Christmas Is Not a Diet Killer and January 1st Is Not a Magic Diet Fixer

It is the season for sweet treats, heavy meals, and over-eating. Obviously my patients want me to fend for something special because this is a pretty close picture of what I see in my reception area:

It's the time of year when even those with the most restrictive eating habits break out and have a cookie or 3. I also helped myself to a nice cheat meal last week. I went out with my fiance to the Royal Palm Beach Commons Park for one of their monthly Food Truck Invitations.

I have helped myself to most of the barbecue brisket (fat and all) and am quite satisfied. My fiancé and his friend decided to separate the good desert from French Crepe foodtruck. Nutella and marshmallow ingredients that look and smell like type II diabetes.

The great thing about eating well all the time is that you feel like trash when you load your body with sugar. Enough with that, he started feeling pretty stiff in about 10 minutes. That's when he said this little gem:

"I can't wait until the New Year so I can start eating better"

Of course, as a caring, loving, and sometimes important person, I challenge myself and respond:

"Is there anything magical about the New Year? Why wait until now?"

It may not be the best approach I've ever had, but it did give me something nice to write about this week.

Go Nuts on Christmas, Just One Day

People often worry about their diet being depleted by the holidays. There are many bloggers who have discussed the problem of creating warm and paleo foods for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Now if you are someone who has conditions that depend on your diet (celiac, diabetes, autoimmunity), then of course you need to find alternatives. However, if you are otherwise healthy and just dieting for weight or health purposes, then I say eat for your heart's content. This is the thing about Christmas and Thanksgiving that has never been talked about.

It's only ONE day.

Changing your diet for one day will not kill your eating habits if you don't allow it. In fact, I find it reinforces good eating habits when you do it right. Why not? Because when you feel like crap after wandering around for cookies, soda, alcohol, and candy for one day, you may feel a little sad and go through most of the next day.

When you do the right thing, your body lets you know when you do something wrong. The problem is that this plan doesn't work if you choose to release the entire de-rail holiday season of your plan.

One day may not remove you from your goals, but the 35-day window between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day can physically and psychologically affect you

Thanksgiving puts people into the holiday mindset to eat. While Thanksgiving is partly responsible, it is the days that occur when the circle is out of control. It's a leftover pecan cake. This is a work holiday party for your office, and then a work holiday party for your spouse. When people start to make poor food choices over and over again, it becomes psychologically deflating to maintain a healthy habit. It simply says:

Welp, I ate like crap a few days ago, I don't think another one will hurt

"I'll Get The Track Back In The New Year"

What is so magical about January that you have to wait until later to start doing the right thing again?

Nothing. There was nothing special on January 2. The planets are not aligned to keep you from being interested. The moon will not change your hormone output. It's just another round around the sun

Sometimes we need to change the way we think about our habits and routines to make meaningful changes in our health. This includes changing the idea that New Year is when you should be healthy. Here are some tips:

• A Christmas party, fast the day after- It may not be quick, but think about reducing your calorie intake right after Christmas. Calorie restriction and fasting have been shown to have rapid changes in endocrine function and metabolism. If you feel like this, there are promising studies that support the 15-24 hour fast and its effects on growth hormone, alzheimer's disease, longevity, cancer prevention and immunity.


• Say No to the Left Supervisor - Christmas eats are usually designed to have lots of leftovers. Everyone left with a pecan pie dog bag and baked pot. It can be a very liberating feeling to say no to these remains. When it's not in your fridge, you have a 100% chance of not eating it the next day. Yes, there are hungry kids all over the world who would love to eat left-over pumpkin cakes. You put it through your digestive system to do nothing for them, but it abuses your metabolic health. Pass on overs left, donate money to Give America, and sleep better at night.


• Challenge a Friend - Don't wait until the New Year begins. Get some friends, family, or colleagues for a healthy eating challenge. There is no shortage of effective programs, so find one that suits you. Most of the time, these programs are not what make you lose weight, they are dedicated to a defined diet plan that delivers results. If you are motivated, great, do it yourself, but there is nothing like having a team go into the ditch with you and hold you accountable.

In conclusion

Don't worry about eating at Christmas. Take some time and really enjoy today's food. But don't let that one day set you back from a week or a month of progress. There is no such thing as a magic day to eat, but there is a ton of magic in expressing certain desires.

Christmas Is Not a Diet Killer and January 1st Is Not a Magic Diet Fixer


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