Holiday Q&A: How Do I Manage Eating Disorder Thoughts at Holiday Gatherings?

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Holiday Q&A: How Do I Manage Eating Disorder Thoughts at Holiday Gatherings?

It’s a good idea to have a plan for how to navigate challenging environments for your eating disorder so that you can feel a bit more prepared going into these situations. For many the holidays are a particularly challenging time due to food being a major part of the celebrations. While it may feel less stressful to push the holiday gathering out of your mind in the days leading up to it, this can set you up to feel completely overwhelmed once you are there. This is not to say having a plan will guarantee food will be totally stress-free, but you will at least have some strategies to try with when you notice the eating disorder thoughts starting to creep in.

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Holiday Q&A: What do I do if someone comments on my weight gain?

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Holiday Q&A: What do I do if someone comments on my weight gain?

Let me start by saying, I have so much compassion for anyone feeling this way right now. The last almost 2 years has been hard for many reasons. And a changing body in a world that tells us bodies can’t or shouldn’t change unless, of course, it’s to make them appear smaller and younger, might be one of them. Here are some thoughts on how you might prepare for holiday gatherings amidst changed body worries and concerns.

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Holiday Q&A: How can I avoid overeating during the holidays?

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Holiday Q&A: How can I avoid overeating during the holidays?

This is such a common concern. Oftentimes we are confronted with some of our most challenging foods during the holidays. The ones we’ve been trained to believe we cannot trust or control ourselves around. The ones that are labels as “sinful” or “indulgent” or “unhealthy.” This can then set the stage for eating these foods in a what that really doesn’t feel good. Here are some thoughts to consider, I hope you find them useful.

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Holiday Q&A: How do I handle the holiday weight loss and diet talk without triggering my eating disorder?

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Holiday Q&A: How do I handle the holiday weight loss and diet talk without triggering my eating disorder?

This is a great question. There’s more than one way to handle unhelpful conversations about food and weight that come up at holiday dinners or in small talk with relatives, and I encourage you to do what feels the most manageable for you on that day. That’s because the goal is not to handle the situation perfectly, but to protect your recovery, whatever that may look like for you right now. Here are some ideas for what you might try.

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What is Healthy Eating, Anyway?

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What is Healthy Eating, Anyway?

What do you think of when you hear the words “healthy eating?” Do certain foods come to mind that you associate with being, or define as, healthy? Do you find yourself categorizing foods into 2 groups – those that are healthy and those that are not? Does it spark any particular feelings or emotions? Do you associate these words with pressure to act in a certain way? Or perhaps, guilt if you don’t?

There’s a lot to unpack when it comes to evaluating our perceptions of “healthy eating.”

Here’s my take.

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