How To Know If Your Weight Loss Goals Will Survive the Holidays

Let’s talk about a common question I hear at this time of year. 

Here it is ———>

… can you enjoy your favorite holiday treats and still reach your weight loss goals? 

The million-dollar question.  Is it possible to savor the holiday cookies and decadent meals that have been part of your holiday traditions and stay on track?

The true answer is: IT DEPENDS. WITH AN ASTERISK.∗ 

Let’s look at two scenarios…

Scenario One:  If you know that eating a molasses cookie made with your grandmother’s secret recipe is going to send you down a weekend-long (or week-long) rabbit hole of snacking and overindulging, then maybe the answer to that question is … NO. 

At least for today.

The answer isn’t that simple though – and I’ll get into that in a second because it’s such a big issue.

Now, For Scenario Two:  If you can eat the cookie, savor every bite of it, and then be done, AND not feel guilty or like you messed up later, then by all means enjoy it! 

In fact, I highly suggest PLANNING for the treats that are worth enjoying – and don’t feel obligated to sample things that you don’t like all that much. Be strategic here!

They’ll just leave you feeling blah and bloated anyway.

But let’s go back to Scenario Number One. 

What if you’re in that large percentage of people who find it hard to stop snacking once you start? Especially if you’ve been doing “good” lately?

There are several things that can be at play here…

Have you heard of ALL or NOTHING thinking? Like, you are either ALL IN on your plan, or you’re not on it AT ALL? 

That’s called dichotomous thinking.  Basically, that means there’s no middle ground.

This can include thinking of foods as being GOOD or BAD, depending on whether they have a lot of calories, or sugar, or fat or so on… 

You might even think YOU are “being good” or “being bad” depending on your food choices.

This is SUPER COMMON. And the kicker to this is, that at least in the short-term, parts of this mindset actually can help you reach your goals because it means you’re focused on doing things you believe will help you.

But… it’s really a TRAP!  It actually works against you in the long run and makes it even harder to maintain your results!

That’s because it’s not sustainable.

It makes any celebration that involves food or drink like a minefield. And then if you DO eat something you don’t think falls into the “good” category, you can end up beating yourself up mentally. (And this added stress actually works against your weight loss goals even more!)

Or you can end up going wild, eating all kinds of foods that are in your “bad” category. 

It’s pretty common to think, “I’ve messed up! Damn it! I might as well eat everything I’ve been denying myself, and then start over again on Monday.” 

An approach that you can maintain for a lifetime involves MODERATION.  Learning to embrace the middle ground keeps us from resorting to ALL or NONE behaviors.

In this way, eating a cookie doesn’t become a big deal – you don’t skip a beat because the next time you eat, you know it will be something healthy.

The most important thing to remember is that your results come from the things you do CONSISTENTLY, day in and day out. Not occasional indulgences.

If you’re used to the all-or-nothing approach, letting that mindset go can take some retraining and it might even feel a bit uncomfortable! 

This is why I am a huge fan of  an 80/20 approach.  Stick to the foods and habits that you know work well for your body and for reaching your goals 80% of the time.  This leaves 20% for those treats or desserts or decadent foods without the guilt or feelings of defeat.

What if instead of following a bunch of strict rules, you focused on creating small, sustainable habits that actually help you feel better mentally & physically and then maintain those habits 80% of the time? 

It really can make a huge difference!

I have seen clients achieve remarkable results by consistently making small changes that can be followed 80% of the time!

That could mean coming up with a few healthy snack options you can rotate through that you know taste yummy and work with your body … or finding breakfast ideas that keep you feeling full till lunchtime (grab 7 filling and delicious breakfast recipes right here).

I hope you found this helpful!! Have a wonderful holiday season 

(related post: How to Survive Thanksgiving: IBS Triggers to Avoid)