The Great American Gorge, Part 3

It’s Not the Food That Hurts . . .

Invested in your long-term growth and healing, I could care
less how much you end up eating. Really.

I’m honestly not terribly concerned with the temporary physiologic repercussions of overeating on the holidays. Yes, you will experience a little blood sugar rollercoaster action. Yes, it’s a lot to handle for your digestive system. Yes, you’ll probably feel bloated for a couple of hours.

However, it will pass. In the scheme of things, it is so far from the end of the world.

That’s right, folks. This nutrition expert proclaims: It’s OKAY if you overeat on the holidays.

Moreover, it’s not the overeating that is the true culprit of weight gain and frustration! Overeating is not the ROOT cause of your unwanted symptoms associated with the holidays.

Rather, I am certain that the most toxic consequence of overeating on the holidays is by

far and away the guilt, self-abuse, and diet plan that follow.

The pattern I see goes something like this: 1. Make unrealistic goals and expectations for being “good” during the holidays. 2. Throw them to the wayside, and indulge in the Great American Gorge come holiday time. 3. Walk around constantly berating self for lack of willpower and intelligence. 4. Devise a “fix-it” diet plan to whip yourself into shape. 5. When it doesn’t work, repeat.

Sound familiar?

This pattern is a sure-fire way to gain weight and be miserable. It invites chronic stress into your life, which creates physiologic stress chemistry in your body. In this environment, your body will hang on to weight, slow down metabolism, and sacrifice digestion, among other things. Meanwhile, you miss out of the joy of eating, your inborn nutritional intuition, and crucial messages for self-growth.