While I’ve written that I believe that most “emotional” eating is really physiological, it’s certainly true that emotions play a part in triggering desires to overeat.
If you’re like me, the holiday season can be a “code red” time for overeating. So with a little under three weeks to Thanksgiving, now’s the time to come up with a strategy to get you through to 2012. Some possibilities:
- 30 days of paleo’s Holiday Eating Tips
- Refuse to Regain’s Halloween to New Year’s Day: Joy, Anxiety and Overeating
- 3 fat chicks on a diet’s Holiday Strategies (from readers)
- Good Housekeeping’s Holiday Weight Loss Tips
- Shape’s Holiday Weight Loss Tips
Me, I’m going to do my version of Martin Berkhan’s Cheat Day Strategies For A Hedonist on both Thanksgiving and Christmas. I’ll skip breakfast (intermittent fast), have a paleo/PHD lunch, and then eat what I want (not crazy binge) at dinner, followed by my regular way of eating the next day. What I’ve found (for me) is that it’s not the one piece of cake that is a problem, it’s the WTF effect of turning one piece into weeks (or months) of eating SAD foods. I’ve successfully tested my “infrequent cheats” strategy last Easter and Christmas … and I find it works well when traveling too.
Of course, your mileage may vary, so you need to come up with a plan that works for you. One last thought about holiday eating:
No matter how carefully you plan your goals they will never be more than pipe dreams unless you pursue them with gusto.
~W. Clement Stone
Here’s to gusto!
It’s all about the WTF effect, I call it the “whatevers” but your name wins. Hope you’re well, cheers to gusto.