Jaded Issue #25

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The holiday season is coming… which means more food, more drinks, more travel, more chaos, and less routine.
Blessings? Absolutely.
Triggering? Absolutely.

There is magic in this season — the excitement of Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas cookie baking, the comfort foods you only see once a year. But for a lot of us, there’s also fear. I spent years dreading the holidays because all I could think about was what I was eating, how “off track” I felt, or how bloated I looked. It sucked the joy out of everything.

I don’t want that for me anymore — and I definitely don’t want that for you.
So if holiday eating stresses you out, these tips are your new survival guide.

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1. Remember: It’s a Few Days… Not a Whole Season

Not to be dramatic, but we act like “holiday eating” is a 3-month marathon when in reality, it’s a handful of actual days.
Please do not rebuild your entire personality around what you’re eating from November to January. You don’t need to “prepare,” “undo,” or “make up for” anything. It’s food, it’s love, it’s community. Let it be what it is.

2. Make a Game Plan (Chaos-Friendly Routine)

If you’re like me, you run on routine. Holiday season? No routine. Just vibes. And my birthday is smack in the middle of it all, so we’re working with full chaos.

What helps the most? Sitting down once a week and mapping out a loose routine:

• Which workouts you want to do (flexible, not perfection)
  
• A grocery list so you have real meals in between events
  
• A general schedule so you don’t feel like you’re spiraling
  

Think of it like… giving Future You a hug.

3. DO NOT — I REPEAT, DO NOT — Go to Holiday Meals Hungry

This is my Roman Empire.
“Saving calories” for a big holiday meal does not help you. It just sets you up to feel deprived, binge-y, wired, and weird around food.
Eat breakfast. Eat lunch. Eat snacks. Be a well-fed human before you walk into Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year’s — whatever you celebrate.

The more you starve yourself beforehand, the more out of control you’ll feel later.
Break the loop.

4. Make a Plate

If you can intuitively graze… honestly, congrats? Because that is an Olympic-level skill and I was not blessed with it.

For most of us:
Make a plate.
Choose what looks good.
Sit down.
Eat it slowly.
Talk to your family.
Enjoy the moment.

If you’re still hungry 20–25 minutes later? Go back for more.
Your body needs time to register fullness — it’s not a machine.

5. Wear Clothes You Can Actually Live In

Why do we wear skin-tight dresses to meals we know involve lots of food?
Why are we fighting biology?
Why are we doing this to ourselves?

Wear something comfy. Something you can breathe in. Something that won’t have you spiraling the moment you bloat (which is human… and normal). Your nervous system will thank you.

6. Focus on the People, Not the Plates

Yes, holidays are about food — but not only food.
Shift your focus:

• family
  
• friends
  
• conversations
  
• traditions
  
• that one person you don’t like but low-key want updates from anyway (we all have one)
  

Food is part of the experience, not the whole event.

7. Hydrate Like It’s Your Job

Water. Water. Water.
Especially if you’re drinking.
My rule: one drink = two cups of water.

And no, soda does not count.
(I’m sorry but someone had to say it.)

8. The Day After: No “Getting Back on Track” Nonsense

We are not:

• starving ourselves
  
• “detoxing”
  
• punishing our bodies with a psycho workout
  
• avoiding leftovers (they’re literally the best part)
  

We are simply returning to our normal routine.
Eating regular meals.
Moving our bodies in ways that feel good.
Letting one day be… one day.

Your body doesn’t need to be fixed.
It needs consistency — not extremes.

Just because you ate yesterday, doesn’t mean you don’t have to today. 

Bonus Tips: 

• Add color when you can. Not for weight. For nutrients, fiber, and feeling alive.
  
• Have a protein source at most meals. Keeps your blood sugar steady and your energy level sane.
  
• Set boundaries with triggering conversations. A simple “I’m not talking about diets today” works wonders.
  
• Respect your fullness and your joy. You’re allowed to stop eating and you’re allowed to have the dessert you only get once a year.
  

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Because one day doesn’t define you — it never has.

The reality is you’re not “falling off track,” you’re living your life. One meal, one party, one slice of pie does not define your health — your patterns do. Eat, enjoy, hydrate, sleep, laugh, and move on. Let the holidays be what they’re meant to be: a few joyful, messy, delicious days that fit into a healthy life, not derail it. You deserve ease, not anxiety.

Eat well, live well, and have the holly-jolliest holiday season.

Olivia Jade