Feasting time is just around the corner and if part of your is dreading the over-indulgence I have good news! Tune in to discover how you can actually make this your most enjoyable holiday season from a food perspective all while avoiding that bellyache.
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Video Version
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Picture this: The festive lights are twinkling, the table is laden with your favorite holiday treats, and you’re surrounded by loved ones.
But instead of feeling dread about the inevitable food hangover, you’re actually looking forward to enjoying every bite—guilt-free and bellyache-free.
If you’re like most people, the holiday season brings a mix of excitement and anxiety around food.
The good news?
You don’t need to choose between enjoying yourself and feeling good in your body.
With these four instant mindset shifts, you can navigate the festivities with ease and actually enjoy the season from a food perspective.
The Power of Instant Change
Here’s something that might surprise you: changing your relationship with food doesn’t require months of therapy or complicated meal plans.
Sometimes, the most powerful changes happen in an instant—the moment you decide to think differently about a situation.
As someone who’s coached hundreds of women through their food challenges, I’ve discovered that our thoughts can change in an instant, which means our results can too.
Don’t underestimate the power of these simple shifts just because they seem too easy. Sometimes the simplest solutions are the most transformative.
Shift #1: Decide How You Want Your Event to Go
Before walking into that cocktail party or sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner, take a moment to set an intention. Ask yourself: How do I want to feel at the end of this?
This isn’t about restriction or rules—it’s about conscious choice.
Maybe you want to feel satisfied but not stuffed. Perhaps you want to enjoy Aunt Mary’s famous cookies without the guilt spiral.
Whatever it is, decide ahead of time.
Quick tip: Even as you’re walking into the restaurant or party, do a mental check-in. Setting this simple intention will always give you a better result than going in without any plan at all.
Bonus move: Think about what you’re genuinely looking forward to at this event. Let yourself enjoy some anticipation in advance. Those special cookies? That signature cocktail? Give yourself permission to look forward to it without the guilt.
Shift #2: Embrace Food Abundance (Not Scarcity)
Here’s where most of us go wrong: We approach the holidays with a scarcity mindset. That little voice in the back of our head whispers, “Better eat all the cookies now because come January, it’s diet time!”
This future scarcity thinking is exactly what drives overeating in the moment. Your brain thinks it needs to stock up now because restriction is coming.
Instead, remind yourself: There will be plenty of amazing food in my future.
Yes, maybe Aunt Mary’s cookies only come around once a year, but there will be countless other delicious foods in your life. You don’t need to eat all the eggnog tonight. You don’t need to finish every cookie on the platter.
Make this promise to yourself: I’m not going to diet in January. Watch how this simple commitment changes everything. When you know you can eat delicious food on January 1st, 2nd, and beyond, the urgency to overindulge disappears.
Shift #3: Slow Down and Savor
This one’s simple but powerful. Whenever you catch yourself eating quickly or mindlessly shoveling food, pause and remind yourself: There’s no rush.
Why does this matter? Because enjoyment leads to satisfaction. When you actually let yourself enjoy what you’re eating, it’s much easier to feel satisfied with a reasonable amount. When we eat quickly, we miss the experience entirely and need more to feel fulfilled.
In practice: Notice yourself speeding up? Take a breath. Remind yourself there’s no rush. Put your fork down between bites. Actually taste what you’re eating. This tiny pause can be the difference between feeling satisfied and feeling sick.
Shift #4: Remember You Can Choose Again in Any Moment
This might be the most liberating shift of all. If you notice you’re overeating, or you’ve already had too much, resist the old diet mentality of “Well, I’ve already blown it, might as well go all in.”
Instead, remind yourself: I can choose again right now.
Stopping now is always better than the “what the hell” effect that leads to finishing everything in sight. Every moment is a fresh opportunity to check in with what you really want and make a choice that aligns with how you want to feel.
A Bonus Permission Slip
Here’s something that might surprise you: Sometimes it’s actually okay to intentionally overeat.
If you decide you want that really full, feast-day feeling—own it! There’s something culturally significant about feast days, about that “I couldn’t fit another thing in” feeling that can actually be part of the celebration.
The key word here is intentionally. When you choose it consciously rather than falling into it accidentally, you maintain your sense of agency and self-trust. No guilt, no shame, just a conscious choice to feast.
Your Festive Season Action Plan
As you head into your holiday events, remember these four instant shifts:
1. Set your intention – Decide how you want the event to go
2. Think abundance – Remember there’s amazing food in your future
3. Slow down – There’s no rush, savor the experience
4. Choose again – You can make a new choice in any moment
These aren’t rules to follow perfectly. They’re tools in your toolkit, ready to use whenever you need them. You might use all four at one event, or just one at another. The point is that you have options beyond the old pattern of restrict-overindulge-regret.
In your corner,
Jules xx
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