Yup, it’s that time of year again.

Supermarket shelves are groaning under the weight of a thousand chocolate bunnies and you can’t turn a corner without being assaulted by the scent of tempting (and oh, so delicious) hot cross buns.

Yes. It’s Easter time. And the cold hard panic of “I’ve been so good with my diet, how will I survive a weekend long choc-fest?” is starting to kick in.

The thing is, when you Ditch the Diet, so much of the anxiety we feel around food dissipates into a cloud of “I can’t believe I used to live like that” sweetness, but for now, we have Easter to contend with.

So to help you brave the invasion of chocolate bunnies as they make their way from supermarket shelves into your home, I’ve put together a 5 point Ditch the Diet Party Survival Guide.

Game on, Easter Bunny!

CLICK HERE to download your Party Survival Guide

CLICK HERE to download my fabulous Breakfast Chia Pudding Recipe

1. more isn’t better

So often we think that if one is good, then ten must be better, and maybe it is, if you’re talking about money; but when it comes to Easter treats, less is DEFINITELY more.

Tune in to what your body wants to eat. Is it really eighteen chocolate bunnies? Or could it be that your gorgeous body is calling for a Breakfast Chia Pudding or some Raw Bounty Bites or maybe even a Sexy Superfood Snackbar?

You don’t have to eat all the chocolate in the world just because it’s been moulded into the shape of a rabbit (cute though it may be!)

Chocolate isn’t going anywhere. It will still be available long after the Easter vibes have gone.

2. eating the children’s unwanted Easter eggs wont help the starving children in Africa

So, the kids are all hyped up on chocolate and buns. Easter egg wrappers are strewn from one end of the house to the other and now the grandparents have arrived with another delivery of foil wrapped goodies “for the children”.

But let’s face it; you and I both know that a house full of wild-eyed, hyperactive, choc-crazed kiddies does not make for a restful weekend. It’s time to binge-proof the house (for your sake as much as the children!)

You could try the method I used for years, which was to remove said chocolate eggs from plain view and hide them “for later”. Of course this scenario always ended with me single handily demolishing enough Easter treats to sink a small Lindt factory, but hey, it was better than letting them go to waste, right?

My new method is to give them away. Yes, I can hear your shrieks of horror, so I will repeat myself… GIVE.THEM.AWAY.

Take the opportunity to teach the children about giving to the less fortunate and sharing the Easter love. Donate them to a homeless shelter or your local children’s hospital.

Remember, sharing is caring.

3. you haven’t “ruined” it

It doesn’t matter if you eat four hot cross buns or forty; you haven’t “ruined” your diet. Why? Because you’re not on a diet!

Ditching the Diet means letting go of that “I’ve ruined it now so I might as well stuff my face” mentality. It means understanding that life happens. Parties, events and festive chocolate bunny occasions will come and go. It’s fine to enjoy them. This is your life and you’re here to suck every ounce of pleasure from it, not to spend every waking moment living on the edge between, “I’m such a dietary superstar, look how I rocked my fancy-pants eating plan today” and “I ate some cake, I’m such a loser, I might as well eat my way through Baskin Robbins, one flavour at a time”

4. don’t ditch your regular routine

I can’t stress this highly enough. Don’t Ditch Your Regular Routine. Sticking with your regular meals, workouts and meditation practices will signal to your body that everything is A-Okay which in turn, will help you stay in your regular daily rhythm.

The minute we start to ditch our healthy habits, albeit just for a weekend, our body knows something’s up. The only purpose this serves is to make it soooo much easier to go on an all-out chocolate eating binge-fest because (insert the mantra of all dieters world-wide)… “you can start again tomorrow”

If you normally walk the dog every morning, keep doing it.

If you normally do yoga, pray, make a healthy breakfast… keep doing it.

Let your gorgeous body know that everything is in order and there is no need to skip off into Chocolate Boogie Wonderland.

5. reset and recalibrate

Sometimes, despite our best intentions, the temptation to over indulge sinks its chocolate coated claws into us and we end up eating waaaaay more than we had intended.

So, before you throw your hands in the air in a dramatic display of desperation and decide to polish off the half eaten pizza in the back of the fridge, here’s some tips to help you reset and recalibrate:

Learn the lesson.

The only reason we want all that food is because we THINK we can’t have it. Ditch the Diet. You are free to eat whatever you choose. Your only job here is to decide if it’s beneficial for you to do so.

Don’t beat yourself up.

It’s done. And until someone invents a way to turn back the hands of time, there is ZERO point in you hating yourself or your body. Kick guilt and shame in the groin and get empowered. Take the lesson and move on.

And speaking of moving on…

Don’t binge and don’t starve yourself (seriously, has this EVER helped in the past?!) Decide (and yes, it is your personal decision to do this) that you are worth more than another round of “I hate myself, no wait, I can do this! Oh no, I ate one square of chocolate, I’m a loser… No, no… I’ll start a new diet because THIS time will be different!”

Get empowered.

Stop letting food be the boss of you.

Join Ditch the Diet Online Bootcamp.

Work out with a buddy.

Do something to reset your mind for success and get the tools you need to beat the Easter binge.