Techniques and strategies to stay on course

For someone trying to lose weight, holiday weekends can be stressful.

It can be difficult to stay on your weight loss program during festivities.

Eating is a huge part of celebration and socializing.

Social functions can make anyone self-conscious.

If you are on a strict dietary regimen, you may feel like it is drawing attention to your weight or ruining the mood.

I am going to talk about different strategies to navigate these situations.

Firstly, if you have a bad food weekend it is OK.

We are not striving for perfection; we just want progress.  You must be kind to yourself.

You did not gain all your weight in a weekend, and you are not going to lose it in one weekend.

If you struggled during the holiday, it is fine to feel disappointed. I would acknowledge those feelings then regroup.

Each day is a new beginning. Focus on starting the week afresh focussing on making healthy food choices.

It is worth reflecting when you have those moments of weaknesses to identify what triggered you to overeat.

Was it feeling pressure to eat with friends and family? Being exposed to various foods? Having some alcohol which made you more disinhibited?

I find journalling these experiences helpful as you can distill what the possible triggers were and helps you focus.

 If you do this consistently, you may find eating behaviour patterns that you can work on.

The key is to reflect but not judge or criticize.

Also, focus on the positive things you have done to date.  Think about the unhealthy foods you have forgone and your regular exercise routine. This will help you shift to a positive mindset.

How do I stay on track during the holidays?

These are some strategies that I have found have helped many negotiate holiday eating.

1. Have a plan. Visualize the event and how you will handle all the different food options. Decide ahead of time to stay away from the food tables. Maybe have sparkling water instead of the glass of wine.

2. If you start feeling stressed out, go to the washroom to ground yourself. Use meditation techniques such as deep breathing to calm you.

3. Drink water through out the night. This will decrease how hungry you feel.

4. Focus on protein. If there is meat option choose it. Avoid breads and carbs. Have a salad with no dressing.

5. Practice mindful eating. Eat slow. See how your body is responding. Are you still hungry? Do you need to have the second helping? If you are present and ask yourself these questions you are likely to eat less.

6. Enjoy the event. Don’t pressure yourself. You are trying your best. You have to have a flexible mindset. Everyday is a new opportunity to make progress.

7. Accept that holiday parties are not going to be perfect food days. You are just trying your best to do ‘damage control’.

Successful weight loss is process driven. Trying to do the right things more days than not.

Be kind to yourself. Holidays and festivities are challenging for anyone to eat healthy.

One suboptimal weekend is not a reason to give up. Your goal is to have more good days then bad.