Holiday Baking Survival Tips

If you don’t want to walk around this holiday season like Santa, wearing stretch pants and supporting a large belly you need to be mindful of your holiday baking. Here are a few tips to enjoy the season of cookies, pies and more without going overboard.

Keep it Simple
Decide on one thing that you want to bake so you don’t have a lot of choices to tempt you. You can also choose to order out and have someone else do the baking so you are not tempted with taste testing beyond what you should.

Find healthy substitutes
There are so many yummy recipes out there to help lower fat or sugar in recipes. Focus on baked goods that offer healthy ingredients like nuts or coconut vs butter and flour. Try using key words like Paleo or Whole30 for new recipes.

Bake only what you need
If you are baking cookies, only bake what you need from the batch and freeze leftover dough in round balls. That way you can always make more later for just the amount you need.

Get Rid of It
If you have baked goods sitting around longer than 2 days share it with others or just throw it away. Save your splurges for things you really enjoy, not the 3 day old cookie that you just want to get rid of.

Overall it is important to find a balance of enjoying holiday traditions yet honoring your fitness goals. Enjoy what you want most, forget about the rest and focus on other activities of the season not related to food.

The True Villains of Halloween - Sugar Filled Sweets!

People tend to worry about a lot about the Thanksgiving pounds or the stress of the winter holidays but it often starts with the most evil holidays of all, Halloween. Each year the Halloween seems to get longer and longer and the shelves fill up with bags of sugar filled treats even before the day is near. Here are some tips to help you bet the sugar crush and stay on track for your health goals.

Buy Late

It may be tempting to buy bags of candy or treats ahead of time to save money or to save time later but chances are if you bring it into your house before Halloween you will be more tempted to eat it and then have to go back out anyways. This year commit to not buying your trick or treat candy until the day before or on Halloween.

Go Candy-Free

Be that house and commit your family to be candy free this year. There are a lot of options out there for giveaways that are not candy related that kids still love. Try glow sticks, erasers, pencils, stickers, pretzels or gum this year.

Enjoy your Favorites

Don’t deprive yourself! Pick out one or 2 pieces you do want to eat this year on Halloween, eat and savor them and enjoy the moment with your family. Pass up other treats that may be passed around at work or earlier in the month.

Give Away the Bounty

After Halloween don’t think you have to keep all the candy. Look for opportunities at local hospitals, dentist offices, schools or military mailing services to donate your candy to good causes.

The key to avoiding the evil snacks of Halloween is to plan early and stay committed. Challenge yourself to see how far you can go to avoid the things you don’t need in your daily nutrition plan.

Don’t let the Holidays WEIGH You Down

Hooray, Hooray, the holidays are here! With visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads it is no wonder that most adults gain about one or more pounds during the holidays. Getting through the holidays can be hard, but it doesn't have to be that way.

The holiday season shouldn’t be about missing out or dieting. It's a time to celebrate with family and friends, and to enjoy the festivities. The challenge is to do it without gaining back any of the weight you've worked hard to lose or to gain pounds you really don’t need for the New Year.

Here are some tips to help you feel MERRY and BRIGHT this season:

Keep moving.
Schedule time for your regular workout routine and when you can add an extra 5 minutes to burn a few more calories. Plan holiday activates that require movement like caroling, sledding or family friendly football game.

Weigh in regularly
Step on the scale at least once a week. If you see the number going up that's your signal to cut back on portions or set up your physical activity.

Fill up on veggies and lean protein.
Make sure that for your meals that are not holiday related you stick to a balanced clean eating diet of lean proteins, vegetables and fruits, healthy grains and good fats like seeds and healthy oils.

Eat a healthy breakfast.
Study after study confirms that people who eat breakfast end up eating fewer calories throughout the day. If you are pressed for time try a protein smoothie, hard boiled eggs or Greek yogurt and fruit.

Find Healthy Substitutes for Seasonal Flavors
Pumpkin, Gingerbread, Peppermint, Eggnog. It seems like more and more seasonal flavored foods pop up that you feel you must have because they are only here for a limited time. Try to find healthy alternatives like non sugar flavored coffees or at home healthy baked treats to fulfill your cravings.

Party Plan.
You have them on your calendar so plan ahead before you go. Eat some crunchy veggies, small salad or broth based soup before an event to avoid over eating. If you are bringing something make sure it is a healthy option so you and others can partake. And most important keep the alcohol in moderation. Try flavored seltzer water to keep it bubbly without the calories.

This season, give yourself the best gift of health, happiness and a stress free season of weight worry. You have plenty of time to focus on that in the New Year.