One of the most common ways of celebrating in the run-up to Christmas, the period of Christmas and the run-up to New Year is with food, nibbles and alcohol.
During the whole nine-yards of the festivities, it’s natural enough to break bread and share lovely produce, much of which only appears in the shops at this time of year. And why not? The old adage of ‘everything in moderation’ stands true and if there was ever a season to over-indulge a little, then this would be it.
But for most of you reading this, it’s probably the one season when it’s a-okay to over-indulge alongside everyone else, even though it may be your habit for most of the year. But this is a time when no-one really notices or you’re the target the party host zooms in on when it comes to dishing out the second helpings. They feel good about having their food appreciated, but there’s an assumption that you will eat more (than your average bear – as Yogi might have said back in the day), it may even feel churlish to refuse. The downside may of course leave you feeling like a bit of a ‘greedy-guts’ which is by-the-way.
Are You Overeating At Christmas
So is this the one time of year when you can feel justified about filling-your-face? It just might be. Because having lots of lovely goodies in the shops provides a great temptation and having people over, family and friends, provides the perfect excuse 🙂 …
People overeat at Christmas! It’s a fact. Sure the bottom-line is obvious, and if over-eating is a problem for you all year round then the answer lies elsewhere. And there are questions you can ask yourself, to ascertain where the habit started, such as:
- How did it start?
- What was happening at that time in my life?
- Who was around and what influence have they had on my eating habits?
- How did they cope when things weren’t going well?
- Did I grow up dealing with everything through food?
- Were these habits learned from my family?
- Why am I still carrying them out to this day?
Here Are Some Other Questions
These are throw-away questions that may help shed light, or at least get you thinking about how you learned to turn to food, as a comforting coping tool or strategy. Getting some insight is a good place to start the journey of taking control of your weight and what you chose to eat on a daily basis.
It is Christmas so enjoy all the goodies, because they’ll be plenty of time come the New Year when you can start to make an impact without having to start another diet.
In the meanwhile have a very Merry Christmas!
Health challenges in early childhood kick-started a Sherlock curiosity in cause and effect.
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