Party in Peace

Party in Peace
As the holidays rush upon us, I am hearing from clients
their fears about what to do at parties. They fear eating
too much, losing control, getting too fat. They are afraid
of becoming a manic eating machine-one that starts to eat,
and cannot stop.

One of the reasons I work so hard with clients on their
relationships with food is because when you are at peace
with food, you realize you cannot lose control. Of course,
as with all relationships, you have your ups and downs, and
holiday time may indeed be one of those "down" times. But
you need to trust yourself and believe that even if you
have several days of overeating, even if you feel you are
in a "bad" relationship, you WILL work it out. Your
relationship WILL improve, because you have made it a good
one.

Remember, we are talking about a few holi-DAYS, not five or
six holi-MONTHS!

When you are at peace with food, you can go into the party
and take a deep breath, look at all that is available, and
make the choices you want. Maybe you don't feel like
eating at this moment, you would rather go talk to a
friend. Maybe that chocolate éclair looks too good to pass
up, so you put it on your plate. Remember to take some
time with your food choices; because that is the only way
you'll really be able to enjoy them. My mother used to
say, after we'd rushed through a dinner that she had spent
time preparing "you people don't eat food, you INHALE it!"
Don't inhale your éclair; take some time to enjoy it.

If you want a glass of wine, by all means, take one (just
don't go out and drive right away). My suggestion about
parties and drinking is this: one glass of wine, followed
by one glass of seltzer water, followed by one glass of
water. Following this recipe, you can walk around with a
beverage in your hand, always be sipping on something, and
not worry about losing the control that happens with too
much alcohol. Plus, you will not experience the symptoms of
dehydration that often accompany too much drinking (in
other words…the hangover).

This is a time of year when you start seeing lots of
recipes for modifying favorite foods. If that is something
you want to do-of course, you do it. But I believe that a
modified recipe makes it a new food, and perhaps not a
favorite one anymore. Many times, especially around the
holidays, you pull out the old family recipes, or the new
family tradition recipes. I want you to keep them the way
they are, and not be afraid of them, and here's why:

As I said earlier, when you are truly at peace with food,
you feel safe around meals, snacks, desserts. You trust
yourself to make the choices that are right for you, and
you know how to balance your eating behaviors. You know
that the times of overeating are balanced by the times of
smaller portions. This is a relationship that works for the
long term.

Please be kind to yourself during this time. The holidays
are meant to be enjoyed, not endured. It is a time to be
with friends and family. Happy holidays.

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For free tips to becoming At Peace With Food, articles, and
links to nutritional resource websites, visit
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