New Holiday: DIETER'S DAY

Why are so many holiday celebrations centered around food? As Valentine’s Day approaches, we cannot escape the invasion of chocolate treats and heart shaped boxes. Dinner dates at fine restaurants are being reserved all over town. And Valentine’s Day is not the only time that a holiday equals food:

• Easter hops in with chocolate bunnies and marshmallow chicks
• Christmas is a barrage of cookies, candy, and more cookies
• Halloween = Candy (duh)
• 4th of July means cookouts and casseroles
• Thanksgiving. (double duh)

I propose a new holiday: Dieter’s Day.
Instead of celebrating with food and drink on Dieter’s Day, people everywhere meet in parks and take long walks. Afterwards, everyone drinks lots of thirst quenching water and compares who has the most interesting water bottle. To amp up the excitement levels, participants trade fiber bars and then compare the calorie counts just for fun. Not to be outdone by other holidays, Dieter’s Day can end with an hors d'oeuvres smorgasbord of celery, cucumbers and carrots.

Who says Dieter’s Day can’t be all that and a bag of chips?

Super Bowl - Arghh!

Super Bowl Sunday could not exist without salty snack foods, hot cheese dips, sugary sweet treats and calorie-packed beverages. The challenge for those of us trying to resist these temptations is which road to take?

A) Resist cold turkey- no food or drink-and be miserable all night

B) Resist within limits and have small amounts of food and drink - still no fun

C) Stay home and avoid all parties; think about all the food and fun you are missing
OR
D)Just give in and eat whatever you want

There just aren't any good choices on a night like this. Reality reminds me that it will only take a few fried foods, chips, and adult beverages to gain back every pound I have lost in the last month. I don't want to start over again when I have made it this far.

So I remain devoted to my journey. I confess that tonight I had a few more calories than usual, but it could have been worse. I will have to get in some extra exercise this week to get back on track.

Football may mean fantastic feasts, but Thinville means bigger thrills!

I generally avoid temptation unless I can't resist it.
Mae West

Drink up!

I'm just not a water drinker. I know we are all encouraged to drink 8 glasses of water a day, but I have trouble trying to gulp down one glass a day.

A new study says that cold drinks help burn more calories than hot drinks. Apparently our bodies work harder to warm things up and in turn we use more energy. The study even went as far as to say that if you sit in a cold bath or exercise in cold weather you will help burn off some extra calories.

I like reallly hot showers, so anything colder than lukewarm will never do for me. Sitting in a cold tub of water sounds like torture to me.

The closest I come to drinking extra water each day is my daily coffee or an evening cup of tea. I hope to improve this water drinking habit and recently found a 'water drinking game' on doesthisblogmakeuslookfat.com .

Here are a couple of the game's rules:
OBJECT: Drink all your water!
Drink = Reasonable sip
Kill it = Finish whatever you've got in your bottle/glass

RULES
1. Someone calls or emails you. Drink.
2. You let the dog/cat out. Drink.
3. You let the dog/cat in. Drink.
4. The buzzer on the dryer goes off. Drink.
5. You mean to turn off the t.v. but accidently don't and watch an hour of Golden Girls. Kill it.
6. A newscaster says "from Wall Street to Main Street." Drink.
7. You get a call from your kids school. Kill it.

Maybe a cute water bottle or flavored water will help. One way or the other, I hope to drink up. I'll worry about all the trips to the bathroom later...

Flu Fights the Appetite

So today my nose is running like a faucet. I hate having a cold and feeling miserable. Most people don't feel like doing much when they have the flu and I am no exception.

This cloud of congestion has one silver lining. I don't feel much like eating today. Food just doesn't have its flavor when your nose is all stopped up. Taking decongestants always seems to curb my appetite as well.

So tonight I am curled up on the couch with my box of tissues. If I have to have the flu, at least I can look on the bright side:

There aren't any calories in a hot cup of tea.

Have a cold,
starve your appetite.

Slow and Steady Wins the Race

I used to always be looking for a quick fix when it came to weight loss.
I tried a few short term diet plans that offered fast weight loss in a short amount of time. Unfortunately, most of the 'fast fixes' are so drastic that I ended up quitting soon after starting.

This is the first time I set a realistic goal. Losing 6-7 pounds a month does not require extreme changes to my life. I can easily visualize myself in 5 months, after losing 30-35 pounds. One month is already completed and now I only have 4 to go!

I've learned to try something new every day. Sometimes, I try a new food and sometimes I try a new strategy. I've investigated websites and exercise ideas. Each week I add something new to my grocery list. This gradual day to day process has been very manageable for me and the best part is that it is WORKING.

It has been challenging to cook for my family and still eat my preferred foods. Tonight was one example. I made spaghetti and meatballs for the family, but I had a small portion of whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce and scallops. I was very satisfied and did not stare longingly at everyone else's plates. One night I made a stir fry dinner for all of us. I limited myself to a reasonable portion and skipped the rice I made for everyone else. We were all happy.

I'm not the only person who is trying out the new foods in our kitchen either. My son loves smoothies and chocolate fiber bars. My husband and I both like to snack on Barbeque flavored PopOChips. And we all love oatmeal cookies -although I have to be careful not to overindulge on them myself. There really are a lot of good, high fiber, low calorie foods out there.

Being disciplined about listing everything in my food log daily has been critical. Even when I want to snack, I worry about not exceeding my daily calorie count. Some days my weight doesn't change at all, but still I know that I have to stay on the path to Thinville.

Just like the Tortoise and the Hare: Slow and Steady Wins the Race.

The Zumba Zoo!

Tonight was my first Zumba experience.

I know I am getting on the Zumba Bus later than most people, but I had to see what all the fuss was about. This was my first foray into the energetic dance class. It was also the largest exercise class I've ever participated in, with over 70 people in attendance. I should note that the class was offered for free at my church and we packed the front lobby with women of all shapes and sizes.

My impression of Zumba was positive. It was not too difficult to catch on to the moves and the time went quickly. I think there also must be an unwritten rule that Zumba music should be very loud. I've heard the music pulsing from the exercise room at our local rec center and tonight the rythmic beat shook the walls of our church like thunder from above. There's also lots of whooping and squealing during Zumba, which I'm not quite comfortable with yet.

I am hoping to attend this weekly event again next week. I rarely get this 50 year old body moving that much after 5PM, but I am looking forward to doing it as often as possible now.
If you are up for some saucy Salsa moves, check it out!

Off the wagon-

Today I kind of fell off the wagon. My calories are still O.K., but I ate something decadent, containing 470 calories and 26 grams of fat. Since beginning this journey, I have religiously avoided all fast food. But today my willpower was weak.

I had nothing planned for dinner tonight and my son texted me to ask if I would get him McDonalds. I hesitated, but ultimately opted for an easy dinner solution. I stopped on the way home from work and found myself ordering a Filet of Fish sandwich for myself.

It was sinfully delicious. I savored every bite of the fried fish sandwich. I didn't leave one drop of tartar sauce behind either. I knew that my calories for the day were fairly low, and I just couldn't help myself.

Now the guilt sets in. Most items off McDonald's menu are not on the good calorie list. This was the most reckless food decision I have made to date. I am a little worried about staying disciplined after this setback. Still, I have a kitchen full of good foods and worthwhile calories.

I need to see this momentary lapse as motivation to have a great day tomorrow. Yeah, that's it: today is my reason to do better tomorrow.

Hang in there. Nobody is perfect!