Eat too much over Easter? So did I!

I was interviewed by a journalist last week who asked me for my top tips for staying in shape over Easter and how to minimize weight gain.  My answer?  To not worry about what you eat over Easter weekend but to focus on what you eat for the rest of the year!  Why is it, women are so stuck on restricting themselves when there is fun to be had?!

 I had the most indulgent weekend which was bloody good fun involving wine, chocolate eggs, home made chocolate tiffin and a huge cheese board yesterday afternoon. Have I put on a bit of weight?  Yes probably. But I couldn’t give a hoot. I had a whale of the time and today, have knuckled back down… I had a vegetable based juice (actually to be fair I had one of these every day over the weekend), hoummas, avocado & salad on rye bread for breakfast and a tuna salad for lunch. What is the point of regretting good times and over eating? No point crying over wine drunk or eaten chocolate.  Far better to look forward, and put some goodness back in your body!

On my Food Management Made Easy course, I do a webinar all around getting back on track and one of my concepts around this is something called THE WAVE.  Women are most familiar with the yo-yo dieting effect, which let’s face it is a pretty negative and damaging thing to do to your bodies. But a wave is like little ups and downs of your weight or size at certain points of the year or indeed your life.  Imagine the horizon of a calm sea – over all a straight line but still little ups and down when you look closer. Allowing yourself to have little waves in your focus / indulgence / weight / shape HAS to be part of life long food management.  It allows you to have the things you want yet still be in control – be switched on when you can and switch off when you fancy a break!

One of the other ways I stay in shape stress-free is to minimize the size of the mishaps I have. OK, so my weekend was pretty indulgent but I really can’t stay off focus for long, it doesn’t sit right in my soul. I feel very passionately that I want to be above the ground for as a long as I can and whilst I’m above the ground I want to look and feel good.   I also still had lots of raw food (I have about 20 a day in terms of government guidelines) and drank lots of water.  I also have a tipping point – the point I know I’ve gone too far – where my jeans feel tight or when I sit at my desk my stomach isn’t flat. I’m not at my tipping point just yet, but another 4 days of what I just consumed I might be!  So I’m aware that I need to knuckle down. 

And finally, I just wanted to remind you all to NEVER FEEL GUILTY about indulging, not whilst you are eating  or drinking it nor the day after…. There is only one thing worse than not having the things you love, and that’s not being able to enjoy them when you do.

So my Easter weekend:

Wine – check

Chunky chips and full fat mayo – check (actually that’s a double check!)

Chocolate tiffin – check

Chocolate Easter egg, yes the whole thing and it was delicious– check

Cheese board – check

Late nights - check

Happy memories – check

Guilt-free indulgence – check

Increased waistline - check

Got back on track today – check.

So for anyone who ate or drunk more than they had planned over the weekend – there is nothing you can do about it.  I hope you enjoyed it and today is a new day!

Janey x