The Art of Enjoying Your Thanksgiving Meal
This is a re-post but one that definitely deserves repeating. As you prepare to gather with loved ones and enjoy a beautiful meal, remember to enjoy it. For those struggling with eating issues, this may seem like and insurmountable task. Sometimes it helps to have a few helpful phrases on hand to repeat to yourself when critical thoughts arise. One of my favorites comes from Ellyn Satter: “When you give yourself permission to eat, you can give yourself permission to stop”
The Thanksgiving meal is known to be one of excess. And it should be. Occasional overeating can be an enjoyable part of a normal eating pattern. As mentioned above, just make sure to enjoy it! Also, know your limits and pace yourself. What do you want most? Make sure you have room for that. Leave the table a little or a lot stuffed, just leave the remorse out of it. Instead of depriving yourself to build up to the big event, eat when you’re hungry. Let yourself enjoy the leftovers. This way, you won’t experience the discomfort (physical and emotional) of the “last supper” mentality. This woman’s story was in Ellyn’s latest Family Meals Focus newsletter and I thought I’d share it Holiday Eating Success Story.
