November 29, 2021: You Do Not Need To Feel Thanksgiving Guilt

I don't care what or how much you ate on Thanksgiving, you don't need to feel guilty about it.
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And no, you don't have to make up for it today by eating less or exercising more.
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Here's what I want to offer today:
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1. What if you were to dip your toe in the waters of trusting your body? What that might look like is letting go of the idea that you have to control your body today. Instead of intentionally eating less, or lower calorie foods... what if you were to listen to your body's hunger cues and simply respect them? Instead of ignoring your hunger today, or pushing past it (friend, that's disordered), what if you just tried honoring it?
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Think of it this way: your body wouldn't feel physically hungry... if you weren't physically hungry. We don't feel like we have to pee... if we don't have to pee. (Hunger cues can include thinking about a food you want to eat.)
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2. If there's any guilt remaining from yesterday, get curious about it. Did you do anything morally wrong? Did you break a law? Did you lie, cheat, steal? No? Ok... then, no guilt is needed. Eating food is the most essential form of self-care. Without eating, we would not be alive. And *all* foods have nutritional value. Yes, all of them. We need fat, carbs, protein etc. to function. And all foods give us at least one of those...!
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Try this: lean into self-compassion. You didn't do anything wrong. No guilt needed. Then, can you see if you can shift to the other 'G' word? -- Gratitude. Gratitude for being so blessed to have an abundance of delicious food. Gratitude for the people you spent the holiday with. Gratitude for the holiday season. Gratitude for the memories made, laughs shared.
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Sending my love,