Picture this. You’re at a holiday party. A friend pushes a piece of cake into your hands and says, “Have another piece, it’s the holidays! You can indulge!” What if you’re learning how to be a more mindful eater and to intuitively eat and you feel full and don’t want to eat more?

Do you know a food pusher? A food pusher is someone who pressures you into eating something you don’t want to. Most food pushers have good intentions - maybe they show love through food, but when you’re learning to mindfully eat and use the hunger scale to stop eating when you’re full, you’ll need some tactful ways to get through it.

Here are 5 tips to handle a food pusher.

1) Practice How You’ll Respond

It's easy to give in and take another helping (any other people pleasers out there that can relate?) Here's me telling you (and me!), you don't have to!⁠

If they say, “You've hardly eaten anything, you need more food!” You can say something like, “I'm full, but I may have more later.”

Try not to get offended by any comments about noticing your eating habits. Remember - we all have food misconceptions that we’re working on. 

2) Don’t Feel Like You Need To Explain Yourself

If someone says a comment like, “Are you on a diet again? But I made your favorite pie!” Just say ""no, thanks" and let it be.⁠ Unless the person continues to ask or is genuinely concerned about your eating, I would leave it alone and not offer any explanation. 

3) Be An Advocate For Yourself

You want to honor what your body is telling you. It's not your responsibility to make someone else happy by overeating. Listen to your body. You're the only one who can. Go with what feels good to you.⁠

Try saying something like, “My body is telling me that I am full. Maybe I will eat more later.” 

Who knows? Maybe this will spark up a conversation about eating mindfully and learning to intuitively make food choices.

4) User Humor

To keep it lighthearted and avoid an all-out war with Great Aunt Margie, add some humor. 

Say, “No thank you, I’m starting to feel like the yule log cake - stuffed! You might have to roll me home!”

Usually, this adds a little chuckle and ends the conversation :) 

5) Divert!

One of my relatives is so good at this with non-food related topics. They will change it back to you without flinching lol!!

Give a compliment to divert. For example, “These cookies are delicious! Do you have the recipe?”

This will redirect the focus from eating to learning how to bake something. Wink, wink! 

Fear not, holiday food pushers are harmless!