by David Garred,
Club Manager Dusit Resort Sports Club.
Welcome back to fitness corner. This week I’d like to talk about something
that most of us have on our minds. Silly season has begun so let’s see if we
can do it a little differently to last year so we can avoid that post
Christmas/New Year self imposed guilt trip.
Taking a new approach:
Myth: If you eat before a party, you won’t eat while you are there. *Try
going to the party moderately hungry. Then go ahead and eat the food that
you are hungry for. That way you will eat less overall whilst still
satisfying your hunger.
Myth: If you receive fattening food as a gift, you should pass it along to
friends. *This practice encourages a sense of loss and deprivation (not what
it is all about). Here the big threat is to compensate by eating extra of
other foods. Don’t be silly, keep the gift. However, eat it when you feel
like it, there is no need to eat it all in one sitting.
Myth: At parties you should only eat low fat foods like celery and carrot
sticks. *If you are hungry for low fat foods, than it is fine, if not, then
simply re-read the first Myth and Suggestion (above).
Myth: Wearing a tight outfit will remind you not to eat. *Wearing tight or
unflattering clothes can cause anxiety. This anxiety will reduce your
enjoyment of the party and there is a big risk of overeating to relieve
these feeling.
Myth: You can keep yourself from eating by chewing on ice, gum or swizzle
sticks. *This is a combination of two of the above. One, you are chewing to
curb a hunger craving. Remember, eat exactly what you want to avoid
compensatory overeating. Or two, you are chewing to relieve anxiety which
again can lead to a binge.
Myth: If you allow yourself small tastes of your favourite foods, spread
them all over your plate so it “appears” you are eating more. *Maybe you can
fool yourself, however, you cannot fool your stomach. When you get home,
there is a big chance you will simply dive into a full size meal. Eat what
you are hungry for at the party.
Myth: You need to learn to love yourself enough to say “No thanks, not
today”. *How about learning to love yourself enough to say, “No thanks” when
you don’t feel like it? If you feel like it, simply say, “Yes, please”.
Constantly depriving yourself of the best things will reduce your overall
enjoyment of life and WILL catch up with you.
*Enjoy yourself over Christmas and New Year if you don’t deprive yourself
of, nor binge on, anything than there is no real cause for the previously
unavoidable New Year guilt trip.
Be part of it, don’t be just an observer. Seize the Day!
David Garred
