Body Positive Works Changes Perceptions

by Lisa Poquinto

The annual cycle of overindulging and restricting is a familiar pattern during the holiday season; a time of peace and togetherness which is hard to achieve when we are riddled with guilt and indigestion. Liz Carrara, a registered dietitian at Body Positive Works, helps clients navigate the holiday season foodscape, encouraging them to enjoy the foods they love while acknowledging their fullness.

Working with individuals and groups, Carrara provides care through the lens of intuitive eating principles, working on permission to eat when hungry, stopping when full and ensuring preferred foods are eaten to achieve adequate satisfaction. This evidence-based approach leaves clients feeling confident in their ability to self-regulate their intake with all foods and limit compulsive eating.

Carrara encourages structure for holiday meal days. “The typical ‘saving up, or not eating all day leading to a big holiday meal, is a set up to overeat,” says Carrara. “If we eat consistently throughout the day as dictated by hunger and fullness, we will approach the holiday meal in a biologically fed place, making it easier to respect our true stopping point before we’re overly full.”

This approach requires both permission and flexibility, two ingredients typically left out of a holiday eating approach. “When we label foods as ‘bad’ or ‘indulgent’, they become the big red button reading ‘don’t push’,” says Carrara. “Our brain is always wanting something we can’t or shouldn’t have. Food is no different. When we grant ourselves permission to eat these foods versus trying to restrict them, we are better able to attune to our internal regulatory cues and manage portions that are adequate for our bodies.”

If we typically end holiday meals feeling overly full and guilty, Carrara encourages people to “check-in” with hunger and fullness throughout the meal. Take some time at the beginning of the meal to assess hunger when the plate is half gone, and our fullness level when the second round of dessert comes out. Taking time to check in may inform our decision to take a plate to go or wrap some cookies for later.

“Our ability to engage in the holiday spirit beyond our plate is vital in connecting with loved ones this season” says Carrara. “Enjoy your favorite holiday dish—just be sure to feed yourself adequately leading up to this meal. Your waistline will thank you this holiday season.”

Body Positive Works is located at 96 E. Allendale Rd., in Saddle River. For more information, call 201-708-8448, email Info@BodyPositiveWorks.com or visit BodyPositiveWorks.com.