Intuitive Eating for the Holidays
The holiday season has long been known to be a time of tradition. Many special traditions involve family, friends and celebration, but even more revolve food. For someone struggling with problematic eating, food addiction, attempting to lose weight or change eating habits, the holiday season can be an especially difficult time.
The holiday season has long been known to be a time of tradition. Many special traditions involve family, friends and celebration, but even more involve food. For someone struggling with problematic eating, food addiction, attempting to lose weight or change eating habits, the holiday season can be an especially difficult time. Events that should evoke emotions of fun and celebration, are often met with dread and anxiety by those that feel they may lose control.
During this holiday season, stop the diet and try a new and different approach to managing eating behaviors.
1. Correct Distortional Thinking - Distortional thoughts are beliefs we have which only bring us back to a place we don't want to be. Thoughts like: It's just one time a year.... I'll start my diet for the New Year.... This is the ONLY time I can enjoy Pumpkin Spiced Lattes, so better drink as many as I can! Having these types of thoughts creep into your mind can easily derail you from your bigger goals of attempting to be healthier and not binge or overeat. To combat these thoughts, we work on a strategy called Thought Stopping.
2. Minimize and Manage Stress Levels - Stress is often the emotion that tends to send us into a tail-spin of making poor choices for our health and well being. When we're stressed, we feel out of control, rushed in our routine and like we just can't handle ONE MORE THING. When we feel overwhelmed during the holidays, we tend to control the things in our life that demand the most attention - busy Christmas shopping, scheduling ALL the events, traveling here, there and everywhere, juggling stretched budgets and still trying to take care of LIFE. The problem is, when we're trying to stay in control of everything else, we tend to slack on other areas -- unfortunately that's usually ourselves. Self-care and taking time out for ourselves is the thing we put LAST when everything else is crazy. Sometimes, this translates into our health goals, managing our binge eating behaviors or saying TO HECK WITH IT in working on making healthy changes.
3. Plan Ahead - Having a plan about how you're going to manage difficult situations can be one of the single, best ways to prevent a binge episode. Having a plan doesn't mean you won't experience cravings or urges to binge, but it does mean you'll be better equipped on how to respond to cravings.
4. Support System - Have you ever tried to manage your disordered eating issues during the holidays ONLY to be met with all your family members bombarding you with triggering statements and judgments. Do you really think you need to go back for seconds? I'm only eating the vegetables this year because I'm trying to watch my weight. Phrases such as these can be particularly difficult for those with disordered eating issues. Many people don't understand the difficulty in trying to maintain these changes, ESPECIALLY when there is an abundance of food. Eliciting a support system which understands the difficulties you may face may be most helpful in making changes for your eating behaviors during the holiday season. Explain to your friends or family members your goals and ask them to support you. In the Happy Healthy Holiday program, we will be discussing specific dialogue and examples you can use with your family to help them understand.
5. Focus on the Reason for the Season - From Halloween to Valentines Day, it may seem like there is one celebration after another featuring food. So many times we put ample focus on the food at each of these gatherings. For those with disordered eating issues, the food focus may be even more heightened. This glamorizing of food tends to blind us from other important parts of the holiday season - friends, family, tradition and celebration. It might be helpful to remind yourself that although Grandma's Apple Pie may be very special because you can only enjoy it once a year, it's likely many of the other foods can be made anytime throughout the year. Focus on the real reason for the season and take the glorification out of the food.
Do you need help with addressing these areas?
In the Happy Healthy Holidays Support Group we will be addressing ALL of these issues and more. If you're the person that has made progress towards goals and you're TERRIFIED you might relapse during the holidays -- then this group is for YOU. If you're wondering how you can possibly enjoy food, when you constantly feel like food is the enemy -- then this group is for YOU. If you find that you are constantly stressed to the max during the holidays, which in turn, leads to eating ALL the holiday cookies -- then this program is for you.
Program Begins on November 11th.
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How do you know if your diet is working?
“This time will be different. Starting Monday, eating all the crap will be over. I HAVE to do something about this!”
Can I ask you something honestly speaking? How many times have you said this – same - phrase…
Don’t get me wrong, I am by no means here to judge you, because you know what?
I’ve been there, too.
I know EXACTLY how frustrating trying to change your habits, your diet and your life can be.
I mean, we like to eat food. Food serves so much purpose in our life!
All the happy moments that are only ENHANCED by great food– That fantastic Raspberry-Filled wedding cake at your best friend’s wedding.
An AMAZING turkey stuffing your Auntie makes every year for Christmas dinner.
That perfectly moist Carrot Cake Muffin you had at that little corner bakery during your visit to New York City.
And sometimes, food is the end result and BECOMES about the not so great moments….
That time during that breakup and the only thing that made you feel better was Ben and Jerry’s.
Or the time you felt fat and you thought, What’s the point? As you ate another brownie.
Or the time you had a stressful day at work and came home and wanted to eat EVERYTHING even though you’ve been dieting and doing so well and just one cookie can’t hurt and I haven’t had anything BAD so it MUST be okay for me to eat this ------
And then the guilt sets in…………………………….
Why did I eat that?
I was doing so good and now this.
I can’t believe I f'd it up……again.
That’s it! I’m starting a juice cleanse on Monday!
Which is the precise reason I cringe when I see that someone is going to start a cleanse, a low-carb diet, a 30 day whatever… Because this is EXACTLY the setup for the Binge-Eat-Repeat Cycle.
And honestly… it’s not good…
Now, let me be clear. There is NOTHING wrong with any particular style of eating. I absolutely love a nutritious green juice or smoothie. They’re staples in my diet almost weekly!
The problem is when we become focused on any one “food rule” and try to make that our lifestyle, hoping for a dieting miracle.
Then we feel deprived not eating foods we love.
We feel frustrated that our efforts are short-lived because we can’t stick to simple rules.
We feel disappointed in ourselves for failing – yet again.
In fact, I was just talking about this very thing with the members of our Facebook Group, Mind~Body~Nutrition (have you joined?).
So, I decided to do something about it.
I knew there had to be a better way to reach more people and give them the same information that took me YEARS to discover for myself.
So I started learning about eating disorders, intuitive eating, binge eating, nutrition and HOW to approach these issues from a different perspective.
And that's when Beat the Binge was born.
How to know if you’re ready to change your relationship with food?
As a Certified Eating Disorder Therapist, I hear certain phrases and questions all the time.
How do I stop giving in to food cravings?
Why do I keep eating things I know are bad for me?
Which diet is best for me?
That all stops now. Until you ask yourself one question:
How do I know that my diet is even working?
And I mean, REALLY think about this one.
After all, how many diets have you tried now?
Sure, they might have worked for a little while. You may have even lost a LOT of weight at one time. You may have temporarily altered your blood work and gotten an A from you doctor for a short time.
But you’re here now. And that tells me one thing…
The diet really didn't work.
You’ve fallen back into old habits.
You’re back to going through the drive-through because you have no idea what to make for dinner.
You don’t have enough energy to get through the day because you feel sluggish, drained.
You feel hopeless that you’ll ever be able to make the changes you know you need to make and you’re spiraling…
Ask Yourself Why
You know yourself better than anyone else. Be COMPLETELY HONEST and ask:
“Why do I want to stop binge eating or change my relationship with food?”
Really think about this.
Maybe there’s a clear answer, or an answer you only THINK is clear. But when you really stop to question the motive, maybe more things come to the surface.
My number one goal and priority for you is LONG-TERM LIFESTYLE CHANGE.
Meal planning? Healthy eating? Exercise?
None of that means anything if you're not ready to be honest with yourself and where your desires are coming from.
After all, that’s been the problem all along. If you’ve ever dieted, then you KNOW eating healthier has the capacity to WORK. If you have ever consistently exercised, then you KNOW it CHANGES your body.
But the problem isn’t necessarily the diet plan or the exercise routine.
The problem is your desire to change something and the reason why you want to change it. Is it because you want to look a certain way? Finally wear that red bikini? Gain validation from your peers or family members?
My goals for you are simple, because I NEVER want you to have to start on Monday again. EVER.
And you know what gets in the way of our best laid plans and intentions?
Our frustrations.
Our self-esteem.
Self-doubt.
Busy schedules.
Food ruts.
Boredom.
Exhaustion.
Fill in the blank ____________________________________.
Ask yourself HOW.
How am I going to manage my emotions so they don’t get the better of me?
How am I going to keep self-doubt from interfering with my goals?
How am I going to learn to LOVE nutritious foods without becoming bored? ESPECIALLY if I don't know if I'm ready to make these changes.
So here’s the deal…
The answer to how to keep yourself from giving into food cravings and binging is to manage your emotions.
We do this by learning what our triggers are for negative emotions that cause self destructive behaviors. Every behavior or action, is preceded by a thought. Sometimes automatic and seemingly subconscious.
And, if you just had a WTF does all that mean moment? Don’t. Worry.
This is so much easier than it sounds. In fact, we’ll be diving into ALL of this in our Beat the Binge program where we can really SLOOOOW everything down.
But enough about that, we’re here to address the main question:
How do you know if your diet is working?
When will you know you’re “finished” with your diet?
What will your food choices look like once you finish your diet?
Do you LIKE the diet you’re on? I mean, as in, I-can’t-wait-to-eat-the-next-meal-because-food-excites-me-and-food-is-meant-to-be-enjoyed like it?
Do you know what led to the last time you “fell off the wagon” and how do you keep that from happening again? ESPECIALLY if this isn’t the first time and you’ve said that before….
If you do like you’re diet and you’re spending money on meal replacements, shakes, dieting pills, meal plans, etc., how long do you think you’ll have to continue spending money on these strategies? What happens when you stop? What will you eat then?
It’s about creating a lifestyle change that is sustainable, one that doesn’t leave you feeling deprived. One that’s not time-bound because it will be ever-lasting.
It’s about developing a healthy relationship with food, in which ALL foods are neither GOOD nor BAD and you can learn to enjoy all of them in a healthy, manageable way.
THAT is how you know your relationship with food has improved and how you KNOW it’s working because it’s something you will WANT to continue for a lifetime.
Ready to change your relationship and ditch the diet mentality forever?
Beat the Binge is beginning on July 8th and I would love to see you there!
Are You Ready for Change?
This video is all about my take on the importance of having a willingness for change and what that means for you and your healthy living journey! Enjoy!
Hey all, just checking in with you with something new I'm trying! I would LOVE to talk to you all individually, face-to-face, but as you know, that would be difficult to do... So I thought I would try the next best thing by making short videos of some of the information I would like to share with you!
I now have a Youtube channel in which you will find even more information and content available from Madden Wellness Counseling. Topics such as, binge eating, emotional eating, goal setting, food addiction and more will be covered! Please visit the page and LIKE and SUBSCRIBE if you want to stay up to date on the most recent video releases!
This video is all about my take on the importance of having a willingness for change and what that means for you and your healthy living journey. Enjoy!
If you have any video topic suggestions, please leave them in the comments below!
Click here for the FREE 7 Steps to Stress-Free Meal Planning Guide!
Amber Madden is a Licensed Counseling Associate specializing in Eating Disorders and Obesity. She is the Clinical Director at Madden Wellness Counseling, PLLC. She utilizes her skills in addiction to assist her clients in with Binge Eating, "food addictive" patterns, and develop a positive approach to overall health and wellness. She has a passion for assisting clients in achieving their health goals and learning to love nutritious foods and exercise. For more information visit www.maddenwellnessky.com .
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