My top 3 tips to avoid overeating or overdrinking at holiday parties
Are you ready for an unpopular opinion from someone in the health and weight loss industry? I don’t believe that we need to skip events, parties, or traditions in the name of being healthy. Food plays a huge role in our culture and missing out on the holiday treats and drinks doesn’t sound like something I want to do - even when I want to lose weight. Instead of telling myself that I can’t go to a holiday party because I might be tempted to eat something “bad;” I’ve learned how to trust myself so I can enjoy the holidays without overeating or overdrinking.
Every year, my girlfriends and I have a huge Christmas party. We get together and spend a few days partying and catching up. It’s a ton of fun, but it also usually involves eating and drinking like we’re in college again.
When I started my weight loss journey, I didn’t want to give up these parties. This meant I either had to say no to eating and drinking with my friends because it wasn’t part of my diet, or I would toss everything out the window and stuff my face. I was either all in or all out.
And what usually happened was that I would say I was only going to be good and have one drink or one bite of the chocolate cake someone brought, and then without realizing it, I’d downed 4 Moscow mules and eaten three pieces of cake.
The next morning when I realized what I’d done, I’d beat myself up for falling off the wagon. But then I’d just keep doing it. I’d eat whatever I wanted and feel guilty later. That cycle would last for a few months until I was ready to diet again.
Having that all-in or all-out mindset wasn’t working for me. It didn’t matter if I was “good” and stuck to my diet because I’d be miserable missing out on the fun my friends were having. And if I was “bad” and enjoyed myself I was miserable because I felt guilty and regretted going overboard. I was so tired of living a life that made me feel bad all the time!
When I started macro tracking, there weren’t food lists of “good foods” vs “bad foods.” Instead, I learned how to balance healthy food with fun food. I didn’t have to choose one over the other, I could have both!
Now I can go to my annual holiday party and I just have one drink - because I know that I can and I don’t feel like I have to go crazy! I can have one piece of cake knowing it’s not forbidden. I don’t have to feel guilty about anything afterward! I can enjoy the experiences with my friends, I can enjoy eating good food and go home without an ounce of guilt, shame or regret.
Mama, I don’t want you skipping out on holiday meals or traditions because you’re worried about gaining weight! That’s no way to live.
Instead, I want to teach you how to enjoy the holidays while still being able to focus on your health goals.
Eat well before a holiday party
Not overeating at a holiday party doesn’t start at the party when you fill up your plate. It starts when you wake up that morning. The best thing you can do to not overeat at a party is to eat well before the party.
Most of our favorite holiday foods are higher in fats and carbs, both of which are important parts of a balanced diet, but it puts us out of balance with the three macronutrients: protein, fat and carbs.
Because we know that one meal is going to be off-balance, I encourage my clients to eat more protein earlier in the day.
Protein is the slowest burning macronutrient, which means that protein will keep you full for longer. By eating high-protein foods throughout the day, you’ll feel fuller and you’ll be less inclined to stuff yourself at a party!
One of the best ways to set yourself up for success is to eat a high-protein breakfast. Not only will a high-protein breakfast keep you fuller throughout the day, but when you start your day with protein it influences the choices you make for the whole day!
A few of my favorite high-protein foods are:
Eggs - especially egg whites!
Cottage cheese
Yogurt
Tofu (makes a delicious scramble!)
Turkey bacon or sausage (having a low-fat breakfast meat will leave you more space for holiday treats later in the day)
Deli meats
Chicken
Beans and lentils
You can still eat carbs and fat before a party but try to choose whole foods over processed foods. Whole foods are going to be lower in calories, and higher in nutrients like fiber so that you will still feel good even if you indulge in treats at the party.
Decide ahead of time how much you’ll drink
The absolute best way to avoid overdrinking at a party is to have a game plan going in!
Most of the time we don’t overdrink on purpose. We always say that we’re going to “be good” but we don’t define what good is. Then the drinks start pouring and we end up drinking more than we wanted to.
It’s a slippery slope. This is why I teach my Macros Made Easy Mamas to decide ahead of time how much they’re going to drink.
Ultimately, I don’t care how much they drink (or how much you drink) but you need to learn the skill of staying committed to yourself. If you say you’re going to have five drinks, that’s cool! Just stop after five. If you only have to have one drink, that’s cool too. It’s up to you.
But no matter what you choose, you need to stick to that. Not because it will guarantee you don’t gain weight, but because when you set a limit for yourself and then stick to it you build trust in yourself.
When you get to the point where you only want to have one drink, and your friends are begging you to drink more, you will have taught yourself that you can be trusted to do what you want - not what everyone else wants.
Despite being adults, peer pressure is still a real thing - especially when it comes to drinking!
If you want to learn more about how drinking affects your health so that you can make the best decision for yourself, check out this blog about alcohol!
Make smart food choices at the party
It’s easy to eat well and make a plan for drinking at a party, but it’s another thing to make good choices when you’re at the party surrounded by temptation.
Remember, it’s perfectly OK to enjoy yourself at a party. Don’t let food be your entire focus or you’ll miss out on so much!
My goal for all of my clients is for them to learn to eat intuitively, but before you can get to that point you have to relearn how to listen to your body and use its cues to start or stop eating.
Most of us ignore our hunger or full cues until we reach the extremes. As mamas, we tend to cruise past hungry, ignore the hangry signs and are teetering on the edge of starving before we think about food.
Then we eat, and eat, and eat. We don’t stop when we feel content. We don’t stop when we feel full, We only stop when we can’t even think about putting another bite in our mouths.
This starving-to-stuffed cycle can get us into trouble when we’re eating out, or at a party because we don’t recognize the difference between content and overly full. We think we are supposed to feel crazy stuffed to be happy.
In reality, if we ate when we first started to feel hungry and stopped when we felt content, it would help us avoid gaining weight any time we ate outside of our normal boundaries.
Before you attend your holiday parties, think about what cues your body gives you when you’re hungry and full. Think about what the two extremes look like. Then choose what cues tell you it’s time to eat and when it’s time to stop.
While you’re at your holiday party, pay attention to your body. When you have the thought, “Man, I’m getting hungry” start eating! Because you aren’t starving, you’re less likely to grab too much food. Then when you start to feel content - maybe you have the thought, “That was so good, I enjoyed my meal.” - stop eating.
If there’s still food on your plate when you start to feel full, that’s ok! You can cover it with a napkin, pass it to your spouse to eat off of, or get up and throw it away.
If alarm bells just went off in your head when I said throw it away, I want you to listen up! It’s OK to throw food away! It’s OK not to finish every morsel of food on your plate. I need you to realize that you don't have to be a human garbage disposal just to avoid being impolite or because you think it’s wasteful.
Your health is more important than the last few bites on your plate. You aren’t going to feed a hungry kid in Africa by stuffing yourself. You are the one who has to suffer the consequences of overeating. Be kind to your body and don’t feel guilty for putting your needs and your health before anything else.
If you follow these tips, I know you’ll be able to attend holiday parties without overeating or overdrinking. And as a bonus, you’ll learn how to be more present during the holidays. It won’t be so focused on what you can or can’t eat. It will be about spending time with friends and family and making memories.
And Mama, that’s what life’s really about. I’ve learned that I want to focus on making smart health decisions not because I want to look good in a bikini, but because I want to be around to make memories with my family for as long as I can.
If you want more support with your health goals during the holiday season, let's chat! I offer a free Healthy Mama Blueprint call where we can chat about your goals and see if my Macros Made Easy Program would be a good fit for you. If it is, you can start making strides toward your health goals within a week. You don’t have to wait until the new year to get started on your goals. Your health matters now! Schedule your call today.
Save to Pinterest!