The Holiday season has officially arrived, and with it, more snacks, food, and drinks than we’re used to. 

Mae Farrer was a teacher with Holy Trinity for 27 years and has now made nutrition coaching her part-time retirement endeavour. 

Farrer is a certified Balanced Habits Food Coach and is currently helping a handful of private clients achieve their own goals through that program. She's also completed a Level One Precision Nutrition course online. 

Farrer is currently helping her clients get through the holidays without gaining back the weight they took months to lose and has several tips to curb overeating and binging. 

“If you have in your head that you're going to make better decisions this Holiday season, good job, that's a big step right there.” 

Farrer says there is one simple strategy you can use at Christmas get-togethers to help you keep your health in mind: planning. Consider what you’d like to treat yourself with ahead of time, make a conscious decision, and plan for it.  

“I think what catches us at Christmastime unlike other holidays, is the span of time. It's not a one day holiday. I can get through Thanksgiving because it's one day. But Christmas is weeks of preparation, and it's all emotionally driven. It's those sugar cookies that your nana made with you when you were a kid that you now make with your kids.” 

In other words, total restriction isn’t usually a good thing, and can backfire. If there’s a food you’re really looking forward to eating, plan to eat it in moderation. 

“If we make conscious choices, then we take away the idea that we made a mistake: I haven't made a mistake, I made a conscious choice. That conscious choice gives us power, it gives us confidence. It lets us know that we're in charge, the food's not in charge.”

Here’s more advice from Farrer: 

  • Try not to graze all day. Try to eat the meals that you're used to eating. 
  • For every drink of alcohol you have, have a glass of water. 
  • If it's not good, don't finish it. 
  • Slow down chewing your food. Put your fork down in between bites.
  • Knowing yourself and knowing what your triggers are.
  • If you do overindulge one day, don't overindulge the next. Try not to put them back to back.
  • Cut your portion down, do you have to have a huge piece or can you have half of that?
  • If you've got a party where you're going to have a few drinks and then you've got another weekend party planned, don't drink during the week, take a break.

Farrer also says that if you do go overboard one day, it isn't the end of the world and if you've been working on losing weight, you are not going to gain it all back from one night of eating and/or drinking. 

"It's ok to say, 'well that was dumb.' but that's all it needs to be. It doesn't have to be a: 'you are a worthless human being because you did this.'"

To find out more about the Balanced Habits nutrition program, you can find Farrer on Facebook at Mae Farrer - Balanced Habits Food Coach.