Tips for being a Skinny Bitch this season

Being a Skinny Bitch isn't easy, especially during the holidays! But even vegan author Kim Barnouin knows you need to indulge sometimes.

"I want to eat," Kim told SheKnows at the Pamper Me Fabulous women's retreat in Rancho Palos Verdes recently. "I want to enjoy food. Once you say you can't have this, you can't have that, people start to freak out."

Though her book title may rub some people the wrong way, Kim says it's all in fun and her main focus is health, not weight.

Now, the Skinny Bitch is advising you to read labels on more than just your grocery products. Kim's new book, Skinny Bitch Home, Beauty & Style explains it all.

"It's hard selling a vegan diet and when the book came out it wasn't very popular," said Kim. "We just thought: make it light, make it funny, make people laugh. Get their attention, and then hit them with the information when they buy the book."

So being a Skinny Bitch isn't about deprivation? Great! What can you eat?

"Embrace the holidays," Kim told us. "Embrace the food, but pace yourself. Don't eat an entire pie when you go out, and keep working out. But enjoy your darn desserts people. Desserts aren't meant to be low cal."

You can however, make them a little healthier. Here are Kim's three simple solutions for lightening up your holiday recipes.

Instead of butter, use Earth Balance. It tastes so good, you won't miss [regular butter]." Also, instead of milk, use Almond Breeze.

Add a little bit of whole wheat pastry flour to cookie or pie crusts. "It adds a little bit of whole grain in there with your white flour as well," Kim suggests.

Kim admits that even she has room for improvement, and shared with us her New Year's resolutions.

"You need to take a look at your diet overall and say, what are three things [I want to change]," said Kim. "For me, I knew I wanted to drink more water, eat more vegetables and have a better source of protein."

Kim suggests keeping a food diary for a week to find out what your worst offenders are.

And for anyone traveling this holiday season, Kim has advice for staying healthy on the go.

"Be prepared," Kim told us. "I have a huge purse, and when I travel I pack peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, fruit, and my own trail mix."

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