How to avoid Santa Syndrome

How to avoid Santa Syndrome

Santa Syndrome: the propensity to wake up with "a little round belly, that shook when [you] laughed, like a bowl full of jelly"in the days after Christmas

Many of us woke up today "expecting" a food baby and likely regretting the second and third helpings of Christmas dinner and but more likely Christmas dessert. This is particularly hard when you are hosting as you end up with what could be a doomed week of gluttonous eating if you simply refuse to "waste" any scrap of food. If the guidance from Skinny Bitch,  reminding you that excessive food is a "waste on your body AND in the trash"is just simply not enough for you this time of year here are 3 things I do with my leftovers you might find helpful.

1. Donate!

I try to get anything that's not useful to me out of my house as soon as possible. Turkey, Potatoes, and Veggies are keepers (I can re-purpose them in other recipes throughout the week saving me time) but desserts and heavy dishes are on the naughty list. They will be packed up and sent to work.

2. Out of Sight Out of Mind

I admit I like to have a little something sweet after dinner. If I keep my dark chocolate or other not-exactly-healthy items at eye level in the cupboard, fridge, or freezer I am going to be reaching for it all day. I put my chocolate on the HIGH shelf in my cabinet so I have to really work to get it (step stool and all- if that's the case it is likely a chocolate emergency but otherwise I usually forget all about it).

 

3. Toss It! 

Although food does have an expiration date you can certainly bump it up a few days. Much like with my Halloween candy. I set a time limit for my holiday leftovers. If its been 2 days and I haven't touched it its getting tossed because I need to resume my clean eating as soon as possible and the excuse "Live a little its Christmas" doesn't quite work in January.

Take a few minutes today to survey the "damage" then choose a few goals for the day. #1 on my list it to MOVE and #2 is to put my leftovers into these three categories and act accordingly. We don't have to throw in the towel until January 1st. Remember that making healthy choices in December is HARD but starting in January with more weight to lose is harder.