Don't get stuffed during the holidays

The holidays, I just love them! Spending time with the family, creating cosiness, dressing up and celebrating your blessings… Oh and did I mention eating? Yep the holidays are for hot chocolate, champagne, wine, toasting after toasting, sweet pastries, endless lunches, extensive dinners and great parties with a possible ending at the snackbar’s. Food, food, food! 

We returned to The Netherlands the 16th of December and my agenda has been marked with lunches and dinners since that day. People who know me, know that I love to eat and that I can go overboard, oh yes! All the carefully prepared food just looks too good, you want to taste everything and it's just so nice to keep eating... But to know yourself, you have to know your weaknesses, so you can gard yourself from the social binge. 

How to enjoy the most wonderful time of the year without regretting it until the end of January? How to not get stuffed?

This is how I (try to) do it:

1. Don’t go to dinner hungry
   When I had a dinner party planned for the night, I used to think it was best to go there with a big (read: huge!) apatite. I tried to have only a tiny lunch, so the dinner would be balanced out by me ‘fasting’ the rest of the day. Meanwhile, I know this backfires. Getting to dinner hungry, makes me jump onto the first thing presented to me, stuffing myself with the buttered bread before the actual dinner has even started.
   The idea to lower your calories during the day for balance is not such a bad one. So keep it light, but don’t go there hungry! To avoid jumping on the bread basket, eat a small snack before you go, like an apple or a few nuts. It will make your decisions during the dinner more rational and less like a hungry hyena, wanting to eat, eat, eat!!!
    
2. Make choices
   When there is so much goodness on the table, I tend to eat everything. But newsflash: You. do. not. have. to. eat. everything! If you want to taste everything, just do so, but keep in mind that tasting everything is not eating entirely everything. And if you know there's one thing you particularly like on the menu, make the choice to keep the rest of the dinner light and enjoy that one course even more. Which brings me to the next point... 
    
3. Really enjoy your food 
   I used to think this was such a cliché, but it's true tough. When I go overboard at a dinner, I tend to forget to really enjoy. With the food still in my mouth, I am overthinking what should be the next thing to eat, forgetting the appetizing food that's actually in my mouth. So take a bite, lay down your cutlery and really enjoy :)
    
4. You are your own boss
   When someone you love has worked in the kitchen the entire day, it feels rude not to eat everything. After all: not eating everything may seem like you didn't really like it, right? No, Wrong! It means you really enjoyed it, but you would love to keep some room for all the other nice things still to come! You’re the boss of what to eat and what not to eat. By taking charge, you won't lose control and it's a great feeling to be the boss of you!
    
5. Don’t try to lose weight, but just balance
   It's the holiday season, so losing weight during this period is almost impossible. If you're on a diet or trying to lose weight, just accept the fact that you're not going to lose anything during these festive days. However, try to make rational decisions and go for a nice long walk to balance out the extensive dinners, so you will not lose all your hard work and the scale will not go east afterwards.
    
6. Walk it off 
   ... If that last mouthful of chocolate mousse was a bit too much the night before, why not go for a long walk with your loved ones? The ideal way to get out of the house (and perhaps the stressful kitchen where mum is prepping for the next big dinner?), get some fresh air and keep your metabolism going.  
    
7. Don’t stress
   What you should or shouldn't eat can be stressful, especially during the holidays. That's a shame. The holiday season is about spending time together, catching up and enjoying each other's company. Food is a great part of this, so try not to overthink. If you're eating more than you're used to: so what! It's not the end of the world and you will deal with those few extra pounds after new year's eve. After all, what good are those New Year's resolutions for, right? ;-) 

Keep in mind the bullet points mentioned above, but don't forget to enjoy the holidays, including the great food! 

May you have a sparkling holiday season, with lots of love, laughter and happiness! 
Easy to feel good :)

Love, Mieke