5 Ways to Deal with Food Anxieties During Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving can bring up a lot of food anxiety and stress for many people. I get asked all the time about what I’m eating, especially around the holidays when people want to enjoy their favorite comfort foods. 

Whether you’re home with your family or keeping things small, there still can be a lot of food triggers around the holidays. For those of us who have struggled with yo-yo dieting, restricting, or binging in the past, we worry that old habits may arise. In my own health journey, I’ve learned a lot about healing my relationship with food and eating, which allows me to enjoy the holidays with less guilt or added stress.

In preparation for this week, I’ve put together some tips I’ve used for making the holidays a little easier:

Practice Mindful Eating. Pay attention to when you’re feeling hungry, and when you’re feeling full. Sometimes our brain can trick us into over or under eating when we’re feeling an emotion we want to avoid. My live chat with Geenen Roth, author of “Women, Food, and God” is saved on my IGTV and is a great resource for those who struggle with food anxieties and triggers. She personally helped me understand this connection and decipher between real hunger and emotional eating. 

Stick with Your Routine. The holidays can be chaos, which can manifest itself in many ways. Trying to keep a sense of normalcy during this time can be essential to not feeling like you’re completely out of your element. If you usually workout in the mornings, take the time to move even if you’re not in your usual setting. I have many workouts perfect for limited space and no equipment that I love to do when traveling. 

No Judgement. This Thanksgiving, try and give yourself some slack and avoid body or food shaming yourself. Make sure to tune in to your inner dialogue and shift any negative thoughts. Create lists of things you're grateful for in your life to put yourself back in a positive mindset. 

Take Time to Breathe. Stress can come from all different places during Thanksgiving. Be sure to re-center yourself when you feel tension rising. Going on a long walk, practicing meditation, or just taking some alone time can bring stress levels down. The Sculpt Society has some great meditation classes led by Ameerah Omar and Kesley Patel, that I use when feeling overwhelmed.

Enjoy Yourself. Remember that Thanksgiving is only one day a year, and give yourself the room to ENJOY it. You’ve almost made it through a very tough year, and that is worth celebrating! Let yourself eat what you’re craving without judgment, and then move on instead of overcorrecting or spiraling. 

I hope you all have a truly amazing Thanksgiving spent with family and loved ones. I’m so thankful for this community and the energy you all share with me that makes doing what I do so much fun. 

I’ll be doing a live workout on Thanksgiving at 10:30 AM ET. Bring a friend or family member with you to help motivate each other to get moving on Thanksgiving Day!

Hope to see you all there!

xx, Megan