There are many not-so great things about getting older. But one thing is really great, the perspective gained from experiences with many holiday meals. Yesterday, was Christmas Day – About as perfect a Christmas Day as could be imagined. Today however, I had a few twinges of remorse – for over-eating. If you’ve spent as much of your life studying about food/nutrition, weight management, behavior management and environmental control as I have, you may experience a little remorse, a little guilt, or maybe even a great deal. But this is maybe where I can share the benefits of not being so young.

The Setting

On Christmas afternoon, we headed up high into the alpine-covered village of Park City, Utah. The snowy back drops for beautifully lit homes, public areas and businesses, delivered a view that Currier and Ives or Eric Dowdle would have delighted in painting. Traveling in the RV, solving the world’s political, social, and fiscal challenges, with the chatter of the children in the back started my reminiscing.  “He touched me.” “She touched me, first.” I remember how those discussions used to bother me when my children were the ones having them. But when they’re your grandchildren’s discussions, there is a certain sense of peace….. well, of entertainment….. of, the pleasantries of a growing family and reality itself. Most of all, the realization is that those squabbles will only last for a short time and then they will be gone, too – waiting for a new generation to take up the tradition.

Nutrition?

You must be asking yourself, what any of this has to do with food/nutrition/weight management. This is it: We shared a lovely meal at Stein Erickson’s (somewhat of an understatement). It was a buffet – extraordinaire. We’ve been there a number of times with this daughter and her family, so I should have known. (O.K., I did know what to expect.) The flavors and varieties from around the globe are unsurpassed. Everything and anything to tickle your palate were presented in the most alluring and tantalizing manner. I bathed my taste buds with exquisitely prepared foods and, was obligated to even taste the grandson-recommended ‘best turkey gravy ever made’. (It truly was excellent; and of course, had to have a dot of Yukon gold mashed potatoes for the base.) I found the 25-foot long dessert table irresistible – I’m admitting the full truth here. When we left the restaurant, I realized, Oopsy! I succumbed to too many alluring flavors – the tummy was fuller than it needed to be. I so enjoyed the meal that there was little space for more than momentary remorse. I remembered that just the day before, at my Christmas Eve meal for 39, I had done so well – no over-eating. This day was only marginally worse. I had not lost control completely.

The Day after Christmas Message

So now it’s the day after Christmas, and as I began thinking of a little message to post, my thoughts were of writing my confessions of the reality of over-eating at Stein Erickson’s. It was interesting to me, that shortly after the remorseful thoughts intruded into my mind, a comforting and reassuring inner voice asked me, “How many times have you over-eaten at a holiday meal?” I began realizing that I’ve done it numerous times before (and undoubtedly will again). Despite this, each and every time I was able to manage a reversal of the temporary weight gain. And that leads to my point in this note: Don’t panic! If you ate more than you planned, enjoy the memory of the banquet, the wonderful time with the family/friends, the special flavors that are not indulged in each day. Know that you have the weight management tools so that it does not need to spell the beginning of a large weight gain or the beginning of out-of-control eating. Like the grandchildren’s lament: ‘he/she touched me’ the extra pounds will last but a short time and then they will be gone, too. Savor the event, the memory, but confidently return to your regular eating; maybe even some deficit eating and exercise.

You can read a couple of my other ‘confession’ blogs that include some hints on how to manage holiday eating. (See Holiday Confessions of a Dietitian – 2009 and Thanksgiving Confessions of an Anxious Grandma – 2010. Heaven knows the holidays are not officially ended until Tuesday, January 3^rd this year. There are plenty of opportunities still ahead of us, to control our environment, to limit over-eating and to be kind to ourselves during the remainder of 2011. Let us enjoy our good times and yet be kind to ourselves, both through transient enjoyments of usually unwise eating, and through replacing momentary remorse, guilt, and lapses in good weight management practices with a confident return to those practices.

I’m sending my very best wishes for a healthy, happy, yummy New Year. Good Health Can Be Yummy.