How to Avoid Getting Sidetracked

Ready or not, Thanksgiving is here and the holiday season is about to shift into full swing.  In my almost-six years of health coaching, I’ve sadly seen the same thing over and over again: some individuals do really well right up until now, then crash and burn when the holidays arrive. Some of them recover and go on to reach their goal and some continue to flounder even to today.

Often what trips people up are other people. They have a plan in place to deal with the holiday meal and show up with a solid plan and lots of resolve. Then the pressure begins from, of all things, family members. They hear, “It’s a holiday, for goodness sake.  Live a little!” “You’ve been doing really well, so you deserve to take a break and reward yourself.” “Just this once won’t hurt!” “But this is Mom’s/Grandma’s/Aunt Lucy’s (you pick!) prize-winning dessert that she only makes once a year. You can’t hurt her feelings by not eating it!”  You get the idea – there is no end to the things people will sometimes say in an effort to get someone off track.

What’s interesting is this: most of the time, the people who are trying to get us off-track aren’t on track for their own health!  I saw a post on Facebook a couple of days ago that said, “Don’t get sidetracked by people who are not on track!” This is GREAT advice and something to keep in mind as we head into Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and then the holiday parties and meals in December.

Think about it! When is the last time that someone who was at a healthy weight and living a healthy lifestyle encouraged you to eat unhealthy things? Most people who are living a healthy lifestyle at a healthy weight are VERY supportive of anyone who is focused on the same thing.

When someone who isn’t at a healthy weight urges you to go off plan “just this once,” remember that this very thinking is probably keeping them in their own unhealthy state.  Nothing irritates an unhealthy person more than seeing someone resist the very temptations they are giving in to. Misery loves company.

Keeping this in mind tomorrow (and beyond) will hopefully help you to choose wisely J.  Have a wonderful – and healthy – Thanksgiving!