Happy Healthy Holidays

Good morning folks! (Or afternoon, whenever you are reading this!). I felt this was the perfect time and necessary to write this post about the holidays because I feared the holidays for a LONG TIME! I wasn't scared of presents, wasn't scared of seeing family that I may or may have not seen in awhile, I was just scared of one thing and one thing only...FOOD! It was either I would eat all the cookies, or none at all. The pics below pretty much sum up my holidays for the last 10 years, and I want to share with you how it can be changed.

I was either like this

Or I was like this 

I was NEVER like this

No matter if you celebrate Christmas, Kwanzaa, or simply feel like getting in some Feliz Navidad spirit, I feel that whatever the occasion you celebrate, there is ALWAYS food on the table, right?! While this is the time of year you are suppose to be out enjoying the lights, eating some delicious pumpkin pie (my favorite) or hearing carollers sing, I was home scared to death thinking when and what I was going to eat to "ruin my diet" for the day or month, for that matter. If I wasn't on a diet at this time, I was eating all the candy "just because." Not truly enjoying the moment presented in front of me knowing this candy was made by love and how truly indulgent and delicious it tasted. I just ate it to eat it, thinking I would NEVER have this again! "Just this one time Kayla", I'd think. Or the opposite, not eat it at all, because of the calories, the fat, whatever. I feared it like the plague. Like it was sin or something...It was just food, but it had so much power over me. It was like a bad habit I couldn't break.

I remember ALWAYS taking my own food to my grandparent's house, ALWAYS made a healthy side dish because I couldn't eat theirs, (this is hard to say, but it was reality) and I ALWAYS watched everyone else eat that delicious ham or broccoli casserole, while I ate a my little salad and a small bite of turkey. I wouldn't eat dessert, take a bite of anything during my non-eating phase, and if I did "cheat" I couldn't stop eating, get sick, and start another diet again the next day. Always resolutions, one after another, after another, and THEY DIDN'T WORK! NONE OF THEM WORKED! I would beat myself up inside, then start all over again.

Now, ask yourself...Do you do this??? I know many people suffer from the battle of the bulge during the winter months (as I've heard it called). When there's nothing to do, we just eat, or maybe in your case, not eat or enjoy anything. (As I said, I've been there, done both).

There is a better way to not feel deprived, to actually be able to ENJOY the holidays and festivities with friends and family, and I want to share some healthy habits and tips with you <3

First and foremost:

1.) Ask yourself what sounds good. Does grandma's macaroni and cheese sound divine, or is it Aunt Becky's potato salad? What haven't you had in a long time or would like to try? For me, I gotta say I'ma casserole lover, as if you can't tell I've already talked about broccoli casserole I believe (hehe).

2.) Do not skip out the yummy candy, enjoy it, savour it, but don't feel like it's the only time you can have a peanut butter ball. In reality, you can have a peanut butter ball every day if and when you are craving one. (AND THAT IS OK!) It may sound weird at first, like your letting yourself go, but you're not, I promise. Your body will actually trust you and realize when to stop if you practice how you would like to feel after eating one or two.

3.) Don't feel bad, or "bash" yourself for not fixing something healthy and ruing your "diet." There is no perfect diet, eat in moderation, not deprivation. If you allow yourself a small bite of everything, you will feel more satisfied, and less likely to go back and binge. If you do feel a binge, take a couple deep breaths, walk away and start a conversation with a family member or friend :) If you find it hard for food to get off your mind, just remember it doesn't taste good when you eat 5 servings of broccoli casserole (see there I go again), or 3 cups of sweet potatoes anyway. (Yep, done that too!) If you feel anxiety when first taking a bite of something, realize that food has no control over you and WILL NOT make you fat if you just take a couple bites.

4.) Lastly, tune in to yourself, realize that the time during holidays is to ENJOY THE MOMENT. Make it fun, memorable, and realistic. Don't set yourself up for failure by saying you can't have something, or you will just eat it this ONE TIME. One time thinking turns into binging on that particular food. It's like you trick your mind into thinking you can't have something, so it wants more of what it can't have. (We're human afterall).
 
I hope you find these 4 tips helpful. Until this year, I never knew what the holiday season was truly about. I enjoyed them, but now, I truly enjoy them. Every bite of it (candy included). Have a safe a memorable holiday.

Please, like, comment, and follow on Facebook at "Coached by Kayla" and let me know if you have any questions. Have an AWESOME day!!!

Talk to you soon,
Kayla