This coming Sunday, I am leaving for Dr. Fuhrman's 2011 Health Getaway. At least one of my vacations each year is a health getaway of some sort, now usually Dr. Fuhrman's.

There are a few reasons why I getaway this way.

1) I find that once every quarter I need to rejuvenate myself. If I don't, I find myself experiencing personal energy debt which is when you have overspent your vital energy and need to break the pattern of your life and get's lots of sleep, rest, recovery and ultimately rejuvenation so that one becomes renewed. It helps me fully recharge, and renew my outlook and spirit.

2) At least once a year, I enjoy doing this in a combined learning and vacationing environment like Dr. Fuhrman's Health Getaway. It's just the right balance between lectures, exercise, events, and the leisure time I need to to get the benefits I'm really seeking most which is rejuvenation.

One of my primary aims this year is to continue eating when I'm hungry despite the fact that there will be food 3 times per day in amazing abundance. I recently took off a stubborn 20 lbs, just by applying this principle which is only possible when you have a 90% or More Plant Based, Nutrient Rich eating plan.

A little background:

I may be a nutrition education trainer, and lifestyle coach/trainer, but I too have aspects of the lifestyle that I have to work on regularly. In my case, it's eating for the right reasons. When I was first learning Nutrient Rich Healthy Eating, I wanted to try everything. I found it so exciting to experience a new way of eating that I found I was overeating often.

Then when I would face very challenging periods, I would eat incredibly healthy still, but I would eat to cope with stress…not because I was hungry, and so on. You could call this emotional eating.

And to boot, when I am faced with pre-prepared foods in such a healthy environment, historically I would suffer from what I coined as "last supper syndrome". It says, that just because the food is there and I have paid to eat it, that I must eat it. As if there will never be another chance to immerse myself in such healthy eating, or that I'm never going to get the chance to eat again". It is a syndrome and one that I have a fairly good track record in recent times in my life of not falling into. But lord knows, I know I'm still susceptible, like a drunk in a bar, because of all that memory I have despite the fact that I have changed the stories that used to drive me a little crazy, and resolved many of the issues that would give rise to anxiety and stress in my life.

So this year, I am going into what will be an incredible week, knowing that, and very aware of my lifestyle choices so that I come back in optimal healthy and still living at or near my ideal weight. Besides a meal or two, I'm going to leave every meal feeling satisfied but feeling like "I don't even have a stomach". In other words, I will not be overwhelmingly full. If I can feel my stomach, I probably ate too much.

Here are some photo's from last year.

Take a look at the foods and you'll know why this is a challenge for most people, including me!

I'll be posting some video's and pictures throughout the entire experience and I hope to see you there and or next year!

I can virtually predict the stories I will hear from clients as they deal with the onslaught up holiday food that is consuming their life.

Now I’m all for celebrating and having a grand ole’ time with food, but that doesn’t mean you have to have stories like “oh its the holidays, I have to eat and get sick”, “god there is so much food around, no wonder I’m getting fat”.

Our stories about eating, our stories about the holidays and food, like our stories about life in general which affect how we do everything in life, affect how we eat. We usually eat according to our story (s) about eating.

So here are five steps to change your story about food as you go through the holidays.

1. figure out what your current story is
2. determine how that story is causing you to eat
3. come clean with how it’s really making you feel, after to eat the way you story says you should
4. admit how you cover it up
5. then change your story to one that works for you!

Once you fully appreciate why the current story you have about any situation or circumstance is not working for you (like how you are eating), you can change it to a story that does.

That requires both practical knowledge, the awareness and the understanding of how to change your story.

Changing your story usually does not result in a change in behavior, unless you go through this basic process and change your thinking. If you don’t, it’s likely you are  just being positive or well wishing or willing your way through situations, with thinking about those situations that is not supportive.

So going into the holidays with a new mindset (story) that you are going to operate from; a new and more compelling and supportive story to live into and through the holidays, is a great place to start.

• What’s your food story about food and Christmas?
• What’s your food story about food and Chanukah?
• What’s your food story about food and New Years?
• What’s your food story about the holidays in general?

Whatever your story is, make it happy and merry but supportive; and still eat nutrient Rich Foods, for health!

Happy Holidays,

JAM