2 Questions you must answer before your holiday eating starts

Hello. Welcome to the Foolish Couple's blog. If you have been following us for a while, you would know that we created the FoCo Academy to guide and mentor people to achieve true health and healthy relationships through nutrition, exercise, mindset and lifestyle changes.

Last weekend, we went to this epic Thanksgiving party with over 20 people. It was a potluck party so everyone brought different dishes to the party. We made a smoked turkey, our super antioxidant salad and our special dry-farmed wines. Others made rib eye steak, grilled vegetables, clam chowder, sautéed mushrooms, egg & potato salad, mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, fresh baked breads, fried rice, fresh fruits, cheesecake, tiramisu, passionfruit mousse cake and lots of wine and lots of chips.

The holidays are here. This is the joyous yet dangerous times when things get out of hand. During the year, hopefully by now we have inspired you to at least make some small changes to your lifestyle. We have had numerous people that came to us and say that just by changing this one little thing in their daily routine, that they have already noticed some health benefits. Some have lost a few pounds, others noticed that they now have more energy.

Our hope is that we can guide and inspire you to make some different lifestyle choices and to really ingrain in your mind that having a healthy lifestyle is really important to you.

But, we’re at that time of year where all those healthy habits and changes that you have made might just get thrown out the window if you are not mindful about it. Of course, I am talking about Thanksgiving and then the Christmas holidays and the New Year just around the corner.

This is a time of celebration with our friends and family. But it is also that dangerous time where you just might “let it go” and revert back to your old, unhealthy habits.

And if you have done just that in the past years, where you live healthily until around November and then all of a sudden, the holiday season comes along and your eating habits go downhill, you forget to exercise, you lack sleep and your stress level soars.

If you are one of those people, first of all, don’t feel bad, because a lot of people do the same thing. They let go of their health and just go all out.

But, just because a lot of people do that, it doesn’t mean it is the right thing to do. And just because you have done it in the past, it doesn’t mean you can’t change it this year.

Remember, you past does not equal your future. At any point in your life, you can always make changes.

I know it is hard. You watch the people around you inhale all the bad foods and then fall asleep on the couch, and the repeat that routine for the next 6 weeks. You look at that apple pie and goes, wow, that looks good. It feels like it takes all your willpower to walk away from all the bad foods around you.

But no worries. We are here to help.

This is the most crucial time to have the proper mindset. You have been studying the entire year and this is your final exam. This is your test. But hey, you can ace it.

Because what happens if you fail?

All the work that you did during the year to live a healthier life will be thrown out. And not only does it affect your waist line, it will stress you and depress you.

So here’s what you have to really distinguish. Many people relates eating to having fun. Now I am not saying that you cannot have fun during the holidays. I love to party with my friends and family too. But you have to break that bond between food and having fun. You can still have a lot of fun hanging out with family, catching up with your friends, and still eat healthily.

So here’s 2 questions that you must answer for yourself, right now, before the holiday rolls in.

Block out about an hour of your time. Sit down, and write two stories for yourself. Create two new identities for yourself, like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde or a Yin & Yang scenario.

First let’s write about the healthy version of you.

What would you do during the holiday season?

What would you eat? How do you respond when people offer you something that you don’t want to eat?

How would you remind yourself to stop eating when you are full?

When would you squeeze in some exercise?

How do you reduce holiday stress?

How do you feel?

How is your energy level?

Write it all out, kind of like a day-in-the-life of a healthy you scenario.

Now let’s flip it around and write story of a unhealthy version of you.

What would that story look like?

Are you going to eat so much that you feel like you are going to explode? Are you going to forget about exercising altogether?

Are you going to be stressed out over the tiniest things?

And also write down how you will feel afterwards.

How would you feel after eating that big meal?

After drinking 2 bottles of wine?

How would your energy level be if you don’t exercise for 2 weeks?

And, of course, how would you feel after the holiday is over?

When you’ve failed that test and you have to start all over again?

Go ahead. Write it all out. I don’t care if you use a pen and paper or if you use word or notes or whatever.

Now that you have these 2 stories vividly in your mind. Here’s the next step:

Out of all the things that a healthy version of you would do,

what is one small thing that you think you can do during this holiday season?

How would you remind yourself to keep up?

Out of all the things that the unhealthy version of you would do,

what’s one small thing you can try NOT to do during the holidays?

For us, before we went to this epic party, and over the next couple of months we have a few trips and many more parties to go to.

Here’s how we answer the first question. Over the past 3 months, we have been practicing 16-hour fast every day, and we have both noticed a significant benefit to our digestive system and it is also shrinking our waistline.

So for us, the 16-hour fast is an important habit for us to keep. And it is really relatively simple to keep up. All we have to do is eat earlier for dinner, and skip breakfast.

We can do that!

Now what we have to do is to not meet people for breakfast. Which is actually not that difficult. Most people are not like us. They prefer to sleep in and eat a late meal. So, we can meet our friends for lunch instead.

How about that second question?

An unhealthy version of me, is one that drinks a lot of wine. I am not an alcoholic but I am a social drinker. And I don’t easily get drunk so I tend to drink a lot.

So what do I do? Well, we brought our own dry-farmed, natural wine to share with our friends. And I limit myself to only 1 glass of wine. I make sure that I have water beside my wine glass and I would alternate between the wine and the water.

Because what I noticed is that, sometimes you are just drinking because you are thirsty, or you ate something that is spicy or salty and you needed to drink something to get rid of that taste in your mouth. So I make sure that I have a glass of water in front of me so that I can reach out for that water instead of the wine.

Now it’s your turn. Go ahead, write out your stories, and we would love to hear about them as well! Tell us how this works out for you in the comments below.

And, have a fun, safe, and wonderful Thanksgiving!

We will be releasing two new free courses soon. Look out for them in the next following weeks. One is “Demystifying Fats” and the other is “the Truth about Sugars” These will arm you with new tools to start the new year running Being the healthiest version of you!

Till Next time, Love what you live and Live what you love!

We believe that healthy relationships start with health and we help couples achieve total success in health and in relationships through nutrition, exercise, mindset and lifestyle. If you know someone who can benefit from this blog, share with them. Let them know that you care about them. And of course, leave us any comments below. We love to hear from you.

PS: Our ebook ‘Gut Matters’ goes deeper into the issue of our gut and the action steps that we can take to repair our gut and bring our bodies back to an optimal, healthy state.

This ebook is free for you to download and all you have to do is follow the link below and we will send you a copy.

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We are not medical doctors. This blog is not intended to diagnose medical condition, or replace your health care provider. The contents of this blog are for informational purposes only. Statements on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration, and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease. Always consult your personal physician before starting any fitness or exercise program or changing dietary habits. The content of this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. It is not a substitute for a medical exam, nor does it replace the need for services or counsel provided by medical professionals. However, we do hope to inspire you to become healthier, more self sufficient, and more aware of options.