In this episode, MAGGIE RANTS about:
Celebrating gratitude, love and joy with tons of food!
It’s in our cultural DNA!
Nibbling doesn’t really count…does it?
Seal up or hide the bag so YOU won’t eat it
PODCAST NUGGETS - Consume without calories:
20 Tips to Avoid Holiday Food Temptations - samples:
Watch holiday binges!
Buy items that won’t tempt you
Sin occasionally
Remove those fattening gifts or treats and fast!
Maggie sings, (Musical parody loosely to the tune of Nice Work, If You Can Get It)
NICE EATING, IF YOU CAN DO IT
AND YOU CAN DO IT, IF YOU TRY!
(Musical parody loosely to the tune of I’m In The Mood For Love)
I’M IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD
SIMPLY BECAUSE IT’S NEAR ME
FUNNY, BUT WHEN IT’S NEAR ME
I’M IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD
CONNECT with Maggie:
FREE Gift: SweetOfferNOW.com Website: SweetLifeNOW.com
Email: Maggie@SweetLifeNOW.com Podcast Phone: 98-LAUGHAPP
It's a Sweet Life NOW is about being uplifted while you learn how to live healthy
& happy. But we’re all different, so before making any lifestyle changes, check it
out with your doc. Our instructions and advice are in no way intended as a
substitute for medical counseling. Your medical team knows your specific health
needs and together, we’ll help you feel fabulous!
Show Notes by Podcastologist/Show Producer: Jessie Taylor
Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your
podcast will prove it.
Episode Transcript: Hello, I’m Maggie Hunts and welcome to It’s A Sweet Life NOW,
where we joke and sing about living with diabetes, so we can all lighten-up while we
learn how to live healthy & happy! That can be tricky with all the Holiday Food
Celebrations. You’d think we could love each other, be grateful, and not over-stuff
ourselves with food to express it. I don’t know; I’m Jewish and my husband’s Italian, I
think it’s in the blood, I don’t think it’s going to change anytime soon.
Did YOU indulge this Thanksgiving? Growing up, I used to get in so much trouble
with my blood sugar when all I had to do was ‘help’ my Mom prepare the Thanksgiving
feast. Did you do anything like this, this Thanksgiving…
Nibbling Doesn’t Count… Does it?
When I helped Mom with Thanksgiving dinner, I practically ate my entire meal before
the food hit the table. Hey, food eaten during prep time is only nibbling, right? Those tiny
pieces stolen between the strokes of the carving knife don’t count; they’re only scraps.
The perks of setting up the buffet is getting to steal the crispy peaks of the stuffing or
every other decorative ball around the edge of the pie crust. They’re just waiting to be
plucked off. In fact, they’re asking for it.
When it was time to finally eat, I didn’t want anyone to notice I was already full because
I had pigged out just bringing the food to the table, so I sat down, took a deep breath,
and proceeded to polish off my ‘official’ meal. Uuuggghhh. No wonder we moan after
overeating. It’s not from delight; it’s from the bloated, overstuffed feeling of having just
gorged.
Unfortunately, your body processes all the food you eat and turns it into sugar. If
you’re only calculating your insulin or food intake on the food that hits your plate, it’ll be
no wonder your sugar goes high. You’re leaving ½ of the carbs out of the calculation on
how much insulin to take! Keeping track of the extra nibbling can explain a lot of
instances of high blood sugar.
The key, is to eat fewer carbs. When you eat fewer carbs, your insulin needs drop. I
know that’s especially difficult during the holidays where it’s common place to be served
tons of potatoes, beans, stuffing, buns and sweets, all to stuff YOU! It’s true, but that’s
where we come in.
(Musical parody loosely to the tune of Nice Work, If You Can Get It)
NICE EATING, IF YOU CAN DO IT
AND YOU CAN DO IT, IF YOU TRY!!
20 Tips to Avoid Holiday Food Temptations
REMOVE THEM. You can’t eat it if it’s not there. Throw them out or give away those
fattening presents or treats and fast. No kidding, don’t pretend you won’t remember
they’re there if you go grazing. Best to be rid of them.
EAT, DON’T STARVE YOURSELF! Eat to stay fortified! That way you’ll have the fuel
you need. Eating small amounts of protein won’t raise your blood sugar and drink a
TON of water. When your sugar is balanced and you’re hydrated, you’ll be surprised
you’re not hungry. We all know what it feels like to be starved. It’s in that ravenous state
that reckless decisions are made. Then it’s just about whatever can get in your face fast
enough, wins. That’s not usually your best decision.
WATCH PRE-HOLIDAY BINGES. Be careful about deciding you’re going to start eating
healthy after the New Year. You may eat everything you can get your hands on as a last
big holiday celebration. We all know what it feels like to binge before making healthy
changes. Let’s not do that!
MAKE EXTRA. Pretend you’re getting ready for holiday company, you are,YOU! Make
your salad huge. If you’ve gotten out the knife and the cutting board, you might as well
keep on chopping. Don’t add salad dressing or quick-spoiling bean sprouts that will ruin
the leftovers and make the salad mushy. Add those yummy extras as you eat it.
ADD ZIP TO SALADS & VEGGIE TRAYS. Be prepared for cravings while you’re up
late wrapping gifts and you might want a snack. Eat some of your previously concocted
salad or make a veggie tray to have on hand. Make it fun: instead of adding sweeter
dried cranberries and raisins, add pumpkin seeds, cherry tomato halves, slivered
almonds, cucumbers, celery, jicama, purple cabbage, diced apples, or carrots. Use
pretty colors. You eat with your eyes. Add red, orange or yellow colored peppers or red
and yellow tomatoes.
CHOOSE HEALTHY HOLIDAY SNACKS. Keep your kitchen, office or backpack
stocked with healthy treats to enjoy them when it’s snack time and hunger strikes. Like
what you might ask? Try mini-grape tomatoes, celery and carrot sticks for easy
grabbing, but dip it with low-fat cheese, turkey or chicken slices, put it all in romaine
lettuce leaves, sliced apples sprinkled with cinnamon, yummy teas, or water. Cut
everything into small, thin slices; it takes longer to eat that way and looks like a lot more
food.
MAKE COOKING EASY. Use your salad for lunch or dinner by adding a cooked
chicken breast or a salmon filet on top. The grocery store sells big bags of quick, frozen,
skinless chicken breasts or they may even sell salads that are already done. Keep them
on hand for a quick-fix meal. Try Costco’s Wild Salmon or Tilapia burgers. They sell
them in frozen packs.
HAVE YOUR CHILDREN CLEAR THEIR OWN PLATES. Then, leftovers aren’t staring
at you daring you to eat them. Does this ever happen to you?
It Wasn’t Even That Good!
I had just finished my own satisfying low-carb breakfast, but when picking up my son’s
plate of leftover syrup-soaked French toast …I ate it. Later, when I casually looked at
the syrup container to find the number of carbs, I freaked out. 52 grams of
carbohydrates! That’s insane! I’m so glad I read that. It wasn’t even that good! I had to
count for the bread carbs also. No way! From that moment on, my son had to clear his
own plate, and not just set in the sink for me to pilfer from. I always flunk that test. It’s
got to go directly into the trash and with a shove, so it’s near the bottom …just to be
safe.
DON’T COOK OR SHOP FOR THE HOLIDAYS WHEN YOU’RE HUNGRY. Everyone
knows how expensive it can be to go to the grocery when you’re hungry. Have a snack,
water, or tea beforehand to take the edge off. It’s more economical to pre-select what
you will buy because then you won’t buy everything you crave when you’re hungry.
DON’T GO OUT TO HOLIDAY GATHERINGS OR ANY MEAL STARVED. Everything
your host may have out or that you see on a menu may seem like a good idea. You
never make your best food choices when you’re famished. You don’t need to be full, but
always try to take the edge off your appetite before leaving the house. It’ll save your
wallet, blood sugar AND your waistline!
DON’T GO OUT HOLIDAY SHOPPING HUNGRY. If you’re starving and in a mall busy
checking off your holiday list of who’s naughty and nice, unhealthy fast and high-sugar
foods will be close by. It’s key to plan out your meals and snacks. Know where you can
get food and carry something healthy with you.
(Roughly to the tune of I’m In The Mood For Love)
I’M IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD
SIMPLY BECAUSE IT’S NEAR ME
FUNNY, BUT WHEN IT’S NEAR ME
I’M IN THE MOOD FOR FOOD
Do you ever feel that way? I do, all the time!
SIN OCCASIONALLY. ‘Occasional Sin’ is a much sexier phrase than ‘moderation,’
don’t you think? But the idea is the same. Don’t go berserk. If you way overeat, your
body will have to float you with insulin (or you’ll have to inject a ton) or walk to Montana
and back, to bring your sugar back down. Enjoy lower carb treats – they don’t add up as
quickly. Then if you are off, you won’t be off by a mile and then your ‘occasional sins’
don’t have to hurt.
“NEVER EAT A NAKED CARB.” Add a little fat or protein to help prevent a spike in
your blood sugar by eating carbs alone. It fills you up, balances your meal and helps
keep your blood sugar steady. Combine foods for your meals and snacks that digest at
different times to keep you fortified and safe. Eat cheese with your apple or crackers.
The fat in the cheese slows down the sugar peak from the fruit or flour.
BUY ITEMS FOR OTHERS THAT WON’T TEMPT YOU. Then no one suffers and you
are not expecting the impossible from yourself.
Buy Items That Won’t Tempt You
I’d buy my son things I knew I wouldn’t eat, like Fruit Roll-Ups and Goldfish crackers.
Thank heaven my son doesn’t like chocolate. He occasionally would have an individual
Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup and eat it all. Not even any crumbs are left over . . . thank
goodness.
DON’T BUY IN BULK. Warehouse shopping is a great way to save money. The only
problem is that the quantities are gargantuan. That’s fine if you have the room to store a
year’s supply of plastic bags or batteries. But when it comes to fattening foods and
treats, it’s best to limit the quantity you have on hand, so don’t buy your favorite
fattening foods in bulk. You’re just setting yourself up to feel bad and send your blood
sugar through the roof. Because if it’s sitting there, looking at you, you might just polish
it all off, single-handedly.
SEAL IT UP TIGHT! If you need to buy things as a holiday gift that tempt you, keep the
factory seal on it to help make sure you can’t or won’t get into it. And get it out of your
sight. Store those items where you can’t see them and whenever possible, come up
with another gift idea. No one wants to battle the weight gain after they’ve enjoyed it.
Our kids too!!
Seal It Up Tight, REAL TIGHT!!
I would pass judgment on myself that I was a terrible mother if I didn’t bring my kid
home a cookie from the bakery. Just folding over the bag, or using a simple piece of
tape or one measly staple to close the bag would clearly not be enough of a
deterrent for me to NOT open it. I would have the clerk run a line of about a dozen
staples across the entire top of the bag, so it would be completely demolished if I
tried to even peek or sneak a taste. Try that!
satisfy a sweet tooth. This is when you might have some Celestial Seasonings
“After Dinner Decaffeinated Hazelnut Vanilla” tea. Or the decaffeinated “Chai
and Vanilla.” They’re both hearty and satisfying. Decaffeinated tea can be
soothing and help you relax before hitting the pillow.
TELL YOUR STOMACH, “NITE-NITE.” One fail-safe method to stop eating is to brush
your teeth. Don’t wait until you’re getting into bed; do it earlier. Ever notice how you
don’t feel like eating afterwards? It’s a cool trick for telling your stomach, “Nite-nite.”
DRINK WATER NOT TO CRAVE. You’ll notice that when you keep drinking water, you
don’t crave food as much. And you’ll find it easier to drink enough water if you carry it
with you.
you know it! When you start exercising, you’re so proud of yourself and you don’t want
to blow your progress by overeating. It can really support you. Even a little bit each day
makes a difference!
This holiday season may take extra measures. The next podcast has a bonus list of
a dozen more Holiday Food Survival Tactics just especially geared to your holidays
being your best season yet!! So go to the show notes for the link or go to
SweetOfferNOW.com to download your FREE Holiday Foods Survival Guide for all
these lists and tons of recipes to keep you and your family healthy and happy this
holiday season and really, all year long.
And you know what? If you hate to read, have I got a deal for you! For just $7 you
can get the audio book. And guess what? Give them both as gifts. I won’t tell them the
first one was free! You can give the FREE digital eBook AND the audio book for only
$7. Now that beats Black Friday, it’s more like a Happy Sweet Deal. You could knock off
your whole list for only $7 each, SWEET!! Get yours today! Thank You!!