The holidays are coming! Quick, hide the cookies, the cake, the gingerbread men and the cheese! For the love of it all, hide. The. Cheese!

You know you have done this. Every time the holiday season rolls around (get it? rolls…butter, biscuits…scones) we chastise ourselves for over indulging before we even step under that first sprig of mistletoe. The surest way to pull up a chair to the hors d’ouvres and dive in, is to tell ourselves not to. When we focus on what we don’t want we always get more of it. Here are some tips that may help you get through this holiday season without taping your mouth shut:

1) Tell yourself that you make the right food choices. I suggest you even write it down a few times before you head out to that party.  Tape it to your dashboard if you have to.

2) Have a healthy snack before you venture out. You have heard this one before, I am sure. But it really works! Whatever that healthy snack is, eat it right before you walk out the door.

3) Plan on talking….a lot. The more you are mingling and chatting, the less you can be shoveling in that crab dip. If you aren’t usually a talker, take some time to write down some things you might want to talk about with people. No need to write a book and memorize it, but remembering some trigger words will help stoke the fires of conversation.

4) When the party starts to thin out…leave. Nothing seems to trigger over eating like boredom. If you start to feel like you’ve had enough that is your cue to go.

5) Politely decline the leftovers. No one skimps at holiday time. You’d better believe there is a pound of butter in that super flakey piecrust you’ve been eyeing. You don’t need that temptation staring at you when you open the refrigerator.

6) Stay calm. If you DO overdo it, don’t beat yourself up. The holidays are about fun, family, friends and yes…food. If you are smart about it, you will survive. I’m certainly not suggesting you deprive yourself of all the goodies of the holiday season. I’m not insane =).

 

Happy Holidays!

 

-Jessica Kuiken