So, you ate way too much on Thanksgiving and now you’re vowing not to do that again. Until Christmas. Or the office party. But, ‘tis the season to overeat, right? Not really. According to Dr. Molly Allen, “The old adage of ‘your eyes are bigger than your stomach’ is true. We eat too quickly and do not give our stomachs time to give our brains feedback that we are stuffed.” Dr. Allen says, “Almost everyone has experienced the phenomenon of eating a large platter of food, feeling relatively okay while doing so, and then in a few minutes feeling the pain of pushing our stomach volume too much. That’s the sign that you did not give yourself the time to feel the subtle signs that you were filling up. Successful ‘dieters’ plan every meal, and pre-set limits on how much they will eat. No matter how good the food looks, smells, or tastes, if you are trying to lose some weight, maintain a current weight, or eat according to some healthy dietary guidelines, it is usually best to skip the seconds and the nibbling, eat a healthy amount, and then tell yourself that you are done.”
Dr. Allen admits, “There are almost always compromises, acceptable limits on ‘treats’, alternatives, etc. If you’re on a low-fat, low calorie, low-sodium diet, plan how much of the ‘goodies’ you allow yourself, learn to pick the healthier alternatives such as sugar-free, low-fat, low-sodium foods you can have, and learn to celebrate not just with food, but with activities such as a walk to look at holiday lights (yeah! – ‘Illuminations’ at Botanica), buying candles that smell like cookies, and learning to cook your own foods that are healthier.”
“Nobody needs that much food,” adds Dr. Allen, “And there are a plethora of available tools such as smart phone apps that give visual reminders of recommended serving sizes, wallet cards that also give written descriptions of appropriate servings, etc. If it’s a phenomenon of ‘I paid for an expensive buffet, and I’m going to get my money’s worth’, then it’s important to counter that with, ‘what is my master plan for my health, and is it really worth it to violate the contract I made with myself to eat in moderation’.” But it is the holidays, right? Says Dr. Allen, “Again, I discourage the denial and minimization of ‘it’s just this once, it won’t hurt’. Instead, a deal is a deal – with a healthy eating plan you are running a marathon, and not a sprint; that means pace yourself, and not indulge in a habit of binge and starve.”
Dr. Bruce Nystrom agrees you need to be your own calorie watchdog. “It’s having the extra desserts laying around, breads, over-eating leftovers, snacks at work, and holiday parties that tend to pack on the pounds,” he says. “You don’t have to eat seconds or thirds of green bean casserole to remember how good it tastes; that’s what your memory is so good at doing. So have a reasonable portion of green bean casserole and let your memory do the rest.”
Dr. Nystrom adds “Don’t be a food martyr…don’t expect sympathy from others when you announce that you can’t eat this or that because of some diet you’re on. Decide to either comply with your good eating lifestyle or not, but don’t feel left out or neglected or abused because you decide not to eat a full piece of pumpkin pie. Instead,” he continues, “feel good about your eating decision as you enjoy a smaller piece of pie.”
Drs. Allen and Nystrom agree that for people who are struggling with developing a better set of coping skills it is a good idea to consider at least a short round of counseling/psychotherapy to help identify problem areas, make a plan to develop some new skills, generate ideas for dealing with stress, and monitor progress in meeting those goals.
