#1 Tip for Eating Healthy During the Holidays

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Last year going into Thanksgiving, I was at a healthy 135lbs. I felt great and hadn’t been that weight for quite some time. After the 4 week Thanksgiving to Christmas sprint… I was back up to 145lbs. Yep, I gained that much weight in the short 4 week holiday season. UGH. I’m a little sick thinking of it!

This year I’m going in with a plan and already started early. The last two weeks I’ve been cutting carbs like they are coupons for free weight loss. And you know what?

Cutting carbs IS like having a free weight loss coupon!

I’m down 5 pounds in the last two weeks. Actually, that was during the first week but the second week I made the mistake of having a couple of sugary drinks and ate carbs like I’m an 18 year old marathon runner. SIGH! But being 41 and not a mall walker even, means only the “good kind” of carbs should be allowed to cross these lips.

What are “good” carbs? I got this information that explains it well from https://www.pritikin.com/your-health/healthy-living/eating-right/603-real-food-vs-processed-whats-in-your-carbs.html

“They’re fresh fruits; fresh vegetables; whole grains like oats, barley, whole-grain couscous, brown rice, quinoa, millet, and sprouted whole-grain bread; starchy vegetables like potatoes, corn, and yams; and legumes like black beans, peas, and pinto beans.”

This week, I’m starting off right again and going back to veggies, fruits, meats, and beans. (I even wrote a Foodie Friday Roundup post about quinoa last week.) Although I LOVE grabbing a bag of greasy potato chips, I also LOVE not being asked if I’m pregnant because of my bloated belly and not feeling tired all of the time because my blood sugar levels are up and down like a roller coaster.

Now about the holidays… carbs are like the main attraction at parties, treats at the office, family gatherings, and more. How can we avoid these pesky, deliciously enticing foods and eat healthy during the holidays? Use these ideas to follow the #1 Tip for Eating Healthy During the Holidays – LOW LOW AMOUNT OF BAD TO THE BONE CARBS.

Eat before going to an event. If you know that Great Aunt Betsy is hosting the family gathering and she only cooks with grease and flour, eat before you go. Make sure you are full from eating healthy foods before ever even arriving. That way when you arrive you won’t be tempted to fill up a 10″ dinner plate filled with back fat and thunder thighs – um, I mean carbolicious food that could add to back fat and thunder thighs.
Put very small portions on your plate. My family loves to hang out around the dinner table. We have lively debates and share lots of laughter and love. We also share lots of food. Eating and hanging out around the table are part of the culture of my family. I can remember as a child when we would visit my grandmother how it seemed like after every meal she would tell me, “Eat, eat! You’re too skinny! You’re skin and bones!” LOL I was, but I was also a small child that would have broken a pedometer if they had had them back them to count all my steps each day. Back to the idea of very small portions on your plate…. If you are visiting family and you have eaten before the get-together, you can still enjoy the holiday carbs but just in very modest portions. You’ll still have fun around the table but without the regret of having a spare tire around your waist.
Don’t have seconds. If you have eaten healthy before going to the gathering or party, you shouldn’t need to go back to the buffet for seconds. There’s a reason you got small portions on our plate originally. It’s basically to not offend the grandma in your family while also not offending your diet. Don’t blow it now by getting seconds.
Just say “NO!” Alright, don’t yell “NO!” at your granny, but do back away from any “take home” plates piled high meant as a gesture of love but leaves you with love handles. Maybe your granny is persistent(and a bit guilt trippy) like mine was. Then take the plate and thank her a bunch. After you leave when you see the nearest gas station, pull over and throw that heart attack on a plate in the trash.
Don’t drink bad carbs. Sounds kind of gross right?! Well, I have somewhat quite drinking my favorite, addictive sugary drink in the last could of days. It’s hard to do! I have had two this past week and felt a little queasy afterwards but mmmm, it tasted so good. It has 66 grams of carbs (and not the good kind) in a 20 oz size. :(… Sad face. I piece of white bread has 15 grams. So basically I can eat two sandwiches and still have a little less in carbs that my favorite, most delicious devilish beverage ever to appear on Earth. In order to wean myself off of the nectar of the gods (who apparently don’t have the problem with metabolism like I do), I have switched to coffee. Ok, yes, I have been using Silk soy vanilla creamer so I’m not totally void of the bad boys of carbs. Still that’s 62 less grams per drink than I was having before. No wonder I dropped 5 pounds so fast! Anywho, the point of #5 is to say don’t drink bad carbs! (PS I have a pusheen kitty coffee cup like the picture below that motivates me to drink coffee instead of carbs. Click here for your very own.)

These are just some ideas to keep bad carbs in dinner jail. Being prepared for the events coming up and not waiting until the last minute is another idea. You’ll more than likely make healthier decisions doing this. Your waist, thighs, buttocks and super cute clothes will thank you!

Ready for a challenge?

Are you needing some encouragement to stay on the no weight gain track this holiday season? Have you heard of the Arbonne clean eating challenge? I’m thinking about joining Arbonne and am curious to see how many people would like to join me in a 30 day clean eating challenge which includes recipes for meals, protein shakes, herbal detox tea, digestion plus with probiotics, 7 day body cleanse with dietary supplements, and energy fizz sticks(which I LOVE to replace my craving for that 66 gram carb drink I used to swig down). If you would be interested in this challenge, reply in the comments below and let me know. If 5 people say they are interested by November 30th then I’ll put together a 30 day challenge(with help from the person I have been wanting to sign up under since last May2016), and we will face the holiday temptations together! Leave me a message below or email me at simplestepsforlivinglife at gmail.com