For athletes, social eating at holiday parties can be difficult, especially as you try to nourish and fuel your body to support your training sessions. Even with the best intentions, it can be tough to stick to your eating plan when you are overwhelmed by so many delicious choices. Because it would be wrong to skip your work holiday party, your child's holiday function or your team end of the year social, here are a few tips to help you feel good about your eating choices, despite all the large meals, alcoholic beverages and mouthwatering deserts.
- Don't workout just for the calorie burn- Thinking beyond performance, your workout is also a proven stress reliever, self-esteem booster, energy giver and endorphin pusher. With so much going on, don't put yourself last. Because it's very easy to eat mindlessly, out of boredom, stress or emotions, remind yourself that eating is for enjoyment, but also for nourishment and for fuel. Make sure you are not training/exercising to give yourself permission to overindulge at your holiday meal.
- Don't skip meals - Athletes feel and perform the best when they eat every 2-3 hours. Going too long without eating will result in overeating. Starting with breakfast, make sure you are eating every few hours, with substantial meals and snacks to keep you satisfied throughout the day. If you want to "save" a few hundred calories, swap out processed snacks for vegetables. In the big picture, eating a few hundred extra calories here and there over the month of December will not negatively affect your health, performance or body composition.
- Be choosy with choices - With so many options, you may find yourself with larger-then-normal servings. You may even go back for a second or third helping. Before serving yourself, take a look at all the options. Instead of trying a little of everything, select your top favorites. If there's a food that you can eat anytime, pass on it. Yum over the occasional eats that you can only find but once a year. Make sure to include nutrient dense options on your plate and eat until you feel 80% satisfied, not 110% stuffed. A good trick is to eat as if you are about to workout in the next 2 hours (as an example). Eat enough, but not too much.
- Eat slowly - Sit down and truly enjoy what you are eating. As you hold a conversation with others, make sure you aren't inhaling your food without even tasting it. Eat with intention, purpose and gratitude. Make sure to drink water as you are eating to help with digestion. Position yourself far away from the food table as you'll think less about all the food and you'll have to put in that extra effort to go back to the food table.
- Don't go into a meal starving - Do yourself a favor and eat before you eat. You're more likely to make better choices and eat less when you have a small snack (or even a meal) in the 30-90 minutes before your holiday event. When planning your pre-party meal or snack, consider the food options that will be available at your event and compliment those foods. Considering that most holiday parties are loaded with alcoholic drinks, sweet treats and carb-dense buffet-style appetizers and meals, consider a salad with a protein of your choice as your pre-meal snack.
For many athletes, food anxieties and weight stress are heightened during the holiday season. For athletes with a history of dieting, eating disorders or disordered eating, holiday eating may trigger uncomfortable feelings, emotions and unhealthy coping mechanisms. Remind yourself that you are allowed to indulge responsibly and feel great about it. Give yourself permission to enjoy foods that you love. Make sure you don't get into a habit of developing rules or an off-limit food list during the holidays (or in the month of January) for food rules and "bad" food lists often pave the way to a vicious cycle of restriction - overeating.