I remember when the holidays were a very stressful time for me and everything was about food and my body. Whether I was thinking about what I wasn’t going to allow myself to eat, what I was planning on binging or over indulging on, what I was saving up for in terms of calories and treats, what I was going to do after the food to ‘make up for it’ - you name it, it was on my mind.
 
I KNOW just how common these thoughts are - even if you don/t think what you're doing before holidays or dinners is disordered eating, it often times is - tooooo many people do these things and just arent even aware of the consequences both mentally and physically... The main point I want to get across is that we do not need to be going to extremes EVER but especially not around the holidays, it's completely unnecessary and we don't need to be entering January feeling like we need to hop on the next restrictive diet. I encourage you to find balance and adopt some habits and mindsets that help you create a LIFESTYLE you love! Of course if you ever need help finding balance and getting out of toxic diet culture eating / thinking patterns I am always here to help. You can send me a message on IG (@marisahopeee) or head over to hopewellnessonlinecoaching.com to connect with me!
 
In this episode I share 4 things to AVOID, so let me also share a few things to focus on that may help you be more mindful and present:
 
1. focus on eating enough throughout the day before a dinner or event, having balanced meals will help you feel energized, satiated and not fixated on food
2. enjoy all foods and meals you love even if you're going to be having a dinner or meal out, restricting only leads to food fixation!
3. tune into fullness and hunger cues - don't be afraid to pause and reflect on how you're actually feeling - are you grabbing seconds because you're genuinely hungry or is it because everyone else is (likewise, are you not allowing yourself to have seconds because no one else is? Tune into YOUR needs.)
4. continue with usual routines (movement, mindset work, things that make you feel good etc) can all coexist in your holiday plans. Perhaps they need to be shortened in length but nothing needs to be all or nothing!
5. Be present and reflect on the gratitude you feel towards the people you're spending time with, this is truly what matters! (do the same with your body, instead of being negative towards it, reflect on all it does for you and allows you to experience, show it kindness and appreciation!)