Food Addiction around the Holidays

Food Addiction around the Holidays

By Caryl Ehrlich

Author, Conquer Your Food Addiction

The Holidays are coming!

The Holidays are coming!

If you are a compulsive overeater, a binge eater, or a food addict all year, it becomes particularly problematic during the holidays where there is more food more often in more volume than usual. If there’s a holiday to celebrate, can food be far behind. 

Abundance, unusual, frequent, and memorable culinary concoctions whet the mind and salivary glands but there are consequences of remorse and frustration as one more holiday increases your waistline and resolve. If your brain is thinking I shouldn’t be eating this but you cannot stop, there are some things you can do.

1.  Set a goal so the extra roll doesn’t take its toll. Rather than waiting until after the holidays, start now. Know the number of items you’re planning on eating. It’s not the Last Supper. It’s just another meal. 

2.  Decide whether you want to lose weight, gain weight or stay the same weight.  Every time food is offered, proffered and pushed, think: I want to weigh ______ on January 1^st, 2010. I can do it! Then move you, move it (the food you are contemplating), sip water. The moment passes whether you eat or drink or not. 

3.  Plan ahead instead. In that way, if something comes your way you’ll know if it was part of your plan or if it was a visual, situational or circumstantial stimulus. You’ll do better than had you not had a plan.

4.  Walk around a buffet table without a plate.  Carefully and thoughtfully select the few things you’re going to eat at that meal.  Once you’re clear about your choices, pick up a plate and put on your plate the things you’ve chosen.

5.   Food on your plate needs to be eaten with utensils. No finger foods. 

6.   Cut each bite of food to the size of a nickel or dime.  Anything bigger leads to shoveling not savoring. 

7.   Put utensils down between bites of food. Fill up on ambiance and conversation.

8.   Drink water between bites of food. Sip, don’t gulp.  

9.   Make sure mouth is empty before inserting more food. The slower you eat the more memorable and enjoyable the meal (and after the meal) will be.

Whether a holiday, or other day, eat, drink, and be merry, for the right reasons.

Feed the smaller person you want to be.

Happy Holiday,

Onward and downward,

About Caryl Ehrlich: Caryl Ehrlich is the founder/director of The Caryl Ehrlich Program; a comprehensive step by step behavioral approach to weight loss.  She teaches her one-on-one program in her office in New York City, or if you’re out of town or out of the country, by phone, fax and email.  Caryl is also the author of Conquer Your Food Addiction (Free Press), which teaches people how to change habits without diet, deprivation, props or pills. Caryl welcomes questions or comments about this article or about The Program and the behavioral methods she incorporates into her weight loss teaching. For further information: Caryl@ConquerFood.com or call 212-986-7155. Or visit www.ConquerFood.com

 This article was selected because of it's relevance for our website audience.

 It was posted with permission from the author.