weight loss Archives - Christina Najjar

5 Tips for Healthier Holiday Parties

December 6, 2016 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

This week, guest blogger Esther Avant provides great tips that can easily be applied for healthier holiday parties that you can still enjoy!

Making habit changes is tricky business under the best of circumstances. But the holiday season can make it especially difficult for you to consistently engage in the behaviors that you know are in your best interest. I’m here to help.

Chew gum

Pop in a fresh piece right before you arrive at a party and right after you finish eating to prevent yourself from snacking from the minute you walk in til the second you walk out.

Wait until the buffet has been picked through

Hearty dishes are never more appealing than when they’ve yet to be violated by the serving spoon. Those crunchy and/or cheesy tops are enticing when they’re fresh but become a lot easier to resist once they’ve been picked through.

Keep visual evidence of what you’ve consumed

As someone who has spent years working in the service industry, I can tell you first-hand (and this is also backed up by research) that you eat and drink more when you clear away the evidence of what you’ve already had. For healthier holiday parties, keep reminders like empty bottles, wrappers, skewers, or bones to stay mindful of your intake.

Make your plate as colorful as possible

Commit to “taste the rainbow,” so that you have no choice but to go heavy on fruits and veggies. This will also cut down on the various-shades-of-brown dishes (casseroles, etc) that are likely higher in sugar and fat.

Wear a belt or form-fitting clothing

Dressing up will make you feel better and more confident. But additionally, wearing something less potato-sack-esque will help you avoid overeating. Resist the urge to wear your elastic “eating pants” from now until 2017.

Bonus mindset tip: Don’t fall prey to the all-or-nothing mentality

A few indulgences will not set you back. A minor slip-up is not an excuse to go completely off the rails for the rest of the day/week/month/year. It’s what you do consistently that makes the biggest impact so don’t throw in the towel after a misstep, just accept it, forgive yourself, and carry on.

If you found these tips useful, I’ve got a bunch more to share in my free Holiday Resource Bundle. Click the button below to access it.

Esther Avant is a Personal Trainer and Nutrition Coach. She works with women remotely through her company Esther Avant Wellness Coaching. She helps her clients lose weight, become healthier, happier, and more confident by making sustainable changes to their day-to-day lives!

Esther take a holistic approach with clients. She truly believes you can completely change your health by improving your nutrition and making the decision to live actively. Connect with Esther on Instagram and Facebook.

What are your tips for healthier holiday parties? Tell us in the comments!

7 Easy Ways to Eat More Healthy Fats

November 29, 2016 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

Almost everyone would benefit from adding more healthy fats to their diet. This is especially true for those with conditions where blood sugar levels fluctuate a lot, such as PCOS and diabetes. Fats from healthy sources help slow down your body’s absorption of sugars in your food. They also help your cells better listen to your hormones.

Use the following tips to increase your intake of healthy fats. And don’t worry about possibly gaining weight. Healthy fats have too many functions in your body to simply be stored as fat for future energy (unlike unhealthy fats).

Add nut butters to smoothies

Are you making smoothies for breakfast or after workouts? Use a chocolate protein powder and add a tablespoon of nut butter to make it nut butter cup flavoured. Alternatively, you can add a tablespoon of chia seeds, hemp hearts, or coconut oil to your smoothies to boost the fat content.

Put a dollop of coconut oil or sesame oil to your food

Planning to make a stir fry or steam some vegetables? Sauté or steam your dish with water, and add some coconut oil or sesame oil at the end for extra flavour. Waiting until the end to add the fats will keep them in their healthy form.

Include some avocado on your plate

Making a meal that just doesn’t require fat? Add some avocado slices to your plate as a side. Some vitamins can only be absorbed when consumed with fat. Because avocados can be expensive, all you need is 1/4 or 1/2 of an avocado.

Yolks have healthy fats!

Are you eating egg white omelettes to boost your protein while keeping cholesterol down? Eating more cholesterol won’t increase your cholesterol levels. Your body produces most of its cholesterol for hormones, and as a protective mechanism. Egg yolks not only have healthy fats, but they’re also incredibly nutrient dense.

Eat a handful of almonds

If you’re looking at your plate and see nothing but vegetables, lean protein, and/or grains, save a bit of room for a handful of almonds. You don’t need much – 10 almonds or so will do.

Take a fish oil

A good quality fish oil is a great supplement for most people. It’s an anti-inflammatory, it helps anxiety, depression concentration, diabetes, hormonal issues, and makes skin and hair healthier. It’s also a natural blood thinner, so it should be avoided if already taking blood thinners. If your meal is lacking healthy fats, take a teaspoon of fish oil with your meal.

Make a dip for vegetables

Are you eating vegetables without fats? As previously mentioned, some nutrients can only be absorbed into your body if eaten with fats. Make an easy dip for your vegetables by combining tahini with lemon, or make hummus or a curry dip.

Which strategies are you using to boost the healthy fat content of your meals?

Healthy Holidays: How to Stay on Track

October 25, 2016 by Christina Najjar Leave a Comment

It’s October 25th, which means that Christmas and other holidays will be coming up in the next two months. Some people may struggle to stay on track with their health during that time. In order to have healthy holidays, it’s important to think about a few things before the holiday season actually begins.

Start by deciding what your healthy holidays will look like. Come up with realistic health goals. Determine how much you want to allow yourself to indulge and try to stick to your plan. Don’t be critical of yourself, though. If you fall off track, acknowledge that you did so, and then kindly allow yourself to get back on track.

How to survive family dinners

If you’re hosting a dinner, tell guests what you would like them to bring. Make fewer side dishes to reduce the desire to overindulge and use smaller serving spoons to reduce how much of each dish you’re having. Keep the meal healthy by making mashed sweet potatoes instead of white potatoes, and making your gravy and stuffing from scratch. Stick to one tasty dessert, instead of a dessert buffet.

As a guest, your best bet is portion control. Start with less food on your first plate, and grab seconds if you still feel hungry. Or, you can fill your plate with vegetables and turkey, then have the treats like mashed potatoes and gravy once you’re a bit more full. Cut wine with soda water and save it for toasting. Set a limit on the number of holiday drinks like eggnog.

Prevent blood sugar fluctuations by eating throughout the day, as opposed to “saving your calories” for dinner. Otherwise, for days after, you could continue to put on weight, and experience cravings, mood swings, and fatigue.

Healthy holidays include healthy shopping

On a long day of shopping, drink warm lemon water in the morning. Eat a filling meal, including a good protein source that will help you stay full longer. Bring a healthy snack along with you, such as raw almonds or pumpkin seeds. If cooking healthy meals during that time seems impossible, cook ahead for leftovers, or prep and freeze ingredients.

You can also reduce the amount of shopping you need to do by agreeing with family and friends to reduce the amount of gifts or having a Secret Santa. My family has already agreed to my request to skip the gifts altogether this year. Instead, we’ll be making the holidays all about spending time with the people we love.

For gift exchanges, request to avoid sugary gifts like cookies and chocolate and opt for tea instead. Alternatively, you can ask for a membership to an activity you enjoy, or tickets to an enjoyable experience.

Address your stress

With the holiday season, stress levels tend to increase. This is an issue because stress increases belly fat and inflammation. It also uses up the body’s nutrients at a faster rate than in a relaxed state. Additionally, it reduces immunity and slows down digestion.

To counter the effects of stress, it is extremely important to allow yourself some time to relax and to get adequate amounts of sleep. Consider a pamper session with relatives, and schedule celebrations to allow for proper sleep. Avoid caffeine in the afternoon and consume alcohol in moderation. If you feel your stress levels go up, try these ways to destress in 30 seconds or less.

Very importantly, you’ll need to support your immune system as you consume more sugar and go through more stress. Try to include nutrient-dense foods in your diet such as eggs, green leafy vegetables, colourful vegetables, pumpkin seeds, and raw almonds. Eat immune supporting foods like turmeric, garlic, and fermented foods (such as sauerkraut).

What are you strategies to stay healthy during the holidays?