How to Stop Feeling Guilty for Eating During the Holidays

If you celebrate Thanksgiving, happy almost Thanksgiving! And if you’ve been feeling guilty for eating during the holidays, you’re not alone.

While the holidays can bring excitement, traditions and time with loved ones, it can also bring stress, especially around eating, exercise and body image. 

I see this every single year with the runners I coach. Many feel anxious about holiday meals, feel guilty for enjoying richer holiday foods and pressure themselves to “make up” for their food choices with exercise.

Today I want to give you some perspective, reassurance and practical tips to navigate the holidays with confidence and less stress this year.

Why Holiday Eating Feels So Stressful

We often put so much unnecessary pressure on ourselves and our eating during the holidays, especially when we’re feeling guilty for eating foods that we don’t typically eat throughout the year. This pressure steals the joy from the season and makes eating feel more complicated than it needs to be.

I always say that food is fuel but it is also so much more than that. It’s cultural, it’s connection, it’s emotion! Think about it: we celebrate birthdays with cake, we celebrate valentines day with chocolate and many of us celebrate Christmas with cookies! We don’t need to feel bad about having food be a part of our celebrations!

And while food is a part of our holidays and traditions, let me remind you that it’s not the only part. We get together during the holidays to spend time with our loved ones. To connect, laugh and celebrate. To reminisce about past memories and to make new ones. We are there to spend time with our people!

And if you think about it, the holidays are a very small portion of our eating throughout the entire year. A holiday like Thanksgiving is only 1 day out of 365 days! If you eat 3 meals/day, that’s 3 meals out of 1,095 meals you’ll have this year. One day of eating or a few meals is really not the end of the world and will not make or break your nutrition, health and running goals! 

With that in mind, let’s go through some practical holiday eating tips so you can approach the season with intention, enjoy holiday foods and nourish your body without stress.

Holiday Tips to Stop Feeling Guilty For Eating

Here are some practical strategies to help you navigate holiday meals, stay fueled and enjoy the season.

1. Eat 3 Meals/Day & Snacks

A huge mistake that I see people make is skipping meals, especially on a holiday or a day of a gathering or event to “save calories for later.” 

Here’s the truth: our bodies do not like this and skipping meals always backfires. It often results in our bodies getting to that ravenous point which leads to overeating and feeling out of control with food later on. Then this typically leads to feeling guilty for eating more than you planned, even though your body was simply trying to catch up.

You’re overeating at the party because you starved yourself during the day and your body is trying to play catch up at the party. No wonder why you can’t stop eating the cheese off the cheese platter..

Instead, eat your regular runners meals & runners snacks that day and then of course enjoy the food at your party, without restricting yourself or stuffing yourself to the brim. When you feed your body well throughout the day leading up to your party, it’s easier to stop eating when you feel full at the party. 

2. Drop the All-or-Nothing Mentality

This mentality sounds like… when you’re “all-in” with your nutrition, you are ALL IN, eating all the healthy foods and avoiding the “bad” foods, until you eventually swing to “all-out” and eat everything on your off-limits list. This is where many people start feeling guilty for eating foods they’ve labeled as “bad,” when the real issue is the restriction.

The first step in getting rid of the all-or-nothing mentality is to stop labeling foods as “good” and “bad.” Food has no moral value! Eating an apple doesn’t make us a “good” person and eating a cookie doesn’t make us a “bad” person. That just sounds so ridiculous, doesn’t it? 

Next, focus on optimizing your nutrition, not restricting it. Where can you add nutrients in? How can you add more fiber to your lunch? How can you add some more protein at your breakfast? How can you better meet your daily magnesium needs? Focus on *adding* not taking away.

Then, find your balance of nutrient-dense foods and foods for the soul. Restriction only fuels the restrict/binge cycle and that cycle is what keeps us feeling guilty for eating foods that are meant to be enjoyed.

Lastly, stop aiming for perfection with your eating. If you are making it a goal to eat perfectly, you will fail every time. There is no such thing as perfect nutrition, it’s not achievable or sustainable. 

3. Zoom Out & Look at the Bigger Picture

If holiday eating feels stressful, this perspective can be grounding: Thanksgiving is one day, Christmas is one day and your family gathering or event is a few hours. In the grand scheme of your year, these moments are incredibly small.

Food can be a part of your holiday traditions and celebrations, but it shouldn’t be the only part. Be present with your loved ones and stop obsessing over your plate. 

Again, 1 meal, a few meals or even a few days of eating will not make or break your nutrition, health or running goals. It’s not that big of a deal and it doesn’t define your year or your ability to hit your goals! 

4. Fuel Up Properly for Your Turkey Trot

If you’re running a turkey trot this year, here’s how to fuel like a runner, not from a place of punishment or earning your food.

Before the race:

• Eat a carb-rich breakfast 1-2 hours before so you can give yourself enough time to digest (think toast + banana, oatmeal or a bagel)
• Pair with a little protein if you can tolerate it and the closer you get to your race, limit fat and fiber 
• Avoid fasted running

During the race:

• If your Turkey Trot is a 5K and you expect to finish in under 45 minutes, most runners don’t need to worry about fueling or hydration during the race
• Fueling and hydration becomes more important if you’re running longer than a 5K, your race will take 1+ hours, or you simply feel better taking in some fuel or fluids
• At the end of the day, it’s perfectly fine to fuel and hydrate if your body feels like it needs it,  listen to yourself and do what works best

After the race:

• Prioritize a recovery meal or snack with carbs + protein
• Do NOT use the race as an excuse to undereat the rest of the day
• Your body still deserves nourishment, even if you have a big Thanksgiving meal later in the day. PLEASE FEED YOUR BODY LIKE IT DESERVES

Running on Thanksgiving should be fun, not a reason to micromanage your eating!

5. Resume Your Typical Eating the Day After, No Extremes

The day after a holiday or an event is NOT the time to:

• Detox or diet
• Restrict your eating
• Punish yourself with exercise
• Cut carbs
• Skip meals

Even if you wake up feeling guilty for eating more than usual the day before, remember: your body still needs fuel, consistency and kindness. Treat the day after like any other day. That’s what supports performance and a healthy relationship with food and exercise.

Eat your regular 3 meals/day, eat snacks in-between if that’s what you normally do, hydrate well and move your body in a way that feels good and is not punitive.

Final Thoughts

You deserve to enjoy the holidays without feeling guilty for eating, without food or body guilt, obsession or stress. You deserve both nourishment and joy this holiday season.

Remember, one day won’t make or break your health, you don’t need to earn your food, you’re allowed to be present and enjoy your loved ones and your traditions.

Food is part of the celebration, but the real magic is in the people you share it with.

Happy Holidays! 

If you need some help developing a better relationship with food, exercise and your body, feel free to shoot me a message here and we can figure it out together!