Last week, on Small Daily Habits we dove into a conversation about mindset with our episode Mindset Matters: How to Enjoy the Holidays without Falling into the All-or-Nothing Trap. We talked about how to savor the holiday season without losing our sense of balance. Today, we’re continuing that conversation by revealing some secrets for success with our special guest, Lucy Hutchings, Registered Dietitian. Tune in!
Introducing Lucy:
Hello, and welcome back to Small Daily Habits! I’m your host, Christine Miller and I am so happy you’re joining me today for our very first special guest, Lucy Hutchings. Lucy is a dietitian I met at the beginning of this year at a business training. We were both from NH and bonded over that and our similar audiences, busy women. We have since worked together in my 6-week Menopause Mission Challenge where she made a guest appearance the week we focused on nutrition. These clients were looking for ways to reduce inflammation and ditch stubborn fat amongst the chaos that is life and Lucy delivered!
So, if you’ve ever struggled with these issues, you know that things tend to get worse as the holidays approach. There are usually one of 2 schools of thought women fall into. You either deprive yourself and eventually feel miserable doing it or you indulge and then feel guilty. I don’t know about you, but neither of those options give me the warm fuzzies. So, if you’re looking for some fresh ideas for keeping the season joyful and guilt-free, you’re in the right place.
Links to Keep in Touch with Lucy:
Holiday Resources: Get all the fabulous recipes Lucy mentioned in this episode and a few more surprises!
Lucy’s website: Stay in touch with Lucy and all her current and future offerings!
Instagram and Facebook: Follow Lucy on social media to get tips, tricks, and strategies to implement into your daily lives.
Free Facebook Community: A private, supportive Facebook group to learn and cheer each other on.
Welcome!
A big warm welcome to Lucy! I am so excited to have you with us today. Please tell us a little about yourself.
LUCY: Sure, and thank you so much for having me. I’m very excited about being here and sharing what I can with your audience. So, a little about me, I’m a busy mom of 3. I’m a registered dietitian of over 15 years, and the owner of Wellness from Within Nutrition. And what I do is help women that are busy moms struggling with stubborn belly fat, trying to ditch the extra weight without restrictions, and ridiculous fad diets. And we do that in a very sustainable way that actually fits with their busy life.
CHRISTINE: That’s what I love about you because I feel the same way. No crazy fad diets and a little bit at a time. A meet you where you are at kind of approach.
Navigating Holiday Gatherings Without Guilt:
CHRISTINE: Lucy, as a dietitian, you must see this all the time—clients who feel torn between enjoying holiday treats and sticking to their health goals. How do you guide people in navigating those holiday gatherings without feeling deprived? Or, on the flip side, feeling guilty for indulging?”
LUCY: That’s a great question. And first of all, we have to appreciate how insane the holiday season can be with all the things we put on ourselves. I don’t know about you, but I have in the past felt pressured to bake cookies with the kids, go shopping with them, and do all the things.
Plus of course, keep up with my regular household and mom duties, as well as get work done. It can be really, truly crazy. The stress can really add up. There is definitely more financial pressure too, as we’re approaching the holiday season, and then there is family pressure. We might be seeing relatives we haven’t seen often.
There is just so much, and it can really build up. And then of course we have thoughts like am I going to gain weight this season? Is this going to be the time I gain a bunch of pounds and can’t lose it? Be stressed around the tempting offerings we come across when we are out and about. So, I want us to take a moment to appreciate all we have to deal with this time of year. It’s a lot!
Take a Moment For Yourself:
If we don’t take a moment to realize this, then we might feel bad about ourselves and think why can’t we do this? Why can’t we get through this time? We should be able to, right? We can do everything else, why not this? But it’s a really difficult time for sure so there are a few things I recommend. And one of them is to just take a moment and be with yourself.
That might only be a minute or 2 and that’s OK. It might be when you are driving in the car. To take a moment and ask yourself what do I need right now? Where am I at? Am I stressed? Hungry? Bring that awareness back to you and take a minute to just breathe and find out what you need. Do you need a walk? A break? A snack? That is the kind of thing we need to do to get through this busy season.
CHRISTINE: Yes, absolutely. I agree with that. As far as the food choices go do you have any suggestions? Because I know from my perspective, clients that I’ve worked with have either starved themselves all day to splurge when they get to the gathering or stuffed themselves full to avoid eating anything they deem as “bad.” They starve or feast.
Tips to Focus On:
Q: Do you have any tips on finding the balance? Taking that moment for yourself is truly important and I do think that it helps but in those moments, what are some tips you can give people to focus on?
LUCY: Yeah, that’s a really great question and I hear it too. I hear the ladies telling me that they have a gathering, and they are going to save their calories or points or whatever it is they are following. And they feel like they can just use them all up at their party. Unfortunately, that’s not how our bodies work. At all.
By saving those calories or points until the party, you are putting your body in a very stressed state. When we are stressed, we know that cortisol is produced, which increases inflammation, and ends up helping to store more fat. And we don’t want that!
What Happens When We Deprive Ourselves?
The other thing that happens when we starve ourselves is we tend to overindulge. We are going into a situation with lots of temptation, foods that may not support our journey, and now we don’t have the strength to think about a healthy choice.
Instead, we want to focus on filling up ahead of time with the healthiest choice we can make. We don’t want to skip breakfast or lunch, and we want to choose things with vegetables, proteins, and healthy fats so when we show up to our gathering, we are feeling full, satiated and supported. When we feel supported it is so much easier to look at a food spread and make choices that further support us.
I also want to recommend that you don’t go in there saying, “I am not even going to look at the cookie table or the desserts.” Because that’s not very realistic either. It’s also putting us into the mindset of restriction. As soon as we go into that kind of mindset, we are setting ourselves up for failure.
Now, if we do have that cookie what happens? We feel like a failure because we told ourselves that we weren’t going to have anything. I also want to point out that food is a large part of our culture. It’s part of the holiday season and part of being a human. This is a reminder that it’s OK to have the celebratory and beautiful food of the season.
What we want to do is support ourselves, set ourselves up for success, and not walk into that situation feeling starved and frustrated.
Go-to Holiday Dishes & Healthier Versions of Classics
CHRISTINE: Yes exactly! I love that idea of feeling supported and not going in there like “I have to do this a certain way.” Just eat normal, go about your day, and walk in and see what happens. Have a plan but like you said, no restrictions or starvation. Just go into those situations saying “this looks good and I’m celebrating.”
I grew up in the restaurant business. I love food. But I know when I go into these gatherings I’m sampling. A bite here, a bite there and that feels good to me. I tend to serve that way too at my own gatherings. I tend to have bite sized portions so guests can indulge and not feel like have something huge to overcome later.
LUCY: Right exactly.
And I think that restriction leads to binging and overeating because we are depriving ourselves and if we do give into the temptations then all of a sudden, we have broken our plan to not eat pie so then we eat the whole thing rather than just having some. Give yourself permission to choose what you want. This allows you to stay more in control and allows you to enjoy a couple of bites without feeling like you are breaking any rules.
Lucy’s Holiday Favorites:
Christine: Right! So, as a dietitian, what are your favorite things to serve at holidays gatherings/meals? Do you have healthier takes on the classics or do you do your own thing?
LUCY: I love this question because I do have a lot of suggestions here. I do have some healthier takes on the classics. I grew up with sweet potato casserole with marshmallows on top. The green bean casserole with French fried onions from the can, and broccoli casserole with Velveeta cheese. I grew up with all of those things. And to me this was a traditional Thanksgiving meal but as an adult I realized they don’t really taste that good to me anymore so I have some healthier versions I incorporate.
Sweet Potato Casserole:
It wasn’t until I was an adult that I realized that those things don’t taste that great to me now as my taste buds have changed from eating more whole foods and less processed ones. I still want to have some yummy treats so I redid the sweet potato casserole and have brought it to many gatherings and everyone loves it!
I switched out some of the sweeteners with orange juice and real maple syrup instead of canned yams. I’m not using the marshmallows on top but you don’t even notice because I have a crunchy topping I use. It’s made with almond flour and pecans instead. It’s so delicious!
Cranberry Sauce:
I’ve also redone the cranberry sauce and I love, love, love, my homemade 3 ingredient recipe that is so, so easy. Anybody could make it, there is no technique. You just put them in a pot and let them cook. I love a big holiday meal, I just choose other things that are delicious and colorful.
Holiday Veggies:
I add roasted root or winter vegetables. They are really sweet when you roast them and colorful too. So things like butternut squash and beets mixed with sweet potatoes and parsnips.
As for the green bean casserole, I have done a healthier version but it’s a bit of work. I prefer to do something like green bean amandine. It’s way easier and still delicious. It’s got some garlic, almonds, and healthy olive oil.
So that’s what my holiday meal is going to look like.
I still do mashed potatoes but I make them with coconut milk so you get some more healthy fat in there. And no one has told me they taste like coconut milk. I also add some real grass fed butter and Himalayan salt so I’m getting some micro minerals in. It’s delicious and with everything else you are only getting a small portion because there are so many other choices. It goes perfectly!
CHRISTINE: Exactly! Would you be willing to share your recipes with us?
LUCY: Absolutely! They will be included in the freebie I have for you guys.
CHRISTINE: Alright perfect, we will get to that.
Managing Holiday Cocktails
CHRISTINE: Another thing that comes up for me with my clients, especially around the holidays is holiday cocktails—so many parties and gatherings have festive drinks that can be loaded with sugar and calories. What are your tips for enjoying holiday cocktails without all the excess sugar and empty calories?
LUCY: Yes, so that’s very important to talk about because it’s definitely a thing around the holidays. It’s very, very individual. I think the most important thing to do is check in with yourself and really know your why.
Know Your Why:
Why are you on this health journey? What are you trying to accomplish? And what is that going to mean to you? If you are trying to balance your hormones because of perimenopause or you’re trying to lose weight, then we have to keep that in mind when we are making these choices.
Downsides to Alcohol:
Alcohol is going to add extra calories. If you have a couple drinks, it’s really going to change the way you make your food choices. I know for me if I have a couple drinks, I tend to forget what I’m doing. I become less present with myself and therefore the choices I’m making aren’t going to be very intentional. So, there are some downsides to drinking alcohol.
What’s the right choice for you?
But, for some people, this might be the only time of year that they indulge in a cocktail, and it might be really meaningful to them and a large part of their social gatherings. So it may be that having a drink is a really important part of their fun!
Bottom line is that it’s really individual and something that you should be intentional about. Decide ahead of time if a cocktail is important to you. Ask does it help or hinder my journey? If it hinders your journey, then what can you do to set yourself up ahead of time?
Setting Yourself Up Ahead of Time:
LUCY: For me, I just love Kombucha. Grabbing one of my favorite flavors and pouring it into a fancy glass makes the occasion special. I don’t miss the cocktail at all. It’s got the carbonation, it looks pretty, it smells pretty and for me that’s all I need.
There are many mocktails out there that will help you feel like you are doing something fancy for yourself especially when you put it in a fancy glass. Put your sparkling water into a fancy glass and that may be all you need to feel included in the gathering.
I have a whole collection of mocktails that are also going to be included in the collection of recipes I have for you guys so you can check those out here. It’s going to be using things like coconut water, sparkling water and some fruit juice, and you get to choose whether you add the alcohol or not. These help it feel fun, fresh, and holiday-ish.
CHRISTINE: Those sound great, I can’t wait to see those recipes!
Holiday Baking & Making Memories
CHRISTINE: Onto the next topic, baking. We mentioned this earlier in the show, I know in my own family, holiday baking has always been part of making memories, and I’m sure that’s true for so many of us. We don’t really make it a habit to keep a lot of the baked goods at home, we tend to give them out to our neighbors and friends however, what’s the best approach to holiday baking that won’t derail our goals and still lets us enjoy the experience?
LUCY: I don’t think we need to sit here thinking we need to redo Christmas or redo the holidays and say I’m not going to bake anymore because that’s not healthy. That can make it so you almost resent this tradition, and we don’t want that. We want you to feel supported and this is a time of year to be happy and enjoy.
If baking is a big part of your tradition, then what can we do to support yourself on that journey even with the baking? One thing is to keep it in perspective.
Keep it in Perspective:
LUCY: It’s one time of year, often times the only time of year that people break out all the baking stuff. It’s not a great idea to take that away especially when there are kids involved.
Think about the idea of baking your own sugar cookies, cutting them out and decorating them versus buying them at the store. Go check out the ingredient list. It’s totally different than what you will make in your own kitchen. Think about that first. Anything you make at home is going to be ten times healthier than store bought. Take some comfort in that. It’s not as big of a deal as we think it is in our head.
And I love that you are making them and bringing them to other people. It’s a way that we show love in this culture. Remember though, when we are giving things away be intentional. If you are just running out and buying treats at the store to bring into the office that’s often not very helpful to anyone’s journey. If it’s out of love and creativity and you worked on something special then yes, that is a beautiful thing.
Adding new traditions:
Keep in mind that it’s always OK to keep traditions alive if they continue to mean something but if you are just going through the motions then maybe it’s time to add new traditions. Maybe you want to add healthier recipes or maybe you want to add traditions that have nothing to do with food. For example, driving around to see all the Christmas lights or watching a certain movie together.
In other words, keep the traditions that are meaningful to you and your family and change the ones that are no longer serving you.
CHRISTINE: Yes! Absolutely, I agree wholeheartedly.
Maintaining Energy Levels During a Busy Season
CHRISTINE: We’re at that time of year or getting to that time of year when we are feeling that extra stress. We are extra busy, we have extra events added to our calendars, so how can we use our food to help us sustain that energy?
LUCY: The first thing that I think is most important and most impactful is starting your day with more protein than you are used to and less of the processed carbs. That’s one of the easiest changes you can make and it’s going to make a huge difference. It’s really going to support you on your journey and through this season.
Can you add an egg or a couple eggs to your breakfast? Can you add some cottage cheese or Greek yogurt? Or even heat up some leftovers from the night before so you don’t have to cook.
The second thing to help us stay on track with energy during this busy season is water. If we can stay hydrated during our day we are really going to feel the difference come the afternoon where we usually experience that big energy drop. Get that water in and you are really going to notice a difference.
I also want to stress that it isn’t just about the food. I know this time of year is difficult but if there is anything you can do to improve stress or sleep, do it. Can you go to bed a little earlier? OR can you take a few minutes to yourself even if it’s while you are driving. Get that breathing into focus and get those cortisol levels down.
CHRISTINE: Yes, perfect! I love when I can do 2 things at once.
LUCY: Oh yeah, I’m big on habit stacking as a mom.
CHRISTINE: Yes, absolutely!
Bouncing Back After Indulging
CHRISTINE: To wrap up, let’s talk about those times we do end up indulging a little more than we planned to. What are your best tips for bouncing back after a bigger holiday meal or indulgent couple of days with family visiting. I’ve seen with my own clients that all or nothing mentality. Oh well I blew it now so it’s over. How do you keep people on track with their goals even after a perceived failure?
LUCY: Yeah, this is something that I see quite often. I even had a client that came to me because 4 years ago she had gone out to a restaurant and had been carb free for several years. But that night she ended up having fried rice. And the next day, felt like she had blown it and spent the next 4 years unable to get back on the wagon because of the all or nothing mentality. She spent 4 years just being stuck due to one “I blew it” moment.
I would love for you to ask yourself nicely, how has that been working for you so far? Has this mentality gotten you the sustainable long term results you’ve been looking for?
I think it’s really important when we have had a big indulgence that we remember the phrase, progress, over perfection. We are not looking for perfection here. It’s OK if something happened. What we want is to get up and move on and not let that guilt equal failure. Or make you feel like you are worth less because you had a bunch of whatever it was that you ate.
Every Single Step Counts:
LUCY: And it’s really important to remember that every. single. step. counts! So, if you get up and walk outside, and drink your morning hot beverage outside in the sun, for even one or two minutes, that right there is an improvement on your journey. That’s a little step that counts. Even one extra glass of water or getting a 5-minute walk in during the day. Those all count!
CHRISTINE: Here at Small Daily Habits it’s always about progress over perfection. And I like to think of it as if a friend came to you and shared this how would you respond to them? We are often kinder to our friends and people in our lives than we are to ourselves. I think that’s an important distinction to remember. Be kind to yourself. Everyone makes mistakes and there is always something to learn. We are always learning.
LUCY: Absolutely! I think if we thought of ourselves as a best friend or even a daughter and that’s how we spoke to ourselves, we would make so much better progress just from that one mental shift.
CHRISTINE: I totally agree. Well thank you so much for being here with us today Lucy. We have learned a lot and I’m so happy you came.
LUCY: Thank you so much for having me. I’ve really, really enjoyed this conversation and I love helping to support women on their journey.
Get Your FREE Holiday Recipe Guide from Lucy:
OK listeners, remember to give yourself permission to enjoy this season, both the food and the memories you’re making. Taking care of yourself is about progress, not perfection, and I hope this episode gives you some inspiration for striking that balance.
If you loved Lucy’s tips today, make sure to check out her work—you can find her in her private Facebook community The Anti-Inflammatory Diet and Lifestyle.
Another big thank you to Lucy for being our guest today and as always thank you to my listeners. Don’t forget to check out the free holiday recipes and more that Lucy and I mentioned throughout the show.
I’ll see you back here next week when I reveal my 12 Days of Wellness Program. If you just can’t wait until next week join my private FB group to learn more today and get started before it’s revealed to the public.
Happy Thanksgiving friends, and remember, BIG changes, begin with small daily habits. Until next time….
Missed last week’s blog post Mindset Matters: How to Enjoy the Holidays Without Falling into the All-or-Nothing Trap? Read here or listen here.
Christine
