Itchin' Fingers

For some reason every Sunday I get itchy fingers. I itch and ache to bake! Cake, Cookies, Sweet Bread, Crisps, Brownies, etc. It's insane. I don't normally crave those things. But something about Sunday does that to me! So, here's what I do:

Bake Away and Eat Up!!

I've been doing this for years. I'm diligent enough with exercise and nutrition during the week that the weekends are pretty much a free for all. I think last weekend I went about 2,000 calories over what I normally eat in 2 days (BBQ joint, Sunday dinner, etc.) Awesome. When I weighed myself this last Friday, what did I lose? 2 pounds. Triumph!!

When I'm struggling on Wednesday to eat that thick, sour Chobani yogurt, I just think, "On Friday, I think I'll go to that Greek place and eat a lamb gyro, with all that sauce and deliciousness, and some rice, and and and." My point is, it's way easier to be diligent and healthy during the week when you allow yourself to give in on the weekends. (Of course, it doesn't have to be the weekend. If there's another time during the week that you more typically blow your nutrition goals, then plan it that way. Weekends are our party days. This works for Holidays as well. I used to be scared of Holidays until I realized that the extra week of exercise is worth having a good, well fed Holiday.)

Don't be stupid though. There's obviously a point where you'll consume too much and blow it. Which I have done plenty of times. I eat out almost every Friday with my husband and we usually have a pretty hearty Sunday dinner with family. But I'm smart about it. I know that juice and soda aren't worth it to me, so I drink water. I know that I'd rather burn off the calories of a few brownies than a heaping spoonful of potatoes and gravy, so I skip that and help myself to the brownies later. I fill my plate with veggies, then eat the calorie compromised food at the end. So think about what food is worth it to you. When Monday comes, you don't feel deprived and you can do it all over again until a new weekend. Just make sure you give away the left overs!

Don't even try to be 100% It doesn't work! And besides, chocolate is completely necessary for existance. So don't pretend like you have to give it up to be healthy. That's ridiculous. :)