Surviving Christmas with a Sleeve.

Silly Season can be full on at the best of times, but if this is your first with a sleeve, you might be feeling nervous and a little daunted by the amount of food and drink coming your way. Don’t worry though, it doesn’t need to be daunting! By focusing on a few key things, you’ll enjoy Christmas with a sleeve as much as you ever have.

The following are my five most important things to remember, but at the bottom, I’ve also added a few wise words from our LWAS Community members who have been around the block.

1. Don’t beat yourself up

Christmas is a time that is meant to be spent with family and enjoying a long weekend. Yes, there is usually a lot of food around, and yes, you will probably eat a bit more than usual, but do you need to stress about it? No! Just relax – it’s not the end of the world and it’s not going to undo all of your hard work so far. So, give yourself a break and as long as you are following the next few tips, you’ll be fine!

2. Check with your tummy

Say to yourself, “I can have it if I want it, but do I really feel like it?” Often if you actually ask yourself this question your body will tell you that it doesn’t really want that extra candy cane or mouthful of roast. If you do want that it? No problems! Just eat it mindfully and really enjoy it, so you feel satisfied with a smaller portion and don’t feel guilty afterwards – you asked yourself and you listened.

3. Remember quality over quantity

If you find yourself at a brunch, lunch or dinner, just remember the general rules for eating with a sleeve: aim for ½ protein and ½ vegies, and eat slowly and mindfully. You can still try a little of everything, but serve yourself on a small plate so you’re not tempted to eat more than you need. You can see more of my tips on eating out with a sleeve here.

4. Keep drinking

Not alcohol, but water… (…almost had you!). Time off work or more parties than usual often means being out of routine and for some of people it means forgetting to drink enough. When you’re dehydrated it’s easy to mistake thirst for hunger. So, if you feel like you’re constantly grazing over, make sure you’ve been drinking enough water. Have a big drink then wait 20 minutes and reassess if you’re still hungry.

5. Get out and enjoy the holidays

A few extra days off work over Christmas are the perfect opportunity to get out and about with the family. Take the kids out on their bikes, go for a walk around the park or hit the beach for a swim or a walk. It doesn’t matter what you do, as long as you enjoy it! If you’re worried about extra meals with the family (or extra decadent meals), perhaps try to make some of your family catch ups active ones.

Tips from our LWAS Community

I went straight to the source of all things Living with A Sleeve and asked our members for their thoughts on surviving the silly season. Of course, they came up with the goods with some really excellent comments and ideas:

I try to keep Christmas food to the week of Chrissy, last year I managed just having Christmas food on Chrissy day. I didn’t feel like I missed out on much. Food isn’t as satisfying as it used to be, still some pleasure but not like pre-sleeve.

Jen

My first Christmas was 6 months post sleeve. I did a lot of cooking for everyone else and I had a mouthful of most of the food so I didn’t feel like I was missing out. It’s only one day after all and tomorrow is another day.

Vanessa

I’ve gone 100% to ‘family style’ serving. i.e. share platters so everyone can look after themselves & I can pick & choose the best morsels & no-one cares what my plate looks like! Much easier & less stressful

Beck