Are you worried the season of giving has turned into the season of gaining? When it comes to holiday weight gain we would all be happy to do more with less. Even though the holiday is behind us, temptation is still in front of us. Here’s how to overcome temptation through intention, compensation, and moderation.
Intention
Instead of feeling helpless in being able to withstand the onslaught of all the readily available goodies, become empowered through deciding for yourself what your realistic goals and limits are. It can seem easier to throw up one’s hands and cave to temptation. Yet, we end up paying a price for our avoidance. Not only that, the toll is often physical and emotional. Your intention may be to “only gain ten pounds.” If so, you have at least decided that for yourself, you are much less likely to gain twenty pounds, and you’ll have taken back being in charge of your choices.
Compensation
One of the best health management strategies allowing for flexibility and sustainability is the use of compensation. Compensation is all about making deals with yourself. You can still indulge, as long as you are prepared to sacrifice as well. If you know that you are going out to eat at your favorite restaurant, plan to compensate by having a late breakfast and skipping lunch. Or, allow yourself to eat more, but only commensurate with burning more calories. If you’re not one for going to the gym, try walking. It is an activity that is accessible to almost everyone, that can be done almost everywhere. Try tracking your steps with a fitness tracker or on your phone. You might even be surprised by what your capable of, and what you’re able to eat as a result.
Moderation
For most of us moderation is like the unicorn of this list. We hear a lot about it, and we know what it looks like. Yet, it’s actual existence is in serious question. Without being able to speak to unicorns, moderation doesn’t have to be that elusive. One of the reasons moderation becomes so challenging is that what we set ourselves up for isn’t moderation at all. Often, we set such a narrow path to finding that balance, that it is impossible to achieve. Moderation is really about knowing that you don’t need to count every calorie, yet knowing every calorie counts. Many of us will indulge, then feel bad about it and pull the rip cord altogether. However, we can learn to heed the rumble strips so that when we veer off course, we can self-correct instead of taking the exit ramp. This can be done by being deliberately mindful of food choices, as well as by using any of the simple calorie tracking apps available.
You deserve to embrace all the reasons you will have to celebrate this year. Through incorporating intention, compensation, and moderation you can indeed overcome temptation, and reward yourself with results, as well as food.
