Do you even know what's in that?

How many times have I asked myself this question this week at the beach? haha Oh dear... between the boardwalk food and all of the "little" treats we feel are necessary for a vacation- sometimes it gets out of hand. I am the first one to tell you that you should have some fun on vacation, relax your typical routine and splurge a little. However, my moto is and always will be MODERATION!!!!

Sometimes I'll look at people like Drew Feldman who can eat 7000 calories in a day and stay so stinking twiggy and think ... ahh wouldn't that be nice? He had 8 gigantic cheesesticks on vacation before his meal came i mean- it must have been a pound of cheese for his appetizer and yet he doesn't gain an ounce. But here's something you might not realize, Drew is also the most hyperactive young man you'll ever meet. He burns those calories in a few hours with all of his incredible flips and jumps! My point is that yes you might say, but why can't I eat like that? But unless you're movin' like some of those people do we have to use a little self control- UGH!

Again I'm not saying you can't splurge a little but moderation is my favorite word- know why? Because it means that YES i can still eat ice cream every day but I literally measure out the half cup serving EVERY DAY! It may be annoying but maintaining your healthy weight is way easier than eating whatever and then having to loose a ton later ya know?

So here's a tip, go ahead and eat that candy bar but get some snack size ones so you're not tempted to wolf down the 350 calorie version all at once. My mom and I are all for our sweets so we found the things that we love only in smaller versions. Also variety tends to keep you satisfied longer. So you might want 2 hershey kisses and a mini baby ruth bar with an oreo one night. That's still only 175 calories for all of that as opposed to a normal baby ruth bar for 300! So much of a difference. And the other amazing benefit of moderation is that you stick with it longer because you never deprive yourself. I mean let's face it, when we diet and rule out all sugar or all fat or all carbs- how long can you possibly stick with that? Then you loose the weight but you haven't changed your lifestyle. So you end up gaining it all back plus more sometimes! NO FUN! So here's the trick, eat smaller portions, never give up what you love, and you end up succeeding :)

Question for you...

So I had a revelation last night at my sister's graduation party. Amidst the numerous food options that included everything from hot dogs to chips to cake, I realized how (as Christians) we deny ourselves so many things to keep our mind, will, and emotions healthy but when it comes to food we struggle. For example, most people I know strive to avoid pornography, foul language, and other addictive behavior. But when it comes to taking care of our bodies we have a hard time denying ourselves.

Don't take this the wrong way I'm not trying to bash you or me for that matter! BUT I just want to encourage you that YOU can do this! You so have the strength in you and the will power- heck look at the movies today and TV shows. Most of America can't manage to use self control with things we do each day! So I know that when it comes to taking care of your temple- You've got this!!

I know that many of you do try to eat healthy and take care of yourselves but if you're struggling lately just take heart that you have all that you need inside of you to take control. It gets overwhelming- trust me i know! But man you truly have what it takes to begin or continue a healthy lifestyle.

* Some Party Eating Tips:

So first of all Summer is the perfect party season- i've already been to 5 and it's only June 5th! One of the best tips I've ever received was to eat a healthy snack before you hit the party. The hungrier you are when you go- of course the more you'll eat and generally when you're really hungry have you noticed that your will power is nearly gone! Your flight or fight mode kicks in and it's just FOOOD!

Another tip is to maybe bring a healthy food. Many parties are potlucks so why don't you bring some healthy options- and here's a tip, instead of bringing the boring old veggie tray bring something healthy that you'll actually want to eat!

Try to avoid eating little bits of everything. This might seem like a good idea but in actuality you end up eating way more. Did you know that if you only eat a little bit of potato salad, chips, beans, macaroni salad, and cheese puffs, etc... Your mind never receives the "i'm full" signal. Therefore you end up eating ALL NIGHT. Did you notice that, you never really seem to get full so you just keep nibbling all night long which does you no favors.

So next time you head to a party this summer remember- You do have the strength to control your self! You can eat a healthy snack before you go so you're not ravenous when you get to the buffet table. You can bring the healthy foods for the party that are yummy, filling, and good for ya! And finally try to pick a few main healthy filling foods to eat so you don't keep snacking all night long.

You guys so have this and i'm excited to hear some good reports :)