Getting Through Easter When You’re On A Diet

With shelves stacked high with chocolate eggs, cakes, and hot cross buns, you might think that Easter is cruelly designed to tempt dieters into over-indulgence. Many people come unstuck at holidays, as a few small slips lead them to give up their diet for a few days – and they don’t manage to get started again.

With Easter just a week and a half away, how can you make sure that you don’t use it as an excuse to stop dieting altogether? Here are seven easy ways:

1. Prepare

The “Be Prepared” Boy Scout motto is a good one for dieters to keep in mind. If you know you’ll be visiting relatives, eating big meals and sharing chocolate eggs over the Easter weekend, prepare yourself in advance.

Most dieters find that being “extra good” for a few days before a big foody event, and getting straight back on the wagon afterwards, is enough to prevent any damage. You might also want to mentally prepare yourself for Easter day: decide in advance how much chocolate you’re going to have, and come up with a few ways to gently turn down offers of food that you don’t want.

2. Enjoy the Season

Instead of chocolate, ask for gifts of flowers, fresh fruit or non-edible Easter decorations. If you’re having family or friends round for Easter lunch, focus on serving lots of seasonal vegetables. If you’re in the northern hemisphere, make the most of the warming weather by going out for a walk.

3. Portion Control

Many people, whether or not they’re on a diet, over-indulge when faced with a giant Easter egg. Opt for small, individually-wrapped eggs – it’s much easier to stop at a sensible amount! If you do get given huge eggs, break them up and weigh out individual portions (25g – 40g is a sensible amount for each portion). Put these into individual ziplock bags or similar.

4. Out of Sight (and Out of the House)

Don’t buy Easter eggs until a couple of days before Easter, if possible. Even when you’ve earmarked them for the kids, having masses of chocolate hidden around the house is unlikely to help your willpower!

If you receive several eggs for Easter, put all but one in a location that’s not easy to reach and that is firmly out of sight. Promise yourself that you won’t open the next egg for a set number of days after starting on the current one …

5. Do Some Exercise

If your gym is closed for Easter, this is not a ready-made excuse to slump on the sofa in front of a movie: view it as an opportunity to try something new! A family walk or cycle ride will help everyone burn off some of that chocolate, or if you prefer some peaceful activity on your own, how about a long peaceful stroll or a jog outside?

6. Halve Your Indulgences

Dieting shouldn’t make you feel that you have to completely miss out on treats. If everyone else is having hot cross buns, you don’t need to insist virtuously (but miserably) on your usual bowl of All Bran. Instead, why not have half the healthy option, and half a hot cross bun? The same principle can be applied to slices of cake, holiday cookies and so on.

Having half the usual portion won’t diminish your enjoyment much (have you ever noticed how it’s the first few bites of something that are the most satisfying?) but it will halve the calories you’re taking in!

7. Write It Down

One of the best ways to help yourself stick to eating sensibly is to write down everything you eat. It’s hard to feel motivated to do this at holidays, but it really is a good trick for ensuring that you think twice about that third chocolate egg…

What are you planning to do to make sure you’re still making good progress on your diet after Easter?

Written by Ali Hale

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