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Now is the time to celebrate: Good times, good company, and
yes, good food. But if you're worried that enjoying yourself
will pack on extra pounds, relax. The holiday season can
actually be good for your waistline.
If you're like many weight worriers, restraining yourself
from the temptations that abound is a losing battle fraught
with guilt. Give yourself a break and skip the self-control-you'll
be happier and, chances are, slimmer. Ironically, if you savor
rather than forbid your favorite foods, you're more apt to
stay on track with your overall healthy eating plan. Allow
yourself to have whatever you want, and you'll begin to be
more selective about what that really is. This kind of balanced,
mindful eating can eventually result in a natural, easy-to-maintain
weight, no matter what the month.
It can also help to realize that overeating is perfectly
normal, not in the least a lapse in good behavior. It
makes sense. Food is about pleasure as well as good nutrition;
sometimes we need more of a food than what is recommended
to feel truly satisfied both physically and emotionally. Plus,
rich food by nature stays with us longer so we don't need
to eat as soon or as much at following meals. Rich foods,
when eaten in moderation, won't make us fat. As long as we
tune in to internal cues of hunger and satiety and trust our
bodies to guide us, the calories balance out in the end.
Give yourself permission to eat for emotional reasons, too.
What's so bad about eating chocolate kisses from the stocking
simply because you did so when you were a kid? Just make sure
it's not the only way you deal with being happy or stressed.
At other times, walking the dog or reading a book may feel
more nurturing.
Here are other thoughts to keep
in mind as you indulge your taste buds:
- Feed yourself. Continue to eat regular, balanced
meals; we are better able to decide what we really want
if we come to the experience already well-nourished.
- Be choosy. Decide what you really want. If you
received two gifts-a package of gourmet cheeses you look
forward to receiving every year and a canister of cashews
you can have anytime-skip the nuts (donate them to a food
drive) in favor of the cheese.
- Eat mindfully. If you're home baking gingersnaps
and want to sample your work, savor the smell, texture,
density and taste of every bite; you will be less likely
to devour the entire plate of cookies before you know it.
- Cultivate a discriminating palate. You decided
to have a slice of the cherry cheesecake at the office party,
but you quickly discovered it's not nearly as creamy as
you had anticipated. Toss it. Why eat something you don't
enjoy?
- Keep moving. Physical activity keeps you in touch
with your body's wants and needs. Take a family stroll before
you sit down to dinner.
- Enjoy the season. Enough said.
The staff at Green Mountain
at Fox Run wish you a happy, healthy holiday season!
For 37 years, Green Mountain at Fox Run has
developed and refined a life-changing program exclusively
for women seeking permanent strategies for healthy weight
loss and health. More than just another weight
loss retreat and spa, Green Mountain combines proven
science with what works in the real world, to offer an innovative
non-diet lifestyle program. Our core weight
loss program offers an integrated curriculum of practical,
liveable techniques that helps women take charge of their
eating, their bodies and their health. Unlike health
spas or adult
weight loss camps, our approach is not focused on just
losing weight but on how to keep it off for a lifetime.
Our participants' long-term weight
loss success is among the highest of any program, as
documented in peer-reviewed scientific literature. Learn more about our women's weight loss program
©2007
Green Mountain at Fox Run, Ludlow, Vermont. This information
is the property of Green Mountain at Fox Run. Permission
to use single copies for personal, noncommercial use is
authorized. For all other purposes, please see details.
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