Coming from a big tight-knit family, the holidays are always a time of gathering and celebration which means a lot of delicious home cooked meals and plenty of drinks while playing dominoes while listening to all of our Christmas time favorite songs. This is the time of year when all of our attempts at healthy eating go straight down the toilet (maybe literally.)
Starting at Thanksgiving and going all through to the new year and if you’re in Puerto Rico the celebrations often last until almost February when the “Octavitas” come to an end, it’s weeks of potential overindulgence. From “coquito” (puertorican eggnog but much much better) and pernil (pork roast), to handfuls of nuts and chips, along with fried finger foods (too many to mention all) and decadent dips, there’s a ho-ho-whole lot of fat and calories being ingested . Why would I ever start a diet a week before Thanksgiving? Self torture comes to mind. However, if I am to be serious about a true lifestyle change then I need to be OK with being in social situations and learn how to make good choices and learn moderation. After all, this is not a short term goal for me. I’ve tried pretty much every diet out there and it’s always about restricting your food intake and food choices and always feeling like you’re “missing” something. Inevitably, this feeling has led me to “fall of the bandwagon” and I end up binge eating which in turn makes me feel even worse than before.