Good Tidings of Comfort Eating and Guilt:

Maintaining your sanity and pants size during the holidays

The temperature has dropped (sort of). The leaves (on all four maple trees in Dallas) are turning a lovely fiery orange. And the air smells of…food! That Happy Holiday Season is upon us. And when a certain relative smiles sweetly and asks if you actually like wearing your hair that way, the temptation to load on another helping of potatoes or piece of pie can be pretty fierce.

1. Calibrate your hunger meter. The holidays can be a minefield for those of us who struggle with eating issues. Food is served in enormous quantities at crazy times of the day. Canisters of fudge lurk around every corner. Get the menu from the hostess and plan accordingly. Though it might sound crazy to eat before eating, curbing hunger can help with portion sizes during the Big Family Meal. Showing up ravenous is a bad idea. So is cramming an extra meal just because you’re expected at the in-laws’ after "doing time" at your folks’ place. Remember: no one has to eat just because everyone else is eating.

2. Take your emotional pulse. Most of us stuff our feelings deep down (with a pecan pie chaser) and hope they never will surface. (TIP: This plan does not work.) Check-in with yourself before heading into the holidays. Talk about it with someone (Abbie Chesney-Alexander or Sarah Ferguson). And before reaching for that extra roll, ponder if it's due to hunger or just anger at the nut-case across the table (and if the former, go for it).

3. Set limits. If you can spend all day with your family without self-immolating, wonderful. But if not, don’t. Make the most of time together but go when you need to go. (TIP: People accept change more easily when they know it is coming.) Just let the family know ahead of time when planning to leave earlier than usual.

4. Take deep breaths. Be open to the possibilities the holidays can bring. We might actually enjoy family and friends in small doses if we allow ourselves off the hook from the usual obligations.

5. Above all, keep healthy habits, such as physical, gastronomical, spiritual, and emotional routines. These are the simple disciplines of self-care. We wouldn’t need New Year’s resolutions if we’d commit to our health year-round.

Groups For The Holidays

Seek support in a group at LifeWorks. Abbie leads two groups for intense therapy regarding food, body image issues, and life interference due to an eating disorder. Wednesday evenings, 6:30-7:30 PM or Saturday afternoons, 2:00-3:00 PM. $15 per session.

Sarah leads the "Me First" group for women dealing with overfunctioning. Every other Saturday morning from 10:30 AM-12:00 PM. She also leads the wonderfully appropriate Holiday Stress and Overeating group. Monday evenings from 6:00-7:00 PM. $50 per session.

To join a group or for more information, call us at 214 357 4001.