Leprechauns, Rainbows, And A Pot of Gold!

As the saying goes, “Everyone wants to be Irish on St. Patrick’s Day”. Do you blame them? For most, St. Patrick’s Day equals boisterous parades/parties and endless eating and drinking. If you are anything like my clients, you are already planning a day full of corned beef dinners, Guinness beer, creamy Irish coffee and chocolate mint shamrock cookies with family and friends. 

With the holiday right around the corner, I get asked the same question… How can I enjoy the holiday without spoiling my weight loss goals? My initial response to that question is to stay focused on your goals and make the decision to not indulge in anything that would comprise those goals. Easier said that done, right? So, for those of you who live in the real world, I offer the following advice:

 Calorie Reducing Tips For Drinking:

• Establish your drinking limit to 1,2 or 3 drinks before you get to the party and stick to it
• Before each alcoholic drink, always have a low calorie, non-alcoholic beverage. This not only quenches your thirst but it sets the pace for slower, safer celebrating
• Turn your wine into a spritzer by adding an equal part of seltzer water or diet 7-Up
•  Choose a light beer over a regular beer
•  Ask for low calorie diet mixers where possible

Don’t be tempted to skip meals to allow for drinks, as alcohol won’t satisfy your hunger. In fact, alcohol lowers blood sugar levels. A drop in blood sugar levels sends signals to the brain that you are hungry. With alcohol in your system, willpower can go out of the window and the snack attacks kick in. Eating a proper meal before you go out will line your stomach and slow the rate at which alcohol absorbs into your bloodstream, keeping you in control of how much you eat and drink.

 Calorie Reducing Tips For Eating:

• Stick to your standard portion sizes and avoid second and third helpings
• Munch on healthier snacks between meals like a hand full of almonds, vegetables, fruit, or low fat string cheese instead of chips, cookies and cup cakes
• Consume 8-10 cups of water throughout the day
• Include a dessert in your total caloric intake for the day and enjoy it guilt free

 St. Patrick’s Day is a great holiday to share with close friends and family. To help stay on track with your goals (assuming you are interested) you should set some boundaries and create a plan before the festivities begin.  Above all, remember the true spirit of the holiday, don’t forget to wear green and just ENJOY yourself. We all deserve to have a little fun sometimes (within reason of course). Go ahead, eat, drink and be Irish! But choose to be the lucky leprechaun that survives the holiday without expanding your waistline.

Sláinte chugat (Good health to you),

 

Shaneya Harris, CPT, CAFT

Program Director/Instructor

San Fernando Valley Adventure Boot Camp

Shaneya@ValleyAdventureBootCamp.com

Office: (818) 357-2352