Full transparency here: I hate the word reset. It makes it seem like you did something wrong and need to start over. And eating more than usual is definitely not doing something wrong.
Iโm often asked this exact question with pretty similar wording, so I wanted to use this wording to help answer it. But to very clear, weโre using โresetโ in a very vague way here.
Letโs start with the basics: itโs normal to eat more than usual during holidays, special events or get togethers. Itโs more than normal. And itโs perfectly okay.
In fact, not only do I not expect you to eat like usual during these times, but I also wouldnโt want you too. Nothing is more boring or less enjoyable than bringing your own meal prepped salmon and rice to a holiday party.
The holidays are fun times to enjoy traditional holiday foods or just food thatโs different than your norm. And I want you to enjoy that!
I also want you to feel good, physically and mentally, both during the holidays and afterwards.
Here are a few things you can do after the holidays or after any social event to feel good.
First and most importantly, donโt obsess or beat yourself up.
I really canโt stress this one enough. You did nothing wrong by eating and enjoying a holiday meal. In fact, if you truly enjoyed, you did it right.
The only way to do it wrong would be to bring guilt or shame into the equation. And even if you did do that, donโt worry. It can be really hard to avoid, but not impossible.
Remember that you are allowed to eat food. You have permission to enjoy any food. And you are allowed to enjoy food on the holidays.
One meal isnโt making a dent in your health. Neither is one day. Or one week. Try to remind yourself of these things and not ruminate too much over what you did or didnโt eat.
Next, resume eating normal meals and snacks.
When I say normal meals and snacks, I truly mean normal: protein, fat, carbs, veggies, fruit, grains, and everything in between.
You donโt need to make up for eating more than usual. And you donโt need to restrict any food groups.
And actually, doing either of those things usually backfires. Because at some point, you end up overly hungry, then overeating, and then restricting again. And so, the cycle continues.
Simply eat normal meals and snacks. Try to eat when youโre hungry. Honor what your body is saying itโs craving. Doing this is the best way to start feeling more physically comfortable.
Our bodies are smart and naturally crave balanceโฆ as long as we let them do their thing.
Make sure to stay hydrated.
It sounds simple, but water is so powerful!
Drinking water actually does a lot for your body, too. It helps your body to function properly, helps your digestive system stay regular and just keeps you feeling good.
Water is one thing that often gets easily overlooked in the midst of holiday parties and special events. If you didnโt drink enough of it at your holiday party, itโs okay! Aim to get enough now.
Youโd be surprised how much a little water can help towards keeping you feeling good.
And if you donโt love water, there are so many other ways to stay hydrated, too. Sparkling water is great. Flavor your water with fruit or herbs. And donโt forget, fruit itself is super hydrating!
Practice enjoyable movement if you feel like it.
Enjoyable movement means something that sounds good to you and that you find fun. Itโs something thatโฆ you actually enjoy.
It doesnโt mean run 5 miles even though you hate running. And it doesnโt mean trying to burn off all the calories you think you ate.
Instead, do something that you like and that feels good. Movement is so beneficial in helping our energy levels and mental clarity โ both things that can feel really good when you feel sluggish!
But, on top of making sure itโs an activity you enjoy, also make sure youโre feeling up for doing it. Thereโs nothing worse than exercise feeling like punishment.
Thereโs a chance that you may feel tired and not want to exercise. This is more than okay. In this case, sleep and rest will probably do your body much better than forced movement.
Recognize what youโre craving in terms of movement, and do just that.
Avoid any detoxes or crash diets.
Iโll repeat: you do not need to do a detox or crash diet.
Like I mentioned above with restricting, the same thing applies here. All detoxes or crash diet just fuel that restrict and binge cycle.
Letโs avoid that, k?
Moreover, you just donโt need to do them. Your body is smart. It doesnโt need some crazy detox in order to detox itself. Simply by eating regular, balanced meals and drinking enough water, your liver and kidneys will do what theyโre designed to do: detox.
Give yourself a few days. You may feel a little sluggish and less like yourself the day after a holiday party. But I guarantee, after a few days of eating normal meals and snacks โ and not detoxing โ you really will start to feel more like yourself.
As tempting as it may sound to restrict or eat super โcleanโ after an event or the holidays, please, please avoid doing things like these.
Not only do they straight up not work (you end up feeling hungry or restricted and overeating eventually!), but also, theyโre just not necessary.
Youโre allowed to eat more than usual from time to time. Youโre not a robot who needs the same amount of meal prepped food every single day.
Life is about enjoying food and everything that comes with it, including the taste, social aspect and memories created. It would be really boring if we just ate the same homecooked meals every dang day.
Youโre allowed to mix it up. To eat foods that arenโt homemade. To eat meals that arenโt perfectly balanced. To enjoy foods that taste good. And to eat a little more than youโre hungry for.
Remember these things this holiday season and enjoy as best as you can.
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If you found these tips helpful and want to create a healthy relationship with food, feel better in your own skin, and set the foundation for your kids to do the same, I highly recommend checking out my course, Food Freedom for the Whole Family. It’s my most thorough guide – thereโs even an entire section on body image in it!
Check it out here: Food Freedom for the Whole Family.
Not ready for that yet? Check out any of these free resources below:
- Iโm an Intuitive Eating Dietitian and This is What I Do When My Body Image is Bad blog
- How to Stop Obsessing About Weight While Working Towards Food Freedom blog
- How to Create a Healthy Relationship with Food blog
