How Do Chefs Stay Skinny?

“Never trust a skinny cook.” Heard it before? I sure have, and I’ve given the idea a lot of thought … and it’s completely false. Skinny people make great cooks too!

This has often been a topic of discussion in life, where someone asks me (or tells me) I need to eat more. I think to myself before being rude, “Girlfriend, did you not just SEE that piece of chocolate brownie fudge I inhaled?” and then I say, its all about portion, control, eating what you want, when you want, and eating real! Because that’s how I deal with eating. Eat the brownie-fudge cake, have a salad with it. It’s all about balance.

Two of my fellow food bloggers Kimberly Belle, and Rhodey Girl tackled this very same topic recently and I agree with both their stances.

You CAN eat fatty pork belly, sirloin burgers with blue cheese, ice cream, beer, pizza, etc. Anything on your “bad” list isn’t bad, its how much of it you eat that’s bad. It’s how often you eat it thats bad. If I have a burger for lunch there’s no way in hell I’m going to have steak for dinner. Ice cream after lunch, my dinner is most likely smaller and more healthy. It’s not about sacrificing WHAT you eat but HOW you eat.

If I’m not hungry, I’m not eating. If I’m at a party, I don’t eat because I’m at a party and “supposed to eat.” I eat when my body wants something. I indulge for ME, not for what’s around me.

Granted I eat a lot of sweets. I mean A LOT. I’m a pastry chef (err, well trying to be) and inevitably I eat sugar, butter, flour, etc. But I eat tons of healthy fruits, vegetables, meats, etc. There needs to be balance. You couldn’t believe how good vegetables taste after eating JUST sugar all day. It sounds crazy but its true, your cravings aren’t far off. Listen to your body.

More importantly in my opinion, I eat REAL food. Nothing processed. Whole foods – not the store, the food itself. I don’t do chemicals and I don’t do gimmicks. Skip the low-fat, low-carb, low-cal shit, thats just what it is, shit. If you have cream cheese, HAVE cream cheese, the best possible kind you can, don’t eat the whole thing, but savor it. Lick real ice cream, not some fro-yo concoction that lines the streets of Third Ave. The real stuff will leave your body cleaner and more satisfied.

Simple Tips to Keep Looking Sexy During the Holidays:

1. Eat REAL food, everyday. Your body will notice and thank you.

2. Live in the moment, if you feel like a cookie, have a freaking cookie. One cookie will not make you fat.

3. Skip the cocktails with tons of sugar. It’s common sense. You never enjoy a drink worth 600 calories as much as you enjoy a piece of cake for 600 calories. And those cocktails will make you have both.

4. Get active. Just because it’s cold outside doesn’t mean you should go into hibernation. You don’t have to run a marathon, just take the stairs, its that easy.

5. Don’t let guilt get the best of you. Just because your favorite Aunt made your favorite dish filled with cheese and (of course!) love, you DO NOT have to eat it, let alone all of it. Take a bite, say thank you, and change the subject. Ask people about themselves, they love talking about themselves.

6. Eat when you’re hungry not because of your environment.

7. Tiny bites, really enjoy what your eating, don’t inhale your food. Savor it, enjoy it, it’s the holidays how often do you get to drink eggnog! So, indulge on things you wouldn’t get all year round, i.e. eggnog, yule log, etc. Don’t waste calories on mundane food.

8.  Don’t get discouraged, we all have bad days and nights, it’s the past! It won’t make or break the rest of your day/week/night/life, its ONE day. Life’s too short to stress about one too many bites, just balance it the next day.

9. Savor each bite, really enjoy what your eating, and who your eating with. Allow the flavors to linger if they’re good, and if they’re not, don’t eat anymore!

10. Smile darling, you’re fabulous. When you smile and look people in the eye, no one will ever care how big your waist is.