August 17, 2009
When I was in college, nearly every trip to the library was preceded by a trip to the Benson Candy Bins. The Benson Candy Bins were, as the name would lead to assume, candy bins that were in our student center. For the swipe of a student ID card magically linked to the parent funded food account you could walk out with a bag of candy as big as you pleased.
And believe me, I pleased.
Freshmen year, I had two favorites: candy corn and puppy chow. (Or, as us apparently less politically correct Northerners call it, “White Trash.” This is a combination of chex mix, pretzels, peanuts and raisins with melted white chocolate and confectioner’s sugar holding it all together. YEA.) Somewhere in the midst of studying for my Health and Exercise Science major in my second year, I realized that this was probably not a very good habit to have.
So, I switched to trail mix.
Much healthier right? Right. IF I was hiking on a trail. As it turns out, I was not hiking on a trail, I was sitting. For hours on end. Without moving.
And I wondered why I kept gaining weight.
Trail mix is not a bad food, but it’s certainly not a food that one should be consuming one mindless handful after another on a completely sedentary day, especially under the wrongful assumption that it was good for us. But this is true of so many foods – there are so many foods that masquerade as health foods, either by their reputations or their deceptively catchy food label claims. To be good stewards of our own health, it is extremely crucial that we each become aware of what our energy needs are and what type of energy we are supplying ourselves with. Here’s a hint: if you’re not losing weight, it’s because the supply is outweighing the needs!
No one is going to do this for you – at least not yet. Slowly the trend is shifting towards more honest food labeling (restaurants with calories on menus: KUDOS TO YOU!), and even more slowly food labeling becomes more truthful (trans fats on labels, at last.) It is an individual responsibility (or in some cases, a parental responsibility) to educate yourself on what you’re putting into your body.
The other day, someone asked me to help them figure out the calories of the restaurant meal they had had. I started with the basics: “what was in it?”
“Well, I don’t know,” they replied. “I was hoping you could tell me.”
I found this to be a difficult task, given that I was not present when they consumed this food! Moreover, I found this a disturbing (but all too common) comment: I did not know what I just put in my body.
Learn what your body needs and fuel yourself appropriately. While trail mix or granola might be perfect for those days when you decide to pack up the bags and hike the Appalachian, a bag of popcorn or cup of grapes might be more suited for those long library sessions.
Know what you’re putting into your body. Read labels. Start looking up some of those words you don’t recognize.
It’s YOUR body. If you’re not going to figure out what’s going into it, who will?
June 12, 2009
A few weeks ago, my hubby and I went on vacation to an all-inclusive resort in the Dominican Republic. In exchange for an hour of personal training in the gym, we had an all-access pass to as much sun, sand, seafood buffet and pina coladas we wanted. It was relaxing, peaceful, and way, way overdue. (Thus, the quiet blog these last 2 weeks!)
Sunset in Punta Cana, DR
Interestingly enough, the first question everyone asked me when I got home: “Did you gain any weight?” Okay now, granted, I work day-in and day-out with people trying to lose weight so that’s not that intrusive of a question in my line of work. However it was amusing to me (but not surprising) that for most people that is pretty much a given: Vacation = Weight Gain.
I hated to disappoint those hoping for a little misery loves company, but alas, the only scale I was really worried about was the luggage scale at the US Airways check-in counter. But, I promise you, I still had fun. I still indulged. I still acted as if I was on vacation. Because, I was! And I don’t take a lot of phone unplugged, endless pina coladas, SPF 50 vacations. So trust me, I was on vacation. Yet, I never felt as if my vacation was going to sabotage my healthy lifestyle, which I know, is really a common concern for many. So after I came back, I tried to reflect on what I did that really prevented most of the collateral damage that most vacays do to our weight loss goals. Here are my “vacay philosophies” that help me enjoy vacation without having to come back and do damage control.
1) Eat what you love: Especially true on vacations where food is plentiful, has a great variety and is free – like all-inclusive resorts and cruises. Cruises, especially, can be a weight conscious person’s worst nightmare. Just when you think you’re done eating after a 4 course dinner, they roll out the chocolate buffet at midnight! With food around 24/7, how can you still maintain a semblance of control? The key: portion and discretion. I love food – but I love some food more than others. So when I’m faced with an abundance of choice – like a buffet or a 4-course menu – I try to zone on what I really and truly love, eat those things, and disregard the rest. In case you didn’t pick up on this yet, I love me some coconut flavored, sugar-loaded, rum drinks. What I can live without? Any kind of potato, pasta, bread or rice dish. For me, that’s a no brainer trade. Seek out the foods you really love, and avoid putting calories in your mouth just because they’re there, they’re free and someone else is eating them next to you.
2) On that note, watch the alcohol intake. (And no I don’t mean watch it as the bartender fills up margarita # 5 and marvel at how lovely it looks in your glass with the little salt around the rim.) It’s easy on vacation to get carried away with drinking, because the alarm clock is not going to go off at 5 am, so why not? While I clearly don’t have a problem with spending calories on a mojito or two, I also recognize that too many of them and philosophy #1 goes out the window. Once your inhibitions are lowered, you will eat just because foods there, it’s free and someone else is eating it next to you. Also, know that alcohol is empty calories. It’s calories you consume without any fair trade off to your body – no vitamins, no minerals, no fiber, no omega-3’s… yea, I know red wine has antioxidants in it, but Jose Cuervo does not.
3) Which leads me to my next philosophy: treat your body as kindly as you’re treating your mind. You’re on vacation because you recognize that in order to be a happy, functioning, well-balanced member of society you need a little R&R from time to time. In other words, I assume you’re on vacation because you recognize that relaxing is good for you. Keep that motivation in mind – that you’re taking care of you – when it comes to food choices. Nourish your body with fruit and veggies, with whole wheat choices when available, and by drinking lots and lots of water. Your mind will feel even more refreshed when your body feels good too.
4) And the main reason vacation doesn’t blow my healthy living efforts out the window: this is a lifestyle. I plan to do all the things I do today to keep myself healthy for the rest of my life, God willing. One week, ten days, however long your vacation is – can’t undo everything you have learned and committed to for healthy living. I believe the reason vacation has earned such a Weight Loss Sabotage rep is that people come back from vacation, think “I BLEW IT!!!,” go into crisis mode, and fail to get back on track right away. A week later, you’re still panicking and telling yourself how bad you screwed up and now it feels like an even deeper hole to come out of it. If I had to give you one parting suggestion for how to survive vacation and stay maintain a healthy lifestyle, it would be to be conscious of the idea that no one week can take away any progress you’ve made or can deter you from continuing forward on your weight loss journey if you’ve committed to a lifestyle change. So if you forget strategies #1-3 (forget, ignore, whatever…), commit to #4. The day you arrive home and put down your suitcase, pick up immediately where you left off before going on vacation. Remind yourself that any changes on the scale are due to the change in your routine, and that once you resume your normal healthy lifestyle, the effects will be reversed. In other words: stay calm and get back on track.
Losing weight is not about putting your life on hold until you reach a certain goal. A successful weight loss strategy is one that will survive every event life offers – including, and especially, holidays, celebrations and vacations. With some “mental preparation” you can easily go on vacation and maintain the progress you are making towards your healthy goals.
Chocolate Coconut Mousse ... Definitely Vacation Food!
