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Easter, vacation and travel, oh my!

Yes I’m glad it is over.  I’m trying to think of the worst food choices I made over the last week while away from the comfort of my own home and I think it was more of what I lacked.  Salad.  I didn’t eat enough salad while away.  Oh, there were vegetables here and there and a great homemade Manhattan Clam Chowder teaming with potatoes, carrots and tomatoes but I had maybe one salad.  It was a family recipe of lettuce, tomatoes and olives dressed with mayo and pickled beets.  Flavorful to be sure (and outdated with the mayo dressing), but not something you’d want to have a great big bowl of. 

So the Easter Bunny came and left a pile of chocolate bunnies and eggs at least as big as your car. You know you really shouldn’t eat it all, but what are you going to do with it? You have a choice. You can sabotage your diet for the next few weeks or you can take control NOW.

• Save out your very favorite pieces. Then savor them over the next few days, while figuring in the calories and either eating that much less or exercising that much more. This is one way to have your chocolate and eat it too. And you won’t be upset when the scale moves in the wrong direction.

Happy Easter!

It is so good to return home.  As much as I enjoyed a visit with family there is nothing more comforting than to sleep in one’s own bed. 

I see Brenda kept you busy with all sorts of great advice and there is not much I can add right now except to enjoy the holiday if Easter is a holiday in which you partake.  I like Easter holiday feasting because it seems to be the easiest of all holiday feasts.  It can be whatever you make of it.

Ok, Easter will be here tomorrow. The nefarious bunny will have left all kinds of treats behind. Chocolate eggs and bunnies are sure to surround you everywhere you look. Jellybeans galore. Sugar, sugar, and more sugar. What is a dieter to do?

Take a deep breath. You CAN do this. You have the power to make the decision to either give in or resist. It may be hard, but it will be worth it.

This Sunday, thousands of people will participate in an annual tradition of Easter Brunch. This is a time of family togetherness and good food. But just because you are on a diet, doesn’t mean that you can’t eat or participate in the festivities. You just need to be a little bit creative.

If you are eating out, this is a perfect opportunity to put into practice the steps we discussed back around Valentine’s Day. Or perhaps you are participating in a potluck brunch, or buffet. The principles are the same; it’s just another holiday to practice making smart choices. With all of this practice you are getting, you will be more than ready to take on the Thanksgiving and Christmas season when they finally arrive later this year. Make your Easter Brunch work FOR you, not against you.

There is something magical that happens when the first day of spring arrives. There is a distinctive shift in our brains and we begin to think of sunshine and all of the goodness that comes with it. We begin to revv up our bodies and prepare for outdoor activities. It is a time of rebirth.

For some of us, there is a panic that sets in. We realize that summer is just around the corner and our dream of a svelte body is slightly delayed. Bathing suit season is scary for some of us. Quite frankly, there are other things that we would rather be doing. However, this time of the year is a great opportunity to make the changes we have been talking about and not acting upon.

Too often at holiday times, we find ourselves varying and straying from our diet plans. We make excuses for our dieting mishaps and blame it on whichever holiday we are about to celebrate. This is a dangerous practice that we need to overcome.

As I have spoken with different friends the past few days, there has been a general concurrence that too many of us are following an Easter diet filled with sugared candies and chocolates. We are bringing into our homes baskets of candy items and sweet treats to fill our Easter baskets. But we are instead stuffing our mouths with the items and then running back out to purchase more for Easter Sunday.

Quick…how many of you have been influenced by a suggestion from a loved one, friend or even a television commercial? I would expect if we were being honest, then everyone would answer in the affirmative. It is extremely difficult to overcome the many suggestive forces that are all around us. Sometimes these suggestions are positive and affect us in a good way. Other times these suggestions are negative and they affect us in ways that we would rather they didn’t.

TLC is airing a new show that just may catch your interest. The show is called “I Can Make You Thin” and it features weight loss guru Paul McKenna. The series will feature five different programs. The first episode was last night and it is well worth your time to set your DVR in advance if you can’t catch it. It airs Sundays at 9 PM on TLC.

The approach of this show is very straight forward and the successes that Paul McKenna has had in Britain have been astounding. He is bringing us his approach to weight loss here in the United States and I think we should take a moment and hear what he has to say.

I was discussing with my husband this afternoon about the fact that I just feel so tired and worn out today. As we talked it over, it became really clear to me why I was so tired and worn out. I had forgotten to take care of myself today. I’ve done so many things wrong for my health that it is really no wonder that I am so exhausted. So what have I done wrong?