Halloween Over-Indulgence

Happy November 1st! I hope everyone had a lovely Halloween! I am writing this while waiting for trick or treaters and digesting from a day of way too much food.

At work, we are very spirited about holidays.  We had two days of costumes and a Halloween Bake-Off yesterday.  Almost everyone brought in a baked good and we had to vote for our favorites based on test, presentation and Halloween theme. 

I won Most Creative Costume for my portrayal of Lambchop:

And I also was the runner-up for Most Delicious treat in the Bake-Off for my Pumpkin Spiced Cupcakes with Apple Cider Frosting! It was super moist and amazing.  I will definitely be making them again soon, maybe for Thanksgiving!

In order to be a fair judge, I tried almost all of the treats.  I didn’t eat each treat in its entirety; I just had a bite or two to get the flavor, but there were so many that I know I over-indulged.  I never eat this badly, so today did a number on my body. 

I feel so sluggish and tired, full and bloated right now, so I know I need to do a mini detox.  The rest of this week I plan on detoxing with the following foods:

• Tons of water with lemon-the lemon helps aid in digestion and cleans everything out
• Fresh fruits and veggies to put more water in my system
• Lay off the caffeine to avoid headache
• Consume brown rice and a few whole grains for some fiber
• Limit meats and dairy
• In general, just eat clean

I’m chugging lemon water now and I already feel better.  If anything, eating like I did yesterday inspires me to eat better today because I don’t like the way those foods make me feel.

This is the season of over-indulgence, so I am going to try harder to limit my intake for the rest of the holiday parties by choosing what looks best. I will write a post soon about how to decide what is worth eating during the holiday parties!

How do you detox after a day (or week) of over-indulgence?

Do you have any tips on being selective about what you eat during parties?

Surviving Thanksgiving

So yesterday was potentially the biggest eating day of the year. People go wild, eating everything they can get their hands on, filling their plates multiple times. I considered this to be the biggest test of my self-control and determination of sticking to eating healthy. We had all of the usual Thanksgiving sides; delicious stuffing, squash, corn, green beans, mashed potatoes, rolls, and cranberry sauce. I decided I only was going to have one plate of food with no seconds. I only ate a small amount of stuffing and squash and tried to fill up on the corn and green beans.

My mom and I cooked the stuffing so we took steps to make it a little healthier. We used only whole wheat bread and used eggs and milk to soften the stuffing. It turned out to be delicious and a little bit healthier. We also made a healthier chocolate pie. We used a whole wheat pie crust from Whole Foods and made sugar-free Jello Pudding. I had a small sliver just to ward off cravings for the other desserts, but I only had a few bites. While I was eating the pie, I realized I didn't even want it or any of the other desserts.

Originally, I was fully prepared to go all out and eat whatever I wanted yesterday. I was going to allow myself November 25th and December 25th to eat desserts, but I think I've gotten past that point. My cravings for sugar have basically disappeared, which has made situations like yesterday much easier to endure.

Did you make any healthy modifications to your Thanksgiving cooking? Share them in the comments section!

One small victory!

Monday marked a huge turning point in my fight against sugar. The place I work is always scattered with sugary goodies to keep us going through the night. In the past, I was overcome by my desire to enjoy these tasty goodies, often consuming more than any human should. This week was different though. The table was covered in delicious looking cookies, brownies and candy. My first reaction was to marvel at how good they looked and I got excited to eat one with dinner. Right away, however, I remembered my pact to rid my diet of refined sugar. Disappointed, I walked away to do work but I couldn't stop thinking about the treats that were waiting on the table for me.

While I am still amazed at my self-control, I managed to make it 6 hours without touching a single sugary treat. I attribute my success to having banned refined sugars from my diet. Here are some of my other tips to resisting:

-Remind yourself why you gave something up in the first place. If you did it for weight-loss, think about the results you want to achieve and how you can be successful.
-Walk away! Take a step back from the candy jar or big piece of cake and do something else. Take your mind off of the treat and you are likely to forget about the craving.
-Don't keep a candy jar on your desk. Keeping candy at your desk will only promote mindless snacking. If you really want a piece of candy, you should seek it out to ensure you really want it.
-Just say "No, thanks!" It is hard at office parties and gatherings to avoid your co-workers' baked goods. There is nothing wrong with just saying "No" if you are offered something you don't want to eat.

What tips do you use for avoiding something you are trying not to eat? Have you tried any of these?

Taking the First Step Toward Healthiness

When I started my sugar elimination, I was concerned with wasting all of the sugary food I had in my cabinet. Since I started this right after Halloween, I had a huge bag of candy that I didn’t want to give up. At first thought, I reasoned I would keep the candy and only have one piece a day. But I know myself and there’s no way I could stop at just one. So reluctantly, I added all of my candy to the communal table. In our house, if you leave food out on this one table, it is fair game for everyone. Luckily, I have some hungry housemates who were more than happy to take the candy off of my hands. I then went through my pantry and refrigerator and read the labels of everything I had. If it had refined sugar or a sugar substitute, I offered it up to various friends.

I’m glad I got rid of all of the sugary food. It’s easier to not eat sugar if there is nothing in my possession that contains it. I’m proud of myself that I went cold turkey and gave away the food instead of hanging onto it “just in case.” My friends enjoyed the food and candy is already gone. While I realize cutting out sugar completely right away is not ideal for everyone, it worked well for me. Day 6 and still going strong! The weekend is always tricky, so we’ll see how much self-control I have.

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice...or Not

My most recent health conquest is giving up sugar. I use the term “giving it up” lightly. It’s more like I am cutting back severely and only having natural sugars that are hard to avoid. This was sparked by the large amounts of candy I consumed during Halloween, so I figured it was time for a change. Overall, health is always my first priority, but if this sugar cleanse helps me shed a few pounds, I wouldn't hate it.

Today is Day 5 and so far, it hasn't been as hard I thought it would. The first three days were completely painless, but I struggled last night and tonight with my cravings. They strike right after dinner when I want to counter my healthy dinner with something sweet. I see my housemates eating a piece of candy or a bowl of ice cream and it's hard not to miss those things. To control my craving, I try to walk away from the table or have a cup of tea. Yogi tea is my favorite and I'll write a review about it later.

How do you handle your sweet cravings when they strike? What time of the day do you struggle most with your cravings?