The Holidays are here…

The Holidays are here…kicking off with Halloween candy and not stopping until New Year’s leftovers.  This time of year is probably the hardest time of year (for me anyway) in terms of “healthy living”.  My favorite things about the season are the food and the gatherings with family and friends. I am not willing to give them up.  So how do I plan to maintain this pattern through the holidays?  Well…

It is likely that I will use a few excuses…I know this is a no excuses journey but I am human they will always sneak in occasionally.  And it is likely that I will not drop 10 pounds.  So why expect it?  I am going to set my goals a little more attainable.  I would like to maintain my weight at least.  I know it will fluctuate through the season but if I weigh in on January 3^rd I expect for it to be either equal or less than what I started this week.  It is still going to be a challenge but I think that is attainable.  I just have to go in with a plan and always keep it in my mind. 

The overall idea of weight loss is to burn more calories than you take in.  I know there are all kinds of shakes and pills out there promising you that you can loose weight and not change a thing about your daily life.  How many times do you have to “diet” to read that as CRAP?  Yes I have tried them too; who hasn’t?  But I have finally come to terms that the “easy button” really doesn’t exist.  I do believe the success stories for the different programs, what I want to see printed are stories from 3 years later.  So many promise great results and work for a while.  You get all excited and think wow I have finally found my ticket I am going to look great! Then you believe in yourself so much that you are convinced you have figured it out and quit doing the shakes or taking the pills, after all you don’t need them anymore.  The problem is that most people have not fixed what was broken.  You haven’t taken the time to learn what you are eating and what you need to change.  So when you replace the shake of 150 calories with a meal of 300-500 calories your body is thinking “WooHOO a sale I will take one of each color!”

Same thing will happen to me at Christmas…I have been reasonable with my calories and all of the sudden there is a surplus.  The “burn more than you eat” concept is easy I get it.  My problem is making it second nature so that I don’t have to think about it; it just happens.  I have a feeling that may never happen but I am sure it will come easier because it already does.  I can recognize how I feel and know when I have been eating like crap because I feel like crap. And I tend to recognize it before I have 30 pounds to loose vs. 10. Took me a while to get here I think I lost the same 30 pounds 3 times.

I am going to leave you with a few tips that may make the holidays a little easier and save a few calories without passing on your favorites.

1.                  Mashed Potatoes – Use plain yogurt instead of butter; or something my kids like – mix some squash with potatoes adds more flavor without the butter (we call them Halloween potatoes) Careful not to add to much squash if you are not big fans of squash by itself it can take over pretty quick.

2.                  Use a smaller plate – This sounds dumb but it really works.  If you are like me I am going back for seconds regardless.  If I have a big plate I am likely to have as much on one plate as I would have on 2 smaller ones and I am still going back for seconds….I am not filling my plate 3 times.

3.                  Use skim milk for cooking and baking.  I know several people who won’t budge on the whole or 2% milk…guess what if it is mixed in something you won’t notice. And neither will your guests.

4.                  Pumpkin is fat free and low calorie!

5.                  You can use half the amount of sugar in cookies without changing the consistency.

Happy Halloween!