Hello, my vibrant friend. So good to be with you here today. If you are watching on YouTube, this is our first time having the podcast, both in the audio version and on YouTube. So I hope it's going well, and I hope you can see me okay. Today we're talking about two things to avoid for eating during the holidays now.
Number one is mindless eating. Mindless eating is very normalized in US culture and probably other places as well, and there's going to be a lot of food around in general throughout the holiday season, but the day of the holiday as well. So mindless eating is where we are putting food in our mouth, not really tasting it, and not paying attention to it.
If there might be a bowl out while we're watching a football game, we may be standing talking to a relative and just putting food in our mouth. This is mindless eating, so try to avoid this during your holiday gatherings. This will help you on your weight loss journey and also help you feel better at the end of the day as far as how your body feels.
Number two thing to give up during the holiday season is eating because someone else is bothering you or drinking more alcohol because someone else is bothering you. We have also normalized this. Clients come to me and say, every time I have to go to a meeting with this certain person, I get really annoyed, and then I go stuff my face with some snacks after.
So it's interesting, isn't it? We've normalized this, but we also already know that this is going to happen. So when you go to the holiday and there's someone there that you know is going to bother you, that relative who always asks you an annoying question or always has the awkward conversation, think ahead of time.
"I'm not going to eat or drink extra alcohol because this person is going to annoy me" because you already know they are going to, and why punish yourself for something that's happening with them, so you can think of other things to do about this other person. You can generally avoid them. You can have an answer already ready because you already know what they're going to talk about, right? It's either your relationship or your work or your kid, and just have an answer that can kind of shut them down or just have an answer that ends that conversation quickly. And if needed, excuse yourself to go to the bathroom. That's always available to you. So what's the opposite of doing these two things that you need to avoid during the holidays? Well, we can eat mindfully, and some people don't like to listen to this stuff because it sounds kind of woo.
But really, eating mindfully is paying attention to what you eat, how much you eat, enjoying what you eat, and these are great things for your weight loss journey, as well as just feeling good. How we eat and drink really affects how we feel at midlife and beyond. People who've been through menopause or are in the middle of it, especially notice that certain foods and alcohol affect them more than they used to.
So by paying attention to what you eat and drink, you'll feel better, and your weight loss journey will continue to go just fine even through a holiday. So here are the easy tips for mindful eating. Number one is notice a couple of things about the holiday that aren't the food. You may be showing up at your holiday and thinking this holiday's all about food, but do you remember the animated version of the Grinch Who Stole Christmas?
So the Grinch, that little green guy, came in, stole all the decorations, and stole the Roast Beast. And in the end, the who's in Whoville still stood together, held hands, and sang. So even if you feel like your holiday is only about food, think if there are some other things that it is about maybe as well.
Are there people you're going to see that you're really grateful to get together with? Maybe there's a religious or cultural significance for your holiday, and can you be grateful that you're gathering because of that? When you keep those things in the front of your mind, they can help you put the emphasis on things you want the emphasis on, and maybe put the food a little bit in the background if you're trying to lose weight or if you're trying to eat healthier in general.
Number two, decide if you're going to overeat at this holiday or not. Most people at midlife and beyond, whether or not they're on a weight loss journey, are thinking that they don't want to overeat at the holiday. So set an intention to not overeat. "I will get up Thanksgiving morning, and I will say, hooray, today is Thanksgiving and I'm not gonna overeat today."
And setting that intention is actually quite powerful in your day and will help you not overeat. Okay, number three, for weight loss and for feeling well, make sure you get some protein and some vegetables at the holiday meal, perhaps put those on first if possible, or save a big area for them on the plate and then add the other things that you like.
You'll feel really good at the end of the day if you eat protein and vegetables. These can be meat; they can be vegetarian protein but get those and some vegetables. And it will make your day so much better. And then put some other things around. Have a dessert, but don't overeat.
Number four, I recommend that you eat your regular meals on the holiday day, saving up by skipping meals that you don't normally skip and showing up ravenous at the holiday makes your body not feel that great and also really increases the chances that you're going to overeat, and then you won't feel well.
So I recommend that you still eat breakfast and lunch, sensible meals, and then go to your holiday dinner and eat.
Number five, I recommend if possible, that you break up the day into meals instead of grazing. Now think about what your holiday is like in particular. If we go to my husband's family for Thanksgiving, it's one meal. We come at dinner time; we have the evening together. It's lovely, and there's one meal, so it's pretty easy that way.
My family is from Michigan, so the Detroit Lions always play football on Thanksgiving, so there's food out all day, football, snacks, and then it's time to eat the Thanksgiving meal. And so what I've come to change in my day is I have my football snacks as one plate, and that's my lunch. And then I wait and then eat the Thanksgiving meal so I don't graze.
And I recommend that you don't graze if it's a food all day holiday. Why is that? Grazing is not great for people, midlife and beyond for weight loss. Women who've been through menopause have increased insulin resistance. So grazing keeps your body in fat storage mode all day long. While you're doing that, the other thing I'll tell you is that if you have the meals and leave some time in between the food, well, it actually tastes better.
I can tell you that I remember so many Thanksgivings where I kind of ate all day and kind of grazed all day. And then when the Turkey came out, that meal didn't taste that great because I wasn't really hungry. I didn't understand the science, but my taste buds were down-regulated because I'd been eating all day.
And so I ate the Thanksgiving meal, but it was just okay. And now when I do my football snack, lunch, my Thanksgiving meal dinner, both of those meals taste fantastic, and I've let my body have some time in between where I'm not eating anything.
So the two things to avoid during your holiday are, number one, mindless eating, putting food and drinks into your mouth when you're not paying attention and not enjoying them. Avoiding those will help your weight loss journey. It will help your body feel good at midlife and beyond. Number two, eating because someone else is bothering you.
Sure, there may be some surprise people who bother you at a meal or a gathering, but a lot of times we already know who this person is. So don't punish yourself by eating. Have an answer prepared for the awkward question they always ask. And excuse yourself and leave.
There's no need to punish yourself with extra chips and dip. No need to punish yourself with an extra alcoholic beverage. You take care of yourself, nourish yourself, and enjoy your meal. So I hope that the tips I gave you for eating at the holiday mindfully, which means choosing what you're going to have, paying attention, and enjoying it, are helpful to you.
Thanks so much for spending time with me today.
