Welcome back to Rebuilding Trust With Your Body, I’m Katy Harvey your host. Today on the show we are going to be talking about Thanksgiving dinner and those big holiday meals that stress us out so much. 

I can remember when I was hard core in my own diet mentality worrying about Thanksgiving for a week or two a head of time and feeling like I needed to start saving up and working out more. And the day of, I would be so worried about overeating that I’d try to save up and skimp on things. In hindsight, I was so worked up over nothing. I’ll never forget the year that I had really been leaning into IE and I had this epiphany on my way to my grandma’s where we still had TG dinner, and I realized TG food is just food…

Before we dive into our main topic for today, you know what time it is…We’ve got some Wellness Woo to talk about. 

Wellness Woo is the stuff that diet and wellness culture tells us we should do in the name of health, but it’s really based on pseudoscience, exaggerated claims, or just nonsense. 

Today’s Wellness Woo is: Diet talk at the TG table

You know the lines.
“I shouldn’t be eating this.”
“I’m being so bad right now.”
“I’m starting my diet on Monday.”
Or even, “Are you sure you want seconds?”

These comments can be so triggering when you’re working on your relationship with food. So I want to give you a few simple tools to protect your peace and stay connected to your body—not someone else’s rules.

1. Remember: Their food fears are theirs. Not yours.

When someone makes a comment about carbs or calories or “earning” their food, it’s really a reflection of their relationship with food—not a judgment on yours.
It helps to mentally repeat:
“This is their stuff. I don’t have to take it on.”

That alone creates a huge buffer.

2. Have one or two go-to phrases ready.

You don’t need a TED Talk response.
Just a simple, neutral redirect that reinforces your boundaries.

Try:

• “I’m focusing on enjoying my food today.”
• “I don’t do food guilt anymore.”
• “I’m listening to my body this year.”
• “I’m good, thanks.”

Short, kind, and firm.

You’re not debating them. You’re just protecting your lane.

3. Shift the conversation gently.

Most people fall into diet talk out of habit. You can lead them out of it just as easily.

Change the subject with something like:

• “How’s work going for you lately?”
• “Tell me more about that trip you took!”
• “What’s everyone watching on Netflix right now?”

People usually follow your lead.

4. Give yourself permission to step away if you need to.

If the conversation feels overwhelming, it’s okay to take a quick breather:
Go refill your drink. Step outside for a minute. Help in the kitchen. Sit by the kids’ table.

A short reset can work wonders on your nervous system.

5. Re-center with a body check-in.

Bring your attention back inward:

• How’s my body feeling?
• Am I enjoying my food?
• What do I need right now?

This snaps you back into living your own experience, instead of getting pulled into someone else’s anxieties.The goal here isn’t to police other people’s comments. It’s to stay anchored in your values.

If you have an example of Wellness Woo that you want to share, DM it to me.

Ok, that’s enough of that. Moving on to today’s main topic…

1. Start by Grounding Into Your Body (Before You Even Think About Your Plate)

Why it matters: Most holiday stress comes from being disconnected from our bodies and overly connected to external rules, expectations, and comparison.

In fact, we’re going to practice grounding into your body right now. Do it with me. And I want you to keep practicing this the whole holiday season, until it becomes second nature to you. 

How to do it:

• Use the Powerful Pause before making your plate.
• Check in with:
  • Hunger level (lightly hungry? very hungry?)
  • What sounds good? (savory? warm? crunchy? sweet?)
  • How do I want to feel after? (comfortable? satisfied? energized?)
• Imagine your “future self” one hour after the meal. What would help her feel supported, at ease, and nourished?
  

CTA: By the way, if this grounding practice already feels like a breath of fresh air for you because it gives you a strategy and something specific you can DO to use IE at your holiday meals,  I want to make sure you know about something special happening this week only! Now through Friday Nov 21 my mini-course Stepping Off the Dieting Rollercoaster is 50% off for Black Friday!! 

It’s a short, powerful course that you can easily complete before Thanksgiving—so you head into the holiday grounded, confident, and equipped with the exact tools you need to enjoy the food without spiraling into overeating, guilt, or old patterns. You’re not going to be able to listen to your body, let alone enjoy the time with your loved ones for the holiday, if you’re stuck in your head thinking about the calories in the pie or the carbs in the stuffing.

I’ll put the link in the show notes with the discount code – and you need to hurry and grab it before my early Black Friday sale ends on the 21st!! I want you to have these tools in your hands BEFORE the biggest food-focused holiday of the year, so let’s do this NOW. You can listen to the lessons on-the-go while you’re at the gym or folding laundry, and next Thursday when you sit down for TG dinner you’ll ground yourself like we just talked about and trust that you know exactly how to eat that meal intuitively because you’ve just been through the mini-course and the skills and strategies are fresh in your mind.

2. Give Yourself Permission to Eat the Special Holiday Foods and Enjoy them Unapologetically

Trying to “be good” around holiday meals actually increases stress, decreases satisfaction, and sets you up to eventually “give in” and overeat the foods you’ve been trying to limit or avoid. Have you ever done something like skip the mashed potatoes in the name of health, only to find yourself secretly scraping them off your kids’ plate, or shoving dinner rolls in your mouth while everyone is clearing the table? 

How to apply it:

• Name the foods you look forward to each year (the can’t-miss items).
• Tell yourself explicitly: “I can have this.”
• Let pleasure be part of the plan, not something to fight.

Why it helps:
Permission calms the nervous system, reduces overeating, and boosts satisfaction.

What this accomplishes:
It pulls you out of panic-choice mode and into intentional, body-led decision making.

3. Use the “Mid-Meal Check-In” to Stay Present (Not Panicked)

Why it matters: Most people either:

• Eat quickly while anxious, or
• Avoid checking in at all out of fear of being “too full”

The Mid-Meal Check-In brings calm back into the meal.

How to do it:

• Pause halfway through your plate—just 5–10 seconds.
• Notice:
  • Am I still enjoying this the same amount?
  • What’s my hunger/fullness level?
  • Which foods taste best right now?
  • Do I want more of something? Less of something? Something else entirely?

What it accomplishes:

• Helps match your eating to your body’s needs.
• Prevents that uncomfortably stuffed feeling.
• Strengthens self-trust because you’re listening in the moment, not reacting afterward.

Let’s recap the 3 strategies for IE at TG, and then prepare your heart, because I’m coming at you with a BONUS strategy on what to do AFTER the meal…

1. Start by Grounding Into Your Body (Before You Even Think About Your Plate)
2. Give Yourself Permission to Eat the Special Holiday Foods and to Enjoy them Unapologetically
3. Use the “Mid-Meal Check-In” to Stay Present (Not Panicked)

CTA: Before I share my favorite bonus strategy, remember that my mini-course Stepping Off the Dieting Rollercoaster is 50% off this week for Black Friday, and this is truly the PERFECT time to take it!! It’s normally $97, and 50% off, so for <$50 (less than a date night or a new sweater) you’re getting everything you need to actually enjoy the food this holiday season, without fear, without guilt, and without worrying the whole time about gaining weight – because you’re going to leverage IE to help you enjoy it. 

It’s a mini-course, designed to get you quick wins, so you can easily finish it in under a week (you could even sit down and do the whole thing in a day if you wanted), which means you’ll walk into Thanksgiving feeling grounded, confident, and fully equipped with the strategies you need. IE doesn’t just magically happen without intentionality, especially in situations like holiday meals. 

PLUS when you grab the mini-course you’re going to get a special Black Friday bonus – my Unconventional Meal Plan takes the principles of IE, and shows you how to use it to put together a mix-and-match plate of food. It’s all about how to leverage gentle nutrition, without restriction…and it’s all yours for FREE when you join for Black Friday through Nov 21. (Oh and did I mention that it comes with 3 weeks of B,L,D and snacks all planned for you?!) 

Go to nondietacademy.com/rollercoaster and use the code HOLIDAYREADY50 at checkout! And hurry because you only have through November 21 to snag this early Black Friday deal!

*Bonus Strategy: Plan a Post-Meal Ritual That Helps You Feel Grounded

This ritual isn’t about undoing food—it’s about supporting your mind and body.

Ideas:

• A slow walk with someone you enjoy
• Putting on comfy clothes
• Sitting with hot tea
• Stepping outside for fresh air
• Five minutes of gentle stretching
• Playing a board game or doing something light-hearted

Why it helps:
It shifts your focus from food worries to connection, comfort, and presence.

Wrapping Up

Express sincere gratitude. 

Be gentle with yourself and your body. 

In case nobody has told you today – you are worthy just as you are. We’ll talk again soon.

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