Shed For The Holidays: More Tricks!

Oh, the holidays are on. Today I thought I’d recap some of my survival tricks and tips and add a few more good ones for heading into the home stretch.

• No leggings — wear jeans or form-fitting clothes to big meals! It will help you to not stuff yourself. I’m all for indulging but I do not want to be “let-me-discreetly unbutton-my-pants” full.
• Remember: a holiday is ONE DAY. Okay, yes, we’ve got two in a row here, but that doesn’t mean every meal needs to be a calorie clusterfuck. When you trip on the top stair, you don’t say, “Oh, just let me throw myself down the rest of the stairs!”
• If you want to skip the gym cause you’re out Wassailing, fine. But remember that watching “Love Actually” does not, in fact, burn calories, so make the most out of the sessions you do fit in!
• If you’re baking, check out my tips for not licking the beaters. I was baking Nutella cake last night. Thank God I pre-gamed with butterscotch oats, or we’d be putting my newborn Food Baby in the nativity scene.
• Do NOT go crazy because you’re going to go on some crazy-ass diet come Jan 1. Just…no.

Other good tips and tricks…

• Eat breakfast every day!! Do not skip a meal to “save” calories. If you do, this is when we have the “I’m going to gnaw off my arm so I better start inhaling white bread and mashed potatoes effect.” And you’ll be cranky as hell.
• Love this tip from FitSugar: do like Gaga says and JUST DANCE. Can I back it up like a Mack truck? NO. Can shake my ass all over the house to Mariah Christmas songs? YES, as a matter of fact, I can! Check out two of my fave Christmas playlists (Naughty and Nice) for upbeat Xmas songs that will help you dance for cardio.
• Bring something healthy to the party! Shrimp cocktail. A real cocktail. Hey, if it’s homemade and it’s not a Paula Deen recipe, it’s probably fine!
• Great tip from Veggie Booty: If you don’t like it, don’t eat it. End of story. Um, I can have one piece of pie or three glasses of wine. It’s a choose-your-own-adventure story and I choose booze!
• Do not skip out on fun gatherings and be “that girl” because you are worried about the food. Yes, it’s great when you can control every bite that goes in your mouth and know every carb and fat gram, but you know what? You can’t do that forever if you want to um, not hate your life. There is a time for happy calories. And this is a good time to practice mindful eating and listening to your body! Yeah, sometimes my inner 300 pound gay man is screaming, “I WANT TO EAT THREE CUPCAKES TONIGHT AND THEN FAST NEXT WEEK, bitch!” but um…turns out, that doesn’t work! I’m finally getting moderation and indulgences, and as much as it kills me to admit it, the whole concept actually works. So, hey, if you get all up in some baked brie on Christmas Eve, and realize, “Oh, hey, didn’t listen to my bod on that one!” you can get it back on Christmas Day. But seriously, guilt is not a Christmassy emotion. (“Shitttttt, I’m hungoverrrrrrr” sometimes is.)

OK. Phew. I’m really quite worked up now!!

So the first of my family’s Christmas festivities is today, and that means yesterday was incredibly busy. It was all about nuts and balls. (Hazel and cheese, respectively.) That Nutella cake was rather time consuming. Roasting, peeling, and grinding hazelnuts is not for the faint of heart, and because it was such a long process, I was trying to make other things — the goat cheese appetizers and the bread — at the same time. And the goat cheese balls required chopping herbs and zesting lemons (my two least favorite tasks) and the hearthbread is a several-step process as well, when you consider roasting the garlic and all. So…I was a busy girl! One second I had my hands in Nutella, and the next they were in bread dough. At one point I went into the bathroom and I had chocolate smudged on my face, arm, and shirt, like I was in a scene in a play. (“Girl, 24, has been cooking all day.”) The flour everywhere and dishes in the sink also contributed to that. However, I was home alone, and three hours of peace and quiet to get dirty in the kitchen is just fine with me! And when my cake turned out just like the picture in the book, I knew it was worth the effort.

There is a reason the book is called How To Be a Domestic Goddess. That’s exactly what you feel like (no matter how much flour you have on your shoes)!

So, my day ahead: to the gym today for a power walk. (I was going to spin but you know what? My hair looks fantastic and I’m not blowing it out again. There, I said it.) Then to the train station to pick up my very best friend! Then making some veggie lasagna, tossing a salad (literally, not figuratively), getting dolled up, and feeding my family. Oh, and then to the bar after for a few drinks. My aunt texted me, “I’m bringing a booty call for you! I have to live vicariously through you.” HA. (And…hmm. Perhaps there will be some figurative salad tossing. JUST KIDDING!)

HAPPY HOLIDAY HUMP DAY! Over and out!

Tagged as: Christmas, holidays, mindful eating, Motivation Conversations, party food, positive attitude, winter