You Don’t Need to “Save Up” Your Calories for Holiday Events — Here’s Why
Written by Emily Lovell, RD
During the month of December, the holiday season kicks into full swing. This may mean you’re attending more social events that involve food, it may also mean there’s more of a constant stream of messages telling you to “prepare” for these events by “saving up” calories. These messages can come from social media, coworkers, friends or it may even be your own internal dialogue - leaving you convinced that the only way to get through this holiday season is with discipline and control. But, here’s the truth, you don’t need to save up calories, and in fact it often backfires.
Let’s play out a hypothetical situation. You show up to a holiday gathering ravenous because you’ve been undernourishing all day. You may feel tired, maybe even a little irritable and that makes socializing hard. Your body is experiencing a primal urge to eat - all you find yourself focused on is when food will be served. Hunger hormones spike and suddenly this eating experience feels chaotic. The exact experience you were hoping to avoid. If you’ve experienced this in the past, it is important to note that this is a very normal, biological reaction. Your body is responding to the experience of being undernourished.
There is research that suggests when you are hungry or undernourished, you may experience more negative emotions¹,². A hungry brain can be an anxious brain. Entering into holiday gatherings undernourished may make it more difficult to regulate your emotions. If you are anticipating that there will be topics of conversation that may feel dysregulating for you, ensuring that you are well nourished is a way that you can support yourself in navigating these conversations.
Nourishing regularly through the holidays, and every day, supports your body’s overall wellbeing. Your body thrives on consistency and predictability. When you have access to regular and consistent nourishment it can support stable energy levels, smoother digestion and it can help you better regulate your emotions. When you skip eating opportunities, or “save” calories, it can leave you feeling fatigued, irritable (did someone say hangry?), and often much more susceptible to a disconnected eating opportunity that feels chaotic and primal.
These holiday gatherings are about connection, celebration and for many, tradition. We invite you to allow permission to enjoy special foods without the guilt or shame, to encourage a more relaxed relationship with eating. You are allowed to eat these special foods today, and other times of year for that matter. Sometimes the holidays can feel like it’s “one big cheat meal”, and you know how we feel about cheat meals here. They often show up as planned binges because of how undernourished we are going into those experiences.
Health is complex, and not determined by one meal, or one month of the year. Your patterns across the year(s) is what matters for your overall health and wellbeing. You can honour your body and health, and still enjoy seasonal foods.
The most important take away? Eating normally beforehand sets you up for more ease.
Enjoying satisfying meals/snacks during the day helps you arrive at your event comfortable—not starving—and able to choose what you genuinely want. In this comfortable place, it may feel easier to tune in with your body rather than feeling like your body is reacting to being undernourished.
So, no, you don’t need to “save up” your calories for holiday events this season. You don’t need to shrink yourself to fit the season. Eat consistently, show up nourished, and allow yourself to enjoy the celebrations as a whole human being.
If you’re curious about the concept of permission and creating more ease with food, we recommend starting with our self-paced Intro to Intuitive Eating Course where you can begin to heal your relationship with food.
Mégane Ackermans, Nienke Jonker, Peter de Jong, Adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation skills are associated with food intake following a hunger-induced increase in negative emotions, Appetite. Volume 193. 2024. 107148. ISSN 0195-6663
Ackermans MA, Jonker NC, Bennik EC, de Jong PJ. Hunger increases negative and decreases positive emotions in women. Appetite. 2022 Jan 1;168:105746.
