Resetting Your Eating Habits after Christmas

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Originally published on December 23, 2019. Updated on December 27, 2022.

When Christmas is over, most people feel as if they need a break from the heavy holiday food that they’ve been eating. You need a reset from the holiday fare.

It’s the perfect time to try to start eating healthier, even while navigating the leftovers.

Establish Balance in Your Meals

Focus at first on balancing your meals. Each of your meals should contain a healthy mix of carbs, protein, and fat. If you focus on smaller meals stretched over six times per day (about every three hours), you’ll avoid the energy slumps and feelings of hunger that can knock people off their plan.

Drink More Water

Stop drinking any other beverages than water for thirst. You should drink at least 64 ounces of water each day (depending on your weight and how much watery fruits and veggies you consume). If you avoid drinking your calories, you’ll find that you don’t really mind and you will seem to lose weight without trying at first.

Take Supplements

The only supplements most people need are vitamins D and B12. However, some people need magnesium supplements. If you have issues sleeping, you might try a magnesium supplement at night to help.

Dietary Additions: Greens, Beans, Onions, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds

The more you can add these ingredients to your food, the better. These foods are high in nutrition, protein, and macronutrients that your body needs to be healthy. And they’re low in calories and fat but high on flavor.

Use a Smaller Plate and Serve Smaller Portions

It also helps to use a smaller plate. Did you know that plate size has increased (even in our homes) by 30 percent over the last 30 years? Don’t believe it? Check out your grandmother’s dishes or go to a thrift store with older dishes.

Check out older versions of Corelle dishes and you’ll realize how big our plates are today. If you check portion sizes from the 1950s compared to today, you’ll realize we are eating too much.

More Non-Starchy Veggies

Adding non-starchy veggies to your meals will help you lose weight while also filling you up. Beans, asparagus, spinach, and more are all non-starchy veggies that will satisfy your hunger, give you more nutrition, and keep you from over-eating the meat and fat on your plate.

Get Your Entire Family Involved

Don’t cook separate meals for yourself, and don’t give the family food that you won’t eat. Instead, get everyone on the same page and involved in healthy eating. For some families, this may require a family meeting but for others, the cook, shopper, and bill payer gets to decide what everyone is eating.

Depending on where you fall, it’s important to get everyone involved because then there are no temptations in the home to cause you to have food around that you can’t eat.

The Bottom Line…

Eating well after the holidays may be tricky at first. Your body will crave the fat, salt, and sugar that you allowed yourself to enjoy during the holidays.

This food is slightly addictive too, so you may feel bad when you first stop ingesting it. But, within just a week you’re going to lose weight, feel better, and have more energy. It will pay off.