How to Enjoy the Holidays Without Gaining Weight

When you stand before the holiday table piled with food, stop and ask yourself: Which of the foods on this table honor my body? And which are right for my body?

Choose foods that are both delicious and suitable for you from the abundance on the table, including dessert.

Every holiday is essentially an opportunity alongside a challenge, but a true celebration is a perfect celebration without feelings of frustration and heaviness. I believe that if you learn and apply these principles daily, especially during holidays, it will serve as a useful tool for your weight loss journey and improving quality of life.

Surely your home also has special holiday foods, those we wait for, miss, those only found on the holiday table. Does it make sense to give up this opportunity? To forgo a traditional dish? After all, it is far more than just a physiological need; it is memories from our father and grandfather's home, a holiday dish that reminds us of much more than just food...

You don't need to sacrifice and feel miserable. A holiday is a time of joy. It's crucial not to feel frustrated or that you've lost out, because if you feel miserable, you'll compensate with junk food.

Nevertheless, choose the option that is most right for you, one that won't make you lose all your achievements and eat uncontrollably.

You can taste a little, in moderation, or choose to eat only what you truly love, something where every bite is a memory, indulgence, and pleasure.

Act according to these amazing principles: Stop, Observe, Choose, Enjoy.

Stop - Simply stop, don't take, don't lift, and don't place, just pause for a moment and let the silence do its work.

Observe - Look around and see what's around you, what do you love most? What less?

Choose - Choose from the array of foods those you've missed, those that are worth it, tasty, remind you, and are special, and then fill your plate, but without feeling guilty.

Enjoy - Now enjoy. Eat with pleasure.

A Good Decision for Yourself

The greatest achievers in any field weren't born with conditions and circumstances that made them such, but achievers have an attitude that leads them to success! Clearly know where you are heading, and what is required of you to reach the goal.

Decide that this year, unlike previous years, will be different!

Decide that this year you will go through the holiday without gaining weight.

Take the reins in your hands. This is your life. Weight gain during the holiday is not an unchangeable fact.

To achieve things in life - you must first decide on them. Take responsibility and make a decision, because it is in moments of decision that our lives are shaped.

Remember: You and only you are responsible for your life. Although you didn't choose your cards, how to play with them is entirely up to you. From today on, you have the right to choose and renew, create new habits and leave behind those that don't serve you.

How do you do this practically? How do you take responsibility and create a new exciting reality?

I commit and declare my intention, give myself my word, and of course, stand by my commitment!

I know what true responsibility is: It’s when I stop telling myself stories, it’s when I put a mirror in front of myself and choose to do the best with the existing data.

I tell myself: "Okay, these are my circumstances. Yes, I have guests, I'm hosting, so what?", and from this ask myself the questions: "Where do I want to go?" and "What am I going to do differently not to fall into the trap of last year again?"

And then ideas come. Perhaps it's worthwhile to prepare plenty of low-fat items? Or alternatively, prepare things I'm not really tempted by...

Responsibility is knowing what I want and where I want to go. What price will I pay for lack of control? Is it worth it to me?

Now, at the beginning of the year, is the time for internal reflection ahead of the new year, the time to make a decision with lots of hope and optimism that the coming year will be better in every aspect.

To embark on a new path and create the desired reality, you need to enter an enabling space.

An enabling space, as it is called, is a space that allows things to happen.

Stop thinking about what was, about past failures and attempts. They absolutely don't serve you.

Let them go, enter the enabling space, and allow yourself to make a decision from a place of calm, without internal noise, without voices of doubt and cynicism.

Enter the space of not knowing. This space aims to empty out the knowledge you have accumulated.

Enter the process from a different place, from a place of "what I knew so far has brought me the results I got so far", the new information you will receive will lead you to different, much better results!

You undoubtedly understand the health benefits and enjoyment of losing weight, you want it for your life.

It is clear to you and me and to everyone dealing with excess weight, that alongside holiday joy there are also not simple challenges, especially during the holiday season which is not easy for any of us. Therefore, we want to go through this period without gaining weight, in health, lightness, and joy, amen.

Want to know more about my method, and learn how to truly lose weight? Sign up for the workshop "The Smart Diet" at the Jewish Campus.

Dr. Rina Mordo, Ph.D, is a nutritional coach combining the subconscious and NLP