News and Reviews
- Today is the start of the “Staying Focused!” challenge hosted by Julie over on the If You Have an Egg Facebook Group. It’s not a competition, just a great way to challenge yourself and get some extra encouragement!
- Thursday is Turkey Day! We’re going to prep and plan in a fun way in the second half!
(just a reminder, as an Amazon Affiliate I will receive compensation for any purchases you make with my links. I am also an affiliate for other companies who may be linked in this post for which I may be compensated with free or discounted product and in some cases monetarily. We appreciate your continued support!)
Last week was Chat #389 “Let’s Talk About Stress!”
Did you know that STRESSED spelled backwards is DESSERTS?
No we’re not talking about desserts tonight, but we are chatting about stress during the holidays so hang on… Let’s find out!
DESSERTS when STRESSED
According to Healthline “From a physiological standpoint, stress causes your adrenal glands to release a hormone called cortisol. When this happens, you may notice an increase in appetite and a desire to eat sugary, salty, or fatty foods.
However, this urge to eat isn’t the result of an empty stomach. Instead, it’s your brain telling you to eat so you can prepare for a potentially harmful situation. Typically, the stress subsides, and cortisol levels return to baseline”
Visit this article for more info: https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-eating/why-do-i-eat-when-im-stressed
You have the answer in the palm of your hand
This isn’t the first (or last) time WW asks us to remember the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 exercise for controlling any kind of stress. It’s like a pre-school teacher reminding the littles to breath, or blow out a candle, or something else to put a little distance between yourself and the stressor that is trying to stand in your face. Let’s try it now!
- Look around and name 5 things you can see
- Now listen and name 4 things you can hear
- This time be still and think about 3 things you can feel
- Take a deep breath and find 2 things you can smell
- Last one, what is 1 thing you can taste?
Your homework was #HighFiveYourself. This week when a stressor steps in your way simply high five yourself and start the 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 method we just discussed. You may not even make it past 3 but I guarantee your nerves will be less rattled. All you have to do is shout HIGH FIVE when you do it and your homework will be considered complete. Bonus points if you tell us what the things were you assigned to your fingers!
Let’s see how you did:
- Alyssa used her fingers and calmed down before she got past three while her sister was torturing her LOL
- Lynn had to get blood work done (never fun!) and then had to wait an hour to boot. 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 helped her breathe through a stressful situation!
- When Gwen is sitting in traffic she takes her clinched fists on the wheel and slowly releases one finger at a time until the traffic either moves or she’s breathing again!
Bravo, you did it!
This Week’s Topic: “Pick Your Party Personality!”
For us Americans, this week is Thanksgiving… and we still have at least 2 more celebrations, holidays, festivities, whatever you want to call them coming up.
So what’s your party personality? Let’s find out!
Are you a petite portion?
For turkey day (or whatever your next holiday is) will you stay on track, planning like it’s a normal day and tracking everything you eat?
Do you prefer satisfying servings?
Or are you more like me (there are no wrong or right answers remember!) and you enjoyed the day, tracked as best as you could, and made the day more about the company than the food?
Or will you wear your buffet pants?
Remember, there is no wrong answer! None of us got here by just enjoying the day and not worrying about the pressure of counting or tracking on this day!
This Week’s Homework: #PickYourPartyPlate
All you have to do is decide which of these party plate serving sizes is you, and do that on Thanksgiving! Are you going to be a petite portion, satisfying server, or are you wearing your buffet pants?
Don’t forget to do your homework is #PickYourPartyPlate and tag me when you share on social media!
- Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on Instagram
- Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on our Facebook Page
- Tag @Kelly Green Milligan in our Facebook Group
- Tag @ifyouhaveanegg on WW Connect
The Amazon Wish List is UP and I so appreciate your support. This will provide a way for us to continue testing products for you, trying out new gadgets and recipes, and refilling the IYHAE pantry since it doesn’t look like the budget cuts are budging. If you don’t already know, it costs more than $100 per week to provide this free content to you and that doesn’t include my time. Your support really does help keep us going!
Amazon Wish List can be found here: If You Have an Egg Support Wish List
Extra Credit: PlayDoh Portions!
With Thanksgiving coming up, I needed a little assistance to find out what portions look like… so I had Alyssa come again while she is on Thanksgiving break!
We asked for a few of your favorite Thanksgiving foods, and you all came up with some good ones! Turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie, stuffing/dressing… all yummy! But the challenge is knowing the correct portions for your petite portions, satisfying servings, or buffet pants. So we will be making your portions on a plate to show you what your portions really look like. But, we are doing it a little differently. This is one of my favorite things that Gwen does… she uses playdoh!
You’ll have to go back and watch the video to see the chaos of Alyssa making playdoh portions, but here is a list of what all made it on to our plates:
- Spiral Ham – 3oz (4pts)
- Turkey Breast – 3oz with 1/4 cup of turkey gravy (1pt)
- Cranberry Sauce – 1/4 cup (7pts)
- Mashed Potatoes – 1/2 cup (6pts)
- Dressing/Stuffing – 1 full cup (11pts)
- Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, Pecans, & All the Works – 1/4 cup (6pts)
- Parker House Roll – 1 roll (6pts)
- Pumpkin Pie – 1 slice (19pts!)
It’s easy to look at all of those numbers and get overwhelmed. That’s a plate of 68 points! But, you can always add more of the lesser point foods or remove anything that is too high for your personal goal. Thanksgiving is a holiday, so it is acceptable to just enjoy the full plate. Just be aware of how many points you’re eating, keep tracking, and enjoy yourself!
What are your portions going to look like on Thanksgiving? Let us know in the comments below!
Quick Links:
Don’t forget to celebrate your Bravos with our downloadable stickers!
Need to know where to get something I mentioned? Check out the recommendations section to get all my favorite goodies.
