SURVIVING THE EASTER EGG FAT TRAP

You can eat Easter eggs, just not 50! That's the advice from one of Australasia's leading Accredited Practising Dietitians, Karen Inge. According to Karen, just because you're losing weight doesn't mean you have to forsake the foods you love when it comes to Easter.

"Be warned however; to burn off the kilojoules in one 200g milk chocolate Easter egg, you may have to jog for 3 hours to prevent it from adding to your waist line! From my years of experience, I've collected the following top tips to surviving Easter; choose smaller Easter Eggs, understand Easter foods should be celebrated on one day - it's not a month long celebration, swap chocolate hot cross buns for regular hot cross buns and once Easter is over, give away all your left over eggs. You could even suggest your friends give you alternative gifts other than chocolate to help you stay on track with your weight loss goals," said Karen.

"It's important to balance your treats with healthy food. A big part of the Jenny program is to not deny yourself the foods you love; this way you're more likely to stay on track. You can have your cake and eat it too - just a different kind of cake, one that is portion controlled!"

"Try and gear your social activities around being more active and having fun. For example, an Easter egg hunt with the family or getting out in the park for a picnic will help burn off those extra treats consumed on Easter Sunday.



Karen Inge's Easter Survival Guide:

1. Size does matter: Buy small individually wrapped eggs instead of the biggest egg you can find! A 100g milk chocolate egg contains about 500 calories (2100 kJ), which can be up to a third of your daily intake if you are trying to lose weight. Unwrapping each egg will help you to eat less in one sitting.

2. Quality over quantity: Have a small piece of good quality chocolate instead of a large amount of basic chocolate. Choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate as it has a higher percentage of cocoa (70-85%), which will leave you satisfied with smaller portions. Plus, cocoa contains antioxidants which have been shown in research to have a positive impact on heart disease. * refer to figures below

3. Easter is one day - celebrate THAT day only: Easter eggs and hot cross buns are for sale months in advance. Avoid turning Easter into a month long binge festival.

4. Only buy what you need: Don't eat with your eyes. We often tend to buy more eggs and bunnies and end up with too many in the pantry at home. Write a list of people you need to buy eggs for and stick to it. Don't include your own name on this list!

5. Give alternative gifts: Easter doesn't have to be all about chocolate. Alternative gifts could include fresh fruits, nuts and painted eggs. Non-edible gifts such as books, toys and flowers are great gift ideas.

* Easter treats calorie counts:

* 2 x mini solid Easter eggs = 300kJ (70 calories)

* 1 x small hollow egg (20g) = 580kJ (140 calories)

* 1 x mini Hot Cross Bun (40g) = 460kJ (110 calories)

* 1 x medium Hot Cross Bun (65g) = 880kJ (210 calories)



ABOUT JENNY

* Jenny was founded by Sid and Jenny Craig in Melbourne in 1983. Today it is one of the world's leading weight loss companies.

* Jenny knows how hard it is to get motivated to take the first step and lose weight. In fact, we know 95% of people are trying to do it alone and failing.

* Jenny's consultants really do focus on individual needs, issues and challenges. Each weekly one-on-one consultation helps clients find solutions to any weight loss challenges and offers unrivalled support.

* Jenny is a fully integrated program that helps clients learn to manage their weight by focusing on self-awareness, nutrition, physical activity and gradual behaviour change, without deprivation. We inspire people to have a passion and respect for their own health and wellbeing.