Yes, exactly. We say forget the guilt and go for it (with some moderation, of course). Here are a few tips for getting the most out of your indulgences this week.

Savor your favorites. If you look forward to your sister-in-law’s famously rich macaroni and cheese on Easter every year, why change it? “I am not a fan of lightening up traditional foods or favorite family recipes,” Kuzemchak says. “Enjoy your favorites, but get back to your usual eating habits the next day.”

Save yourself for the right dessert. Eating too many Cadbury eggs or handfuls of jelly beans can make you feel gross and tired rather than satisfied. “Instead of pillaging the bowl of pastel M&M’s, save it for the homemade pie or allow yourself a good dark chocolate bar,” Kuzemchak says.

Drink to your health. ‘Tis the season for Manischewitz! If you indulged in the traditional four glasses at your family’s Seder, worry not. It’s just one day out of the year. “There are antioxidants in wine,” says Kuzemchak. “But moderate drinkers get the most benefits.”

Photo copyright Oksana2010, shutterstock.com

Do I absolutely have to have this? If the candy isn’t one your favorites it’s not really worth eating, is it? Take a minute to look at the big picture. You’re going to have so many more opportunities to eat treats during the upcoming holiday food fest: homemade stuffing, your mom’s pumpkin pie, and so on. Wouldn’t you rather eat healthy now and spend the extra calories and fat on special indulgences like those? You can buy candy all year round—there’s no “need” to eat it now.

Can I limit myself to just a few pieces? Some people can eat a mini candy bar or two and feel content. For others, one or two quickly becomes five or ten. If you fall into the latter category, don’t tempt fate—it’s simply too easy to binge on the fun-size stuff. A study published in the Journal of Consumer Research found that people consume more high-calorie treats when they’re in small packages than larger ones. The reason? They seem like “innocent pleasures.”

How much will I enjoy eating this candy? That seems like a stupid question—hello, candy is delicious! But keep in mind that it’s delicious for a matter of moments. The first few bites of any food taste the best; after that, the pleasure quotient gradually decreases. More isn’t better—for your waist or your taste buds.

 Image via Shutterstock

The past two weeks we’ve watched in awe as thousands of athletes competed in everything from track & field to judo in London. But why just sit back and watch? The Olympics can be a great motivator to help you get in shape, too.

You don’t have to be an elite athlete to push yourself to new heights of better health. You may be surprised at what you can accomplish. That’s what happened to Terri Gerrard, pictured above (yes, both of those are her). We met her while we were working on our August issue story on sensible weight-loss secrets from LHJ readers.

My jaw dropped when Terri sent us her before and after pictures. But what really impressed me was why she chose to compete (in a bikini, on stage) in a figure competition. It’s a lot like bodybuilding, she says, except the judges focus on muscle tone rather than muscle size. Read on for how she made changes and how you can get started.

My “Eureka!” Moment
I had been active in dance and cheerleading when I was young. When I turned 40 I got complacent and my weight crept up slowly until I was 51 and close to 200 pounds. In 2008 I was at work when I started to have chest pains. It was like no other pain I’ve ever felt, and it scared me. I had a treadmill stress test and got a full physical, but my doctor found nothing wrong except for my high blood pressure, which usually doesn’t have symptoms. I still don’t know exactly what caused the pain that day, but I took it as a sign I had to make changes.

How I Did It
Baby steps! It took a lot to plan my meals and log my food, but it was so worth it. I started eating five or six times a day, mainly lean protein with vegetables and healthy snacks, like peanut butter and an apple or berries and a few almonds. I counted calories and carbohydrates to see exactly how much I was eating and paid really close attention to serving sizes. I still have treats, but those treats are much smaller than they used to be. And I don’t beat myself up if I have a bad eating day. I feel better, so that motivates me to continue to eat better.

After the medicine my doctor prescribed helped get my blood pressure under control, I started exercising. I hired a personal trainer to help me. At first I was petrified because I was so uncomfortable with my body and working out in front of others. On his urging, I did strength training with weights four days a week for an hour and would do cardio 30 minutes afterward. It was hard work, don’t get me wrong, but every time I could run a little further and not be short of breath, it was all worth it. Now, I’ve lost 60 pounds and I’m in the best shape of my life.

Why I Chose To Compete
I really wanted to make a statement. I’ve always been self-conscious of my body, even before I was overweight, and I wanted to do something to celebrate my hard work. Yes, I have wrinkles. I still have loose skin from being overweight, and I am still very much a novice compared with the other women who competed. But I needed to do it for myself because I covered up for so many years. Now I like to challenge myself in other ways—I’m learning to swim so I can do a triathlon soon, and last year I ran a half-marathon. (I had to walk the last bit, but hey, I finished!)

Ready To Get Started?
Get more real-life diet tips in our story “Fad Diets Don’t Work” from our August issue. You can train like an Olympian with the American Council on Exercise’s Gold Medal Workout series, complete with step-by-step demonstrations for programs based on Olympic faves gymnastics, track & field and more.

1. Drink without thinking. We consume too many liquid calories all year long, but it’s particularly easy to go overboard on sugary beverages in the summer. For starters, you’re just plain thirstier than usual. Then there’s the variety factor. As the temperature rises, the selection of creamy iced coffee drinks, smoothies, slushes, ultra-sweet lemonades and iced teas gets wider (and they’re especially hard to resist when you’re parched.) And that’s just the non-alcoholic stuff! Don’t forget about those margaritas, daiquiris and pina coladas. It’s all basically dessert—and you need to start thinking of it that way. Consider the fact that a 12-oz frozen margarita has 675 calories. Starbucks’ venti java chip Frappuccino packs 580 calories. Even a bottle of Snapple lemonade has 190 calories—30 more than you’ll find in three Oreo cookies.

You don’t have to swear off sweet drinks completely. They do, however, have to be (very) occasional treats. When you need to cool off, your go-to picks should be water, unsweetened iced teas and coffees and other low- and no-calorie drinks. Hosting or attending a BBQ? Make lighter versions of your favorite alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages.

2. Tell yourself that more sweat = more calories burned. I really wish this one was true. If it was, I’d only need to exercise for about 5 minutes a day in the summertime. Unfortunately, you don’t melt any more fat when you work out in shirt-soaking heat than you would on a crisp fall day, so don’t assume you can get away with exercising less this season. Everyone perspires at their own rate—which is determined by age, sex, genes, weight and shape—so you can’t gauge the toughness of your workout by how drenching it is. A brisk 10-minute walk is enough to make some people perspire, while others are barely even dewy after a 40-minute run. Three things determine how many calories you burn during exercise: frequency, duration and intensity.

If it’s too hot and humid to get a sufficiently challenging workout outside, you can always fry plenty of calories indoors. Check out our do-anywhere “Get Slim Without The Gym” routine, which is just 25 minutes long. Or try a new workout DVD; our friends at Fitness rounded up the best picks of the year here.

3. Do a detoxifying juice cleanse. You might be a little tempted to try one now that we’re in swimsuit season, but seriously: you do not want to jump on this bandwagon. Would a cleanse help you drop a few pounds in time for next weekend’s pool party? Maybe, but it’s usually just water weight; you’ll gain it back once you start eating normally again. Will a cleanse make you cranky, tired, diarrhea-prone and really, really hungry? Probably. (So much for enjoying the pool party.) And you don’t need to “detox”—your organs already have that job covered.

That’s a whole lot of misery just to look a teeny bit smaller in your bathing suit. It’s a waste of money, too—those cleanses can be really pricey (one popular brand costs $65 a day!) If you want to look slimmer for an event, cutting out junk food and high-calorie drinks is a much healthier, cheaper and saner way to go.

* Clair Lomas of Britain just became the first paralyzed person to finish a marathon in a bionic suit. It took her 16 days but she did it! (MSNBC)

* Healthy cake—it exists, and it’s delicious. EatingWell shows you how to bake lighter versions of your faves. (EatingWell)

* Feeling unmotivated to exercise? Get pumped by watching these awe-inspiring fitness ads. (Fitness)

* We’re definitely setting our DVRs to record ABC’s 20/20 this Friday. “Losing It: The Big Fat Money Pit” will examine the $200 billion (and growing) weight-loss industry. It looks fascinating! (ABC)

Photo via Shutterstock

* If you get a really persistent junk food craving today, you can annihilate it in seconds by watching this video of a Russian caviar-eating contest. (Eater)

* One of the secrets of great abs? Changing up your tummy-toning routine regularly. With these seven options, you’ll be set for months. (FitSugar)

* Is your workout wardrobe a little too thin? Stock up at Puma’s big up-to-50-percent-off spring sale. (Deal News)

* Burger King’s new menu items seem healthy(ish)—until you see how the nutrition facts stack up. In terms of fat and calories, the salads aren’t much better than the burgers and fried chicken sandwiches! (HuffPo)

Image via Shutterstock

* I was born without rhythm (true story), which is a bummer since these 8 benefits of dancing are really impressive. (HuffPo)

* The 5 best places to buy cute and cheap workout clothes. (FitSugar)

* Take Fitbie’s spring fitness challenge! They’ll show you the best moves for targeting your abs, thighs, and other jiggle-prone areas. (Fitbie)

* Celeb trainer Harley Pasternak proves that “healthy cookies” isn’t an oxymoron. Check out his banana chocolate chip cookie recipe! (5Factor.com)

Image via Shutterstock

* Think you’re getting all your essential nutrients? According to a new report from the CDC, we ladies may be low in iron (no surprise there) and…iodine. Who knew? Click to find out why you need it and how to get more. (WebMD)

* If you’re bored with your workout playlist, head to walmart.com—you can get a $50 iTunes eGift card for $40. (Dealnews)

* If this 102-year-old can exercise five times a week surely the rest of us can work up the energy to do the same. (MSNBC)

* As far as breakfast indulgences go, doughnuts aren’t 100% evil—bagels are often higher in calories and fat! Just try not to pick one of these 10 “fatty sugar bombs.” (Fitbie)

* What Pilates can—and can’t—do to slim and tone your body. (HuffPo)

* File this under “Who knew?”: Popcorn is high in antioxidants. (FitSugar)

* Bust out of your salad rut with these creative combos. (Fitness)

* I swear this twisting plank move helped me get back into my skinny pants. Not easy but it works! (Oxygen)

* The dilemma: You know you need your omega-3s but you’re not a big fan of fish (one of the best sources of those crucial fatty acids.) The solution: Get ‘em from these 8 vegetarian sources. (HuffPo)

* True or false: Agave is a healthier alternative to sugar. (Greatist)

* Tone your thighs with these squat- and lunge-free fitness moves. (FitSugar)

* Bored with your workout DVDs? Our friends at Fitness rounded up a slew of new reader-tested options. (Fitness)

Image via Shutterstock.