10 Tips To Surviving A Holiday Meal and Not Feel Guilty- Happy Easter!

First, let me say that you should never feel guilty about a little indulgence at a holiday meal. Most often it is not the holiday meal itself that derails our nutritional efforts, it is the day before, day of, and day after that seem to get us off track!

Here are 10 tips to help you stay on track over this holiday weekend and not leave you feeling defeated on Monday morning!

1. Remove all Easter candy from the home. If you are filling Easter baskets for the kiddos, then don't open those bags of sugary treats until the night before. And use ALL the candy. Don't keep a couple pieces for yourself.  There are 150 calories in one popular chocolate creme egg- that will require a 39 min walk to work off. It has 21 grams of sugar- that is almost an entire day's target as recommended by the AHA!

2. Follow your normal exercise routine the day before, and day after. Added bonus if you add an exercise session the day of- get the family out for a walk together! It is a much healthier way to spend time together than gorging and napping.

3.  Dress to the 9's! Ladies, put on a nice dress, or a form fitting pair of jeans and a nice shirt that doesn't hide the bulge! Do your hair and make-up- wear lipstick. Guys, the same goes for you with the form fitting clothes, and be sure to groom yourselves as well. When we dress up we carry ourselves with self respect. We are more likely to eat mindfully to ensure we not accidentally drop food on our nice clothes. If those clothes are form fitting, we are more aware of the limited room in our bellies, therefore adding less to our plates!

4. Take the conversation away from the food table. We have a tendency to "graze" when in a group chatting, so take the conversation away from the food table. This may be a great time to get your family involved in a board game. If it is a beautiful day, take the party outdoors and play badminton or an old-fashioned game of tag with the kids!

5. Don't think you can starve yourself the day before, or morning of and "save up" your calories. It doesn't work that way. Saving calories from the day before may backfire when you become so hungry you eat everything in sight the next day! It is better to eat lower calories foods but enough to keep your body satisfied. Add more raw veggies and protein the day before. The day of, don't skip breakfast. If you go to your Easter meal hungry you will set yourself up for overindulgence.

6. Don't drink your calories. Limit your alcohol beverages. Enjoy 1-2 adult drinks if you like, but have a full glass of water before and after each one. This will encourage you to sip your drink a little more slowly and save yourself a lot of empty calories. The same applies when drinking pop.Choose sparkling water and serve it in a wine glass!

7. Use a smaller plate and fill it only once. That's right- one trip! Scope out all the goodies beforehand and be sure to fill 1/4 of your plate with veggies, and 1/4 of your plate with protein. The other 1/2 can be whatever you would like, including dessert. However, make sure your plate is piled no higher with food than the height of 3 fingers.

8. Chew your food well. Your mom was right all those years ago when she told you to slow down. When you chew your food more slowly your brain gets the signal to stop eating before you overeat and feel miserable.

9.  Mind your bites! A taste here, a taste there. It was just a bite, it doesn't count...right? Wrong! Many people don't realize how much they eat when they cook the holiday meal. Those tastes can add several hundred calories before you even sit down to dinner!

10.  Put it all in perspective. One meal of overindulgence will not derail all your efforts to that point. Just don't let it be the excuse to continue down that path. Enjoy the meal, move on, leave the guilt behind. Get back on track the next day with fewer carbs, no added sugar, regular exercise and at least 8-10 glasses of water.

Happy Holidays!

Best in Health!
Carol Keller
Holistic Health Coach and Fitness Trainer
My Healthy Friends Fitness
myhff.blogspot.com
https://www.facebook.com/groups/myhealthyfriendsfitness/