6 Egg-cellent Tips For Staying On Track This Easter

Just when you thought all the holidays were behind you (and no longer threatening your weight-loss), along comes Easter. Towering displays of marshmallow chicks and chocolate bunnies fill the stores, and you may be planning a massive feast but don't let it deter your weight loss efforts.

Here are some tips to survive this Easter weekend:

Don’t sit down to dinner on an empty stomach.- You’ll be more likely to overeat. Eat about 60 calories of a lean protein, about 20 minutes before dinner. This will enable you to enjoy your meal without feeling famished and overeating.

Be active –Go for a walk before church or coordinate a street-wide Easter egg hunt or parade. You would be amazed at all the local offerings. Get outside!

Rethink that Easter basket- Purchase nontraditional gifts like books, costume jewelry or gift certificates. Instead of buying lots of candy, buy plastic eggs and fill them with stickers, money or small toys.

Shift your focus -Remind yourself that holidays are not a whole season, a whole weekend, or even a whole day. Think about what is actually on the menu you are planning and if there are any healthier alternatives you can incorporate. You might surprise yourself and your family with something new!

Spread the wealth –Don’t buy a big bag of candy. And if you end up with one: Share, share, share! Adults like to share in candy they only see once a year. 

Change the sweets to natural sweets – Now is a good time to switch out candy for fruit that is in season. 

For fresh ideas on how to put those leftover Easter eggs to good use, checkout our blog on CarbEssentials.net!

JumpStart Your Spring Weight Loss

With the warm weather setting in, many folks are starting to acknowledge the few (or more) pounds they put on during those winter months. Second to New Year's Day, Spring is the time when many people make a commitment to lose weight. If you are on a mission to lose weight by summertime, make sure you aren't sabotaging your efforts with one of these common missteps:

1.     You are not on top of your stress

Often overlooked in weight loss, stress can keep you stuck at a certain weight or cause you to gain. If you're stressed to the max, your body produces a hormone called cortisol, and if not controlled, your body can increase it's fat storage. Think about it, how often have you turned to a favorite food or snacked endlessly when you're stressed out? Get ahead of your stress and you can watch the numbers go down on the scale. Take a walk, get some fresh air, meditate, do something fun, read a book, laugh, call up a friend or seek some alone time. Find ways to reduce your stress and commit to doing a few of those things each week. Managing your stress effectively is an essential component of weight loss.

2.     You're eating too many carbs

You're eating too many carbs. If you want to slim down, one of first things you should do is reduce your intake of starchy carbs. Avoid white breads and white rice, potatoes, fried foods and processed foods. Add lean proteins to keep you feeling full longer.

3.     You are skimping on sleep

Straight to the point: Missing sleep increases your stress level and makes you hungrier. With a lack of sleep (less than seven hours a night) your ghrelin level gets off and stimulates your appetite more and your leptin level (responsible for suppressing your appetite) goes down. If you want to lose more fat, get more sleep! Your body will be able to operate at it's best!

4.     Setting unrealistic goals

Before crafting your goals, look at where you are in terms of your eating habits. With summer around the corner, it can be tempting to create super lofty goals and just focus on the big picture, which can be daunting and wind up sapping motivation. Instead, build in challenging-yet-doable food goals from your starting point. Be sure to revisit and revise these goals as you move forward.

5.     You do the same thing all the time

Your body gets used to the same exercise if you do it every day, and weight loss can be much more effective when you surprise your body once in a while. Change up your workout and mix it up by increasing the intensity or duration of your exercise.