Happy Easter and Passover from Your St. Pete Personal Trainers & Weight Loss Experts!
Here at Fitness St Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness and over the previous 20 years with Custom Bodies, this is the week where the Topic Of Conversation In Our Group Fitness training Programs is to “get through” the week end , enjoy it and all it stands for without sacrificing weight loss and fitness goals.
With Passover Friday and Easter on Sunday, this weekend, there are a unique set of challenges.
Holidays are a time to indulge, and you should!
Yes, you read that right…
You SHOULD…… strategically and intentionally. If you have been around for a while, you know my mantra “Having a plan going in and changing your mindset around any holiday is the key to successfully surviving it without derailing your health and fitness goals.”
Food is super important for many of us around the holidays, and, if you’re like many, it’s probably one of your favorite parts but, one or two days can really send you down a bad path and derail you, but, allowing yourself a few days of flexibility can actually help you to understand moderation and a healthy lifestyle in the long run. Enjoying your food with a plan and not letting it dominate your are important parts of a healthy lifestyle!
Today I want to share with you some strategies, recipes and some simple food swaps. that have helped our group training members and private clients enjoy holiday after holiday without sacrificing their goals.
Growing up in a VERY catholic household, Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays! I have amazing memories of searching for the Easter baskets, peeps and Easter egg hunts.
For us, Easter always revolved around Mass and the HUGE holiday meal. (Did I mention that I am also Italian?) With a nice ham and all the trimmings how can you go wrong?
Back then I was a chunky monkey (about 40 pounds heavier) in a family of chunky monkeys so I never really thought about eating for every reason aside from hunger or about ‘celebrating” with food.
After sustaining a 40 pound weight loss for 38 years and spending the last 28 years as a personal trainer and weight loss coach, I see things much differently now.
The truth is, for many people, this simple Holiday will derail their fitness journey (even for those who don’t celebrate Easter or Passover).
The key is to know yourself, your triggers, and your goals and make the decisions that are right for you and what you want in the future.
The day itself isn’t typically terrible for our clients. Most use it as an unstructured day. It’s the week leading UP TO that Holiday where the problem usually lies.
I’m not saying that you need to completely avoid sugar or your favorite foods; I only want you to bring awareness to the choices you decide to make.
A few Cadbury Eggs turns into an entire bag of them.
A Chocolate bunny (especially the ears!) turns into a full on binge.
A little piece of pie for dessert turns into the entire pie being gone in a day.
Sound Familiar ?
It doesn’t have to derail your efforts and all you have accomplished so far. It just takes a little planning and thought.
Having a plan going in and changing your mindset around any holiday is the key to successfully surviving it without derailing your health and fitness goals.
If you are hosting, it is much easier to control the options you will have for food. If you are heading to a family member or friends house, make sure you bring at least two options of food that you want to eat.
Ideally, one would be protein based and the other a vegetable. You can fill in with a small taste of everything else.
Your mindset going into any holiday or event is critical.
Viewing them, as an excuse or “pass” to eat processed junk foods and lots of sugar will only set you up for failure. We all know that sugar is a slippery slope to go down.
Veering off the path of your effective eating too much just makes the days/weeks to follow that much harder.
Here are a few of my most recommended food swaps:
1. Instead of sour cream– opt for plain Greek yogurt (2%) for dips, as a condiment, and in baking
This is a great way to bump your protein, improve feelings of fullness, enjoy the benefits of probiotics, while slashing calories and saturated fats. One serving of sour cream is generally 2 tablespoons and contains 60 calories, 5g fat, and 1g protein while the same amount of 2% plain Greek yogurt contains .6g fat, 3g protein, and 22 calories. I generally opt for the 2% or whole option for a texture closer to sour cream, but the great thing is that even
if I’m using whole plain yogurt, I’m still slashing calories and saturated fat while boosting my protein. Not to mention, I feel fuller after eating less.
Greek yogurt can also be swapped for cream cheese. I recommend only swapping it out for 1/3 of (at max half) the quantity of cream cheese called for in the recipe to retain the cheese flavor.
Doing this for even 1/3 of the amount of cream cheese a recipe calls for will retain the creamy texture and flavor while eliminating over 200 calories and 20 g of saturated fat if using regular cream cheese. If you’re using the 1/3 less fat version, you’ll still cut close to 100 calories while bumping your protein intake by 5-10 grams.
2. Instead of Salt, Try Parmesan Cheese
Rather than adding salt to your food for flavor, try grated Parmesan cheese. This is especially important if you have high blood pressure, as it helps to reduce your sodium intake.
Also, as you know, I am always looking for ways to add protein and Parm Cheese is one of my fav go tos.
1 tablespoon has 76mg of sodium while 1 TEASPOON of salt has 2300mg, which is more than your daily value! This is great for seasoning vegetables. Remember – always try to stay under 2000 mg of sodium per day if you’ve been diagnosed with high blood pressure.
3. Use cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, or almond extract instead of sugar
to help sweeten coffee, oatmeal and yogurt. Extra flavor without the calories! Cinnamon has also been found to assist in decreasing inflammation.
Need a little pep in your morning cup of coffee? Try a teaspoon of cinnamon and a splash of vanilla extract to liven it up a bit!
4. Order wine, or beer instead of pre-mixed cocktails like margaritas.
Prefer mixed drinks? Try vodka or tequila with plain soda or LaCroix and a splash of cranberry and/or lime juice. If you must drink a dark drink like rum, pair it with diet soda. You’ll drink about half the calories and again – less sugar!
Swap your standard pasta for a whole wheat, chick-pea, or a lentil based variety.
Not buying into the spaghetti squash pasta or zucchini noodles craze? Me neither. When I need to fit “pasta” into my food plan, I swap it out for a non wheat based variety.
I personally prefer chick-pea because the texture is closest to normal pasta, and it has about 10 more grams of both fiber and protein each. This is a great option for those if you prefer to stay are gluten-free, have an egg allergy, or are just trying to adhere to a healthier routine. Added bonus: chickpeas are a good source of unsaturated or “heart healthy” fat.
With the right ingredients, you can turn “sinful” treats like brownies, cupcakes, cheesecake, apple crisp, and even moist carrot cake into a delicious fat-burning dessert.
To make this a bit easier, below are some grain-free, gluten free, recipes for the upcoming Easter holiday.
Member Favorite Fat Blasting Easter Recipes If you found these tips helpful, be sure to follow us on Facebook so you can be notified when I go live covering the topics are peeps have asked for and be sure to grab our Member Favorite Easter Weight Loss Recipes.
Committed To Your Success & Awesomeness,
Dianne Villano, The Personal Trainer & Transformation Expert For YOUR Over 50 Body
Fitness St. Pete I Tierra Verde Fitness
P.S. Hearing from our readers is one of the best parts of my day. Drop a comment if you have any questions or just to let me know what you think about this or let me know a topic you want me to write about!
