Did you indulge in plenty of chocolate this Easter?
Healthy eating on the chocolate-filled Easter Sunday was always going to be a hard feat, in fact 70% of us chose to forego any diet attempts across the four-day Easter period, according to a survey.
Despite the summer months fast approaching causing many of us to adopt a healthy living lifestyle, the recent survey highlighted that this Easter weekend, Brits made indulgent food and drink the priority.
The survey found that almost half of respondents admitted that calorie-laden sweet treats like chocolate, hot cross buns and cakes are the thing they look forward to the most at Easter. A whopping 75% of us confess to bingeing on up to four chocolate eggs over the Easter period. Tellingly, only 10% of people said that looked forward to celebrating Easter for the religious aspects – highlighting the seismic shift in attitudes and a move away from a religious celebration, to one more focused around indulgence.
Mandy Cassidy, Psychotherapist for the LighterLife, who conducted the survey, says: “Food is often associated with celebration, and Easter is a prime example of this. we believe it is entirely possible to have fun with food and not gain weight if you make the right choices, but many people see the Easter weekend as the perfect excuse to put the diet on hold and binge with family and friends, justifying it as just ‘a weekend glitch’. But healthy eating is all about changing the mindset, and these binges will only serve as a setback to all the work put into maintaining a healthy lifestyle. The primary issue here is the way in which people eat over celebratory periods, the fact that binge eating is the norm and that food and alcohol has become the focal point and crux of all celebration; in essence this is a widespread mis-use of food that our nation has adopted.”
Here, we look at the foods you could have eaten for the very same calories as those sweet Easter treats, and Mandy shares her top tips on how to stay on track throughout the rest of the year.
The Easter Food Equivalent…
|
Easter Treat |
Calorie Equivalent |
|
1 Maltesers Bunny- 156 calories |
Marks and Spencer Sultana Granola and Yoghurt Pot |
|
Cadbury’s Crème Egg- 180 calories |
A large glass of wine |
|
1 Hot Cross Bun- 208 calories |
Chicken salad with a wholemeal roll |
|
Handful of Mini Eggs- 280 calories |
Bowl of pasta |
|
100g Lindt Bunny – 540 calories |
Margarita Pizza |
|
Luxury Thorntons Egg- 1,715 calories |
Roast dinner with all the trimmings and dessert of your choice |
Top tips for staying on track post Easter:
Escape temptation - First and Foremost. Easter is over so if you found yourself gorging on one too many chocolates, you need to find your way back to eating healthily again. How about donating any Easter eggs that may be lingering at the back of the cupboard to a local children’s charity and restock the fridge with healthy fresh produce.
It’s all about motivation- When we take a break from healthy eating; it can be tricky to get back on track so you need to find something that motivates you. Try printing off a picture of yourself at a slimmer time and putting it on the fridge or book a holiday. By giving you something to work towards it will act as a continual reminder of why you are doing this.
Set yourself goals- When losing weight it’s important to set realistic targets and stick to them. Whether this is exercising three twice a week instead of four or looking to lose a few lbs a month as opposed to half a stone, it is best to set smaller goals and build on them as your mental strength and dedication grows.
Keep track of what you are eating- Food diaries are a great way of identifying your triggers and allowing you to see in black and white where you may be going wrong. Write down everything you eat and drink, and assess what may be making you veer away, and where you can cut unnecessary calories and/or introduce healthier options.
Tagged in Healthy eating Diet tips