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Food Freedom, Life, Self Care

Overcoming Post Holiday Food Guilt

December 27, 2013 By Robyn 30 Comments

Christmas this year was relaxing, joyful, and full of family and good food. And then yesterday was a day full of sleeping in, lounging, and eating Christmas leftovers.

We filled up on delicious Christmas Eve dinner and then went to the 10 o’clock candlelight service at church which was beautiful, and came home to get into our PJs and cozied up next to the fire.

We slept in on Christmas day, ate brunch around 11, did a little gift giving, and spent the day cooking, relaxing, and just being together. A sweet couple days for sure.

Whenever we do lots of cooking it’s always a group effort around here. My brothers can cook and momma Coale is unmatched in the kitchen. Just my humble opinion. So Scott made the beef tenderloin and scallops and mashed potatoes. Steven made the pecan sticky buns [holy moly so good!] and homemade bread, I did all the desserts and green bean casserole and spinach dip, Momma Coale did everything else, and Billy and Andy are very good at building fires and keeping them burning.

 

We’re all about teamwork over here.

As I sat in church Christmas Eve night with my family, I looked down the row at all of us and my heart was flooded with love and gratitude. We were all here, all together without work or life or other busyness to get in the way. It was a very Merry Christmas. I hope yours was too!

And I also hope there wasn’t a lick of guilt associated with it. I get a lot of reader emails asking how to avoid food guilt. The other day a reader commented on how to avoid feelings of guilt when indulging or over indulging during the holidays.

In past years, I’ve had plenty of holidays that were followed by food guilt and a pledge to eat healthy the next day. So how do you avoid feelings of guilt and self punishment and promising yourself you’ll clean up your diet, down green smoothies and salads and work out extra long?

You stop letting food be something it isn’t.

Because one or two or ten cookies are just cookies until we make them mean we’ve gained five pounds.
One or a few glasses of wine is just wine until we think our pants are instantly a bit snugger.
A sticky bun is just a delicious creation of butter, sugar, and flour until we make it be an intense workout the next day.
And feeling full or even a little stuffed is just a temporary feeling until we start attaching guilt and shame to it.

Because food is just food until we let our minds convince us otherwise.
Spend time with your family, appreciate all the yummy food, and let it be just that.
Instead of wallowing in feelings of guilt and eat-clean-and-workout-hard, think of all the delicious food as a blessing and soak up these last few days of 2013.

Green smoothies and sweaty workouts will always be here.
But ya’ll, the holidays won’t.


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  • Merry Christmas From Me To You!Merry Christmas From Me To You!
  • Thanksgiving 2014Thanksgiving 2014

Filed Under: Food Freedom, Life, Self Care

« Merry Christmas Eve!
2013 Was Quite The Year! »

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A non-diet dietitian and nurse practitioner helping women find peace with food, accept their natural body size and heal from hormonal issues and period problems.

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I have yet to experience postpartum myself, but I've had many clients and readers that have been through that season of life. Or perhaps you are currently living through the postpartum period. Every woman's body is different, therefore every woman's experience after giving birth will be different. What works for one woman, might not work for the next. While one woman might go through postpartum and adjust to newborn life quiet seamlessly, another woman might find it much more difficult. She might need the support of medication, therapy, extra help and many other things. One way is not better than the other - they are simply two different ways of navigating the postpartum period. I hope this post helps you better care for yourself, whatever that means for you. There's no right or wrong way to care for yourself as a mom or your new baby.

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*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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