Wednesday, December 12, 2012

Winter Hibernation

Well, well, well...

I did not realize that it has been since BEFORE Thanksgiving since my last post.  My bad... my bad.

Holiday time makes it very difficult to stay on a healthy path.  If you are armed with knowledge and FEAR, then you should be fine.  I am terrified of gaining weight again.  So on Thanksgiving, even though my talented step mother made at least 8 different types of amazing looking stuffing, I mostly filled my plate with green beans.  Literally 3/4 of my plate.  I tried the tiniest of spoonfuls of each stuffing, a small palm size of turkey, and a drop of gravy.  I also allowed myself to have dessert.  Luckily, I made cookies with half the sugar and whole wheat flour, and I didn't like any of the other desserts offered.  Safe.

During the winter our bodies naturally crave carbs and comfort type foods. Its natures way of making you bulk up to last throughout the cold, dry, winter. Knowing this is half the battle.

So going in to Christmas, be aware, like brutally aware, of what you are putting in your mouth.  Feel guilty.  That's a good sign.  But please let yourself indulge slightly. Be reasonable.  As long as you are aware of the amount of sugar and fat you are ingesting and you are compensating by eating less meat and more veggies, everything should balance out. Keep this in the back of your mind at all times... FIBER! I'm convinced that as long as I eat enough "roughage", I feel pretty good about having the 1 MILLION cookies I'm about to eat.



Every holiday season our lovely clients bring in WAY too many cookies, and cookie assortments, and candy, and chocolates, and one time I was given a variety of jams. The best thing to do in these situations is to give as much away as possible.  I mean, its rude to not at least try it... right? Just one.  OK 5.  Per day.

I'm the asshole who keeps trying to make people eat healthier.  I try to sneak the health in wherever I can.  For Derek's Grandfather's 80th birthday brunch I made muffins.  But not just any muffins, oh no... I made whole wheat blueberry muffins with half the sugar of the original recipe. As my boyfriend said "You can feel the health. It just feels really healthy going down". Oh love. Its kinda funny.  But I'm fully aware that they are not nearly as delicious as the original recipe.  But nobody is rude enough to take one bite and secretly throw it away. They finish it.  And thanks to me, they are one step closer to lower cholesterol!!! Ha!

You are not an idiot.  None of you are if you are listening to me... (totally full of myself). Make the right decisions.  If you are full, but grandmas candied sweet potatoes are still calling your name for seconds, politely decline and tell those bastards you will see them next year.  If your sisters amazing chocolate chip cookies just go down so easy and maybe one more dipped in Aunt Ruth's amazing eggnog seems like the right choice, its probably wrong.  Unless of course it has a large amount of alcohol. Just kidding.  Sort of. (Ruth... I'm ready). Always be sure to load your Christmas dinner plate up with mostly vegetables.  3/4 of your plate should be veggies, followed by whole grain, then meat. If there is no whole grain, skip what ever starch they are offering, unless its sweet potato or some kind of winter squash, those are always a winner in my book. UNLESS they are Meema's candied sweet potatoes. Less is more.

So remember, be armed and ready to battle the family members that want you to be fat.  My favorite thing to say to myself, and feel free to use it is this... "Just don't". Just don't give in.  Make the right decisions and you will come out on top.  And how good will it feel to say you gained ZERO pounds during the holidays.  SO good.

Good luck my friends! And as always, if you have any questions please ask!