Surviving a Holiday without Gaining Weight OR Surviving ANY Day Without Gaining Weight

This past weekend was, of course, a holiday weekend.  I had the BEST weekend ever.  Our closest friends came over and played cards with us, we had hamburgers, our family came over, I volunteered at a race, I exercised, spent some time at the pool, just an all around great time.  We all know that holiday weekends, holiday days, and holiday months are difficult when there is food 'o plenty laying out to be grazed on and it all looks SO good.  My fat cells get happy when I pass by food because they are licking their chops hoping to expand a bit.  Well, I am totally against my fat cells expanding.  I work too hard to let them expand again.  So the question is "How do we survive events when the food is plenty and looks amazingly good and everyone around us is stuffing themselves like Thanksgiving turkeys?"  Well I wish I had all the answers, but I can tell you how I survive and don't gain weight.

First and foremost, always plan ahead.  Never leave home without a package of peanut butter and crackers or a protein bar in your car or your purse.  Being unprepared will add approximately 7-10 pounds per year. It leads to a quick run through the drive thru.  If you do go to a fast food joint, then always order a kids meal.  1/3 of the calories of an adult meal and you still get the feeling of not being deprived.

Let me give you the example of my day yesterday.  I knew my mom was making chocolate chip cookies and we were making homemade ice cream for the Memorial Day festivities.  I knew I wanted to eat a hamburger, potato salad, baked beans, and of course chocolate chip cookies and homemade ice cream.  I planned my breakfast and lunch accordingly.  For breakfast I had some strawberries and blueberries.  For lunch I had a protein bar.  For dinner I had a hamburger, some potato salad, baked beans, 3 cookies and two bowls of homemade ice cream.  The homemade ice cream I dipped less than I normally would have in a bowl so that I could feel like I had two bowls of ice cream.  So in essence, it was one bowl of ice cream but I divided it into two bowls so I felt really indulged.  I enjoyed my dinner so much and all day when I wanted to eat or have a sweet, I told myself, "remember the cookies and the ice cream you are going to get later."

Here is another scenario:  You eat lunch at Chuy's.   By the way, did you know that a Chuy's taco salad only has 389 calories?  Yep, go guiltless there but don't load up on the chips or you will not be guiltless.  Back to the subject, you eat lunch at Chuy's which is great, but don't plan to eat a big dinner.  Eat a smoothie for dinner made up of a cup of orange juice, a half a banana, and some frozen berries.  Or, eat a protein bar for dinner.

Surviving life without gaining weight is all about balance.  If you splurge, then cut back at the next meal. Skip the vicious cycle of guilt.  When you mess up and eat too much, start over right that moment.  Each bite you leave on the plate is calories you skipped.  I have even been known to want a cookie so bad that I put it in my mouth, chewed it up and enjoyed it, then spit it in the trash.  It never made it to my stomach, and all I wanted was the taste anyway, so chew it then spit it out.  May sound gross, but I am totally anti diet.  They don't work so we have to go with what does work. :)

If I eat too much or decide to indulge in an ice cream then I figure up before I eat it how long I have to run to work it off.  If I eat a 400 calorie dessert then I know I have to run 4 miles to run it off.  Then I ask myself if it is worth the 4 miles to eat it.  Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn't.  It is all about planning ahead.


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Jennifer