Over the next couple weeks, I’ll almost certainly hear some version of this from a handful of people: “I don’t know what happened… I just couldn’t stay on track with my nutrition over the holidays.”
That statement will then be followed by a list of foods in which they recently overindulged: cookies, candy, drinks, party snacks, leftovers, and so on.
But in most cases, the real issue will have had less to do with what was eaten and more to do with how their normal routine changed.
The hidden cost of losing structure
For most of the year, whether we realize it or not, our days have a built-in rhythm. We wake up, eat, move, work, relax, and climb back into bed at roughly the same times each day.
But holidays disrupt all of that. Our work schedules change. Travel enters the picture. Social events stack up. Sleep can become shorter or more erratic. And once that underlying structure disappears, making good nutrition decisions becomes much harder—even for people who normally eat reasonably well.
(This is also why nutrition is often less consistent on weekends than weekdays—though usually not as inconsistent as during the holidays, since many of us still have a predictable weekend rhythm.)
When structure disappears, discipline takes the blame
What usually gets blamed here is discipline. But that’s just the scapegoat.
In reality, changing routines interfere with our regular movement habits and throw off mealtimes—sometimes causing meals to be skipped altogether. That naturally leads to cravings, hunger, and low energy.
Add in poorer sleep, increased stress, and decision fatigue, and it’s not that surprising that many of us would reach for an energy-boosting cookie (or five or ten) at the family Christmas party.
At this point, the cookies aren’t the real problem. They’re the consequence.
A more useful way to approach holiday nutrition
Rather than trying to “just be disciplined” around food during the holidays, a more effective approach starts with two simple questions:
- How does tomorrow’s routine differ from normal?
- What’s one typical action I can still do in spite of that difference?
The action doesn’t need to be complicated. And you don’t need to maintain your entire routine.
Just pick one simple anchor habit like preparing your usual breakfast, taking a short walk after dinner, meditating for a minute after waking up, or going to bed at your regular time.
That one habit provides a sense of stability inside an otherwise abnormal routine. And when we have that stability, food choices tend to improve on their own—without white-knuckling willpower.
Putting it into practice
The holidays are meant to be a time of celebration and recovery, so it’s unrealistic to expect our routines to stay perfectly aligned with normal life. But that doesn’t mean we need to let the variability completely derail us.
If holiday eating has felt chaotic in the past, try this approach over the next few weeks:
- Identify one daily habit that normally keeps you grounded.
- Protect that habit as best you can—consider creating a few options for different routines.
- Let everything else be a little more flexible.
It may feel too simple to matter, but it’s far more effective than relying on discipline alone.
I hope you and your family have a great Christmas (or Hanukah or Kwanzaa) and New Year!