Saved calories don’t exist

There are two weight loss traps that I wish everyone would stop doing immediately. The first is starving yourself to save calories before a big event or party.The second is starving yourself as a way to get back on track. Neither of these actions will lead to sustainable weight loss. The worst thing about this way of treating your body is it disconnects you from listening to your body’s inner wisdom. It teaches you to ignore your body's internal cues. Furthermore, it perpetuates this vicious cycle of denying your body and then overindulging to compensate. What can you do instead?

Eat when you are hungry.

I know this sounds incredibly simple, but it is not always easy. There are many reasons we eat that have nothing to do with physical hunger. We eat because of the time of day or because we are at a social gathering. Sometimes we eat to make ourselves feel better or because we are bored. The hard part is learning how to deal with these non-physical reasons for eating. This is where health body coaching can help. So if your body is telling you that you are physically hungry, then eat even if you overindulged last night. 

How does “saving your calories” for a party later hurt you?

Besides eroding your relationship with your body, this way of thinking actually causes you to overeat. You go to the occasion and tell yourself that you can have more than you want or need because you were “so good” all day. You don’t stop eating when you are full because you earned this food. 

We tell ourselves that we gain weight because we overindulge in food at a party. But the truth is, we gain weight over the holiday season because we keep up this crazy cycle of deprivation and overindulging. We gain weight because of the foods we eat daily, not the occasional splurge at an event. 

What can you do to avoid the holiday weight gain?

• Eat when you are hungry.
• Stop when you are full.
• Have a simple, sustainable, and kind daily meal plan.
• Enjoy your holiday foods and treats.
• Get back to your normal eating the next day. This means don’t keep overindulging but also don’t punish yourself.

If you are ready to explore these concepts and learn how to apply them to your life, sign up for my 1:1 coaching package.