Holiday Break has arrived and whether you are home or away the challenges are the same – extra food and drinks are everywhere. The once controlled daily schedules have now blurred into one long food coma day. Before you throw in the towel and submit to starting over in January, I want you to think about a couple of things….

FIRST: Think about how Thanksgiving went for you. How the same thoughts & feelings crept into mind that you are experiencing now. How it is so easy to give up in the moment only to regret it when it’s all over. Remember how you promised yourself this holiday would be different. How you didn’t want to relive another holiday weight gain. You promised yourself you were going to commit to staying on program regardless of how difficult it got.

Of course it is hard to be 100% when the kids are home or when you are on vacation. But no one is looking for you to be perfect – instead of trying to be 100% – make a deal with yourself and be 80-20. Be clean and in control 80% of the time and off 20%. Whether it’s a meal, dessert or both – but have a plan each day. Know what you are doing – know why you are doing it and when you are doing it. Because when you have a plan you are more likely to stick to it.

SECOND: Think about and remember how good it feels when you are in control. Then think about how terrible it feels when you lose control.

FEELINGS OF BEING IN CONTROL – light, healthy, thin, comfortable in your own skin, want to get dressed and go out, doesn’t mind running into people at the pool or beach, you are happy and go out of your way to make those around you happy.

FEELINGS OF OUT OF CONTROL – hiding, miserable, mean, can’t stop eating, bloated, and disgusted that you did it again 🙁

THIRD: Remember how much harder it is to get the weight off then it is to put it on. Make sure it’s worth it because in some cases it can take up to a week to get rid of one moment of pleasure.
FINAL THOUGHT: Even if this email has found you in an already unhealthy out of control state – it’s not too late to change it. Get right back on. Do it today – and stay on program until your next cheat day. If you do it today and live by the program of one cheat day with your clean meals and snacks everyday – then I promise in a couple of days you will begin to feel amazing again. By Thursday you will be back in control and feeling Happy, Healthy and Ready to bring in the NEW YEAR.

You’re always alone,
but you’re only lonely if you don’t like
the person you’re alone with.

~Love to Live Healthy with Josephine Fitzpatrick

Innovation Weight Loss and Fitness

8031 Jericho Tpke Woodbury, NY 11797

469 7th Ave Manhattan, NY 10018

As the temperature drops, we tend to turn to food and drinks warm us up and make us feel happy and cozy. Being cold can make us irritated, and add on top of that less hours of sunlight and holiday time stress that can come from family, shopping, cooking and more – and not even to mention the New Year looming in the near future – we can look to food and drinks for comfort. Emotional eating is a battle many of us face year round, but this month we can be especially susceptible. We equate feeling warm to feeling safe and content. So when a warm sweater doesn’t do the trick, we turn to comfort foods, especially when many of us are trapped inside with a kitchen full of snacks and treats when the extreme cold and snow comes. Here are some ways to feel the warmth without feeling the guilt. 

What is more ideal than a warm mug of delicious hot chocolate after a long, cold day? Thankfully there are plenty of options that will allow you to enjoy this sweet treat without straying from your weight loss plan. Swiss Miss and Nestle both have light flavors that make a great snack. For a dairy free option, in general you can mix 1 cup of liquid (water or unsweetened almond milk for example) with 1 tablespoon of cocoa powder and sweetener to taste (agave or artificial sweetener). You could also go for something natural in the form of drinking chocolate, like CaCoCo or Cocoa Cravings drinking chocolate. Both are vegan, and CaCoCo is also gluten free and Cocoa Cravings are no sugar added and organic. You could also try this spiced and raw version by Rawcholatl, which is soy and allergen free, has no refined sugar and low glycemic index as well as being kosher, gluten free and vegan. It has a bold, full bodied flavor that is nutritious and dairy free. Add ground cinnamon or a cinnamon stick to any hot chocolate for added flavor or add cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of cayenne pepper for a spicy version. You can add marshmallows too such as Dandies or Elyon – they are gluten free, kosher, non GMO all-natural and Dandies are even vegan and Elyon are fat free. 

Another festive holiday drink you can make is eggnog – simply blend 2 cups of skim or unsweetened almond milk with 3 egg whites, 1/3 cup of agave, 1 vanilla bean (split the bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds), 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon in a blender for 2-3 minutes. Pour the mixture in to a pot and warm over medium-low heat for 15 minutes (hot but do not boil), you can even add the vanilla bean pod for more flavor. Whisk constantly. Remove from heat and let it cool then refrigerate. It will thicken as it cools, so whisk once more before serving (1 serving = 1/2 cup).