Thursday, February 14, 2013

Eat Like You Are On a Date!

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, I would like to share my eating philosophy, which includes eating sweets for breakfast and date night, every night!  Let me preface this by saying, I am not a dietitian, nutritionist, chef, or personal trainer.  There is no research backing this up, it is just how I live and how I got back into my jeans after having Lucy!  Let me just say this, I HATE DIETING!  Life is too short to be crunching on carrot sticks when you really want a cheeseburger.  However, I really believe in balance!  I will eat something truly decadent, but then I will counter it with something healthy at my next meal and not because I feel I have to, but because I want to!  I don't know about you, but after I eat a cheeseburger for lunch, I don't want chicken wings for dinner.  I want a salad or vegetable soup, something light.  My body does this automatically and I suspect yours does too.  I highly recommend Bethenny Frankel's book, Naturally Thin.  This really encompasses what I'm talking about.  I have a few of my own little rules to add though.
First of all, I am a huge sweets person!  I love cookies, doughnuts, ice cream, Reese's cups, and the list goes on and on!  My rule about sweets is to have them before lunch!  If you want a doughnut for breakfast, then have it!  You will burn it off by the end of the day.  I actually saw a little blurb about this on a morning news program, that said if you eat decadently for breakfast, such as a doughnut or pancakes, you are much less likely to crave it later in the day and you don't feel deprived!  I find this to be true.  It also makes me want to eat healthy for lunch.  I like the saying, eat like a king for breakfast, a prince for lunch and a pauper for dinner!  This really rings true for me!  
I am also big on portion control.  If I have a doughnut for breakfast, then I just have one!  I don't eat a half dozen.  I sit down, have a cup of coffee and really enjoy every bite!  Same goes for other decadent things.  For example, Lent is now upon us, which here in Western New York, means Friday fish fry!  I love fish fry and french fries!  And we have one every Friday during lent, but here is the catch, my husband and I split one.  These things are HUGE and there is no need to eat the whole thing.  Grilled fish and veggies just doesn't cut it for me.  I wish it did, but it just doesn't.
Now speaking of dinner, I mentioned date night, every night.  My advice here is this.  Do you remember your first date with your husband?  Do you remember how you sat  next to him all nervous and just picking at your food as to not look like a pig?  And do you remember how you actually listened to what he was saying?  Now being married for years, has that all gone out the window?  Probably!  My advice for dinner, is to sit down with your husband (and kids) and pretend like it's your first date all over again.  Or you can pretend you are on a date with George Clooney, whatever you want, I don't judge!  But the point is, don't inhale your dinner and jump up to start the dishes.  Sit down, make your plate pretty, engage in conversation with your family and really listen.  Eat your food slowly and politely like you did on your first date.  This is not only good for your waistline but it might also improve your relationships with your family and who knows, maybe your love life!
My final rule, which is really hard for me sometimes is don't eat after dinner!  It's so simple, yet so important.  I speak for myself when I say, I really don't do much physical activity after dinner.  We spend time playing on the floor with Lucy or watching TV.  I do get hungry, but I just have the mindset that the kitchen is closed.  It has really helped me drop those last few pounds of baby weight! 
You might be wondering how much I exercise.  Well I actually am a little embarrassed to say, but I literally work out 2 MAYBE 3 times a week.  I go to Boot Camp on Tuesdays, which is an hour of really intense exercise and I do a long run on Sundays with my running group.  I usually fit in a yoga workout in once a week while Lucy is napping, but not every week.  I wish I did more, and I will once the weather breaks.  I'm looking forward to dusting off the running stroller.
So to sum this up, eat sweets in the morning, date your husband, practice portion control, don't eat after dinner, and workout when you can!  What are your little tricks?  I'd love to hear about them!  Happy Valentine's Day!

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