Letting Go of Holiday Food Guilt

I don’t know about your office break room but mine is a never-ending, all-you-can-eat buffet of holiday treats between Thanksgiving and New Years. As I innocently enter to retrieve my lunch, I am slapped across the face with sweet, sticky scent of holiday cookies, gingerbread houses, candy, cookies, and bark.

There is a smorgasbord of holiday goodies ready to tempt me away from my cultivated, healthier habits.

Armed with a Larabar and my clementines, I feel powerful and believe that I have the will power to resist these sugary delights. But then the day wears on. I am stressed. I am tired. I am so ready to go home and tackle my mile-long to-do list.

And then I give in. To caramel popcorn, to candy, to cookies, to gingerbread, to cake. And then I feel guilty about it. And then I start bargaining with myself.

I’ll just go harder at the gym. I’ll eat less tomorrow

And so the cycle begins.

Eat. Feel guilty. Punish myself. Resign myself to feeling crappy. Eat again.

By a show of hands, how many of you have fallen into this trap? This cyclic, disordered way of thinking is not only just plain wrong…it can actually be harmful to our overall health and wellness. So, how do we get over the guilt we feel about the things we ate at that holiday party?

We make the decision to give absolutely no fucks.

That’s right. We do not need to feel guilty or make up for what we ate. Feeling guilty doesn’t erase our so-called transgressions. It just makes us feel bad about ourselves.

When over we indulge at a holiday party or have three desserts at Christmas dinner, we don’t need to punish ourselves.

We just need to carry on.

Getting back to my normal routine with typical breakfast.

Now, I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s okay to eat an entire gingerbread house every. single. night. It’s not. Our body needs more than gingerbread to thrive. But eating an entire gingerbread house once is not actually going to change your body composition. So, when we eat more than we mean to or “give in” to something special for a special occasion, we just have to keep on keeping on.

To deprive ourselves nourishment or punish ourselves in the gym after indulging, is not only unhealthy but it can be psychologically damaging and create a space for a negative relationship with food to form. And we definitely don’t want that!

So, instead, just get back to your normal routine.

Just go back to your normal eating habits and your regular fitness routine. And let go of the idea that you did something naughty by eating something sinfully delicious.

Although this sounds simple, I know it can be extremely difficult for anyone who suffers with eating disorders or unhealthy relationships with food. It takes serious work to cultivate a healthy relationship with food and our bodies. I’m stilling working on it. I have a long way to go. I need this reminder as much as anyone else.

You don’t have to get through this alone. If you know that simply getting back to your regular, balanced routine, is going to be a major challenge for you, seek help.

If you feel comfortable, phone a friend to talk it out. If you don’t, that’s okay. There are plenty of trained professionals out there who know exactly how to help you getting to a better mindset when it comes to your relationship with food and your body.

The National Eating Disorders Association has a Helpline that is there when you’re feeling vulnerable or scared. In need of resources for yourself or a loved one? Check out the wealth of support and information that can be found through the National Alliance for Mental Illness.

Your body is a vessel for your beautiful soul. Be kind to it.

Food is just food; energy for the work with do we with our bodies. It is nothing more and nothing less. It is not good or bad. It’s just food and we don’t have to feel bad about eating anything. Ever.