have a healthier holiday: reframing our thoughts on indulgence

eating can be one of the most stressful aspects of the holidays – no matter what you celebrate – for people living with obesity. it doesn’t help when you hear facts like ‘the winter holiday contributing to over half of annual body weight gain.’ that’s why it’s so important to head into the holiday armed with a strategy of healthy habits to combat those triggering situations.

first, it’s important to understand why we’re worried about weight gain over the holiday to begin with, and the answer is a combination of several factors. of course, there tends to be more heavy, sugary, and delectable food around during the holidays as everyone and their grandmother breaks out the famous family recipe – and there tends to be lots of sugar and butter involved.

but it’s not just the types of food, it’s the quantity. one study found people living with obesity gain more weight during the holiday season because of behaviour changes during that span. many people believe that the holiday weight gain is partially due to a more sedentary lifestyle since everyone is off work and hanging out at home. but data from this study found it was simply because people are eating more food in general and going out to restaurants more often.

dr. sasha high, an ontario-based internal medicine and obesity physician, recently joined obesity matters as part of our eat, play, love series of events where she suggested we take a different mindset when those cravings and triggering moments pop up.

another way to reframe the way we think about how we’re eating during the holidays, according to dr. high, is to train ourselves away from a feeling of scarcity. when we think about the amazing desserts and meals we’re having over the break as something we only get to have once a year, we create a situation where we’re using scarcity (essentially, fear) to guide our thoughts and behaviours. we’re building up those foods to be scarcer and more important than they really are. dr. high says a better way to approach those tempting meals is simply to realize that scarcity is in our minds. we can bake desserts anytime we want, there’s no need to build the excitement and anticipation within ourselves to the point where we overindulge. “we want to go into the holiday feeling peaceful to be able to make the decisions you want to be making,” she said.