A recent study about the feelings people have after eating chocolate cake found people had feelings of pleasure and enjoyment, but also worry and guilt.  They also found that over an 18 month period, those that took ownership and celebrated their food choices tended to keep the weight off; but those that felt guilty and worried about their choices on average did not keep the weight off.  The study also showed that guilt was not a good motivator for behavior change.

So the bottom line is to plan ahead and enjoy your food choices this holiday season!  Feeling guilty about your food choices will only hamper your weight loss and make you feel bad about the choices you have made.  If you have taken the time to plan out your meal by not overeating on the main course and saving some room (aka calories!) for desert, you will feel much better about yourself and whatever food choices you have made.

Happy Holidays!