It's no secret that it is easy to overindulge during the holiday season. Between the abundance of food offered and available along with a packed social calendar filled with parties and festivities, it can be easy to overeat. However, over time, it can develop into an unhealthy habit that results in weight gain and an increased risk of diseases such as heart disease and diabetes. Breaking the cycle of overeating can be challenging, you can do it.
I hope you enjoy this month's newsletter as I share some proven strategies to help you overcome overeating during the holidays and beyond!
Do you struggle with overeating? Schedule a consult, and we can work together to customize strategies to overcome overeating in your life.
-Stephanie
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5 Ways to Overcome Overeating During the Holidays
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5 Ways to Overcome Overeating During the Holidays
1. Practice Self Care. Rest, exercise, and stress management are essential components of a healthy life, and when ignored, it's easy to turn to foods high in sugar and fat as a way to manage one's energy and emotions. The fact is, stress increases cortisol, a hormone that increases appetite levels. Therefore, being stressed can lead to increased hunger, overeating, and, ultimately, weight gain. By making a conscious effort to practice self-care by reducing stress, you can help prevent overeating.
Holiday Tip: Maintain a regular sleep and exercise schedule and find a buddy to keep you accountable during this busy season. Manage stress by listening to music, gardening, practicing yoga, meditation, exercise, and breathing techniques.
2. Minimize Distractions. From scrolling through your Facebook feed during lunch or eating popcorn while watching your favorite TV show, being distracted during mealtime causes you to overeat. Distracted eating can also cause you to eat more food later in the day because you do not realize or remember what you consumed.
Holiday Tip: Make an intention to unplug from phones, computers, and other reading materials (aka magazines), so you can tune in to your body and the food you are eating.
3. Understand Your Triggers. Empower yourself for success by understanding what foods or situations might increase your risk to overeat or binge. Simply by understanding your struggles can help prevent or at least reduce the frequency of overeating episodes.
Holiday Tip: Remove temptation from your fridge, pantry, or office stash. Share your goals with someone close to you and make a conscious effort not to bring leftover foods home that are tempting.
4. Journal. Use a food and mood diary to help identify patterns and triggers around overeating. Record what you ate, who you were with, how you felt before you ate, how you felt during the meal, and how you felt after. Over time you can reflect and see what food or situations might trigger a binge episode.
Holiday Tip: Practice identifying the emotion before eating your feelings. Were you hungry? Anxious? Angry? Lonely? Tired? Bored? Embarrassed? While it can be uncomfortable to sit through and feel your feelings, it can also be powerful to realize the emotions will pass. That food is only a temporary fix to your feelings.
5. Eat on a regular schedule. Avoid the temptation to save up your calories by not eating all day so you can indulge in dinner or party foods. Waiting to eat until you are starving only leads to overeating! Eating well-balanced meals and snacks regularly help stabilize blood sugars and hunger levels, ultimately empowering you to not overeat later in the day.
Holiday Tip: Aim to fuel and nourish your body regularly by incorporating plant-based fats, lean protein, and high fiber foods at meals and snacks.
If you struggle with overeating, the holiday season can be particularly challenging. While the tips listed above are an excellent place to start, they are just the beginning. Schedule a session, and we can work on specific strategies for you, empowering you for a healthy and happy holiday and beyond!
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So you overindulged? Do's and Don’ts
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While sharing ways to help empower you not to overeat is important, I want to also give real and practical advice for what happens if you do overeat. Here are three things not to do next time you eat too much.
Don't vow to go on a diet or cleanse. As tempting as it might sound, going on a diet or cleanse is the worst thing you can do after a binge. The truth is that dieting and restrictive eating usually backfires and sets you up for the binge - starve cycle that triggers food cravings and the urge to overeat. Avoid banning or restricting certain foods and instead focus on eating in moderation. Overeating one meal is not going to cause you to gain weight. The problem occurs when overeating becomes a regular habit.
Beware of your self-talk. Telling yourself how "terrible" or "fat" you are will only set you up to feel defeated and depressed, increasing the chances of turning to food for comfort and eventually overeating.
Do give yourself grace for being human.
Do forgive yourself and move on.
Do remember all the beautiful and wonderful things your body can do.
Do know that you are enough.
Do make an effort to slow down and tune into the foods you are eating at your next meal or snack.
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Featured Recipe
Pumpkin Apple Pecan Baked Oatmeal
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Servings: 8
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 3 cups Quaker® Oats
- 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup nonfat milk
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg, beaten, or 2 egg whites
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup chopped apples
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Cooking Instructions
Heat oven to 350ºF. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. In a large bowl, stir together oats, pumpkin pie spice, and baking powder. Stir in pumpkin, milk, water, syrup, egg and vanilla extract until well combined. Stir in apples. Pour into a baking dish. Sprinkle with pecans. Bake 30 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
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Be Inspired
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"Do not waste one moment on regret, for to think feelingly of the mistakes of the past is to re-infect yourself."
- Neville Goddard
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About SO Nutrition
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Stephanie Leipprandt Ouellette, MBA, RDN, LD Stephanie has been working in the field of nutrition and dietetics since 1995. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Dietetics from Michigan State University, completed an Approved Pre-Professional Practice Program at Western Michigan University and earned a Master of Business Administration from Baker College. She’s been a Registered Dietitian Nutritionist since 1996 and licensed in Texas since 2007. In 2008, Stephanie earned her certification in Childhood and Adolescent Weight Management. Stephanie has extensive clinical & managerial experience, both in corporate settings and in the community. Now she wants to share her knowledge with you, because most (if not all) nutritional habits begin at home.
Stephanie and her family reside in Katy, Texas
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