The Only Questions to Ask Yourself When Learning to Trust Your Hunger Scale:

1. Am I hungry?
2. Am I full?

 

My friends and fellow perfectionists, this holiday season, I want you to give yourself the grace to enjoy them. I know how hard it is to forgive ourselves when we fall short of our goals. In this episode, I’m talking about how setting realistic expectations for yourself will help you manage the holidays with your head held high.

 

The Chief Complaint: "I Have No Grace For Myself During the Holidays"

The concept of grace is something many women struggle with applying to themselves. When we make a plan for the holidays, or even outside the holidays, and for whatever reasons we don’t stick to it, us perfectionist women can be so hard on ourselves. But what if you learned how you can instead show yourself some grace?

 

Setting Realistic Goals for Yourself

The first thing I want you to do after listening to this episode is to take some time looking at the goals you’ve set for yourself this holiday period. Critically and realistically look at them.

Are these goals ones that you will actually stick to? If you’ve planned to work out 45 minutes a day, 5 days a week - is this realistic with the commitments you have this season? If it is, great! If not, sit with yourself to create some smaller, more realistic expectations.

Let’s say you did set that exercise goal. If you don’t manage to meet this high expectation you set for yourself, you’re more unlikely to forgive yourself for falling short.

Instead of setting huge expectations, let’s talk about how you can set smaller goals and settle yourself into the gray zone.

 

Focus on The Hunger Scale

Your goals don’t need to just be about your approach to exercise over the holidays. You can also set realistic goals for your food.

You know that I’m a huge advocate for intuitive eating and listening to your own hunger scale. If picking up your hunger signals is the only thing you focus on this holiday season, that’s fantastic.

If you choose to eat when you’re not hungry or eat when you’re beyond full, that’s okay. Choose to forgive yourself in these moments and then wait to eat when you’re next hungry again.

You can create your own sweet spot for your nutrition and food intake. It’s all about listening to what your body wants and honoring it. Yes, it takes practice, but I know you can find your own sweet spot.

 

Homework for Women Physicians

Whatever goals you have set for yourself this holiday season, I want you to evaluate it today. Take the space you need to really check in with where you are and what you want to achieve over the holidays. Let me know in the comments on the episode page.

 

In This Episode 

• Why you should reevaluate your expectations [4:45]
• How you can relieve pressure for yourself when you enter the gray zone [5:45]
• How to set smaller goals to give yourself grace this holiday seasons [8:15]
• What happens when you give yourself a good reason to set your holiday expectations [14:15]
• How to give yourself grace if you eat too much at once [20:00]
• How you can find your own personal sweet spot with intuitive eating and nutrition-based decisions that work for you [23:30]

 

Quotes

“Believe it or not, having small goals are where you have to start! We just forget to start there because we never think it’s going to be WOW enough.” [7:42]

“Your body might tell you that it wants to have some carbs. Your body might tell you that it prefers to be five pounds heavier. Your body might tell you it prefers to be five pounds lighter. But it’s such a beautiful thing. When we can get to the place where we are willing to honor our unique body, that is when we start to become the person where we have complete food freedom.” [15:52]

“Intuitive eating works by you not restricting because then you actually are able to decide what it is you really do want, instead of what your brain is telling you that you want because you’re restricting it.” [20:58]

“There is a sweet spot for you all where you can achieve what you want doing it your way.” [23:47]

 

Resources Mentioned

Check out the full episode page here

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Podcast production by the team at Counterweight Creative

 

Related Episodes

Episode 29: “I’m Dreading The Holidays” 

Episode 20: “My Urges Are Out Of Control” 

Episode 13: “I Cannot Stick To An Exercise Routine”