The Holidays are right around the corner with one of the biggest being tomorrow…Thanksgiving. So, Happy Thanksgiving Mythineaters! Have a blessed and wonderful day.

I love the Holidays, it’s a wonderful time to spend with your loved ones, to decorate and also to eat some delicious food. Now FOOD, this I think is the tricky part because it’s a time of the year that everyone makes time to be together and cook a big meal, but this doesn’t mean that you have to stuff yourself even if you may or may not like the food. I for instance don’t care much for the food in itself, it’s more about the experience; but many a times I have found myself eating just because 1. It’s in front of me and 2. Because I feel obligated to over indulge because it’s the holidays.

These 2 reasons are wrong. I always feel bloated and I don’t actually get to enjoy it and feel like I have to behave and eat light after that. I have come to the conclusion that if I want to eat then I should, but if the next day I want to also make a lasagna, or a plate of pasta I shouldn’t feel disgusted with myself to the point that I Can’t eat it. Keyword Can’t.

Don’t punish yourself, the holidays are a time to have fun, enjoy and really feel happy about your life and the people in it. Most of all it should be a time we all look forward to, not look forward to when it’s over so you can get back on track. Sound familiar??!!

Here are a few simple steps to follow that won’t leave you feeling deprived or guilty.

1) Exercise – I know that I have been guilty of this before, but just because the holidays are here doesn’t mean that we should forget about exercising. I think that you get so busy thinking about this and that, that you forget about yourself. Take your 1 hour, or 30 minutes, whatever you need and don’t feel bad, you generally take this time anyways so why not now. This is a great time you can use to plan the rest of the day and whatever else is needed. Trust me the Turkey can wait. This way you will burn extra calories so you can eat that pie without feeling the least bit guilty.

2) Choose your indulgences – A lot of the food that is served during the Holidays are foods that you generally wouldn’t eat and just fillers. ‘Is that really something you want to eat?’ If you really want to have that pie then eat it. Do you want to have an extra cocktail, then drink it. Enjoy it and skip the rest. Let’s say you don’t like casseroles, why eat them? What about the Gravy? For instance my husband hates gravy, but likes the sweet potatoes and has that and doesn’t even touch the gravy. Don’t worry, pass it along.

3) Make a plate – Mindless eating is the enemy. If you just pick here and there without serving yourself a plate you may not know just how much you’ve eaten until you just feel stuffed and gross. By serving yourself you are able to see what you are eating and also if you really want more or not. Keep track and you won’t feel lost.

4) Don’t beat yourself up! Move on – After all it is the holidays and if you had one too many move on, don’t beat yourself. No one got fat or fell off the wagon from eating a little more than usual, it’s how you react to it that’s the problem. You want to have a piece of pie, go for it. But don’t eat the whole pie just because you feel you where bad. Move on. Enjoy yourself mostly and think of it as a reward for being awesome.

Happy Holidays and remember that you workout and are healthy so that you can feel good. Stay focused and relax. You can eat without regret. It’s food not your life savior, you are not gonna die because you didn’t eat the whole turkey in one sitting or if you don’t feel stuffed at the end of the day. You are strong and better than that. Think and eat only what you really want.

I hope that this helps you to stay motivated during this wonderful Holiday season. Enjoy it!
Buone Feste!

I made our Thanksgiving meal this way last year. It’s exactly what my Husband and I wanted.