Baby Steps

Michael got the spring cleaning bug early this year. I guess the last couple of days of unseasonably warm weather is fooling not only my plants, but him as well.

Trudging down from the attic Michael dropped two packing boxes onto the dining room table.

“I think this is everything,” he said.

Inside the boxes were letters, cards, concert ticket stubs, photo negatives, and loose stacks of hundreds of photographs from high school, college and beyond. Some of the photographs were sandwiched between white pieces of paper stating “Spring Break 1987” or more vaguely, “College, 1985 maybe?” The remnants from my first attempt to organize them several years ago. I quickly lost motivation and back into the boxes they went.

According to my husband Michael, now, apparently, is the time to get organized. I should note that his life in photographs is neatly laid out in dozens of photo albums. And since the advent of digital technology our family photos are also neatly organized on the computer. This is clearly my issue. One, that after two decades of tolerance, Michael has had enough of.

And yet, the boxes sat in the dining room for weeks, staring at me. Gently prodding me  Michael would ask, “So, do you want to start on the photos today?”

“No, not today,” I’d respond. “Maybe tomorrow.”

Finally, weary of my procrastination, Michael suggested a photo sorting date night. I know, it sounds like a drag, but he said the magic word … wine.

“We can have some wine, sit together and go through them,” he offered.

“Okay,” I said, finally relenting.

With a nice glass of cabernet sauvignon in hand we sat down one Saturday night and started the process. Two hours later, I’d had enough, but we’d gotten through one box.

“See that wasn’t so bad,” Michael said. “We’re half-way through.”

My photos, AFTER I finally organized them.

I procrastinated for several more weeks but finally finished the project. Now, my personal history lives in two small photo boxes and sorted by year. (I still couldn’t stomach the time it would take to put them in albums. But hey, it’s progress.)

Going through all my old photographs made me realize two things:

1) Thank God Facebook wasn’t around when I was in college! I’m ecstatic that the only record of my college years is in two small boxes in my bookcase. Whew!

2) When something seems overwhelming it’s best to break the task down into smaller components and tackle them little by little.

I had put off the project for literally decades because I couldn’t even think about starting it. “There are so many photos,” I’d tell myself. “The project’s too big.” “It’ll take forever!”

So I never started.

The same thing goes for moving toward a healthy lifestyle. We know we should do it, but the project seems so overwhelming and our goal so far away, that we never start.

Well, here’s a little secret: Few people can make all the changes—diet, exercise, stress reduction etc.—simultaneously. Most of us make life changes gradually.

In a society of instant gratification and quick results this can be a tough mindset to achieve, but it’s a good plan. Slow and steady will definitely win the race.

If you’re frustrated with your progress or are feeling overwhelmed with how much further you’ve got to go, don’t despair. Just take it slow. Break down your goals into smaller components and don’t try and change everything at once. Pick an area and focus on that.

I started with my diet. By focusing on eating healthier foods it made me appreciate my body more which led to wanting to exercise to make it stronger.

Other people find the reverse method works for them. By exercising they feel better about themselves and their body and those positive vibes flow into better eating behavior.

It’s all a matter of personal preference, but find an area that works for you and start there.

Remember, baby steps are still steps forward, moving you in the right direction. The race to a healthy life is a marathon, not a sprint!

Eat Treats and Be Merry

Janelle and her Valentine's Day haul

Valentine’s Day morning Janelle, my third-grader and resident sugaraholic, skipped onto the bus holding a bag full of valentines for her classmates and a decorated shoebox ready to receive the day’s bounty. Aside from Christmas and Halloween this is her favorite holiday. Who can blame her? Who doesn’t like chocolate? I can walk by bowls overflowing with Jolly Ranchers, Nerds, Fruit Rollups, even candy bars, these don’t entice me. But a box of chocolate confections, well, those will make me pause and most likely, indulge.

Seems I’m not the only one tempted. This week Americans will purchase 58 million pounds of chocolate candy worth $345 million. And that’s just the chocolate. We’ll spend another $103 million on other candy, for a whopping $448 million in total.

Since I author a health blog, I’m sure you’re bracing yourself for the onslaught of discourse about how bad candy is for you, how many empty calories it contains, blah blah blah. I hate to disappoint you, but no, that’s not what’s on my mind this week.

Actually, Valentine’s Day reminds me that there's a place in life for all kinds of food.

The reason that most diets fail is that they’re too restrictive. No one can maintain a lifestyle that forbids an entire food category, especially if it’s one they love.

I can imagine what would happen if I forbade Janelle from ever having chocolate again. She’d cry, tell me how unfair it is, sulk around the house for days and then, probably start sneaking it. She’d eat it at friend’s houses or eat it behind the closed door of the pantry. I’d turn her into a closet eater by labeling chocolate as “bad.” And worst of all, chocolate would be elevated to forbidden status, which only makes it more desirable.

Instead, I believe in the philosophy that all foods are available to me, some, like candy, are simply to be enjoyed occasionally and in moderation.

This is the same position championed by the American Dietetic Association which states,

“… all foods can fit into a healthful eating style. The ADA strives to communicate healthful eating messages to the public that emphasize the total diet, or overall pattern of food eaten, rather than any one food or meal. If consumed in moderation with appropriate portion size and combined with regular physical activity, all foods can fit into a healthful diet…The value of a food should be determined within the context of the total diet because classifying foods as "good" or "bad" may foster unhealthy eating behaviors.”

The trick is moderation and making sure it’s only an occasional thing, not a habit. It goes back to my 80/20 rule—80 percent of the time do the right thing (eat lots of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and lean meats), 20 percent of the time splurge a little. 

Enjoy your treats this week, then get back on track. It’s all part of a healthy lifestyle.

10 Tips to Chase the Winter Blues Away

Rain, rain go away, come again some other day.

I’ve been chanting this nursery rhyme for days. The dreary, grey drizzle is driving me mad. Cloaked in blankets, slippers and sweaters and consuming gallons of hot tea, I can’t seem to get warm or motivated to go outside, even to run errands. I think bears have the right idea—we should just hibernate.

Finally, yesterday, the sun broke through the clouds. Hallelujah! Raising my face toward the sky I relished the warmth on my skin.

A little sunshine and I immediately had a boost of energy. Suddenly, I found time to grocery shop, take my dog Snickers for a walk, fold and put away the mountain of clean clothes on the bed and check-off a dozen things on my to-do list.

I’m not alone in having the shortened days and lack of sunshine sap my motivation. It’s well documented that the winter months typically bring on increased sleepiness and lethargy and as a result, weight gain. It’s in our DNA. When our eyes detect darkness, our brain releases melatonin, a hormone that induces sleep. With the sun setting at 4:00 pm no wonder I’m tired by 6:30 pm!

Feeling like I have a case of the “winter blahs,” I researched ways to boost my mood. Here are the tips I’ve collected from the experts on how to chase the blues away.

1. Get out there – Force yourself to go out even though you want to stay in. And if you really want a mood booster, spend some money on a great experience, e.g., a great dinner place, a concert, theatre tickets etc. Research shows that spending money on experiences boost your mood more than buying a new pair of shoes. (Side note to the experts: I don’t think you understand the emotional impact of shoes. My new Toms bring me loads of joy every time I put them on. So there. But I’ll do the experience stuff too.)
2. Do a good deed. Focusing on those less fortunate creates empathy and forces us to appreciate what we have.
3.  Pull out old photos. Grab a cup of tea and start flipping through your kids’ baby albums or that awesome vacation you took to Italy. Who wouldn’t feel better after memories of pasta and wine flood their brain!
4. Try bright-light therapy. Sit in front of a special lamp (a bright fluorescent light that mimics the intensity of the sun) for about 30 minutes every day.
5. Start an appreciation journal. At night, jot down the good stuff that happened during the day. Recording even the most mundane activities that went well will help you focus on the positive.
6. Exercise. Regular exercise relieves stress and anxiety. Plus, working out makes you feel better about yourself which will boost your mood.
7. Try meditation or a restorative yoga class. New research shows that spiritual practices, such as regular mindfulness exercises, can actually change brain structure in a way that promotes a sense of wellbeing.
8. Cut back on alcohol. While sitting by the fire with a glass of wine or scotch seems like a good idea, alcohol is actually a depressant, which can exacerbate a depressed mood.
9. Treat yourself to a massage. During a massage the levels of the stress hormone cortisol fall and the levels of the feel good hormone serotonin rise. Bad stuff goes down, good stuff goes up. Sign me up.
10. Consider Omega-3 and Vitamin D supplements which both have been shown to have a positive effect on depression. Talk to your doctor about the correct dosage, especially with Vitamin D as too much is toxic.

Twas the Night Before Christmas and I Got the Flu

A couple of years ago I came down with the flu on Christmas Eve. Yup, Christmas Eve. I of course, didn’t get a flu shot that year because I arrogantly assumed, “I never get the flu.” Uh huh. Well, here’s my story, in poetic verse. It’s a cautionary tale that will hopefully inspire you to take care of yourself this holiday season so you don’t end up like me.

Twas the night before Christmas and I got the flu

With presents to wrap and folks to entertain, what was I to do?

The relatives arrived all merry and gay

I secretly wished they’d all go away

With sweat on my brow and aches in my body

I slapped on a smile and downed a hot toddy

Christmas Eve festivities droned on and on

I sat on the couch trying to stifle a yawn

Finally, our children were tucked in nice and tight

But Michael and I still had a long night

Up and down the stairs we did go

Delivering gifts to the Christmas tree below

Finally collapsing onto my warm, soft bed

My eyes shut for a moment before screams of, “Santa’s been here!” echoed in my head

Forcing a smile and nodding with feigned delight

I felt like a truck had run over me last night

Whispering to Michael, “I’m not sure I can make it. I feel like hell.”

His eyes sympathetic, he nodded, “Yeah, I can tell.”

Perplexed he asked, “What about the turkey and stuffing? What will you do?”

Christmas was here. It did not stop for the flu.

I rallied once more to cook for my crew

My face taking on a pasty white hue

The turkey was roasted and the potatoes mashed

I sat down for dinner on the verge of collapse

With glassy eyes and a fever of one hundred and three

I was tapped out. I hadn't an ounce of glee.

The feast was blessed and our crystal glasses clinked in the air

All the while I tried to steady myself in the chair

Waving to my family as they drove out of sight

“Thank God that’s over,” I said, “I thought they’d be here all night.”

Tissues and Nyquil in hand, I slogged off to bed

Visions of Cold-Eeze danced in my head

Enveloped in my cocoon of Kleenex and blankets

I sweated and tossed and turned for ages

Emerging three days later I’d found

My illness had made me lose seven pounds

“Hey, not bad,” I thought with a slow smile

Now maybe I won’t have to diet for a while

Yeah, nice thought, but that wasn’t the case

The pounds reappeared at an alarming pace

A week later I was back to feeling almost new

But I’d missed the joy of Christmas because of the flu

A Word about Flu Prevention

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that everyone over 6 months of age get a yearly flu shot. It is especially important for those in high risk groups—young children, pregnant women, people with chronic health conditions like asthma, diabetes or heart and lung disease and people 65 years and older.

In addition to the flu shot, other preventative tips include:

Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too.

If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.

Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.

Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Avoid touching your face. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth.

Practice healthy habits. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.

I wish you all a happy, healthy holiday and best wishes for 2012!

The Aftermath

Let’s say, hypothetically, that you didn’t do so well with your healthy eating plan last week. Let’s say, for example, that you stood next to the spinach dip and devoured about a pound of it. With chips. Those really salty thin pretzel things. And—I’m just guessing here, throwing things out off the top of my head—let’s say you had one too many drinks. Like maybe a dozen. And to top things off you buried your face in your sister’s apple crisp, your mom’s sausage stuffing and took down the mountain of mashed potatoes all by yourself. You know, hypothetically. Let’s say that’s what your weekend looked like.

What do you do now?

To quote my wonderful New York friend and neighbor, “fahgettaboudit.”

It’s over. Banish the guilt. You can’t un-eat or un-drink anything so the best thing to do is just move on. It’s a new day. Time to get back on track.

Actually, getting back on track is one of the key skills nutritionists cite as being part of maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Everyone indulges on occasion, that's normal. What differentiates those that are successful at managing their weight from those that aren’t is the ability to get back to healthy habits immediately. The times you indulge should be the exception, not the rule.

So, what should you do now, exactly?

1) Stop freaking out. One (or two) days of overindulgence won’t ruin your hard work. The key is to make sure you don’t continue overindulging. That will definitely sabotage your healthy habits.

2) Drink plenty of water. That bloated feeling is probably not real weight, but extra water caused by the excess salt you ingested. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. That’ll help rid your body of the excess sodium and reduce the bloat.

3) Get moving. Jump back into your normal exercise routine. Exercise boosts your mood too so you’ll not only be doing something good for your body, but you’ll feel better too.

4) Eat five small meals a day. Resume your healthy eating habits. Lots of fresh fruit, vegetables, lean proteins, whole grains and two small snacks a day. For example:

-       Breakfast: Low-fat yogurt and berries.

-       Mid-morning snack: A piece of fruit and an ounce of low-fat cheese

-       Lunch: A big salad with lean protein such as fish or chicken

-       Afternoon snack: A handful of almonds

-       Dinner: A piece of fish and plenty of vegetables

5) Restart your food journal. When I feel like I’m out of control I start writing everything down. There’s nothing like documenting everything I eat and drink to make me more mindful of my choices. MyPlate at Livestrong.com is a great tool for this.

Surviving the Holidays

Tomorrow, turkeys will be roasting, pies will be baking and elastic waistbands will be expanding all over America.

It is possible to enjoy the holidays without wrecking your healthy habits, but it takes some planning.

Below are my favorite holiday tips. Advice I’ve gleaned from experts over the years that help me enjoy the holidays and keep my fat pants where they belong, buried in the back of the closet.

• Shift into weight maintenance mode. Losing weight during the holidays is unbelievably difficult, so shift your focus to simply not gaining weight. Maintain the status quo, i.e., exercise when you can, opt for healthy snacks and meals and pick up the weight loss goal when the holiday goodies and parties have disappeared.  Do this and you’ll be way ahead of most people in January. The typical weight gain between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is five pounds.

• Alternate alcoholic and nonalcoholic drinks. The party invites have started to pour in. That’s good, and bad. As I noted in last week’s blog, beverages are a huge source of hidden calories. To keep the calories to a minimum, after enjoying an alcoholic beverage have a zero-calorie nonalcoholic drink. I like to alternate with a glass of water. This keeps me hydrated and prevents me from over-consuming at the buffet table. A side effect of a little too much alcohol. 

• Prepare to party. Before heading out to the cocktail party or happy hour, decide what you’re going to indulge in and cut back on calories during the day in anticipation. And stick to your plan! 

• Eat and drink before you go. Don’t ever show up to a party hungry. That’s like taking a sex addict to a brothel. The temptation to indulge is overwhelming. Eat a light snack before you go, ideally something with protein and/or fiber so you’ll feel full. (e.g., a cup of Greek yogurt or apple slices with peanut butter or veggies and hummus) And chase it with a tall glass of water. You’ll arrive hydrated and satiated and be less likely to slam down the first drink and dive into the spinach and artichoke dip.

• Do not, I repeat, do not stand next to the buffet table. It’s absolutely impossible to stand next to a table of food and not graze. You’ll munch mindlessly, devouring a bowl of M&Ms before you know it. Don’t put yourself in this position. Get a plate, choose what you want and walk away. Far, far away.

• Channel your inner toddler. If you really think about holiday food, most of it isn’t that good. Store bought cookies and cakes, ho hum. Green bean casserole, no thank you. Be a food critic. Take a little bite, if it’s not stupendous, pass. Save your calories for the things you absolutely love and pass on all the stuff that’s just “okay.”

• Move, move, move. With holiday shopping gearing up, gym attendance typically goes down. Don’t let that translate into no movement at all. Find little ways to increase your movement throughout the day. Take the stairs, park far away from store entrances or go for a walk after meals. Every bit of activity will help burn those extra calories.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Dear God, It’s Eggnog Season

Pumpkin spice lattes, peppermint mochas and eggnog, oh my!

As we welcome the season of thanks, we begin the most challenging time of year to maintain healthy habits.

Homemade goodies magically appear in the break room. Favorite recipes, handed down from generations, flood the buffet table. As if that wasn’t tempting enough, restaurants and bars whip out their holiday menus enticing us to “get in the spirit of the season” and “eat, drink and be merry” with their calorie-laden treats.

I’m all for eating, drinking and merriment, but the extra pounds that go with it, no thank you.

So, how do you survive without going up a pant size?

For starters, know thy enemy.

One of the season’s biggest calorie busters is beverages.

Picture this…you’re at the mall, shopping for gifts, feeling festive and joyful (or crabby and tired, depending on the crowds), either way what you really want is a little pick-me-up. Stopping in the local Starbucks you see their beautiful print ad for a peppermint mocha. Well, doesn’t that sound just perfect, you think. “Would you like whipped cream with that?” the cute little tattooed and pierced barrista asks.

“Why yes I would,” you reply. Why not, right? It’s the holidays.

You leave Starbucks, holding a steaming cup of peppermint goodness and wander down to Nordstrom to drool over their shoe inventory. Ah, pure bliss. Right?

Yes, except for the 470 calories you just ingested. Yup. A 16-oz peppermint mocha with all the trimming has almost as many calories and fat as a McDonald’s Quarter-pounder with cheese. (The quarter-pounder has 510 calories.)

Take a look at these holiday beverages and their calorie count.

Pumpkin Spice Frappuccino—470 calories and 13 grams of fat in a 16-ounce serving.

Hot Buttered Rum—418 calories and 17 grams of fat per serving.

Pumpkin Spice Latte—410 calories and 17 grams of fat per 16-ounce serving.

Eggnog—350 calories and 19 grams of fat per 8-ounce serving.

Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps—380 calories

Yikes! So, what’s a good plan of attack?

1) Skip the eggnog, mochas and spice lattes altogether, which I realize is easy for me to say since I don’t like them anyway, but this is really your best option.

2) If the lattes are your traditional holiday indulgence, then at least make them skinny, e.g., order them with sugar-free syrups, nonfat milk and forego the whipped cream. For comparison, a 16-ounce skinny peppermint mocha has only 130 calories. That's much better than the 470 calories in the full-fat, full-sugar version.

3) Same goes for the eggnog, at least get the light version, although it really doesn’t help much.  It reduces the total calories to 280 per cup versus 350 for the full fat version. Your best bet here is to drink it sparingly.

4) Finally, if you are going to drink alcohol, skip the mixed drinks, instead choose light beer, red wine or a wine spritzer made with club soda. (A typical wine spritzer has only 100 calories.) 

The holidays don't have to sabotage your healthy habits. Arm yourself with information and continue to make good choices.

Reward Yourself

You just nailed a difficult presentation. Made a tough sale. Negotiated a raise. Or got your picky toddler to eat carrots. Woo hoo! It’s time to celebrate. What do you choose?

Pop the cork on some nice vino? Splurge with dinner and dessert at your favorite restaurant? Or, skip dinner and just go for dessert?

When I think of rewarding myself it’s always with food. Why is that?

Just yesterday, I caught myself in the following internal dialogue. I had just completed a hour-long cycle class and on the drive home said to myself,  “Wow, you did  a great job, probably burned a lot of calories. You should stop by Chick Fil A and grab your favorite drink—a large half-sweet, half-unsweetened iced tea. You’ve earned it.”

You might be thinking, so what? Right. How can one big ol’ tea hurt?

Well, I know from experience that once I start that kind of self-talk, I end up in the drive-thru lane every day for about a week. And my workout schedule does not compensate for the huge amounts of tea I will drink. Thank God Chick Fil A is closed on Sunday, that usually breaks the spell.

I’m learning to reward myself differently. I’m trying (sometimes not so successfully) to break this cycle because it’s sabotaging my healthy habits.

If you’re struggling with the same issue, here are some ideas on non-food related rewards.

•     Schedule and hour-long massage or other spa service

•     Get a manicure or pedicure at your favorite salon

•     Buy some new exercise clothes

•     Buy a new shade of lipstick (Or for the boys, a new cologne. I guess boys can buy lipstick too. I would just stick to a clear matte finish. Just sayin’.)

•     Purchase some new jewelry or other fun accessories (belts, purses and oh my God, shoes! New shoes are the best.)

•     Download some new music

•     Plan an active weekend getaway (Shenandoah National Park and the Blue Ridge Parkway are less than two hours away and beautiful!)

•     Go to a sporting event (just steer clear of the nachos and beer. And the hot dogs. And burgers.)

Got any to add to the list? I’m always looking for new ideas.

Well, now what?

A friend recently asked me how I transitioned from the In8 program (an 8-week weight loss/lifestyle change program I did last year) to a “normal” lifestyle.

Good question.

When I enrolled in the In8 program I was fully committed to it. I attended all the sessions, worked out the required 5 times a week, counted my calories and drank my water. I was a model student.

Well, with the exception of continuing my coffee habit. Oh, and the occasional glass of wine. And, come to think of it, I never really did get into the meditation thing. (I was supposed to meditate once daily for stress relief.)

Okay, so, except for the coffee, wine and mediating, I was great. (What can I say? No one’s perfect.)

But then, before I knew it, the program ended and I was on my own.

My first thought was, “THANK GOD THAT’S OVER! No more checking in with the In8 staff. I’m throwing away that stupid piece of paper that says how much and of what I am allowed to eat and I’m definitely not drinking any more of that UltraMeal stuff. Woo hoo!!”

Without someone watching over me, I was free. That’s the good news, and the bad news. Now that I was only accountable to myself what was I going to do?

It’s been a little over a year since my 8-week program and I’m happy to report, I’ve kept most of the weight off. (I’ve only gained four pounds back.)

The journey’s been full of highs and lows and I’ve learned a lot.

Here’s are my key lessons for managing the transition from a structured lifestyle change program to your new “normal” life.

1) Know thyself.

First and foremost you have to find things that fit with your tastes, time constraints and personality.

For example, one of the tenets of the program is to eat breakfast. I hate eating in the morning. I’d rather sit quietly with my coffee until about 10:00 am. However, I realized that if I don’t eat something I’m starving by 10:30, at which point I’m more likely to reach for something unhealthy. As a compromise, I eat light. A protein bar, small bowl of cereal or some oatmeal works for me. It’s enough to fuel my body but not so much that it completely repulses me.

Another example of knowing thyself, relates to working out.

I am a pleaser. I don’t like to let people down. Unless of course that person is me. I will renege on promises made to myself in a heartbeat, but every other human on the planet, no way.

Recognizing this, I decided to continue working out with Marq, the personal trainer with the In8 program. Knowing that I have a scheduled workout with him gets me to the gym. Or more accurately, my insatiable need to be liked gets me to the gym. If I stood Marq up he wouldn’t like me and that would kill me. Not to mention that that would be rude and the second most important thing to me is being polite.

Don’t let people down and be nice. That’s my mantra.

Tapping into this piece of insight about myself has resulted in maintaining my twice-weekly workouts for over a year. I only miss a workout if I’m out of town or sick.

If you’re self- motivated, great. But if you’re struggling with maintaining your workout routine, find a gym buddy or hire a trainer. Having someone else push you to be accountable is a good thing.

2) Snack your way to good health.

I never used to snack, but one of principals of the program is to eat five small meals a day as this allows your body to maintain an even blood sugar level.

Now my house is stocked with healthy snacks. There’s always a bowl of nuts on the kitchen counter, protein bars in the pantry and fruit and yogurt in the fridge. When I get a little hungry, instead of saying, “I’ll just wait until dinner,” I grab a light snack. It keeps me satisfied and prevents me from overeating at the next meal.

3) Planning is a necessary evil.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that “plan” is a four-letter word. People hate it. And here’s the dirty truth. You have to plan ahead to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

If you wait to think about what to make for dinner when you come home from work, you’re sunk. Most likely you’ll go out to eat or order take-out. And those options tend to be higher in fat and calories than what you’d cook at home.

I plan out my weekly menu on Sunday, taking into account any family evening activities, and then I shop for all the ingredients. The weekly menu sits on my recipe stand next to the stove, so there’s no guesswork. On Monday I look at the menu, grab the ingredients and make dinner. Easy breezy.

Planning ahead is necessary for your workouts too. Like planning dinner on the fly, trying to grab a quick workout when it fits into your schedule is a disaster. Schedule those ahead of time. I’ve found that keeping my workouts at the same time every week helps me stick to them. Knowing that Tuesday and Friday mornings are blocked out for exercise, I plan other activities around those times.

4) Be calorie conscious

While I don’t track my daily calories any more, I am aware of high-calorie foods and I choose lighter versions.

For example, creamy salad dressings are loaded with fat and therefore calories, so I choose oil-based instead. Grilled or baked meat is better than deep-fried. Low-fat dairy products are better than full-fat versions.

When dining out, if I’m unsure of a meal I’ll Google its calorie count. CalorieKing is a great web site for calorie information.

5) Splurge a little

There’s nothing wrong with indulging on occasion. Food is good! That’s why we love it. So go a little crazy, and then get back on track.

Snack Attack

It happens every day around 4:00 pm. I start wandering around the kitchen, opening and closing the pantry door, then shuffling over to the fridge and stare blankly into it. “God I’m hungry,” I think. But I don’t want a full meal just a little something to tide me over until dinner.

If I’m not careful this is when I’ll pound down a pound of cheese, squirt whipped cream directly from the can into my mouth or dig through the freezer for my stash of raw cookie dough and devour, I don’t know, six or seven cookies.

I don’t mean to overeat at this time or reach for bad food options, but when I’m hungry it’s really difficult to make good choices.

This is exactly why experts say you should eat five small meals a day—three main meals and two snacks—to keep your blood sugar level even throughout the day.

Knowing that my afternoon snack attack erupts regularly, like Old Faithful, I stock my house with good choices. Saving the whipped cream and cookies for quiet moments of celebration.

Here are some of my favorite healthy snacks that keep me feeling satisfied without ruining my dinner, or my waistline.

WHEN I CRAVE SOMETHING SWEET:

Fresh Fruit

This is always my go to option for me and the kids. (One of the myriad of reasons they hate me. “Can I have a snack?” they ask me. And my consistently irritating reply is, “Sure, there’s plenty of fruit in the fridge.” It’s amazing how often they decide they’re really not that hungry.)

This week I’m stocked with peaches, strawberries, kiwi, blueberries and cantaloupe. And here’s a trick to get your kids (and spouse) to eat more fruit…cut it up. I’m telling you, it’s magic. There’s something about a fresh fruit salad that makes people want to dig in.

Don’t have the time or inclination to slice and dice it yourself? Buy it pre-made. Just eat it quickly. I find that the prepared fresh fruit salads in the grocery store are more ripe than the whole fruit so they spoil faster.

Fruit and Yogurt

Greek yogurt has twice as much protein as regular yogurt. Try drizzling some honey on your favorite plain, fat free brand and for an added kick throw on some fresh fruit. Or for a real treat, make a smoothie with frozen fruit. Click here for my favorite recipe. (Scroll down, the recipe is at the end of the article.)

WHEN I CRAVE SOMETHING SALTY:

Nuts

This is another staple on my kitchen counter. The problem of course is that nuts are pretty heavy in calories so you have to be really careful about how much you eat. Limit yourself to a single handful. If you can’t stop at one handful, nosh on pistachios—you can have around 50 nuts for just 160 calories.

Popcorn

Popcorn is a naturally high fiber food. Snacks with fiber are great choices because fiber is one of those nutrients that makes us feel full. Popcorn will fill you up and, an entire bag of Act II 94% Fat Free Popcorn has only 130 calories.

WHEN DINNER IS HOURS AWAY AND I NEED A HEAVIER SNACK:

Protein Bars

Bars can be really filling and delicious but you have to READ THE LABELS. Just because it comes in a bar form doesn’t mean it’s good for you or that it’s low calorie.

I find that I need about 10 grams of protein in a bar otherwise it doesn’t fill me up. And I keep the calorie count to around 200 per bar. (If you’re not careful you can pick up a bar that packs over 400 calories! That’s the same as a Chick-fil-A fried chicken sandwich. Yikes!)

Also, more protein is not necessarily better. Those bars that tout “30 grams of protein,” typically have a lot more calories and they are really designed for bodybuilding, not weight loss. Plus, most of them taste horrible.

I like Zone Perfect, Balance, and Kind bars.

Cheese and Crackers

I have to be careful with this snack and only pull out the number of crackers I want to eat, otherwise I keep reaching into the box and pulling out more!

My favorite combo is a Triscuit Cracked Pepper and Olive Oil cracker paired with low-fat Havarti cheese. Triscuits are 100% whole grain so enjoying six crackers gives you 22 grams of whole grains (45% of your recommended daily allowance) plus some dietary fiber.

Spice It Up for Weight Loss

My son Grant loves hot sauce. He drizzles Cholula (his favorite brand) over steak, chicken, eggs, vegetables, even spaghetti. His little sister dared him to put it in hot chocolate. Which he did. And then declared he loved it. (I’m not convinced. I think perhaps that was his ten-year-old bravado talking, not his taste buds.) Ah, boys, they’ll do anything if dared.

Yes, the orangey-red liquid is a permanent fixture at our dinner table. And breakfast. And lunch.

Interestingly, Grant’s on to something with his hot sauce obsession.

Researchers at Purdue University found that adding a half-teaspoon of ground red cayenne pepper on food can aid weight-loss.

The capsaicin in the pepper, which gives it its heat, reduces hunger and boosts the body’s metabolism.

“We found that consuming red pepper can help manage appetite and burn more calories after a meal, especially for individuals who do not consume the spice regularly,” says Richard Mattes, professor of foods and nutrition who collaborated with doctoral student Mary-Jon Ludy in the study.

The study looked at 13 people who liked spicy food and 12 who didn’t. Those who didn’t consume red pepper regularly experienced a decrease of hunger, especially for fatty, salty and sweet foods.

So if you don’t typically like spicy food, add a little red pepper to your plate and get a kick start on some weight loss.

Death to “Death by Chocolate”?

Back in college my roommate Kim and I would head down to one of our favorite restaurants for a decadent, sinfully rich dessert called Death by Chocolate. In our 20-year-old brains it was the perfect break from studying. Jacked-up on sugar, we reasoned, we would be more effective at memorizing physics formulas, calculus equations and all things math related. We didn't give a hoo ha about calorie-counts, sugar levels, fat content or any such nonsense. We were blissfully ignorant of our poor food choices.

With some newly proposed regulations from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it's going to be harder to enjoy those types of treats guilt-free.

As part of the health legislation signed into law last year, the FDA announced new menu labeling requirements. The proposed regulation would require restaurants to post the calorie count for each item on their menus. This will impact an estimated 280,000 establishments including: restaurants with 20 or more locations, bakeries, grocery stores, convenience stores, coffee chains and even food sold in vending machines.

Now much older, wiser and with a significantly slower metabolism, I think this is a fabulous idea. 

Too many restaurants hide this information and they do it purposefully, knowing that their food is loaded with high-calorie ingredients like butter, oil and cheese. Requiring the information to be printed on the menu will make it impossible to hide the 2,000-calorie serving of lasagna, the 1,000-calorie cheeseburger and the 1,300-calorie goodie known as Death by Chocolate.

I’m hopeful this regulation will have a three-pronged effect.

1) Armed with good information, people will make healthier choices. (Except college students, they're hopeless.)

2) Restaurants will offer healthier, tastier cuisine.

Currently restaurants rely on fat (butter, oil, bacon, cheese etc.) to flavor food and don’t push themselves to develop flavor through other means. “Healthy” options are relegated to the back page of the menu and consists mostly of steamed veggies and uninspired broiled fish. No wonder no one wants to eat that stuff. With menu labeling, hopefully restaurants will see demand for new products and as always, money talks. If customers want it, they’ll provide it.

3) Supersized portions will go away.

One of the easiest ways to cut down on an item’s calorie count will be to reduce the portion size. This alone will go a long way to re-calibrating our sense of what a normal portion size is.

Of course, I don’t think it’s going to be perfect. There are always loopholes and my guess is the restaurant industry will find them. For example, I bet they’ll vary the serving size information. If they are required to post calorie count information but not at a specific serving size, then they can post whatever calorie count they want and adjust the serving size.  This is how that'll play out. They could post that a bowl of soup is 200 calories for ½ cup. That could be accurate, but they’ll fail to mention that what they’ll serve you is a two-cup portion. Meaning you’ll eat 800 calories. They’re technically following the guidelines, but not without some deceptive marketing thrown in.

I’m just speculating here, but I think if these rules go into effect consumers still need to be wary and read the fine print to understand what they’re eating.

In the meantime, download this app for your iPhone. It’s called Restaurant Nutrition and it’s free. Loaded with nutritional information for 200 restaurants and 30,000 food items, you can see the calorie count for your favorite menu item today.

P.S. The FDA is collecting comments on this proposed regulation for the next 60 days. If you'd like to submit a comment go here to read the press release and at the bottom of the page are the directions for submitting a comment. (Unfortunately, the directions for submitting a comment aren't working. I tried to comment this morning. Hopefully the government will fix this shortly. I plan on trying again later.)

To Weigh or Not to Weigh, That is the Question

Hamlet never contemplated this dilemma, what with obesity being a modern epidemic. Plus, his weight was the least of his worries. He was too busy plotting Claudius's murder to bother with counting calories or making sure he got in his daily hour of jousting.

My life is much simpler than a Shakespearean tragedy, so whether or not to weigh myself is exactly the type of question that occupies my mind.

In a very unscientific poll, I asked several girlfriends what they thought about the scale. Did they weigh themselves or not? What I discovered is that people are passionate about this issue and they fall decidedly into one of two camps—either they love the scale or they hate it. There is no gray area. It's like dog people versus cat people, Republicans versus Democrats, creationists versus evolutionists. 

I’m a scale-lover. I find comfort in knowing exactly what my weight is. The daily reminder not only keeps me motivated to stay on track, but it also allows me to make immediate adjustments if I notice the number starting to creep up.

There are downsides of course. For one, my weight is never steady. It fluctuates daily which can be frustrating. Since the human body is two-thirds water this is a natural occurrence. Too much salt in my diet, “that time of the month” and certain medications can make me retain water, which will increase my weight for a day or so. To take this into account and make sure I don’t obsess about each ounce, I allow myself a 4-pound fluctuation range. As long as my weight bounces around within a four-pound range, I don’t worry about it. But if I gain five pounds and it doesn’t drop within a day or so, I know it’s a sign that I need to take a look at my lifestyle. Chances are I’ve allowed a bad snack habit to infiltrate my life or I’ve slacked off on my exercise routine and it’s time to take action before things get out of control.

These daily fluctuations contribute to the second biggest downside to a daily weigh-in. Weight loss does not happen in a straight line. There are ups as well as downs and that can be very de-motivating.

Which is why most of my friends are scale-haters.

When I asked if they weighed themselves they gave me the universal scale-hater response—lurching backward and wincing they shrieked, "Oh my God no! I NEVER weigh myself." 

You'd think I just asked them if they'd ever killed someone.

“Well then, how do you manage your weight?” I asked.

“I can tell by how my clothes fit and how I feel,” was the average scale-hater response.

And that’s perfectly valid. Weight is not the perfect measure of health.

While I respect my friends' opinion and feel their position is reasonable, I will say that research has shown that people who weigh themselves frequently lose more weight and keep it off versus people who don't weight themselves regularly. 

The point of all this is that measurement is an important part of any weight loss program, (it's the "M" in the SMART goal methodology) but you have to find something that's comfortable for you. If you're a scale-hater, use your clothing as a guide or a tape measure to keep track of inches lost.

If you do choose to weigh yourself follow these tips:

•      Weigh yourself in the morning before you eat breakfast

•      Remember that daily fluctuations are normal

•      If you’re female recognize that your weight will fluctuate monthly with your menstrual cycle

•      Plateaus are common. Keep up your exercise and healthy eating plans and if you can’t break through the plateau seek advice from your physician to help diagnosis the problem.