Goal: Healthier Holidays
Thanks, Ankebuzz!
The fact that my kids are learning healthy habits at such a young age is a wonderful bonus! I don't want them to learn an unhealthy lifestyle like the one in which I grew up.
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My pre-planning for Halloween was a success. I anticipated what battles would come and I readied my troops for battle. In any event I can say that I won and candy was defeated. How motivating is
that? I came across an article from WW with tips to help me stay on track and have a healthier holiday season:
1.
Always eat a healthy dinner before you go to a holiday party. So simple, yet really good advice. In the past I tended to eat lightly or not at all during that day because I knew I would be eating at a holiday party that evening. I have since learned that if you are full you don't have the taste for all those goodies lying around. Well, not as much anyway. I proved that to myself at Halloween when I ate dinner before trick or treating. I did not succumb to the goodies in bag.
2.
Bring healthy foods to potlucks. At least this way I will know there is something healthy to eat. Even if that happens to be the only healthy item on the menu (which is a strong possibility!), at least I know there is something I can eat guilt-free.
3.
At a buffet, cover most of your plate with vegetables and fruits. Then find room for smaller portions of the high-calorie main dishes. Smaller plates are good way to go here. I also put less food on my plate if I stick to this challenge: Don't let any of my food touch. Then I am not as likely to pile stuff on top of other stuff. Yep. I've done that.
4.
Watch out for times when you feel guilty for overeating. Just because you slipped up at lunch isn't license to overindulge all day. Remember: One meal is one meal. One day is one day. Wow, that just hit the nail on the head. This has been my downfall in the past. That "all or nothing" thinking. I'm slowly breaking out of it but it is still a struggle to remember that one bad meal should not make me overindulge all day. My favorite saying used to be: "Oh, well . . . messed up . . . might as well do what I want today. . . tomorrow I diet." Get thee away from me evil thoughts!
5.
On the nights you decide to have a drink, limit yourself to one or two, don't indulge every night, and choose wisely. I just love that new beer commercial for that 64 calorie beer - the guy wants a 64 beer and gets a huge mug full. His girl asks for a 64 cranberry something-or-other and it is tiny compared to the beer sitting next to it. It is so easy to dismiss just how calorie dense a drink can be. An example from the WW article: "A gin and tonic has 155 calories for 7.5 fl oz, while the same size frozen strawberry daiquiri has a whopping 450 calories." Wow. Didn't see that one coming.
6.
If you are drinking, alternate alcoholic beverages with nonalcoholic, calorie-free drinks such as like flavored seltzer. Or, choose wine spritzers, which are half wine and half seltzer. Okay, not sure how easy this one would be to stick to, but I do see the merit in practicing it. It's kind of like going to McD's for a Big Mac and getting a Diet Coke to go with it. Hey, save calories wherever you can, right? (Note: I no longer eat at McD's so let's not lecture me about this.)
7.
Drink extra water to help flush out the excess sodium you consume during rich meals. I already do this one and it does seem to help. The scale is way nicer the morning after a higher sodium dinner if I consume a lot of water throughout that day and the next. If nothing else, I feel better. Not so bloaty. And yes, I know drinking water does not give me the right to eat all that sodium all the time. But hey, we all need a taco or a slice of pizza every now and then, right?
8.
No matter how busy you get, make time for a healthy breakfast. Eating a morning meal will help control cravings later on. Oh this one is right on the money. I find that when I eat less at breakfast I overeat later or snack more during the day. It's like I just can't get satisfied the rest of the day. For the last three months (I kid you not) I have had the same breakfast every single day: Plain oatmeal flavored with Splenda, cinnamon and banana slices and a glass of milk. A few times I tried to change it up and eat something different (like cereal or fruit and toast) but I regret it in a few hours. Funny thing is, I actually crave that for breakfast every morning now. Lol, at least my cholesterol is being knocked down some.
9.
Store healthy snacks at the front of your fridge and pantry, and go for them before you treat yourself to the splurge stuff. I try to limit the amount of "splurge stuff" I bring into my house anyway. I do keep some stuff on hand for those cravings, though. It's funny how this journey has changed my thinking. Once upon a time when I thought of "splurge food" it meant huge gooey cakes and lots of warm over baked cookies (and not in moderation, either.) Now, I consider frozen yogurt or SF candy a yummy treat.
10.
Just say "no" to packaged holiday candies and cakes! So what if they're red and green or blue and white—with all the homemade goodies hanging around, you don't need them. I like this tip. It's kind of like my "just say no to Halloween candy" trick. I can get that stuff any time I want it, right? So why eat it all up just because it is a holiday?
11.
Streamline your grocery shopping with lists of the ingredients you'll need for a week's worth of quick, easy meals. This way, you won't be limited to last-minute convenience and fast foods during those nights when you're dashing around. I already do this and believe me, it keeps me honest. We rarely go out to dinner any more. Experimenting with new things keeps things interesting in our house. Food boredom can be trouble. I even take this one step further: On Sundays I make a few pre-cooked meals so that when we get rushed during the week (or just don't want to cook!) we are not tempted to go out to eat. All we have to do is re-heat. How easy is that?
12.
Add health-related gifts to your wish list this year—they could help make for a slimmer, healthier new year. I think I will make a Christmas "please don't" list this year: Please don't give me candy . . . please don't give me cookies . . . please don't give me restaurant gift certificates . . . please don't give me calories of any kind . . .
(<---- that's my game face!)
Hey, you haven't posted in a week now. Get with it, lady.