How to Enjoy Holiday Meals Without Losing Progress or Feeling Guilty

The holidays are meant to be enjoyed, not something you stress about and feel immense guilt while enjoying the foods of the day.

I remember I was at a point where I would bring my chicken and rice in a tupperware container to holiday gatherings. Didn’t matter what it was or the holiday we were celebrating, my meals never wavered, because I was THAT dedicated.

Want to know the reality though?

I was starving.

I was forcing myself to eat my pre-made meals every day without throwing up.

And even if I followed everything to a T, if one person shared online that they were doing even a LITTLE more, I felt like a failure.

That’s not health. That’s torture.

Unless you’re prepping for a bodybuilding competition in the next month, or have dietary restrictions/food allergies, there is NO reason for you to not eat your favorite holiday meals out of guilt or bring tupperware to “stay healthy”.

So here is how I finally was able to enjoy family get-togethers moving forward WHILE seeing positive progress days after:

• Mindset around holiday meals

• Eat breakfast

• Sample everything

• Leftovers or no

• Day after prep

Mindset Around Holiday Meals

This is the main reason we struggle with holidays and the meals that come along with it. There’s an expectation and normalcy of overeating and feeling terrible after.

Why?

Who knows how it started! But usually it’s from family and friends that want you to try their specific dish, eat a “normal” serving size of it while also trying every other person's dish when there’s over 10 options.

For some people, it’s a show of love to have you enjoy their food. Which is great! But when there’s pressure to eat a lot, it can create a bad relationship with the holidays and food in general. 

Not to mention how you can also be judged for eating “too” much. The holidays and being around others is just generally difficult, but when you have people overstepping and commenting on every little thing you do or don’t do, it can make the stress of the season that much worse.

I don’t deny that as much of a joy it is to be with people you love, some of those same people can be terrible at times. Or you’re forced to “love” them. Which is a whole other problem!

But for now, the mindset is being selfish and talking through things.

This is what really helped me a lot. I had conversations about things when people brought it up. Because most people mean well, and the great ones will listen and be open to changing.

I know me talking through how I struggled with food and was working on eating differently at family gathers actually helped a lot of people. I can think of my mom even adopting some of the things and repeating back to me some of the things I was working on.

So it’s possible! And it starts with trying to keep the day normal; like any other day.

Eat Breakfast

And that starts with eating breakfast.

Whether you normally eat breakfast or not, I’d recommend trying to have even a piece of toast to start the day.

Usually we tend to not eat until the big meal. You know, to “save room” for all the good stuff later. But that’s usually what ends up hurting us in the long run.

When you go to a big meal with nothing in your stomach, you start munching, filling your plate and eating quickly to quiet the hunger noises. And before you know it, you’re on your second plate and questioning life itself.

Nothing wrong with seconds! I love going back. But when it’s full plates, eaten quickly or mindlessly, that’s where the discomfort and overly full feeling comes from.

I’ve noticed even eating something smaller than normal for breakfast helps me to eat a normal amount at the gathering. And when I say normal amount, I just mean enough food to keep me satisfied.

The more you can keep the day like any other, you just are going somewhere for a few hours instead, the better!

Sample Everything

This leads us how to approach the meal all together. My favorite; the eating part!

I won’t lie, some holidays have all the favorites available and I just want it all. So why not have it all? Maybe it’s different for you, but our family gatherings usually have plater size plates rather than normal ones. So no matter the size, take a small portion of everything you want to try. And guess what? If you want more, you can go back for seconds.

Enjoy, eat to full, say no when you don’t want something.

Holiday foods can be similar to diets. I know I would sometimes go feral when it came to my cheat meal, because I was so deprived of food, I would eat anything and everything in sight before I could stop myself.

The all-or-nothing mentality was strong and overpowering!

But here’s how you need to see things if you really want to change it. You can literally have this food again.

Green bean casserole? Super easy to make!

Your favorite potato salad? Ask for the recipe.

Holiday cookies? Bake them on a Thursday after a terrible day at work to make you smile again.

Even though times can be difficult, we live in an era where you DO have access to things. It’s a choice to not have or get it. So when it’s readily available, it takes away the excitement and pressure to eat it all because it’ll never come back.

And when you take a small portion of everything, enjoying each bite, you get to decide what you get more of to enjoy. The small plate portion doesn’t mean you’re done, it just means you’re more specific with what you eat and have more of.

Everything is a choice. And this is a small step to taking control of it.

PS. Do this with dessert too! Our family always has at least 5 desserts no matter the holiday, take a small portion of each you want, and come back for more if you’re still hungry or wanting more. As YOUR choice.

Leftovers or No

Did you know you can take home leftovers? So maybe you didn’t get as much of something you really wanted, take some to have at a later time that week. Who doesn’t love holiday leftovers days later!?

But maybe this stresses you out. You’re still working on your mindset with food, and having leftovers would put you in a bad spot of potentially bingeing it once you got home, or forcing more exercise to “earn” the extra food.

This can also be a good time to practice no. If you’re a people pleaser, this is the HARDEST thing to do; saying no. And even worse? Not having a “good” excuse as to why you said no.

I had multiple times when I was going to leave a get-together, didn’t take leftovers and had to get groceries instead.

Sometimes what you need to do at the moment doesn’t make sense to others, but will help you more. So if saying no to leftovers means you’re not going to binge later, spiral, and then force 2 hours of cardio to “get rid of the mistake”, then leave it be.

You’ll get to a point where you can choose to take food later on. But maybe now isn’t the time.

And if there’s no leftovers, everyone eats all the food or there’s not enough to go around, that’s ok too! Eat what you’d like without the assumption of having more after. Being content with the day is the best thing you can do!

And if you still wish you had more, remember: you can always make it at home. Even if it won’t be the same, it’s always an option.

It’s always a choice. And if you’re ready to change that mindset a bit more, check out Why Diets Don’t Work.

Day After Prep

The day after can also seem like a hard thing to deal with too. But really, it’s just another day.

Holidays don’t have to last for days or weeks at a time. It can be that moment.

The day after? Go back to life like normal.

Would you normally start your day with a workout or a walk? Then keep that up.

Would you normally keep it chill and slow on a weekend? Then do that.

Would you normally go back to work? Then keep your routine.

You’re not making up for excess calories or punishing yourself for overeating, even if that’s what you did.

The more you can get back or stay on track, the better. And on track as in your normal daily routine that you enjoy. Looking to change up your workout routine? Check out The Best Workout For You.

In the grand scheme of things, it’s just one day. Or maybe it’s a couple days spaced out. Or 2 days in a row. Even if it’s a week or two, try and keep what you would normally do or adjust to create some sense of normalcy.

The more balance and flexibility you can create in your life, the easier it will be to enjoy the holidays without feeling like you’re falling off track.

And that’s it! Health should take you through life, not take it over.

And that starts with enjoying the different holidays throughout the year, the get-togethers that come with it and the food that drives the connection.

But I get that this takes time. Believe me! I struggled for years with creating balance and learning to give myself grace as I learned and adjusted my thinking.

If you’d like a little more support with it, and follow the steps that really helped me, then check out my 6-week course Sustainable Health Reset. I originally created it as the No More Weightloss Resolution as that’s what we focus on each year after a lot of holidays and meals in a short period of time. But we can decide we’re ready for change no matter the time of year.

But whether you decide to have a little more structure on how to create the change, or you keep looking for free resources.

Remember:

Change your mindset around all-or-nothing and your ability to say no.

Eat breakfast and maybe go on a walk to start the day.

Take a sample of everything, and go back for the seconds you REALLY like.

And the next day, go back to normal. It’s not something to dwell on or overthink. It’s just another day.

You too can get to a point where you enjoy the holidays, the food it brings, and maybe even help some family and friends that learn from your initiative.