Halloween Hangover and Pumpkin Pie
These days, Eli and I are watching a lot of Sesame Street. I am reminded that I am married to the real life Cookie Monster... My husband loves chocolate and all year long there are Toll House cookies and Butterfingers in my house.
Halloween is often an excuse to be a kid again; dress up in a ridiculous costume and either head out to parties with friends to throw back Mic Ultras like we are still in college or to follow your kiddo around the neighborhood collecting candy from strangers. If you are like my family, you over prepare and end up with an abundant supply of left over candy. Because you are health conscious and do not typically allow these temptations in the house ... you eat all of it.
Eli's first Halloween out... Sucking on candy wrappers trying to break through. Can you blame him?
I actually like that we keep some sugar in our house year round. It was very hard to get used to, at first... Another topic for another day. However, it makes holidays like Halloween and the presence of candy a lot less exciting and tempting. I am learning to eat with moderation throughout the year and so when the holidays hit there is much smaller "fear of missing out" associated with the presence of sugar.
Remember in college, or maybe this past Sunday morning, the hangover from a night of one too many tequila shots? Too much candy will do the same thing to a person's head and gastrointestinal system. You feel like garbage. you are bloated, sluggish, and often not as mentally sharp. As an adult after a night of too much drinking, without fail i utter the words, "Ugh, I am not doing that again". that lasts for about 6 months for me these days. The only nice thing about the Halloween hangover is that it reminds you, "Ugh, all of this sugar is toxic and my body cannot handle it". Oddly enough, I appreciate how crappy I feel from the Halloween Hangover. I am reminded of that feeling come Thanksgiving and Christmastime and I tend to tread lightly around the various pies and tray of Santa shaped cookies.
There is so much joy in my family associated with our holiday traditions. I spent years of my life dreading the holidays and the thousands upon thousands of extra calories that we would consume during this time. if you live a very structured and restrictive life, but have a real love for food and traditions, the holidays can be a real challenge.
Can't say no to a good Thanksgiving dinner!
Being present and preparing for the holidays comes down to something very simple in concept, but much harder in practice.
You are not a pumpkin pie.
A little planning goes a long way.
Self love.
You are going to be invited to parties. The office is going to bring in cookies to share. You are going to go out to dinner with family and friends when they come in to town. Living a healthy life is not about how much pie you eat or don't eat. It is about living with intention, making choices every day that are in line with your greater goal and bring you joy. Avoiding family parties to avoid the pumpkin pie is not going to bring you joy. My dad makes an amazing, award worthy pumpkin pie that I choose to indulge in every year and I would not have it any other way. I do not and will not allow my (excessive) consumption of this delectable gourd based treat derail my overall goal to live a healthy life.
I choose to look at the holidays from a holistic perspective. I am not going to eat pie and turkey stuffing every day, but there will be a few days that are certainly more calorically dense than others. Knowing this, I plan accordingly. Maybe I choose to eat with great consciousness earlier in the day, keeping my choices very clean and whole foods friendly or maybe I hit the gym a little harder or a little longer to burn off those extra calories that I know I am going to consume. Life truly is about moderation and keeping balance. Think of the decisions that you make throughout the holidays as a scale, if the calories in side is going to be heavy at the office Christmas party on Thursday night, what are you doing throughout the week to manage the "calories out" side? You certainly don't need to say "no" to the party... Just do some planning! What you cannot do, if you want to avoid extra holiday pounds, is keep the food train going non stop or avoid the sessions at the gym. Stay focused with your greater goal.
Most importantly, love yourself. In many families, food is love. Food brings joy and a sense of warmth while sitting around a table full of laughter with loved ones. My advice, during these times, eat what you enjoy, eat slowly to allow your body to give you the cues of satiation or "fullness". Try to avoid the hangovers.
I will not let pumpkin pie define who I am.
-IV