Defying the Holiday Bulge
Well, we had the big cookie party tonight. It was a lot of fun and my Living Cookies held up very well against the others. The reaction to them was overwhelmingly positive, which was great considering most people there were definitely not raw foodists! I had the opportunity to meet several wonderful women who were very interested in the Living Foods lifestyle and asked a lot of questions. I love sharing information and what I know, so it was very fulfilling for me.
There was a contest for the best cookie, so I did taste some of the others so I could join in on the voting. Honestly, I have lost my taste for cooked foods now, so I didn’t really enjoy the dry texture of most of the cookies. There was one though, that was a unique ‘crock pot’ cookie recipe that really triggered a craving in me. Apparently it did in everyone else too, because it won hands down. It was my vote too, since I didn’t want to vote for my own cookies. We had fun and it was great to meet so many new people and catch up with some old friends as well.
There is so much talk about how people put on so much weight during the holidays, with all the food, etc etc. Think about this for a minute. OK, say you go to 10 Christmas parties with tons of tempting treats, plus you have Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. So that’s 10 meals plus say, 4 more on the actual holiday where one would just blow it out at several meals. So that adds up to about 14 or 15 meals for the month. Well, even if you eat only 3 times per day, there are 90 meals in the month of December. If you eat poorly at all the 15 party and holiday meals, that is still only 16.67% of the meals for the month. Even if you totally blow it out at those meals, if you are eating healthy the rest of the meals, a percentage that low shouldn’t be enough to cause significant weight gain, if any.
So let’s bust this myth wide open—it’s not the parties that are really causing the problem. People get lax about their nutrition at most of their other meals too. There is so much stress and emotion at this time of year that comfort and stress eating sets in. Plus we tend to allow ourselves to do whatever we want because ‘it’s the holidays.’ Really focus on eating exceptionally healthy at the non-party meals and then relax and enjoy yourself at your parties. Work out a little extra before and after a party. I hit legs hard tonight before going to the party, so that the small sugar rush I allowed myself would be mitigated.
At Thanksgiving, I was surprised at how much I wanted to get back to my normal living foods after the big meal. I felt so heavy and–this is a technical term–’yucky’ after the meal, and I do tonight as well, even though I only had a few bites of cookies. Certainly not a big indulgence. But living foods are so light on the system and give energy, instead of taking it away. There is a dramatic difference in the feeling after a meal, once you are in tune to your body. For me, having a ‘forbidden’ food makes me NOT want it any more, but many people find that a food triggers powerful cravings and addictions that take over the rest of their meals. If that is your case, don’t indulge in the trigger foods. Know what does it to you, and avoid those foods like the plague. I tell you, that crock pot cookie could be a trigger for me if I am not careful. It touched something more than just taste. It actually brought up emotion and feelings from holidays long ago, because we connect so many emotions with food. So now I know to avoid that particular trigger in the future!
I really want to be transparent and honest with you so you can see I am in no way perfect. I have struggles and cravings too, and sometimes I indulge. We are all human. Beating ourselves up does more harm than good. Just plan your next meal to be really healthy and nourishing, and get right back on track. That is the key! Another great trick is to eat a delicious healthy meal before going to a party! That way you won’t be hungry and overindulge. That’s what I do and it works great for me.
Leg Workout:
- Warm up on recumbent bike, 6 minutes medium intensity
- Hammer Leg Extension machine, 3 sets, 60 pounds each leg, done individually
- Seated Hamstring Curl, 3 sets, 100lbs
- Hack Squat machine, 3 sets, 225 lbs, deep full range of motion–intense!
- Lunges with Back Leg Elevated, 35 lb kettlebell, 3 sets of 10 reps each leg, holding last rep for a good burn
- Kettlebell deadlifts, 2 sets 20 reps, 35 lb bell
- Kettlebell Swings, 2 sets 15 reps, 26.2 lb bell
- High Step-ups, 35 lb kettlebell, 3 sets 10 reps each leg
Whew! I kept up a quick pace on this and had my heart rate way up, and was really sweating and working hard! The lunges and step-ups in particular are almost like running sprints, because they get the heart rate up very high quickly, and then you recover between sets. This interval-type training really torches the body fat!
I was still feeling Saturday’s workout today so I don’t know how sore I will be tomorrow! My post-workout recovery shake was an apple, banana, raw honey, Sun Warrior Natural protein, cinnamon, ice and water all blended into a yummy smoothie. That helped tremendously with not being overly hungry at the party.
Oh, I almost forgot! I tried adding spirulina directly to my normal green smoothie this morning. I was concerned about how it would taste, since I wasn’t adding all the extra sweetness from dates and honey. I made a banana-pineapple-laciniato kale smoothie, added about a teaspoon of spirulina, and it was FABULOUS! It actually enhanced the taste and made the whole smoothie more delicious. Oh boy, now I am hooked even more!
Defy the sugar-laden sweets! You can do this! You can get through the holidays without wrecking your health and your body. If you need some extra encouragement, just email me. I am happy to help!
Be Defiant!
Christy
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