I wasn't eating the right kinds of calories. I didn't know about healthy carbs such as brown rice and lentils. Now I eat small meals throughout the day: oatmeal with cinnamon to start, fruit and yogurt as a snack, and vegetables or with chicken or tuna, and a healthy carb, like a yam, for lunch.

Alison Sweeney

Categorized in : Vegetables Lunch Snacks

What's wrong with extreme dieting and hard-core fitness plans is that they don't take into account the rest of your life.

Alison Sweeney

hard-core rest-of-your-life dieting

I'm a working mom, not a professional athlete, but I am a runner and that's a special club.

Alison Sweeney

mom athlete special

I'm addicted to a really tough workout. I like to be drenched in sweat when I'm done because I feel accomplished.

Alison Sweeney

sweat workout done

Set reasonable goals; not something vague and unrealistic like "I want to be super-model skinny." I always had visions of very thin actresses in my mind when I was at the gym and it seemed so unattainable that I would quit any health regimen before it even got off the ground. But when I changed my mindset to focusing on making the healthiest choices possible for myself, it was a lot more realistic, more attainable, and then the results were visible.

Alison Sweeney

choices goal mind

I like Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm because I don't need a mirror to reapply. But I definitely treat myself with face lotion - I use La Mer.

Alison Sweeney

mirrors use needs

I save my dreams and hopes for my kids. When I'm making a wish under a bridge or tunnel, it's always for them.

Alison Sweeney

tunnels dream kids

I have encouraged my kids to eat well from day one. I add flavor - herbs and spices - to everything because I don't want them getting used to starchy, bland food.

Alison Sweeney

spices add kids

People think, 'Oh, I'm loving myself by sitting on this sofa for four hours.' Love yourself enough to get up!

Alison Sweeney

love-yourself people thinking

I battled with my weight as a teenager, partly because there wasn't the information or conversation about how to live a healthy lifestyle.

Alison Sweeney

teenager healthy weight

Can you believe approximately 17 percent of American children ages 2 to 19 years are obese? How about this fact: approximately 60 percent of overweight children ages 5 to 10 already have at least one risk factor for heart disease? We are all to blame for this - parents, schools, kids - all of us.

Alison Sweeney

heart believe children

Especially with me working in the entertainment industry, I think my kids are aware of weight and fat much earlier than other kids. It was important to me from the beginning to make sure they understand things like why too much sugar is bad for you, etc.

Alison Sweeney

important kids thinking

I recommend that people try new stuff or take new fitness classes all the time. It's important to mix up your routine, not only for your body, but also for your mental state.

Alison Sweeney

important class people

The mental game of 'holding out,' not eating for as long as possible, at least for me, was a really unhealthy mental place. I would inevitably lose that battle and eat too much in one sitting and end up really mad at myself.

Alison Sweeney

mad games long

The number one mistake is giving pets table scraps. I made the mistake thinking I was showing my dog love by giving her food and treats. You see a tiny 4 oz. piece of cheese, but for a Boston Terrier like mine, that's like one and a half hamburgers. That's unhealthy.

Alison Sweeney

dog mistake thinking

That's the biggest thing to separate - your body from your self worth.

Alison Sweeney

self-worth body self

I keep track of my body by how my jeans fit—and how I feel.

Alison Sweeney

jeans track body

I have two beautiful children and my husband. The perfect day for me is just to be with them and have fun. We like simple things, you know.

Alison Sweeney

fun beautiful children

I've been on 'Days' since I was 16, and being surrounded by such thin, gorgeous actresses made me so insecure and self-conscious.

Alison Sweeney

insecure actresses self

I always cringe when people tell me they don't eat breakfast, as though that's a good thing. Eek! You have to start the day off with something in your stomach to get your metabolism active.

Alison Sweeney

days-off people breakfast

With reality TV, sometimes it's amazing chemistry and you get these gems that turn out to be everything you hoped, and the camera loves them and they just blossom on the show. And then sometimes it's not all you envision.

Alison Sweeney

cameras tvs reality