FOCUS ON YOUR HOLIDAYS

FOCUS ON YOUR HOLIDAYS!

Ponder this thought…are the holidays really about

food? You no longer have to spend your holidays

filled with what you get to eat, want to eat, avoid

eating or dieting on Jan. 1

lifestyle and priorities since surgery, so spend the

holiday with people you love, let relationships - not

food and drink - be the important part of the holiday.

Look around you--what do you see? People are

rushing around getting ready for the holidays. It's all

too easy to get yourself stuck in the same old

stressful cycle of unhealthy eating during this time of

year. During the holidays, food often becomes a

central focus in our lives. Family activities, social

functions, and even work-related activities often are

centered on food. Maybe past holidays were spent

in a vicious cycle of eating and waiting for the New

Year to start our next diet. Perhaps this feeling is, in

part, due to a lack of conscious thought about what

the holiday season really means to us. If we can

take this into consideration, then we might be better

able to spend time doing what we really think is

important.

Many times before surgery, the holidays were a time

to indulge in extra goodies possibly not available or

abundant during the year. The neighborhood cookie

exchange, potluck parties, eating at restaurants,

office parties, the special dish that your Aunt Martha

makes only during the holidays. This year can be

less about food and more about doing things with

family, friends and new traditions.

Take time to decide what the purpose of the holiday

season really is for YOU, your family and friends. All

you need to do is pause for a moment and look

inside yourself. Define the holidays in any way that

is meaningful to you. Create your own traditions that

reflect your values. The holidays can be spent

without focusing on food – put your focus on you,

and your family and friends!

Rituals that focus on family, friends and community

take many forms.