So I got around to thinking this morning while I was in the shower (we all do our best thinking in the shower!!) that I haven’t bought any Easter candy yet. Easter is on Sunday!
Then I got to thinking about how many people right now have Easter candy that they bought that is sitting in their house right now and how many people have been filling up their candy dishes with Easter candy for the past week.
I used to make a centerpiece with Starbust jellybeans, surrounded by Peeps with a candle or flowers in the center. It used to sit on the middle of my kitchen table as part of my Easter decorations. What ended up happening was that I’d be in the other room and I’d hear this little scrambling noise. I would come out and someone would run away and the bowl would be tilted to the side and the Peeps were knocked over and the jellybeans magically diminished. It was my husband! I literally took the whole centerpiece and dumped it in the garbage because Matt asked me to keep him accountable.
But here’s the bottom line. For the last two years, I have not purchases Easter candy until the day before Easter. Even then, I don’t really buy candy for my kids.
So for all of you that think “Oh gosh, I can’t do that because it’s Easter and I would be depriving myself and my family of candy” – you’re wrong! Candy is addictive. The more sugar you eat, the more your body craves. The more you crave it, your mind is going to trick itself into thinking that it needs sugar.
If you keep the jellybeans in the house, you’re going to be more likely to mindlessly grab some every time you pass the bowl! Before you know it, an entire bag of jellybeans is gone. Or you might have a stressful day at work and come home to pop a few mini chocolate eggs in your mouth because you think it will make you feel better. “Oh, that relieved my stress” – no it didn’t! The stress is still there and now you’ve had extra calories and you’re digging up those sugar monsters.
The only thing you’re doing a disservice to is yourself and your children. If sugar makes you crave it, what do you think it’s going to do to the little people in your house? It’s going to be just as bad.
My kids go to their grandparents house and see their aunts and uncles on Easter, and naturally someone is going to give them candy. They will get more than enough and we’ll end up throwing some of it away. My children are not going to be deprived of sugar because they’ll be getting it from someone else. They don’t need it from me too.
My kids have not once asked me if they could have Easter candy or if they could buy a bag of jellybeans. They don’t ask because they get it elsewhere and they just don’t need it. They know it’s something we typically don’t keep in our house and if it’s out of sight, it’s out of mind.
What am I going to put in their Easter baskets? Baseball cards, little Lego sets, bases so they can play kickball outside. These are things they can do that will keep them active, things that are not food related. There are so many things you can get and do for your children that don’t involve candy.
You can get them one little thing of jelly beans or fill up one small container with candy but they don’t really need it. It’s about saying to yourself “I don’t need to follow society. I don’t need to do what they’re doing. I can find other ways to create traditions for my family.”
The bottom line is this: you’re creating the environment. When you walk into the store, you can tell yourself that you don’t need the Easter candy. Just because it’s in the store doesn’t mean that you physically need to eat it.
When you start thinking “Oh but my husband will like it” or “My kids need some” – they don’t need it! It will just summon up those sugar demons. If they’re going to get it elsewhere, you don’t need to buy it.
I promise you that before too long, you’re going to be just like me saying “Huh, I didn’t even buy Easter candy this year!” If it would be in the house, it would be too hard not to eat it.
I don’t care that I’ve been eating clean for six years, it is STILL hard for me to say no!! I don’t buy it because I know I will eat it in a moment of weakness. So I’ve saved myself the trouble and now I don’t have to worry about it.
When it comes to actual Easter Sunday, we don’t do the traditional big breakfast and all of the candy and desserts. We will have a healthy and well balanced meal. I will get up and work out and we’ll go to church. We’ll have egg whites and turkey bacon for Easter brunch with some fruit and potatoes. We’ll make some pancakes for the kids but we don’t have to eat them! It’s all a matter of choice and making the right decisions.
Try some of the recipes in this Healthy Easter Meal blog post or my Roasted Root Medley this year!
How many of you are committed to not self-sabotoging over the Easter holiday? Share one of the images from this post on Facebook and tag my Committed to Getting Fit page. I’d love to hear your tips and your methods for surviving the Easter holiday!
If you’re interested in a Post-Easter Detox, Spring into Fitness with me! Fill out the form below and I’ll contact you with more information.
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