Happy Valentine’s Day, all! Whether you’re a recipient or giver of tasty treats (i.e. chocolate, candy, baked goods, snacks, etc.), you may be wondering how you can make healthier decisions for your weight. This week, we will be discussing some tips to help you avoid sabotaging your weight loss this Valentine’s Day.
First, let’s discuss some tips for preventing overindulging on treats. One of the first lines of defense is to keep visual cues of how much you’ve eaten. One way this can be done is by placing the wrappers in front of you. With this visual cue, you’d be better able to keep track of how many candies/chocolates you’ve eaten so you can know when to slow down or stop. Whereas, if they’re out of sight, they’re out of mind. This is especially helpful for smaller and easily poppable treats such as Hershey kisses, mini Snickers, snack-sized M&Ms, etc.). You can also share them with friends, family, coworkers, etc. If you know that you purchased or were given an abundance of treats, don’t feel pressured to consume them all within the day. Feel free to save some for later, either for yourself or others.
For those who may be looking forward to going out to eat, plan ahead. Look at the menu so you can get a better idea of what’s offered and how it’s cooked (i.e. fried, steamed, grilled, sauteed, baked, etc.). Be sure that you drink plenty of water throughout the day and don’t skip meals beforehand so you don’t try to overcompensate when eating. Picking your order is also a great chance to make healthier choices. For example, instead of getting red meat (i.e. steak, ribs, etc.), you can opt for fatty fish with omega-3, poultry, or lean meats like turkey. As for your sides, you can there’s choices such as steamed or roasted vegetables instead of starchy items like rice or potatoes. And if you plan on drinking, take a look at the CDC’s Dietary Guidelines for Alcohol so that you’re able to safely do so.
If you’re looking forward to or wanted to try making homemade treats, some healthy berry-themed ideas to try out are Greek yogurt popsicles with fruit puree or diced pieces of fruit (i.e. strawberry, raspberry, mango, blueberry, etc.), strawberry-oatmeal cookies (could use any berry you’d like), berry oat or nut muffins, smoothies, berry granola bars, sorbets, berries dipped in dark chocolate or yogurt, fruit tarts, fruit kabobs, pomegranate chocolate bites/clusters, etc. The best part is that you can control the amount of sugar you add and practice portion control of the individual servings. Plus, if making them with friends, family, or a significant other, you get to spend some fun, quality time together. For some additional ideas, take a look at our Simple And Sweet Chocolate Recipes blog.
An additional tip is to be active–get up and move! Do some fun activities, either solo or with others. If you do your research, you may surprise yourself with the Valentine’s Day themed events that you find. It could range from a simple painting activity to a dance party. You never know what you may find or what may interest you. Try something new and see what you enjoy!
Overall, our goal is for you to have healthy fun this Valentine’s Day! Spend some quality time alone and/or with friends, family, or your significant other; enjoy tasty and healthy homemade treats (or properly portion out store bought ones), and avoid sabotaging your weight loss.
Once more, Happy Valentine’s Day!
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Kay Loughrey, MPH, RDN, LDN
Transformational Speaker, Breakthrough Coach, Nutritionist-Dietitian
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