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!
December 19, 2008
I feel like I have been eating non-stop for 4 days. (A stunning declaration when you consider I’ve been teaching “Holiday Eating” for the last 2 weeks to 180 frantic, panicked, weight loss participants.) It kicked off with the chowder followed by Christmas Cookies on Saturday – I’ve never been much for moderation when it comes to iced sugar cookies. Sunday followed it up with the sampling of low-calorie buckeyes I was making, and a late dinner at Putter’s.
Monday was our departmental Christmas party at Riverburch. Due to the lay out of the party – food due North, wine and beer at East & West, and my hesitancy to navigate north and risk enforced mingling with medical campus staff I didn’t know (“oh! have you met so & so?”) I held camp near the wine bar with the rest of the research staff. Staff and faculty mix like oil and water at these events, so my antisocial behavior, while not entirely appropriate, is not unusual for our department. One brave staffer parted the seas and grabbed me a plate of shrimp cocktail, fortunately preventing the wine + empty stomach = no driving home.
Tuesday was our staff luncheon at Village Tavern, capped off by a monthly dinner date with my friend Suzanne at Hutch & Harris. This was my first visit to H&H, but I could no more fit an entree into my belly than could one person squeeze onto a 5 pm metrocar headed to Ballston. So I had a soup and salad, and lovingly packed up an bowl of She-Crab Soup to take home to the hubby. (I failed to look at the serving however, until I arrived home and we noted that a “to go” bowl serving is approximately 2 tablespoons. Thanks, H&H.) PS, Tuesday night is free taco night if you ordered a $5 margarita. What what! I already had my wine order in before I found that out, but note to you, savvy Winston-Salem diner, for future reference.
Wednesday reached an all-time high in the calorie consumption with our participant potluck party. I love watching the different dishes stroll through the door. My “weight loss” participants show up for the first hour, laden with fruit salads, shrimp cocktail and veggie trays. The next hour brings “weight loss + exercise” participants who tend to be a little more liberal, with baked chicken entrees, some low calorie desserts, chips + salsa, soups, roasted veggie dishes and other delectable but healthy treats. The final hour is dedicated to “exercise only” – a group to whom no nutritional information has been given – and this is when the fried chicken, ham biscuits, green bean casserole and coconut cake that covered dish parties in the South are known for all make their appearance. As they arrived, my “combo” folks were packing up and I watched the panic cross their face as they saw many of their former temptations arrive on the buffet.
One of my participants pulled me aside, her voice dripping with concern. “Who brought the Krispy Kremes?” she practically hissed. “An exercise only person,” I told her as I patted her arm consolingly. “You should probably go – it’s only going to get worse from here,” I recommended, as I spied the unmistakable yellow and red of a Bojangles box approaching from the parking lot.
All of our participants loved playing Monica’s new toy – the wii Fit. However, it was a little awkward when the wii Fit age proclaimed many of them to be 12-15 years older than their actual age or loudly pronounced “You are OBESE” as the little Mii man blew up to twice his size. Errrm…. well….. *shrugs*
One of our greatest success stories, a woman has maintained a 40 pound lost stepped on the wii to test her fit age. A combination of BMI, posture, balance and agility determines your fitness age. Her elation when the wii declared her THIRTY years younger than her actual age? Unmeasurable. Her celebration was just another reminder of why I love my job.
And today, the final day before our 2 week Christmas vacation, is another reason I love my job. Remember how the day before vacation in school was always a waste of a day? You might watch a video, maybe do a worksheet, and then trade presents with friends and dutifully turn in your present (that your mom picked out – a candle, a bar of soap, a gift card to barnes & nobles) to teacher. That is what my last day of work before a holiday tends to be like.
I had 2 phone call coaching sessions this morning, and in about fifteen minutes I’ll head over to our center to mingle with exercising participants. I’ll work maybe a half day, I won’t teach anything, and I’ll give out lots of hugs and reminders to eat healthy and weigh thyself over the holiday. Then around 1:15, as the last of my participants head out the door, I’ll briefly consider going into the office to do some data entry before convicning myself that “nah. I’ll do some over the break.”
Then I’ll come home, to my already-vacationing hubby, and our 2-week, much-awaited, it’s finally here Christmas Vacation will begin. Merry Christmas!
October 5, 2008
One thing Winston-Salem is well known for is it’s tremendous variety of places to get some good grub. However, we keep finding ourselves repeating the same places over and over again – because they’re close (Kimonos/El Dorado), they’re a good price (Kimonos/any mexican place/east coast wings), or we know they’re tasty (Village Tavern, Village Tavern, Village… you get the point.) So the other day, we got a coupon for $10 off at Texas Land and Cattle. I have to say, generally I am not a huuuuge fan of steakhouses. My dad is a whiz on the grill and Matt has deftly picked up where he left off, and it’s hard to justify going out and paying for steak when the men in your life can serve it up at home just as good, if not better. But, I’m a coupon-lovin‘ gal, so we thought we’d give it a try last night. My expectations were low. I was anticipating the environment of Texas Roadhouse (which Jamie loving refers to as the Wal-mart of steakhouses) with the cheesy “meals with alcohol flavors” theme a la Chili’s based on their online menu.
I was wrong and I’m happy for it. The atmosphere was way nicer than I thought – just a small step below Riverburch caliber – and the food was delicious. No nutrition information posted online, which is about the only thing that disappointed me. Definitely a new one to add to our rotation.
Better yet, I am thinking of dishing up a new challenge for me and the hubby. Rather than rotate through our standard four (maybe now five), I am thinking that as our time may end here in Winston, we need to step up our dining experiences. I found this list on the WFU student homepage. From my best guess, it looks like there are close to 300 restaurants on there. Think we could knock them all off? We better get hungry…
August 26, 2008
New Yorkers picking up their usual coffee and muffin at Dunkin Donuts recently were in for a rude awakening. Listed next to the price of their favorite muffin, scone or cookie was – unavoidably – the calorie count.
A law passed recently in New York City states chain restaurants will now have to publicly display the calorie content of each menu item right next to the price. Reactions have been mixed – some are thrilled, some (for whom ignorance may be bliss) are annoyed, and most are shocked. (A Dunkin donuts cornbread muffin… just a mere 510 calories! An 150 lb woman jogging at a 10 min pace for 50 minutes would knock that off. Ouch!)
I think this is an amazing first step for changing the tide of the obesity boom in our country. Of course, personal responsibility is a huge part of the changes that need to occur, but I have never believed that we had simply become just a nation full of people lacking willpower. Education is an essential ingredient to any lifestyle change, and I think most people simply have not had the information at their fingertips of what they are taking in. 40 years ago, no one believed we’d make the changes we have made in this country regarding smoking. Through persistent public health endeavors we have changed cultural norms about smoking. Did you ever imagine that to have a cigarette you’d have to step outside and stand in a glass enclosure, segregated from a population demanding their clean air and garnering glances of disapproval and scorn? It took years, but we changed our society. This small step from the Big Apple may be the one of first major moves in changing many of the cultural and social trends that have made weight loss / management a challenging personal endeavor in an simply unsupportive environment.
Food For Thought: What do you think? A first step towards changing the tide or just another public health warning we’ll continue to ignore? Do you think this will catch on in other cities? Do you think this will change what customers demand and thus, what food producers / restaurants offer? I welcome your thoughts!
Read the article from MSNBC here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25464987/
August 25, 2008
New Yorkers picking up their usual coffee and muffin at Dunkin Donuts recently were in for a rude awakening. Listed next to the price of their favorite muffin, scone or cookie was – unavoidably – the calorie count.
A law passed recently in New York City states chain restaurants will now have to publicly display the calorie content of each menu item right next to the price. Reactions have been mixed – some are thrilled, some (for whom ignorance may be bliss) are annoyed, and most are shocked. (A Dunkin donuts cornbread muffin… just a mere 510 calories! An 150 lb woman jogging at a 10 min pace for 50 minutes would knock that off. Ouch!)
I think this is an amazing first step for changing the tide of the obesity boom in our country. Of course, personal responsibility is a huge part of the changes that need to occur, but I have never believed that we had simply become just a nation full of people lacking willpower. Education is an essential ingredient to any lifestyle change, and I think most people simply have not had the information at their fingertips of what they are taking in. 40 years ago, no one believed we’d make the changes we have made in this country regarding smoking. Through persistent public health endeavors we have changed cultural norms about smoking. Did you ever imagine that to have a cigarette you’d have to step outside and stand in a glass enclosure, segregated from a population demanding their clean air and garnering glances of disapproval and scorn? It took years, but we changed our society. This small step from the Big Apple may be the one of first major moves in changing many of the cultural and social trends that have made weight loss / management a challenging personal endeavor in an simply unsupportive environment.
Food For Thought: What do you think? A first step towards changing the tide or just another public health warning we’ll continue to ignore? Do you think this will catch on in other cities? Do you think this will change what customers demand and thus, what food producers / restaurants offer? I welcome your thoughts!
Read the article from MSNBC here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/25464987/
