Help! I ate too much over the weekend!

Help! I ate too much over the weekend and feel like I gained 20 lbs.

I think we are all guilty of doing this at some point. Heck, I over ate this past weekend. And yes, I don't like over eating but I am moving on and looking forward. And that is just what you need to do....move on and look forward. Eat regular size meals and snacks the next day. Stick to whole foods like fruit, lean meat, and lots of veggies. Don't starve yourself, you will mess up your metabolism and make things worse. Drink water and go for a walk or do some type of exercise. You will feel much much better!

So we are not perfect robots. You will over eat; especially on Holiday weekends like this coming weekend. Maybe you won't over eat this weekend? But the temptation will be there. So, be smart about it primarily on portion control.

Here are some quick tips:

• try to only have one helping, don't go up for seconds....wait 15 minutes first
• have a protein snack before you go to the party, it will help you not to over eat
• stay active and drink plenty of water. Sometimes when you are dehydrated your body will tell you that you are hungry when you really aren't. Tricky.
• Try not to graze all day....keep a water in your hand and chew some gum. Play a game with the kids or something. Or if you want to graze choose veggies and fruit.

You won't look weird going up for one helping or eating veggies, you will look smart and attractive....that's right I said attractive. If you demonstrate to others that you care about what you put in your body then you will glow with confidence. There have been studies about this! It's true. Test it, I dare you!

Have fun, don't stress about it. You will do good. At least you are already aware of over eating and that deserves a "good job!".

Visit our website and web store for more tips and smart snack products. www.shop.snacksmarts.com

Just Eat It!

Got a major craving for that mouth watering pizza or that crispy yet soft donut? What about that Philly cheese steak or that greasy messy burger? Sure you do, you're human!

So how can you face your craving smartly? Just eat it! Biting into your craving is the best thing you can do. Why? Because if you don't and try to substitute eating something else in place of it, you will still think about that pizza and just eat more of that substitute to make up for it. Leading to probably more damage than it would be to just eat that special treat!

Here's the secret to eating what you want: don't over do it. Be smart about it. Don't eat it every week. Maybe once a month. Try it, waiting makes it all the more special when you don't let yourself eat it regularly. And when you do eat it, do you really need to eat the whole thing? No. Share it with someone.

Be sure to check-out our fruit bars and strips in our store. Perfect on the go snacks for kids and adults.

Busy busy busy, help I need a snack!

"Hi Honey! How was your day?" reply, "Busy." or "How have you been?" reply "Busy".

Oh my goodness, in today's world we are so BUSY. And society wants everything instantly! Talk about a high stress life we are living in these days. No wonder there are so many health problems. Sometimes I wished we lived back in time where life seemed to be less stressful and less demanding. Less cancer too.

Being busy and eating go hand in hand. You're on the run and need something to eat so you grab a cookie, bag of chips, or a preservative filled snack cake. And you wonder why you are so tired and feel crappy. Eating those kinds of things will affect your performance, health, mood, and attitude. Rule of thumb "Keep it Simple, Silly".

Choose snacks that are simple, like fresh fruit (grapes, apples, blueberries, bananas), choose mixed nuts, or string cheese. A fruit bar or high fiber granola bar. Regular yogurt, not the light yogurt. Those light yogurts have artificial sweetener in them and can make you feel hungrier after you eat them. It's true. Just like diet soda.

One more tip. Be a good example around your kids. They watch every move and everything you put in your mouth. Now a days a kid 'needs' a snack before the soccer game, a snack at half-time, and a post game snack. No wonder our kids are obese! When I was in soccer we didn't get squat. Kids don't need all that food during their sports, they'll get a stomach ache! You don't need all those energy bars or gels during your little workout either....they'll give you a stomach ache. Now if you are training for a marathon or Iron Man, that's different.

Plan your snacks, prepare your snacks, and feel great! Try it. You will feel a lot better and have more energy at the end of your day.

Carb-o-rama

Carbohydrates. You can't live with them and you can't live without them. As we all know if a person consumes more carbs than the body needs it will be stored in the body as fat. For you calorie counters: there are 4 calories per gram of carbohydrate.

Here is a little carb education. Carbs not only provide energy for your body, but they also contribute to the nervous system, connective tissue, and our favorite, hormones.

There are 'Simple' carbs and 'Complex' carbs. The Simple carbs are sugars (fruits, honey). Complex carbs are the starches and fiber (potatoes, beans). So, which one are you suppose to eat? Both, silly.

The hard part with carb control is control and balance. It is so wise to have a meal plan and stick to it. When you wake up in the morning know what you are going to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This helps you visualize your meal. It's less stressful. You don't have to think when you're under pressure.

Bread, potatoes, and pasta are the most common carbs that Americans eat. If you eat white carbs: white potatoes, white rice, white pasta, or white bread try switching to whole wheat or whole grain, brown rice, and yams. They are much much better for you, they have more nutrients, and more fiber. Plus they won't leave you feeling hungry. And they actually help control blood sugar better than those white ones.

Let's talk about bread for a minute. You don't have to eat bread at every meal. That's old school. What I do is eat bread for one or two meals. If I eat it for just one meal then I have a carb snack. If I eat it for two meals I have a non-carb snack. That just bread, not pasta, potatoes, fruits.

Some people try to not eat any carbs at all so they can lose weight. They'll lose weight, but they might also mess up their system, not fun. So not a great idea. A better idea is limiting the amount and type of carbs a person eats.

I sure hope you learned some thing new about carbs. They're delicious but also dangerous.