Tips for Coping with Weight Worries During the Holiday

The holidays are coming, and with them, time with loved ones that we enjoy seeing.  Until, that is, the weight talk begins.

Weight talk: Wow, Mary has lost a lot of weight. She looks great!
Our thoughts: Well, I guess I don't look so great.

Weight talk: Do you really think you should go back for seconds?
Our thoughts:  I just want some more of that really good pie.  Can't I ever eat in peace?

Weight talk: I shouldn't eat that; it has so many calories.
Our thoughts: But I want to eat it.  Why is everything that tastes so good so bad?

The first instance above illustrates how we tend to compare ourselves when it comes to weight.  The second focuses on the concern that others have about our weight and how that often affects us.   The third looks at how weight worries interfere with our enjoyment of the season. Well, actually all of them do that, adding a ton of stress at a time when we don't need any more. 

So how do we keep weight talk at a minimum and our enjoyment at a maximum during the holidays?  Try these tips.

• Accept your wonderful self for who you are, regardless of what you weigh.  Self-acceptance means adopting a non-judgmental attitude toward yourself. It's the ability to see things as they are in the moment without harmful, self-critical voices interrupting your view of yourself.  It can make a world of difference in how you take care of yourself, and how you enjoy your life.  Read more in our article on how to accept yourself to end weight worries.

• Give yourself unconditional permission to eat what, when and as much as you want.  This tip strikes fear in the heart of a weight struggler.  But it's important to realize that if you don't let yourself have what you want, your good sense can get buried under feelings of deprivation. Read more in our article on eating what you want for health and healthy weight.

• Focus on feeling good.  Put the first two tips together with this one and you'll have a powerful package for treating yourself well throughout the holidays, feeling good, enjoying the pleasures of holiday food and fun.

If your loved ones feel free to voice their concerns about your weight, ask them to read the articles we've linked to above. 

Have a wonderful holiday season!

~ Written by Marsha Hudnall, MS, RD, owner and director of Green Mountain at Fox Run, a women's retreat for healthy living without dieting.  You can read more tips for overcoming weight struggles on Green Mountain at Fox Run's blog A Weight Lifted.