Ever have that feeling of regret after you’ve overindulged at a holiday party? Or the family gathering at your own home?

There are so many delectable and delicious foods on display during the holidays. Many women simply press pause on their health and weight loss goals until the holidays are over.

But what if you could truly enjoy yourself this holiday season while keeping your health and weight loss goals front and center?

Here are my top tips for fully enjoying yourself this holiday season – without overindulging or throwing all your health goals down the drain.

1. Be intentional – What if you got clear about how you want to feel and what you want to see in yourself when the holidays are over, and the new year is here? When you get clear inside of yourself ahead of time, it’s easier to then create a plan and follow through on it.

Here is an example: I want to enjoy a variety of foods all season long and savor my favorite foods – but not eat too much of anything. I want to listen to what my body says it likes and doesn’t like and feel good in my body every day. I want to maintain my fitness goals and move my body in ways that help me feel strong and resilient all season long – including walks outside 3-4 times a week, and going to bed early every night. I want to feel proud of the choices I made, and I want to see that I maintained or even lost a little weight when January 1^st arrives.

2. Put half as much on your plate – This is a little trick that’s especially helpful when there is a buffet, or the meal is self-serve. You might be tempted to load up your plate with every single goodie available, and that’s fine. But what if you just took half as much of each goodie as you might normally take?

Let yourself truly delight in what is on your plate and the variety that’s there. Sink into the enjoyment of whatever you’re eating and give your body the chance to feel satisfied, happy and energized in the process. See what happens when you eat a bit less.

3. Take twice as long – Whenever you eat, no matter what it is, let yourself slow down and eat with all of your senses. Let yourself really receive how the food looks, smells and tastes. Revel in the textures and how your body responds to what you’re eating. Take the time to engage with the people you’re with and enjoy your surroundings. Eating is about more than just filling your stomach, after all.

Simply slowing things down and letting your senses catch up to what you’re putting into your mouth can dramatically change how much you eat, and how well you digest it. When we go on autopilot during a meal, or eat too fast, we miss the experience, which leaves our bodies and brains wanting more. Whatever you’re eating, go slow and savor. Let yourself be nourished, not just fed.

4. Eat to the point of energy – This tip does require practice and time to master, but when you do, you will discover that eating is about far more than filling your stomach. As you eat, pay attention to the amount of food it takes to lift your energy, increase your focus, and jumpstart your life force.

As you play with this, notice what happens when you eat more than that amount of food. It often sedates us. What if you stopped before sedation starts? This is a practice that asks us to stay present and slow down when we eat. See what happens when you honor eating to the point of energy – no more, no less.

5. Replace guilt with gratitude – Research has shown that the thoughts we think about the foods we eat instantly become reality in our bodies. If we delight in a food – say, your favorite flavor of ice cream – the brain will take this positive input and stimulate our digestion in such a way that we have a fuller metabolic breakdown of the ice cream . We also burn its calories more efficiently.

If on the other hand, you feel guilty or judge yourself for eating ice cream, the brain will take that negative input and send inhibitory responses to the digestive organs. The end result is you’ll eat the ice cream, but not digest it well. Those inhibitory signals will also increase insulin and cortisol, decrease calorie-burning efficiency, and cause you to store more of your guilt-infused ice cream as body fat.

So, replace guilt with gratitude this holiday season. Appreciate whatever you’re eating. Let yourself really enjoy it without fear or worry or guilt. Of course, making life-giving choices for yourself will help you be able to remain grateful. But don’t forget that eating your aunt’s homemade English toffee, or your grandmother’s cookie recipe can also be life-giving. Just follow the other tips above and really let yourself savor and enjoy.

It’s amazing what becomes possible when we let ourselves be intentional about the choices we make – especially when it comes to food. Try my tips above and see if they help you to delight and revel in the wonders of this season, and avoid the guilt and bloat of overindulgence altogether. Let this time be merry, fun, and bright!

PS: If you do overindulge, please don’t beat yourself up. Try one of my Green Smoothie recipes here to help you get your body and your digestion back on track!