Festive overeating is not the overeating we do when we are devastated or distraught. It's not the overeating we do in response to a strong emotion or stressful situation. Festive overeating is subtle, it creeps in through the back door and takes us by surprise. In isolated incidents it's not even really overeating - why wouldn't you have just another slither of cake, even if you're positively stuffed? It's divine, you never have it and hey, it's Christmas! You're fine with it because on the whole you feel in control around food. So let's dig in.
Festive eating is more than that. It's the extra helping of roast potatoes because they're so crunchy and you've just got to mop the gravy up with something. It's the handful of peanuts you nibble on to accompany another drink. It's the warm mini mince pie which is just begging to be eaten. It's that sausage roll you pick at while you endure Aunty Millie's endless discourse on how she got stuck in the snow. It's the little chocolate you don't even realise you've popped in your mouth until you notice the empty wrapper in your hand. It's the spoonful of brandy cream you slurp at before you put the bowl in the dishwasher. It's your mums special turkey curry which she makes especially for you. It's the chunk of cheese with chutney which tastes soooo good.
On and on until you're feeling bloated and uncomfortable and not sure why. Festive overeating is the overeating we do when we are eating mindlessly and without paying real attention to ourselves and the food we are eating.
If you WANT to overeat this Christmas, positively enjoy it and are fine with consequences that's great. If you think you might be prone to Festive Overeating and would rather not, how can you remind yourself to eat mindfully?
Happy holidays from the Chocolate Fairies!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I think if you really don't want to feel the pain of over-eating then you need to keep checking in with your tummy. Just a few seconds every hour or so.
ReplyDeleteAltearnatively, you could just accept it's only one day of over eating, that in the big scheme of things it's not worth getting too fixated on. My take is this:
http://jennyfarout.wordpress.com/2010/12/24/one-day/
This year I have felt great - I haven't overfilled myself but have also indulged with a little of all my favourite foods. I have finally got it into my head that I can have what I want, when I want and that I don't have to eat it all right at this moment! It feels soooo good x
ReplyDeleteI definitely over-ate this Christmas for many of the reasons listed above but as Jenny said, it was only a couple of days out of 365 and following them I have been able to monitor my eating to ensure I don't endure that over-stuffed and uncomfortable feeling again (for another 360 odd days, anyway!)
ReplyDelete