There is nothing like homemade cookies during the holidays. The other day, my friend and I drank some champagne, listened to some Christmas music, and got to baking. My first batch of chocolate chip cookies were a major fail, but my second and third came out much better.
If you are stuck in a restrict and binge cycle, the thought of Christmas cookies most likely fills you with fears of going buck wild and gaining a ton of weight. When I was in the height of my food crazies, I used to have major fears around gaining weight during the holidays. Filled with so much guilt and shame around food, if I ate a few cookies or a piece of pie, I felt like I had ruined everything and had to start over, so I might as well just finish the whole batch right then and there. So dramatic I know, but if you have been a compulsive, emotional, or restrictive eater for some time, then you know exactly what I mean.
But the truth is that having some cookies is only a big deal if you make it one in your mind.
Forget about trying to control every little thing that you are eating and start actually enjoying your food. Focus on the tastes and the textures and forget about the calories. When you begin to quiet your mind from obsessive thoughts of dieting and weight gain, you can start to really tune in to your body more. And if you pay close enough attention, you will notice that food doesn’t taste as good after you have had enough of it. In fact, in regards to those Christmas cookies, you will actually start to feel shitty when you eat a ton of sugar, and your body will naturally start craving more vegetables, water, and protein. The trick is in learning to silence your mind so that you can tune in.
I used to think that I had a “problem with food”, that food was my issue. But in reality, my issue was with my mindset around food. Do yourself a favor for the holidays and let yourself enjoy some of your favorite treats, guilt free! Just promise me that you will practice tuning in.