With Thanksgiving behind us and the next holiday season coming up, many of us would like to avoid the extra pounds of holiday feasts! Psychcentral.com provided “5 Simple Steps to Avoid Overeating this Holiday Season.”
Acknowledging that most of us ignore our willpower over the holiday season, they created simple steps to help us make better choices with our food this holiday season.
These steps include:
1. “Look at the food that is tempting you.” The author stated that looking at the food and recognizing that eating it is our choice is step number 1.
2. “Imagine eating it.” He said that it’s okay to let your mouth water as you imagine eating and tasting the food, but make sure you keep going down these steps!
3. “Now, imagine the food going down your throat and into your gut, where it will sit for the next several hours.” That thought might ruin the mouth watering! The author says to think about how your energy level will be and what your stomach will feel like after eating the food.
4. “Ask yourself the question, “Do I want to feel how this food will make me feel?” Many of us struggle with mindless eating. We eat without thinking, which allows us to eat foods we wouldn’t normally eat and eat more than we would like to.
5. “Make a choice.” If the answer to question 4 is “Yes” then go ahead! If the answer to question 4 is “No” it’s time to walk away.
The author stated that the purpose of this activity is to anticipate the feelings before you even eat the food. He wants us to think with our whole body (mind, stomach, taste buds) rather than just our taste buds.
He also highlighted that “self-sabotage” can be an issue for people and recommended this video to understanding self-sabotage and helping stop it!
Bundrant, M. (December 8, 2014). 5 Simple Steps to Avoid Overeating this Holiday Season. PsychCentral.com.
Brittany Best
WKPIC Doctoral Intern