Breaking the Holiday Binge–Restrict Cycle
The holiday season brings so much beauty — twinkling lights, familiar music, gatherings with people we love, and traditions we look forward to year after year. But if we’re being honest, it also brings something else:
A whole lot of pressure.
Pressure to “be good.”
Pressure to avoid certain foods.
Pressure to keep it all together.
Pressure to enjoy everything… but somehow not eat too much of anything.
By December, many women tell me they’re exhausted from the emotional tug-of-war around food. They feel like they’re ping-ponging between two extremes:
“I might as well eat everything now” and “I need to make up for this tomorrow.”
Maybe you’ve felt the same.
Before long, the cycle feels familiar: overeating leads to guilt, to restriction, to burnout, and back to overeating again. Eventually, the only “solution” that feels doable is to make the classic promise:
“I’ll start over in January.”
But here’s something I want you to hear clearly — something that often brings women more relief than anything else:
Your body is not working against you. It’s trying to keep you safe.
And understanding why this cycle happens is the first step toward calming it.
Why the Holidays Trigger Old Patterns
The holidays aren’t just festive — they’re demanding.
Schedules fill up.
Expectations stack high.
Sleep becomes unpredictable.
Work deadlines pile up.
Family dynamics resurface.
And emotions run deep — joy mixed with stress, nostalgia mixed with pressure, excitement mixed with overwhelm.
All of this adds up to one thing:
Your nervous system slips into survival mode.
This isn’t weakness — it’s biology.
When stress rises, your brain is wired to seek:
comfort
predictability
relief
quick energy
something that feels good right now.
Food — especially holiday food — checks every box.
It’s fast.
It’s soothing.
It’s nostalgic.
It’s rewarding.
And it gives your brain that brief sense of safety it’s craving.
This is why, for many women, the binge–restrict cycle feels stronger during the holidays. Not because you lack willpower. Not because you’re failing. But because your nervous system is doing what it was built to do.
Your body is on your side — even when it doesn’t feel like it.
The Pendulum: Why You Swing From One Extreme to the Other
Most women I coach come in believing the problem is their overeating.
But overeating is rarely the root issue —
restricting is.
I call this the pendulum effect:
You overeat.
You feel guilt or frustration.
You swing hard into restriction (“I’ll make up for this”).
The restriction becomes unsustainable.
You swing right back into overeating.
The energy you use to pull the pendulum to one extreme is the energy that sends it flying to the other.
This means:
➡️ The more you restrict,
➡️ the more likely you are to overeat again.
And the harder you pull, the harder it snaps back.
Women often blame themselves for a lack of discipline, when the truth is much simpler and far more compassionate:
Your body is rebounding from deprivation.
Your brain is attempting to restore safety.
And here’s the good news:
You don’t need to freeze the pendulum.
You just need to gently slow the swing.
When the pendulum slows, something beautiful happens—you find your way into the middle ground.
The Middle Ground: Your Intentional Zone
The middle isn’t dramatic. It’s not flashy. It’s not perfect.
But it’s where sustainable peace with food actually lives.
I call this the intentional zone.
It’s the space where:
You enjoy holiday foods without spiraling.
You make choices that still honor your body.
You eat with awareness, not fear.
You decide your portions rather than reacting to stress.
You don’t “save up” for special meals.
You don’t punish yourself afterward.
You stay grounded instead of pulled in all-or-nothing directions.
This zone is calm, balanced, and supportive.
And the best part?
You don’t have to overhaul your whole holiday season to get there.
Just a few gentle shifts can make a huge difference.
Let’s talk about them.
4 Ways to Slow the Pendulum This Holiday Season
These practices are intentionally simple — because simple habits are the ones that hold steady when life gets full.
1. Pause Before Reacting
Stress often makes us act fast.
You feel anxious.
There’s food nearby.
Your brain wants comfort now.
And before you even realize what’s happening, you’re halfway through a plate of cookies you didn’t even enjoy.
The solution is not more control — it’s more awareness.
A simple pause breaks the auto-pilot.
You can say to yourself:
“What am I feeling right now?”
“What do I actually need?”
“Is this hunger or stress?”
“Will this help me feel the way I want to feel tonight?”
Even a breath — a single, deep inhale and slow exhale — gives your nervous system space to settle.
That tiny pause puts you back in the driver’s seat.
2. Choose One Anchor Habit
Busy seasons are not the time for big routines or complicated goals.
Instead, choose one small thing that helps you stay centered.
Just one.
Some ideas:
Protein before an event
A 5–10 minute walk after dinner
A morning check-in
A simple breakfast that steadies your hunger
Drinking enough water so you’re not confusing thirst for hunger
Sitting down to eat instead of standing or rushing
One anchor habit creates enough stability to keep you grounded — even when everything around you feels chaotic.
And that stability slows the pendulum beautifully.
3. Plan With Flexibility
Rigid plans almost always break under holiday pressure.
Flexible plans bend — and keep you steady.
Instead of:
“I won’t eat dessert.”
Try:
“I’ll choose what will help me feel the way I want tonight.”
Instead of:
“I have to track perfectly.”
Try:
“I’ll be mindful even if I’m not tracking today.”
Instead of:
“I shouldn’t be hungry again.”
Try:
“I’ll honor my hunger so I don’t get to the point of overeating later.”
Flexibility doesn’t weaken your goals — it protects them.
Because the holidays aren’t about perfection.
They’re about intention.
4. Drop the “I’ll Start Monday” Mindset
Holiday eating doesn’t undo months of consistency.
One dinner doesn’t erase your progress.
One moment of stress-eating doesn’t define you.
You don’t need a fresh start on Monday, next month, or January 1st.
Your next choice is your reset.
The very next one.
This mindset shifts everything.
Instead of spiraling, you simply realign.
Instead of guilt, you choose compassion.
Instead of waiting for a new beginning, you create one.
That is the heart of food freedom.
Why This Matters: A Regulated Nervous System Supports Healthy Choices
When you slow the pendulum and stay in your intentional zone, something powerful happens internally:
Your nervous system begins to regulate.
A regulated nervous system makes it easier to:
✔ recognize true hunger
✔ stop when you’re full
✔ stay connected to your body
✔ choose foods that make you feel good
✔ break old patterns
✔ take care of yourself without overwhelm
If you'd like to read more, here are a couple reputable sources on how stress affects eating behavior and self-regulation:
Harvard Health explains how chronic stress influences cravings and overeating:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/why-stress-causes-people-to-overeatThe American Psychological Association discusses emotional eating and stress responses:
https://www.apa.org/topics/stress/body
These are the exact patterns I help my clients understand — not with shame, but with compassion and strategy.
Your Comeback Doesn’t Wait for a New Year
One of the biggest lies diet culture has ever told women is that January is the magical reset button.
But the truth is much kinder:
Your comeback begins the moment you choose calm over chaos.
Presence over pressure.
Awareness over autopilot.
The holidays can be a beautiful place to start.
You are capable of peace.
You are capable of balance.
You are capable of changing your patterns — without perfection, punishment, or extremes.
And if you want support as you navigate this season, I’m here for you.
If you’d like a little guidance through the holidays, reach out — I’d love to help you find your calm, your confidence, and your intentional zone.
Here’s to a gentler, more grounded holiday season.
💛
—Christi
