Family events are common during Christmas and New Years, times when most people break their diet. And, although it is tempting to eat the dishes of your childhood again, you have to know how to put restrictions, since you can throw all your hard work overboard. Also, traditional holiday foods tend to be high in fat and sugar, an undesirable combination when you want to lose weight.
On the other hand, the family influences this decision, since they usually encourage (with good intention) to eat more. In fact, it is proven that we are more likely to consume more calories when we are surrounded by family and friends. For this reason, we will try to help you say no at family celebrations.
5 ways to say no to family celebrations
1. Remember: you make the decisions
The only person responsible for your decisions is yourself. It takes great power to deny yourself the foods you crave, and a great way to avoid them is to remember the discomfort they cause you after consuming them. We know that social pressure has the ability to convince you to make the wrong decision, but you must fight against it.
The reality is that you do not have control over how your family and friends will react to your decisions, some will judge you and give an unsolicited opinion, but at least you know that you act according to your ideals. It is best to be direct and frank when setting your limits to show trust, although you can also take the path of making the other person feel that you understand their concerns and understand them.
Some people can't accept that you might be happy making healthy food choices, in which case the blame will never fall on your shoulders and taking a few minutes out of the conversation will help you refocus.
2. Make a plan
Nothing can go wrong if before attending a family celebration you create a strategy, especially if they cause you anxiety. In this sense, the author Terry Lyles recommends visualizing positive situations, in this way you increase the chances of a successful evening. In addition, visualizing possible obstacles also helps you prepare how to deal with them. That way, you will know what to answer when your family insists that you eat more .
On the other hand, you can write all these thoughts in an intimate diary in the weeks prior to attending the event, with this you will lose fear and overcome uncomfortable situations. In fact, a study conducted in college students found that reflecting emotions on paper and setting goals increases academic success (Travers, Morisano & Locke, 2014).
3. Take the opportunity to take care of yourself
The end-of-the-year holidays bring hundreds of reasons to stress, including extra expenses, frustrating family relationships, or long and tiring trips; this in conjunction with your emotions can make you make poor nutritional decisions .
A good recommendation to keep your mind rational, logical and free of worries is to spend some of those days taking care of yourself. To do this, do exercise, yoga, meditation or other activities that help your brain relax and recharge to get through the rest of the holidays.
In addition, you should prioritize a good night's sleep if you want to reach a state of total tranquility and not overuse sweet desserts. A study has found that people tend to crave sweets and fats more intensely when they are sleep deprived (Bhutani et al., 2019).
However, if you can't get the recommended 7 hours of sleep, taking a nap is recommended. According to one study, a 30-minute nap has the ability to combat poor quality nighttime sleep and lower stress (Faraut et al., 2015).
4. Remember the reason for your convictions
Being surrounded by a crowd of family members who constantly want to change your mind is not as easy as it sounds. That is why it is essential that you keep in mind the number 1 reason why you continue with a healthy diet: your goals and objectives for the future, this will keep you motivated even in difficult times.
5. Be realistic with your restrictions
The decisions you make will be the right ones as long as you feel happy with them, that may mean eating a portion of dessert or limiting yourself in meals.
Often the massive restriction during the holidays causes resentment with diet or unhappiness, and that's not the goal. Getting carried away from time to time is positive to motivate you and continue without distractions. By neutralizing the anxious thoughts of eating the forbidden, you can spend more time enjoying your family and friends.
conclusion
Your convictions are strong if you want them to be, nobody can tell you what to do or how to treat your body. Due to this, only you can meet the needs of your body and provide what is necessary when you consider it correct.
Don't let your family or friends discourage you, keep up the hard work of losing weight if that's what makes you really happy.
References
- Bhutani, S., Howard, JD, Reynolds, R., Zee, PC, Gottfried, J. and Kahnt, T. (2019). Olfactory connectivity mediates sleep-dependent food choices in humans. eLife . doi: 10.7554 / eLife.49053.001
- Faraut, B., Nakib, S., Drogou, C., Elbaz, M., Sauvet, F., De Bandt. JP and Léger, D. (2015). Napping Reverses the Salivary Interleukin-6 and Urinary Norepinephrine Changes Induced by Sleep Restriction. The journal of clinical endocrinology & metabolism. doi: 10.1210 / jc.2014-2566
- Travers, CJ, Morisano, D. and Locke, EA (2014). Self-reflection, growth goals, and academic outcomes: A qualitative study. British Journal of Educational Psychology. doi: 10.1111 / bjep.12059
