The holiday season is over and we’re all guilty of eating too much during the half month long festivities. There’s the mandatory Christmas Dinner with friends and family, there are the New Year cocktails, and then lots of pocket celebrations in between. Now that eating season is finally over, it’s a bit hard to go back to regular programming especially since there are probably still food left over from the new year feasts.

Going on a strict diet after all that fanfare could be a tall order for some. It might be more prudent to gradually ease into a healthy eating plan. Depriving yourself of food could lead to a relapse and binge eating. You can learn to break the binge eating cycle though. Start a healthy diet and don’t cut out particular food groups right away. Build a healthier relationship with food by asking yourself these questions before noshing on food.

Hungry?
Ask yourself if you’re really hungry or if you’re just thirsty. Dehydration could sometime feel like you need something to eat. When your stomach is empty, your body signals your brain to chow down of some grub. When your cells are dehydrated, it does the same. Make sure to eat regular meals though. When your blood sugar is low, the same signals are sent to your brain. This time, you really need food.

So be sure to eat regular meals. Don’t let yourself go hungry for long periods of time. And chew slowly! The body needs at least 20 minutes to signal to your brain that it is full.

Angry?
Intense feeling like anger, frustration, and (the most common cause for overeating) stress can cause your adrenalin to spike and your body to seek food. Manage your emotions and try to calm down first. Go for a run. Do a quick workout. Dance. Take a quick shower. Distract yourself first and then check your emotions after. See if you’re still hungry after doing these.

Lonely?
There is a reason why it’s called comfort food. When we seek solace, we run to familiar things. Things that make us feel better. Maybe we associate certain foods with certain feelings of home, or belonging, or getting well. And we regularly turn to food as a way of feeling not so alone. I know my mom’s menudo makes me feel better when I miss home. So make a batch but be careful about eating the whole thing. Eat a small portion and call a friend to share it with. Alternatively, call your mom instead. She’ll appreciate it.

Tired?
If you’re sleep deprived and lacking rest, the chemicals in your body go overdrive and turn whack. It signals the brain that you need sugar (aka fuel). A very dangerous time indeed as this scenario coupled with stress (as is always the case) leads (all of the time) to overeating. The most obvious solution is of course to get some sleep. Rest! If your body needs to rest, no time is too early for bedtime.

Did I miss anything? What are your healthy eating tips? Share them with us in the comments. Stay humble and hustle hard.

Written by Jaie O. The Help

We at The Help have a continuing tradition of gift giving which we’ve started in 2013. We launch this program close to or during the holidays to be able to share with our community all the abundant blessings that we are ever so grateful for. Not only do we have a gift-giving program, we have an outreach program and a feeding program as well. These programs are organized ad hoc, as a response to caring for typhoons victims and other calamities. With our pooled resources, our civic-minded team takes time out to lovingly prepare the food, entertainment, and gift bags. With the help of community leaders and school administrators, we are able to share those, along with, stories, fun, and laughter over a humble feast.

We do this every year and we will continue this tradition of gift giving and helping our community as a way of saying “thank you” for all the blessings and the continued success we have.

Tomorrow is Christmas day and we take a hard-earned break from work to join the whole world in festivities that come with the season. Tonight, we will be celebrating love and friendship with our families and closest friends over a nice warm meal. But before we begin the celebration, we would like to thank all the people who contributed to our success and made it possible for us to keep moving forward.

A Merry Christmas to all our cherished clients. We appreciate your business and look forward to a continued harmonious relationship with you, for many more holidays to come. Thank you for your continued support and for your trust and belief in The Help. We promise to continue to work hard with you in growing your business and provide you with the best service possible. We wish you and your families “happy holidays”, and may your holidays be prosperous, peaceful, and safe. We appreciate you. Thank you for your business.

A Merry Christmas to our dearly valued staff. Our organization is formed by great people who are happy working together. We are lucky to have such a dedicated staff and we would like to thank you for your hard work and commitment. The Help is proud to be working with world class team members like you. You are an integral part of our team’s success and the main reason why we are on top of our game. We wish you and your families “happy holidays”, and may your holidays be warm, bountiful, and safe. Thank you for your service.

To our clients and staff, you are a blessing for which we are forever grateful for and surely, you are a blessing to others as well. Thank you for all your wonderful contributions to the business!

As we bring the year to a close, let us not forget the reason for the season. The Christmas spirit is inside each and every one of us. Let us share this spirit with others. We hope you have a fun and peaceful celebration. Merry Christmas, from all of us at The Help.