. This will save a lot of calories and possibly a hangover as well.
• Keep moving: Be physically active for at least 30 minutes a day, or as much as possible. Find a buddy and create a schedule, then stick to it.

Don't Forget to Set Rewards

And finally, decide on a nice reward for once the holidays are over and the goal of not gaining weight has been accomplished. Make it something tempting to stay motivated. Put a photo of the prize on the refrigerator to help increase willpower and ward off temptation. Research shows that goals are often sabotaged if there isn't a satisfying reward established.

Copyright Cheryl Heppard. Contact the author to obtain permission for republication.

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