In my coaching sessions with parents, they are always asking me, “How do I handle the holidays?” Here are my best tips to help you and your family enjoy the season without packing on the pounds.
Make a plan ahead of time. If you only remember one thing from this article, remember this: Make a Plan! A simple plan for how to handle difficult holiday food situations will not only give you peace of mind but help you avoid losing all control at the dessert buffet. Use these tips and add your own – and ask your kids because they may come up with some good ones too! Discuss the plan with your family ahead of time so everybody is on board.
Keep the routine as much as possible. Try not to skip meals. This will only cause you and your children to overeat at the gathering(s). Additionally, keep active as much as possible. If you know your kids will be sitting around playing video games while you’re sitting around being a couch potato most of the day, then plan for a family walk in the morning.
Be realistic. Face it, everybody is going to overeat somewhat. This is not the time to be counting calories or asking your children to keep track of every bite on their food logs. Or to act like the food police when your mother-in-law hauls out her annual marshmallow-studded chocolate Santa cake.
Survey party buffets before filling your plate. Coach everyone to eyeball the whole buffet and give a little thought to their food choices before the mouth stuffing begins. Your family could agree on rules of thumb like half of the plate should be filled with vegetables; aim for a rainbow of colors; limit breads/potatoes/stuffing to one-quarter of your plate; start with a salad.
Eat until you are satisfied and not stuffed. Wait 10-15 minutes before going for seconds because it takes your brain that amount of time to feel full. Or tell younger kids to go play for a while. Before you know it, they’ll forget all about the extra food left on the table.
Keep the focus on fun, not food. This can be easier said than done when the holidays are not in your house. However, it can’t hurt to have a talk with your sister ahead of time to see if she would be willing to plan a fun game (or maybe just leave a box of Twister laying around). A non-edible project for the kids is also great like decorating ornaments or making matchbox gifts that they can bring home and give to their friends.
Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering. If you know that Grandma Joyce’s version of “healthy” is her butter-and-sugar-laden sweet potato dish, then bring a side of roasted vegetables.
It’s okay to say no to food, it’s not rude. Your kids are always feeling pressured to take more when they’re at cousin Anne’s house. So prep them ahead of time to tell cousin Anne politely that they love her mashed potatoes, but they want to save room for her pumpkin pie as well.
Make your kid the chef for the day. Plan a day when your kid(s) make the menu and invite some close family friends over for dinner. You might wind up eating star-shaped grilled cheese sandwiches with a side of crooked ants on a log, but it’s a fun and rewarding challenge for them to serve a balanced meal that they prepare on their own. (And bonus for you, it keeps them busy while you wrap presents!)
Last, but not least, always make sure you’re being a good role model. Don’t expect your husband and kids to follow your plan if you blow it. You might not want to wait 15 minutes before going back for seconds at that delicious buffet, but if you don’t take the rules seriously, neither will your kids.
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(Santa) Hats off to Snack Girl for the cute Santa strawberry hats photo and for this easy, popular recipe (the trick is in the ricotta!)
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