This morning I enjoyed the latest article from Peter Attia, M.D. and it even made me laugh out loud! It discusses the age-old question of “…how can we prevent holiday eating from derailing our health and fitness goals?”
It reminds me of the profound power in consistency but also of the fatal flaw in perfection. Often we set weight loss goals or nutrition goals but allow ourselves to become derailed by setbacks in maintaining that consistency during the holidays. Sometimes we even expect for this to be the case! We fall into an all-or-nothing mindset and let the setbacks and repeated mistakes continue.
One single day or individual event won’t stunt your progress and will likely have no measurable impact on your long-term success.
Knowing this, the solutions for tackling the post-feast dilemma might look different from person to person. One thing I have found to be true with my clients is that willpower is not a reliable way to go about building habits that last. How do you avoid staring down the barrel of Thanksgiving leftovers in the fridge? Simply telling yourself not to indulge or overeat for the days following your feast is a recipe for fading willpower.
In this example, it’s not about having willpower but more about designing your environment to make the choice you want to make easy and automatic. That might include not taking leftovers home or making sure you share the leftovers with friends and family before they leave. There are a variety of other solutions that might work better for you.
The bottom line is to get clear on what you will do now and how you will get back on track and plan for doing just that. And most importantly, enjoy your Thanksgiving meal with grace, joy, and family.
You can find the full article by Dr. Peter Attia here.
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