Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh…………..

Seriously – it’s quite aggravating and I mentally understand it but cannot emotionally detach myself.  I just love Coke.  Original Coke, no diet, no zero, no caffeine free.  Good, old fashioned, original Coke – okay, minus the actual cocaine, but with 100% calories, sugar and caffeine. 

This is not helping my diet efforts.  However, since I don’t really eat a LOT of junk, I allow myself this indiscretion.  Yesterday, twice.  I’ve begun keeping a food diary so I can review my intake and compare it with what I should be eating.  YES, I understand that this is pretty much a trial run and that I don’t eat enough of the good stuff and too much of the bad stuff. 

For instance:  yesterday’s total intake was this – 6 fig newtons, 1 blueberry Activia yogurt, 2 – 20oz bottles of water, tuna salad in a spinach wrap, 20 oz Coke, 1 small biscuit, 2/3 of a chicken breast, 1& 1/2 cups of spaghetti with alfredo sauce, 20 oz Coke, and another 12 oz of water. 

While this combination of food was yummy to my tummy, it was not nutritionally balanced.  While I may have consumed enough protein, there is a severe lack of fruits and vegetables….. 

TIP – it can be especially helpful to keep a food diary and track your food intake.  It allows for a comparison to nutritional guidelines and lets you know just how bad your diet may be for your efforts to lose, and can enable you to make adjustments where necessary to maximize your intake.

It’s almost Thanksgiving folks, and I’m flat lined right now.  I’m not mad, and I’m certainly going to eat me some turkey and all the fixin’s with the Pash clan, but I will definitely be hitting the gymand getting some great day-after exercise.  Enjoy yourselves, try not to over-indulge, and if your family’s making you crazy, leave.  Hard enough to do, but honestly, it’s possible.  Traditionally, I check out a movie or something.

Ciao!! 

The holidays are coming. Thanksgiving and Christmas (Hanukah, Kwanzaa, whatever you’re into) both are huge invitations to take those extra trips up to the buffet-style set-up your mom and aunt have in the kitchen. It’s a time where we all mix up the egg nog, sit around watching football and catching up with relatives we haven’t seen in far too long.

What can we do to stop, or at least minimize, the inevitable holiday weight-gain? How can we nip the tryptophan comas in the bud? One thing my mom and I do is put on the tennies and go for a walk in the morning or after our food has settled. Its a nice time to catch up with her, since she lives 1100 miles away in another time zone, and its a great way to not sit on the couch.

Another good tip is to think about all the ingredients that are going into your meals. If your stuffing requires canned creamed soups, consider low-sodium, low-fat versions. Try a little Splenda, vanilla and cinnamon in your sweet potatoes instead of all sugar.

Don’t forget your water either! Keep on chugging water while you’re cooking, while you’re sitting watching the game, and even have a bottle with you while you walk the mall for Black Friday deals.

what other ideas do you guys have about watching your holiday weight? Leave your ideas after the jump!