The holiday season is often filled with invitations to parties galore from friends, families and co-workers.  And the holiday season cycle begins – overeating, weight gain, and a setback on our weight loss goals.  It doesn’t have to happen! Follow these 10 simple steps from our guest writer Skye Cutrupi to avoid holiday weight gain.

1. Eat Breakfast: Every Fitness and health publication will tell you….EAT BREAKFAST. Without eating breakfast, you’re more vulnerable to cravings and less likely to make healthy eating choices in the morning and throughout the day.

2. Carry A Snack Reserve: Holiday schedules can be busy and impromptu; having one or two healthy snacks on hand can help prevent impulse eating at parties.

3. Eat Pre-Party: Going to a party on an empty stomach can be even more dangerous than doing your grocery shopping famished. You are not only more likely to eat things that you would otherwise be able to resist, but to eat them quickly and in great quantity as well, since all the food is immediately available. Your best bet is to eat something small but filling, even if it is just an apple, right before your event. This will break down the hold that an empty stomach has over the mind.

4. Be Aware of What You Are Drinking: Most of us have heard the adage, ‘Don’t Drink Your Calories,’ the holiday season only increases the need for awareness of the caloric intake of our beverages.  With multiple parties, and tins of cookies from neighbors, chances are the month of December provides you with double the opportunities to indulge in sweet treats. If your daily coffee is along the lines of a caramel macchiato, try switching to something with fewer calories if you know that you will want to indulge in treats at a party later in the day. The same goes for any daily sugary drink intake.

5. Bring A Healthy Dish Or Bottle: Volunteer to bring a healthy/lower calorie dish, treat, or beverage that you like to the party. This way you know that there will be a healthier alternative that you can choose from. Fruit platter, vegetable dish, cookies or brownies that you have made with healthier substitutes, low calorie beer, Skinny-Girl Alcohol…you get the idea.

6. Make Choices: Deprivation as a form of dieting is neither healthy nor is it effective. Moderation and balance is key. Do you love Grandma’s holiday brownies, enjoy one of those, and skip over the treats you might be tempted to eat simply because they are there. You still get to enjoy your holiday favorites, but avoid the guilt of overindulgence. There are enough other factors during this season that can create stress, don’t let food be one of them.

7. Help Out: Lending a hand to a party host is not only in the holiday spirit, but can also be a good way to avoid the temptation of overeating. If you’re greeting guests and taking coats, playing DJ or pouring drinks, chances are you won’t have time to linger at the dessert table.

8. Wear Zippers & Buttons: Being comfortable in what you’re wearing is the most flattering look of all; elastic waistbands however can be a screaming invitation for overeating. When picking an outfit for a holiday party choose something that you like and are comfortable in, but also something with button or zippers, to help keep you aware of your food and drink intake.

9. Play With The Kids & Pets: Family gatherings and parties can be wonderful, but for many of us they can also be extremely stressful. Playing with children or household pets is a great way to sidestep and alleviate some of the stressors that can stem from such get togethers. Not only is it simply difficult to be stressed when you are making a fort of blocks, or tugging on the tail of a dragon hanging from a dog’s mouth, but you have also created a fun way to still be engaged at a function, that you might have been otherwise dreading.

10.Don’t Judge Your Insides By Other People’s Outsides: What does this statement mean? People have a tendency to compare their lives to the lives of others, and the holiday season can sometimes provide even more than the normal opportunity to do this. We see family members that we have not seen in months, friends back from college etc. What was your year like, their year like? How is your job, school, and so on. It’s easy to begin comparing the events of our year to those that we are hearing from others, and for some this could be a significant source of stress. Maybe your cousin got engaged, while your significant other of four years gifted you with a Keurig this year; your high school friend made deans list or an exclusive fraternity, someone got a big promotion, had a baby….Don’t judge your insides by other people’s outsides, is a way to remember that such a comparison will never be a fair one. Think about it, we have all the information about ourselves…good, bad, ugly, in between, and are attempting to compare it to a tiny fraction of what we know about the life of someone else. Be kind to yourself and remember this imbalance should you find your mind comparing your years’ events to those of others’.  Avoiding the comparison trap can save you from unwarranted and unjustified stress and depression, and the possible desire to eat every sweet treat at the party.

If you follow these 10 simple steps you will still be on your way of getting and staying healthy and losing or sustaining your weight this holiday season.

The #1 trick to avoid weight gain over the holidays is to only celebrate that one special day. Stick to your regular routine before and after the holidays.

Here are some other tips to keep you on track of your healthy weight goals:

Avoid the pre-holiday indulgences:
Are you the chef of the family like I am? I do a lot of baking early on in the week. Enjoy your hard work on the special day. Limit your “tastes” while cooking and baking. Limit yourself to 1-2 bites of tasting pre- and post- seasoning. You’ll get to enjoy what you made on that day. For recipes that you have made many times before like your famous cheesecake, challenge yourself to not taste it until the day it’s being served.

Do NOT restrict:
Thinking you may “save your calories”, restricting is not the answer. When restricting, you end up over eating because of being ravenous and won’t listen to fullness as well.

Keep eating 3 meals and 2 snacks a day like at Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts. This way you will never feel hungry and less likely to overeat.

Focus on socializing:
Don’t let your main focus of a holiday party be the food. Many times during the holidays you get to see family and friends that you are not able to see regularly the rest of the year. Enjoy the company around you. After you take food walk away from the table and engage in conversation and you’ll be less likely to walk up for seconds.

Be Picky:
When it comes to holiday foods, be selective. Go for foods you typically wouldn’t eat on a regular basis. For example, if it’s a decision between a plain old chocolate chip cookie or your grandma’s famous mini chocolate éclairs, choose the éclairs and savor those indulgences by eating slowly and truly enjoying the flavors.

Get Moving:
Just because you may be home for break or traveling to visit family, keep moving. Go for a walk, run, do push-ups, sit-ups, etc. You can still have a great workout even if you are away from the gym. If you really want to go to the gym and you are away from home, many gyms allow guest passes for the day.

Avoid the post-holiday indulgences:
Avoid bringing home leftovers that are too tempting. You got to enjoy those treats the day before. Get back to your healthy eating and exercise routine the next day!

Always remember that the holiday is only one day of the year. One day will not ruin all your hard work. With that being said, that one day it is not a free pass to go crazy and eat anything. Healthy eating is all about balance.

Have a happy healthy holiday and enjoy!

1. Stick to the routine, even if it isn’t strictly the Shane routine, pick times of the day that work for you to eat and exercise and stick to them.
2. Don’t get hungry, whatever you do avoid going long periods of time without food, it won’t help weight loss and you’ll end up eating something unhealthy.  Also don’t save up all your calories to eat badly, if you’re going to eat badly plan for it but don’t avoid food all day.
3. Don’t feel guilty, if you want something so badly you can’t think straight… have it, have a small portion, don’t do it all the time, work out a bit more that week but don’t beat yourself up about it. Own your decisions.
4. Don’t forget where you’re going, or where you came from. If it feels like progress is slow once you get home don’t forget all the progress you’ve already made and don’t let slow progress stop you feeling achievement or set you back. Even slow progress is a step in the right direction and if you can accept it’s not going to happen overnight you’ll do better in the long run.
5. Fight cravings, recognize that cravings aren’t usually hunger and tackle them, if it’s an appropriate time to eat have a healthy alternative. If not occupy yourself, take up knitting or paint your nails, read a magazine or have a hot drink like green or herbal tea. Do whatever works for you as a distraction.
6. Reward yourself, every time you have a healthy home cooked meal rather than a take out or don’t buy that chocolate bar on the way home or take a pack lunch to work. Use the money you save to buy yourself a new outfit or a recipe book.
7. Be goal oriented, without something to aim for its hard to stay on track, whether it’s a weight to lose, a weight to lift or a race to finish achieving goals is a great way to mark progress. And if it doesn’t happen first time round don’t despair, reassess and try again.
8. Don’t weigh yourself every day, by all means once a week, even make a chart but don’t do it every day you’ll get sucked up in the little numbers and it won’t feel like you’re making progress when you are.
9. Keep in touch, Shane creates an environment where you live, eat, sleep and work out with the same people, you go through a lot with them, they are your friends, your family and your support network while you’re there. Don’t lose that when you get home, the staff and the programme will be there for you long after you leave but so will everyone else and it’s a great opportunity to make life long friends. Make sure you utilize that.
10. And most of all, do not, under any circumstances, give up. You might stop losing weight, you might even gain a few pounds, maybe you’re injured, something is going on at home or at school or you just don’t feel like its worth it. But this is your life, you only get one and it’s never too late to make the most of it. Take the opportunity to get healthy, get fit and enjoy your body.

One of the greatest enjoyments of fall is the abundance of fresh, ripe, delicious apples. Apples are a great low calorie snack to help you lose weight, great in a variety of recipes,  a natural mouth freshener, and are very inexpensive.

Why Are Apples Good For You?
Apples are a source of both soluble and insoluble fiber. Soluble fiber such as pectin actually helps to prevent cholesterol buildup in the lining of blood vessel walls, thus reducing the incident of arteriosclerosis and heart disease. The insoluble fiber provides bulk in the intestinal tract, holding water to cleanse and move food quickly through the digestive system. It is a good idea to eat apples with their skin. Almost half of the vitamin C content is just underneath the skin. Eating the skin also increases insoluble fiber content. Most of an apple’s fragrance cells are also concentrated in the skin and as they ripen, the skin cells develop more aroma and flavor.

HAVE AN APPLE TODAY!
Fuel up with this powerful breakfast with fresh fall apples to energize you through the morning!

Fresh Muesli with Apples and Almonds

Makes 2 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup unsalted almonds
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 1 apple, diced
• 2 tbsp honey

Directions:
1. Preheat a frying pan over medium heat. Toast the oats and almonds until aromatic (or  you can smell the nutty scent). Keep an eye on them and keep stirring because they will burn easily. Stir in cinnamon and let cool to room temperature.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the oat mixture, yogurt and milk.

3. Cover and refrigerate until oats are soft. About one hour or let soften overnight.

4. Spoon the muesli into two bowls. Top with a diced apple and a drizzle of honey.

Nutrition Facts:

• Calories: 283 kcal
• Total Fat: 7.4 g
• Total Carbohydrates: 51.2 g
• Dietary Fiber: 7.0 g
• Protein: 7.7 g

Nutrition Tips:

• The German word muesli means “mixture” and can include raw or toasted cereals (oats, wheat, millet, barley, etc.), dried fruits (such as raisins, apricots, and apples), nuts, bran, wheat germ that is mixed with milk and yogurt.
• Muesli is very versatile and you can create it depending on the ingredients you like.
• Greek  yogurt has a higher protein content than regular yogurt. If you do not like just plain Greek  yogurt, mix half the Greek  yogurt with the yogurt you are used to eating.
• In the fall apples are in season. Try going to local farmers markets and get fresh apples. Also, try switching up the variety of apples you use.

Can’t get enough apples?  Check out Julie’s post about what types of apples are best for your recipes.

Eating healthy does not need to burn a hole in your pocket. If you are following a food budget, the task of food shopping may seem challenging, but it doesn’t have to. You can save money and still have a variety of healthy foods without breaking the bank.

Simple switches to save money:

• Limit alcohol
  Alcohol is an additional cost to your weekly budget that if you cut it down or cut it out, it can help you save money and lose weight. Alcohol has “empty calories”, meaning that the food is higher in calories and lower in nutrients.
• Drink water (aim for 8 cups a day)
  Make 2 purchases that can save you money in the long run: a water filter and a reusable water bottle. You can filter tap water right from your home. Other drinks provide empty calories and can become pricey. Even when you go out to eat, order water. Think water is too boring? Try adding orange or lemon slices to your water bottle for some natural flavoring.
• Avoid the drive through
  Think you are saving money by hitting up the drive through everyday for lunch. Think again. By skipping the drive through and packing your own lunch can help you save money and keep you on track to healthy eating. Skip the double cheeseburger, fries, coke, and large cookie. Buy a loaf of whole wheat bread, turkey from the deli (often on sale), and fruit (in season is often cheaper). Pack a turkey sandwich, a piece, of fruit and your water bottle. Have a sweet tooth after lunch or dinner? Go for small individually wrapped treats like a couple dark chocolate Hershey kisses.
  This also includes limiting dining out.
• Make sure to have variety!
  Variety is key. No one wants to eat the same thing everyday. Seasonal foods are cheaper during their peak season. Switch it up all the time. An easy thing to switch up is snacks. Buy a variety of fruits to choose from for a healthy snack.
• Clip coupons
  Clip your coupons. Do a little research before your shopping trip. See what is on sale to incorporate in your meals for the week. Become a member of the store to get a discount on store items. These might seem little, but they add up to big savings at the end.
• Buy in bulk
  Buying in bulk is often cheaper. You can freeze perishables like breads and meats and use smaller portions when needed.
• Make extra
  Double a recipe you like and save the rest for leftovers later in the week or freeze the rest for later.

Everywhere we go there is food. Our environment has a tremendous effect on when we eat and what we choose to eat. It is crucial to become aware of your own triggers to eating, other than true hunger, and exploring methods in which to manage them to achieve healthy patterns.

It is equally important to become aware of and control the portion size of meals and snacks. It is helpful to learn what serving sizes are and to select appropriate portion sizes. Eating mindfully incorporates measuring foods (using measuring cups, spoons and a food scale) which trains the eye to learn what healthy serving sizes look like. Most people greatly underestimate the volume of food that they consume. As a matter of fact, reports show that people often eat almost twice as many calories as they think they do.

It is a critical component of weight loss to eat smaller portions of food. Restaurants often serve 2-5 times the recommended portion size and Americans have grown accustomed to what this volume looks like. This “super-sized” portion has become the new norm. By decreasing the size of meals consumed, the stomach will shrink and adapt over time. This smaller amount of food will lead to satiety.

Remember it is one meal at a time. You can do it!

Most baked goods are often high in fat and sugar. Muffins, often assumed as a healthier choice, can even sometimes be a “cupcake” in disguise. You may think it’s impossible to create a lower calorie, healthier baked good that is just as tasty as the original.

Try these simple swaps the next time you’re baking.

The most common excuse I hear about why someone isn’t eating healthy is: “I don’t have time to eat healthy” (of course, there is always the “healthy foods taste like cardboard” excuse, but that’s an entirely different subject).  So why don’t people have time to eat healthy? School, work, and family are the most common healthy-eating deterrents.  However, a busy schedule doesn’t have to mean fatty, high sodium, processed foods.  It can be just as simple to eat healthy on a busy schedule as to eat unhealthy.  It takes the same amount of effort to order a salad than it does a slice of pizza and it takes even less effort to grab an apple than it does to heat up a pop-tart.

So when you wake up tomorrow morning think to yourself: “My eating yesterday didn’t make me feel very healthy. Today I want to make a healthy change.” It is as simple as that. When you start your day with a healthy mindset, making healthy decisions will easily follow.

The first meal of the day is the most important. Breakfast will give you the energy you need to stay on track all day, not to mention that when you start your day with a good food choice you are more likely to make better choices throughout the day.  We all know what a good choice is: oatmeal and other whole grains, fruit, eggs, veggies, and other natural choices.  If you don’t have time in the morning, prep the night before. A good breakfast is an essential part of a healthy day.  Before you leave the house, grab a few pieces of fruit, maybe some nuts or trail mix to have with you as snacks throughout the day.

So this is where the hard part starts; lunch out with friends, family or coworkers.  Whether you order out, eat out or dine in there is always a healthy option, even if it doesn’t seem like there is.  Half the battle in making a healthy decision is knowing what a healthy choice is, such as watch out for heavy dressing, added sodium and highly processed foods. Instead, stick with a protein source, a vegetable and a whole grain.  The other half of making a healthy food choice is having a healthy mindset. “I want to be the best I can be and feed my body what it deserves.”  With that mindset and the knowledge you already have, you are ready to make healthy choices every day.

At Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts, our fitness, nutrition and behavior change coaching classes can assist you in making those healthy food choices, and exploring your old bad habits and creating new ones.   Once you leave our program you will feel confident, look great, have more energy, and have a stronger and healthier mindset!  When you are good to your body, it will be good to you in return.

Everybody knows what professionals are saying: eat whole grains, don’t eat refined carbohydrates, and stay away from white bread-that seems to be the generic, go-to saying now-a-days.  But what does that mean when you walk into the bakery section of your grocery store?  There are so many different options; it gets confusing out there in the world of grains and breads! So here are a few tips on how to make sure you are choosing the healthiest possible (and usually the most delicious) breads and grains.

First things first- when you walk into the bakery isle, what do you see? White bread, multigrain bread, 9 grain bread, 12 grain bread, whole grain bread, whole wheat bread, wheat bread, oats and honey bread, and cinnamon raisin bread – the list goes on and on.  For some reason, there is an incredible variety of “healthy” breads out there, but are they really healthy?

We’ve all heard that white bread is refined and not the best choice for us, but why?  Well, white bread is definitely more processed than whole grain breads.  During manufacturing, they literally remove the “whole grain”.  They take out all the deliciously nutritious stuff like fiber and B vitamins and leave nothing but sugar and empty calories.  Now, I am not bashing white bread, I am simply stating a fact: it provides no nutritional value to its consumers.  But what is the difference between white bread and whole grain bread?  The difference is there is much less to process in whole grain breads because they use the entire grain, they don’t selfishly remove anything from it which keeps it  full of the fiber and vitamins that our bodies crave, making it a much healthier choice.

Now the next problem is how do you know what you are buying is in fact whole grain bread?  It’s simple-you can start by looking at the package and reading how it is advertised.  The problem is that manufacturers very often advertise in a way that may make us believe something is healthy when it is truly not. In order to outsmart them, read the ingredient list. They must, by law, include all of their ingredients in this list.  Looking for the word “whole” – not grain, not multigrain, not wheat – whole!  The word whole will tell you everything you need to know.  If it says “whole” you know, for sure that it is a whole grain product.

Next- you want to make sure it is 100% whole grain/wheat.  This is usually labeled on the front of the product because when manufacturers are actually producing a product that is healthy, they want their consumers to know it.  So if it says “100% whole wheat” you have made a great choice.

At Shane Diet & Fitness Resorts, our nutrition education classes are designed as an open forum to help you take the guess work out of making healthy choices at the supermarket.  It used to be you walk into the store, you choose your produce, you choose your meats, and you choose whole wheat or white bread.  Today is harder but it is more important than ever that we eat good, healthy food. So take an extra 10 seconds to read the food labels and be good to your bodies.  When you are good to your body, it will be good to you in return.

Nutritious eating is key to your healthy lifestyle. The key foundation to any healthy diet is moderation.

Many “dieters” believe that pizza is off limits when trying to lose weight. That’s why diets don’t work. Try not to think of food as being “off-limits”.  The second you decide certain foods are off limits, it becomes natural to crave them more.

Think smaller portions. Start small and think about serving sizes in realistic terms. Restaurants typically have 2-3 servings on one plate, which can lead to overeating and weight gain. Split an entrée with someone and order a salad with it. At home, try using smaller plates to encourage a healthy portion for weight loss.

Growing up, my family usually ordered pizza on Friday nights.  Many people on a weight loss diet view foods like pizza as “cheating.” No food should be viewed as cheating because after eating it, a feeling of guilt will occur. You can still enjoy pizza without feeling the guilt.

Tip #1: Enjoy your pizza with a side salad.

Tip #2: Cut your piece of pizza in half. Now you have two pieces to enjoy.

Tip #3: Skip the extra cheese and meat for toppings and swap for vegetables.

Tip #4: If the pizza place offers a whole-wheat crust, choose that.

Tip #5: Try thin crust pizza.