Eating smart during the holiday season

 

 

The holiday season is such a fun time, yet most of us walk away in a size or two larger pants and are seriously bummed afterward. You know what I am talking about. It is so hard not to eat that double chocolate cake or have an extra helping (or 5) of mashed potatoes.

So, today's post is about counting calories. Ugh, I know the dreaded calories. This topic can be somewhat touchy, and by no means am I saying you need to do this. This is to let you know about my experience.  My goal for this holiday season is to maintain, not gain or lose (although if I lost that would make me an even happier girl!)

Now, last year, I did the same thing. I was getting married in a couple months and did not want to add any extra poundage around my waist or I would not fit into my dress.

This year, I want to take the same healthy approach to the holidays. Over thanksgiving, we ate a TON (seriously, a TON) of food. However, counting calories kept me healthier and happier when my tummy is not yelling at me every day for eating those extra calories.

My  plan is to briskly walk every day for at least 30 minutes or do an exercise video (I recommend Jillian Michael's or a Zumba tape) and calorie count.  Even if I don’t have 30 minutes to walk, counting those calories keeps me on track.

Chose a goal that you are comfortable with each day. It’s fine to eat mashed potatoes and gravy, but make sure you are doing a healthy portion.

Also, have a healthy and easy to prepare snack on hand when you know you’re going to run into some trouble. My go to items to help me ward off the cake munchies are carrots or fruit. Right now, I have a bag of carrots and two Cuties to fend off the desire to run upstairs and eat a handful of peanut butter chocolate cookies. The thing is, you can still have a cookie every once and awhile, but having five is going to make your waistline expand and stomach hate you.

It is amazing how many extra calories you are eating and do not even notice. I highly recommend writing down what you are eating too. Seeing a list of everything I ate on a day slaps me back into reality and helps me be a lot more careful from then on out.

If you have a smart phone, My Fitness Pal is a easy and simple way to keep up with those calories.

So enjoy Mom’s sweet potato casserole and remember to make smart decisions about portion control. I know I will J