It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Everyone is buying gifts in preparation, stores are rolling out great shopping deals, the air is getting crisper, and seasonal candles are back in full swing. However, for some of us, this cheer is overshadowed by a looming fear: the fear of gaining weight.
Where some may feel the excitement surrounding the return of festive holiday foods, like pumpkin pie and decorated cookies, many are stuck trying to calculate the calories filling their Thanksgiving plate or fighting the guilt that comes with going for seconds. Friendsgiving turns into a night of stress and withholding. Opportunities of connection and togetherness within the kitchen vanish in fear of overindulging.
As someone who has fought for years to learn how to love your body the way it is, I’m here to tell you that, yes, it is okay to love your body this holiday season. Yes, you can eat that slice of pie, or that cookie, or the whole tin if that’s what you want. That second plate of delicious food is not going to hurt you. It’ll be worth it.
Don’t think about carbohydrate consumption; instead, focus on the fragrant aroma of the spices and the festive season. Don’t let the fear of potentially increasing that arbitrary number on the scale hold you back from experiencing the holidays to the fullest, especially after the rough past two years of uncertainty and fear. If anything, the pandemic showed us the true importance of the holiday season and the importance of self-care and loving yourself as you are in this very moment. So drink that hot chocolate, eat that cookie, and enjoy the joy of the season.
You deserve it.