Avoid Overeating during the Holidays

Easter Sunday is right upon us.

When you think of Easter, what is the first thing you think of?

I think of Easter eggs and chocolate.

As a child I always looked forward to Easter for one real reason; chocolate. 

What can I say? I was a Chocoholic. 

An Easter basket full of your favorite treats AND an egg hunt with more little treats inside?! I was sold.

But now as I'm growing older, I've come to realize that it really isn't socially acceptable to stuff myself with chocolate eggs like I did when I was 6 years old.

How does one resist those delicious candies? 

Or most importantly, how does one avoid over-eating at holiday family gatherings?

I've got some helpful tips for you, so that you can enjoy your Easter holiday feast but not feel like an Easter egg yourself at the end of the day.

How to Avoid Overeating during the Holidays

1. Eat Breakfast.

 I can NOT stress this enough. You need to have breakfast every day in order to kick start your metabolism. By avoiding breakfast, you're setting yourself up to over-eat the rest of the day. Most people skip breakfast knowing they will be eating a big holiday meal, and are saving their appetite for the amount of food they are planning to eat. BUT IT DOESN'T HAVE TO BE THAT WAY. If you eat breakfast, you won't snack and eat too much stuffing or bread, etc. You won't have to go back for that second serving of Lasagna if you eat a healthy breakfast. If you're not a breakfast person, or if you wake up late...take something to-go such as a granola bar or a piece of fruit. 

2. Go for a run.

Or do some sort of exercise. Jog a few miles around the block, go for a walk, take a nice bike ride, work-out to a fitness DVD, etc. You don't need a gym on the holidays to get some good exercise in. All you need is 30 minutes. Exercise in the morning is the best time because it sets up your metabolism for the rest of the day, and it actually helps you not over-eat. Short story: After long runs of over 2 hours, I'm actually never hungry. Most times, I'm starving the NEXT day. So exercise actually reduces your appetite which can be a good thing on the holiday.

3. Bring healthy alternatives.

If you know what is going to be served where you're going for the holidays, bring a healthy alternative. Offer to bring a healthy side dish or salad, or even dessert. You will be less likely to pick at the bad stuff if you fill up on more vegetables or salad. If you bring a salad, make sure to bring a dressing that isn't too high in calories or fat because that can rack up the calories even more. In addition, offer to bring some healthy snacks (or sneak in your own) such as vegetable platters, cheese and crackers, hummus, nuts and fruit, shrimp cocktail, etc. If you are waiting around for dinner and you are starving (most likely because you didn't eat breakfast!), don't snack too much because what most people don't realize is that before you know it, you're too full for dinner...but who could say no to Lasagna?

4. Do not sit by the food. 

It's very easy to eat more food when it's right in front of your face, right? Oh, that chip and dip is right there on the table in front of me...I'm not really hungry but it's right there, so why not? Sound familiar? Yeah, we are all guilty of if. So instead of taking a seat on the couch with the table of appetizers right in front of you....sit far away, or just walk out into another room. Take a small plate of a few sampling's of the appetizers, and WALK AWAY. Your welcome.

5. Enjoy yourself. 

This is the most important part everyone. It's the holidays, and your with family and friends, relax and have fun. It's okay to eat a little bit more on the holidays, but that doesn't mean you have to over-do it. Every Christmas, I treat myself to an extra helping of Lasagna because it's the only time of the year that I actually have it. I don't snack all day, and I eat a healthy breakfast. Then I treat myself to a few delicious desserts, and I am satisfied but not stuffed. If you gain a pound or two after the holidays, it's not the end of the world. You will lose that once you're back on track. But a little word of advice, don't get on the scale the next day ;)

Happy Easter everyone!

Why I Became Vegetarian

I was going to make a blog post about this sooner or later, so I thought I'd write about it now while you're getting to know me a little better.

I haven't been a vegetarian for that long. Actually it will only be two years this August. When I left for college, I had the worst eating habits ever.

Here is a list of the foods which I ate before college (which is very short):

• Chicken
• Steak (This was a treat in my household)
• Spaghetti
• Pizza
• Peanut Butter Sandwiches
• Turkey Sandwiches
• Chips, Cheez-its, Pretzels, etc.

Honestly though, I don't think I could expand on that list anymore besides maybe french fries and cookies, does that count? Basically, I ate like complete crap and there was no fruit, vegetables or dairy in my diet. I also didn't eat breakfast unless my mom shoved a pop-tart down my throat.

Then I went to college, and I had to expand my taste in foods because I didn't have my mother cooking to my needs anymore.

After moving to college, I expanded my food list to:

• Fish
• Fresh fruit (apples, bananas, oranges, etc)
• Cereal with milk
• Yogurt
• Fresh vegetables
• Hummus
• Beans, Rice, Quinoa, etc.

When I changed my diet, my whole entire life changed. Not only did I lose weight, but I felt good about myself. My appearance, energy, and attitude was better, and I also started to run faster and stronger.

But okay, why vegetarianism?

Well, since moving to college, I always toyed with the idea. I met a couple girls on the cross country team who were vegan and I basically looked up to them. They were amazing. These girls were everyone's best friend. They had everything going for them; brains, beauty, friends, and well...they were really really fast. I thought maybe if I was vegan or vegetarian, that I'd be just as good as they were. My junior year, I decided to try vegetarianism. It lasted a good 2 months. It's not that I didn't miss meat or anything, I just was not feeling my best and was fatigued all the time. Then again, I wasn't fueling myself with the proper nutrients back in college so not being a vegetarian in college was probably the best decision I ever made.

After graduating college, I came home and started to listen and fuel my body better. If I was hungry, I ate. If I was full, I stopped eating. If I really wanted ice cream, you better believe I got myself some ice cream. So when I got my life back on track, I decided to try vegetarianism again. But this time, I did it right. Sure it also helped that I was home and my mother bought most of my ingredients, but that's not the point...really. 

I decided if I was really going to be a vegetarian, then I needed to eat well and that included good protein, vitamins, and healthy fats. The only thing I was excluding from my diet was really just chicken and beef. To be honest, I never was a fan of meat. Sure it was good, but if you asked me today what I really miss from my carnivore days...I'd say "My mom's home-made chicken cutlets." That's really the only thing I enjoyed that my mom made "meat-wise," and I still get a ping of jealousy when I smell it in the kitchen when she cooks if for my dad. Anything else though, burgers, steak, bacon, etc...don't miss it in a heart-beat. Burgers were only a once in awhile occurrence when my dad and I were on our own for dinner, and steak was only cooked for special occasions in my house. And bacon...never liked it, ever.

So when people ask me today, Why are you a vegetarian?

I still am kind of stumped at what to exactly say. It really wasn't about the animal cruelty, but don't get me wrong...I love animals. But I know that by not eating meat, it's not going to change the fact that animals are getting slaughtered every day. People need to live, and I understand that. I guess what it really is all about, is my true well-being. I feel better with this life-style. I love eating fresh vegetables, fruit, fish, cheese, tofu, eggs, grains, etc. I also like to share my love for this food with my family, and cook and bake healthy but delicious things. Just because if something doesn't contain meat or butter, it doesn't mean it doesn't have to taste good.

Now for the past month and a half or so, I have become vegan for Lent. It never dawned on me that it would be possible to live this kind of life-style. It limits a lot of your options and you really need to read the labels. However, I have come to realize that I feel EVEN BETTER about myself. I have cut out all dairy which is in a lot of things including ice cream, yogurt, cheese, chocolate, creamy salad dressings, mayo and even some breads. I have also cut out anything that contains eggs, and of course fish...my love. Now this may sound like a lot...because it is, but if you asked me if I missed any of it, I'd probably say no. Well maybe I miss a few things, but I truly believe that I have lost most of my cravings since starting this diet. And there are so many alternatives; there's dairy-free cheese, milk, ice cream, chocolate, mayo, dressing, etc. But does being vegan automatically make you healthy? NO. There are plenty of processed and packaged foods including OREOS (yes oreos are vegan) that are not healthy for you. You need to include fresh vegetables, fruit, grains, nuts, beans, etc, while also including some daily exercise.

Did I completely deprive myself on this diet? NO. I treated myself to vegan ice cream, animal crackers, cookies, etc. but in MODERATION. I also am a very active person, and it's no problem to burn off those calories. But by no means am I going to live this lifestyle FOREVER. Maybe down the road I will, but after Lent...I'm going to treat myself to a piece of grilled salmon, and a Ralph's Italian Cream Ice because I deserve to.