Fear around Christmas food: why is it nonsense

Good evening ladies and gentleman. Here I am with a yearly reminder (at least for the past 7 years, that is the time I've been practicing nutrition) of what to eat on holiday seasons.

Simple answer is: eat whatever you want, be sure to truly enjoy it, and get a move on! Don't overthink it too much. Being afraid of Christmas' food (or New Year's Eve) is the equal of being afraid of carbs (or any other particular food) but to a whole new level.

While it is true that overeating during the holidays can lead to weight gain (usually around 1-2kg), it is also true that the gained weight CAN BE LOST in the future!

Many people think that if the scale goes up, it is game-over. That's it. You were losing weight but now you gained some, so you lose. You'd better quit, this is obviously not your field.

That is NONSENSE. What I always tell my patients: the journey of improving nutrition (both for losing fat, gaining muscle, improving some health-markets, etc.) is long. Patience and adherence are key, and in that journey one will ALWAYS find obstacles and some setbacks. It's just the way it is.

The way to overcome the negative thoughts and the repetitive cycles of starting-quitting is realizing that perfection is neither achievable nor necessary. You can make amazing changes without striving to do everything perfect, and letting yourself "treat" with some "bad meals" (use biiiiig quotes) is paramount for long-term treatments. Imagine going through life without being able to have a taste of your favorite foods. Sounds like hell.

And that's why some dietary approaches make people feel like they are in hell. They feel like in a prison where tasty food is prohibited and if someone dares to take a bite of some, they end up in reclusion.

Well, Christmas is the impersonation of those thoughts and in a big scale, because tasty and hypercaloric food is EVERYWHERE.

My advise for anyone that struggles during these meals is: be happy with what you eat, be sure that you are eating whatever it is because you truly enjoy it, not just because "it is there". Have fun. Talk with your loved ones (friends, family or whoever), be nice to yourself. If you end up super full, well of course it is not a good thing from the nutritional point of view, but no need to further worry about it. As worrying solves nothing. Just let time pass, and get back on track the following day (or week or whatever).

The main point here is: you can't mess up and ruin your entire progress in a day or night. It takes time both improving AND ruining it.

So, try and have a beautiful day, be graceful for being alive, celebrate, and have a MERRY MERRY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Remember: food is a detail!