The One Question To Ask Yourself Before You Eat That Mince Pie

17 Dec The One Question To Ask Yourself Before You Eat That Mince Pie

Posted at 08:40h in Food by

Like most people, I love a mince pie. More than ever this year, Christmas should about celebrating with loved ones and festive foods typically form an integral part of our celebrations.

I strongly believe that it is possible to strike a balance between enjoying life’s celebrations and not feeling out of control of our eating. None of us want to gain weight over Christmas or start the New Year feeling tired, sluggish and bloated.

In order to strike that balance, we speak with our clients about their plans for Christmas. I usually ask our clients on weight loss plans to consider the following question:

WHAT IS YOUR GOAL FOR THE FESTIVE PERIOD?

IS IT TO CONTINUE TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Some of my clients don’t celebrate Christmas or prefer to avoid the festivities for other reasons. Often they’re happy to carry on with their dietary strategy as if it were any other time of the year.

IS IT TO MAINTAIN YOUR WEIGHT?

Most of my clients want to enjoy Christmas, share in the festive food, but don’t want to compromise their progress towards their goal weight. Therefore we discuss strategies for making sure that indulgence and moderation can coexist over the festive period.

IS IT TO HAVE TIME OUT ALTOGETHER?

A couple of my clients will say to me “all bets are off, I’m going to enjoy Christmas and we will deal with it in January!”

Whichever of the above is relevant for you, there’s no right of wrong answer, so long as you have made a conscious decision about it. However, what we absolutely want to avoid are any feelings of guilt and regret around what or how much we have eaten. I’ve struggled with feeling like this myself in the past and know that many of my clients experience the same – it’s really not pleasant. In order to avoid negative feelings around what we have eaten, I would encourage you to ask yourself one thing before indulging in treat foods:

HOW AM I GOING TO FEEL ABOUT THIS TOMORROW?

If you can look ahead to after the event and think ‘it’s going to be totally worth it. I am going to really enjoy every mouthful of this mince pie’ then great, go right ahead.

On the other hand, if you’re likely to feel like it wasn’t ‘worth it’ when you reflect back, then you have your answer. Think poor quality mince pies, cheap chocolate and other foods that tend to hang around at this time of the year – it’s all too easy to eat them just because they’re there. But are you REALLY going to enjoy them?

Asking yourself this one simple question before tucking into festive treat foods is a great way to ensure you’re making conscious decisions that you’re less likely to regret later down the line.

FIND AN ALTERNATIVE

If you come to the conclusion that the mince pie – or any treat food for that matter – isn’t going to best serve you in that moment, consider an alternative. If you feel genuinely hungry, opt for something that you enjoy and that will fill you up and keep you satisfied. A satisfying bowl of muesli, such as Growli, provides a range of beneficial nutrients along with vanilla and goji berry for that spicy, fruity hit. Whole food healthy breakfasts will sustain optimal performance during the day and keep your energy levels up. But let’s be honest, muesli works at any time of the day! 

Check out my healthy mulled wine recipe

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LINDA ROBINSON

Linda is our Practice Coordinator, helping to keep the clinic running smoothly.

 

Originally from Texas, Linda completed her MBA at SDA Bocconi in Milan. Linda has worked as a Strategy Consultant across multiple industries globally in cities including Kyoto, Paris, Chicago and San Francisco. She developed an interest in nutrition whilst volunteering for an organisation that provides cooking and nutrition education to children and families.

Linda is now settled in London with her husband, two children, and her very bouncy, sociable dog.

SARAH LAW

Sarah has worked with hundreds of clients over the past decade to help them live in a healthy body that they feel confident in.


Sarah spent a large part of her teens and 20’s as a professional dancer battling with orthorexia and an unhealthy relationship with food and her body. This created a desire to understand the human body more so she could finally cut through the confusion and end the cycle of yoyo dieting. This fuelled her passion to help other women do the same.

 

Sarah specialises in supporting women who are struggling to lose weight due to underlying health issues. She’s helped many women manage their weight during and after the menopause, as well as clients with thyroid disease and immune system dysfunction. Sarah loves food and sharing healthy recipes with her clients. Her aim is to ensure that clients don’t feel deprived and instead, achieve their weight loss and health goals in a positive and sustainable way.

 

To enquire about working with Sarah, please contact us.

AILSA HICHENS

 

Ailsa is one of our most experienced practitioners. She specialises in helping clients to lose weight, develop a healthy relationship with food and finally feel comfortable in their skin. Ailsa’s mission is for everyone she works with to enjoy the journey and that working with a nutritionist should not be a punishment, but your access to a new possibility.

 

Ailsa is not only an experienced weight loss nutritionist, she is also a skilled coach. She helps our clients overcome emotional eating, destructive habits and self-sabotaging behaviours that have prevented successful weight loss in the past. Ailsa has spent years in clinic working with clients who have experienced yo-yo dieting and have discovered that long term weight loss is not just about eating less until you can stand it no longer.

 

Working with Ailsa you will be comprehensively supported, not only in improving your nutrition and lifestyle, but also your eating habits and your relationship with food. When you work on all these elements together, the results can be truly astonishing.

 

To enquire about working with Ailsa, please contact us.

Test Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team of practitioners and heading up the day-to-day running of the business. Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, coming from a strong business background in town planning. A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 with her husband and two children.

NIKKI ANDRIANI

Nikki is our Practice Manager, managing our team and heading up the day-to-day running of our clinic.

 

Coming from a background in town planning, Nikki is involved in the strategic development of our practice, continually ensuring we are delivering the very best service to our clients.


A Florida girl, Nikki relocated to the UK in 2014 where she lives with her husband, two children, and her rescue dog Skyy.

STÉPHANIE ACHAR

Stéphanie is a skilled nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner with additional training in eating disorders, disordered eating and obesity. She believes that working towards both physiological and mental health is key in achieving optimum wellbeing.

 

Stéphanie’s personal experience of emotional eating and the ongoing struggle to find the right support led her to combine the science of nutrition with behavioural coaching to motivate and empower her clients. She specialises in helping people who struggle with their weight and their relationship with food. She helps them develop a healthier and more peaceful relationship with food and their bodies.

 

To enquire about working with Stéphanie, please contact us.

INNA WEARN

Inna is passionate about supporting women on their journey to improved health and wellbeing. She believes that the solution to effective weight loss does not lie in ever more restrictive diets, but a more sophisticated approach that optimises health and vitality, as well as promoting effective weight loss.

 

Working with Inna you will benefit from her in-depth knowledge of female health and hormones. She will support you in developing a healthy diet, lifestyle and mindset that ensures you reach your ideal weight and maintain it in the years to come.

 

Inna is passionate about food with a wide repertoire of delicious healthy recipes and meal ideas to ensure your weight loss journey is as enjoyable as possible!

 

To enquire about working with Inna, please contact us.

ANIA MASON

 

Ania is a firm believer that improving your health and losing weight should be a positive, empowering journey, not one centred around deprivation.

 

After being diagnosed with two autoimmune conditions in her twenties, Ania spent several years educating herself on the power of food and nutrition. She put it all into practise and changed her diet and lifestyle, reversing her endometriosis and thyroid disease. After experiencing such a significant improvement in her health, Ania had a big desire to help others. She embarked on a four year journey to study nutrition, graduating from the Institute for Optimum Nutrition with distinction.

 

Ania specialises in autoimmunity and works with clients who have underlying health issues preventing successful weight loss. Her expertise enables her to successfully support our clients with conditions such as hypothyroidsm (underactive thyroid), PCOS and diabetes. 

 

To enquire about working with Ania, please contact us.

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