By: Babyboomers

Richard: Stop stuffing yourself! Don't ruin that physique you've worked so hard for. You can still enjoy the holidays and not get fat! Thanksgiving is over! It's time to stop recreational eating. You had your day of celebration that included some tasty treats. Now get back to a normal life of fitness.

You want a legendary physique, don't you? Don't start overeating on Thanksgiving and continue day after day for over a month or you'll find yourself waking up to start the New Year with many extra pounds on your body.

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Are You Ready For The Holidays? The holidays can be an especially difficult time to stay focused on your health, diet and exercise. Learn how to prepare in advance for those bad habits that form. Check it out... [ Click here to learn more. ]

I enjoyed the holidays and didn't have to deal with the guilt and the fat afterwards. If you would like to have a guilt-free holiday season, read on and we'll tell you how!

• You don't have to use the holidays as an excuse for blowing up like a whale.
• You don't have to eat those cookies at the office.
• You don't have to sample everything at all those parties.
• You don't have to eat everything every relative sticks in your face.
• You don't have to have seconds and thirds of every treat you enjoy.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are days enough to indulge in those holiday treats, but consider the days and weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas like any others: non-holidays on which you eat clean.

Diane: I know that you are thinking, "But, you don't understand! I had the corporate Christmas party, neighborhood holiday gatherings and extra social obligations with family." We all have extra obligations at this time of the year, a time when many can't separate food from the celebration.

Look, we all have to eat. So eat! Just choose wisely during this time of year so that you don't find yourself at the beginning of 2003 with an additional ten to fifteen pounds to remove. Remember, Babyboomers...we can be extraordinary! So, email us with your commitment to be extraordinary and a date when you'll send us your transformation pictures.

In addition to social pressures during the holidays, we're also short on time. The additional demands of shopping and gatherings leaves little time for daily food preparation. Here's a recent email from a reader.

Diane,

I understand what you're saying about the Healthy Choice meals, and I'm eating them like crazy, mostly because of the convenience for at work! Could you please give me an example of a good 1-day eating plan?

I really need to find quick substitutes for that noon meal, but I can always prepare things the night before if I know what to bring.

Cyndi,

First things, first. Just because a label says, "healthy," "diet" or "fat-free," does not make it a good choice for a health conscious diet. The Healthy Choice meals are a disaster as they are loaded with tons of carbs and fats and far too little protein, especially the French bread pizza variety that keeps showing up in your nutrition log.

You need to plan ahead during the holiday season when we are all so tight on time. Grill a week's worth of chicken at a time and freeze it in individual Ziploc bags. Cook up four servings of brown rice at a time and store in those disposable Tupperware type containers. Purchase bagged salad from the store.

Now, pack your cooler with a piece of chicken, a serving of brown rice and the salad. Keep several paper plates and plastic forks and knives in your cooler. What could be simpler?

Here is a one-day sample nutrition plan. Make adjustments in portion size according to your dietary goals.

Breakfast: Cooked oatmeal AND strawberries AND whey protein OR egg whites
Snack: MRP OR cottage cheese AND berries OR protein bar
Lunch: Grilled chicken, fish OR beef AND salad AND brown rice OR sweet potato
Snack: MRP OR cottage cheese AND berries OR yogurt AND whey protein
Dinner: Grilled chicken, fish OR beef with salad AND green veggies (no peas)
Snack: If needed. Whey protein OR cottage cheese

Eating Tips To Avoid Holiday Weight Gain

Now that darn Richard NEVER eats dessert. He's even complains about having to eat his chicken, fish and beef: it's too much effort to chew. Has anyone ever heard of this? Too much effort to chew?

Richard: Yeah, I suppose eating is a chore for me because I associate eating with fat-well, look around and you'll see fat in 70% of Americans! I'm surrounded by over weight people! Some of my best friends are fat. That's fine if they're okay with it-I love them anyway-but I hate fat on myself! Just the possibility that I might become fat makes me hate any food that could do just that! Besides, as I keep telling my sugar-eating, fat-eating, over weight friends, "If you would just eat clean for a few months that junk won't taste so good and you won't be so tempted."

For instance, they think I'm kidding when I say that I hate cake because my taste buds distinguish the sugar, lard, and flour instead of the wonderful blend of those ingredients called "cake." Would you like to eat a chuck of lard by itself? A glob of sugar or a tablespoon of flour? That's what it's like for me to eat cake!

Diane: But, for the rest of us mere mortals that are looking at this statement with a bit of skepticism and thinking, "Too much effort to chew?" there are some tips to avoid the dreaded 7-15 pound holiday weight gain. I'm not going to tell you anything you don't already know, but what I want you to do this holiday season, is APPLY these strategies.

• Keep A Nutrition Journal Write down every little taste of raw cookie dough. You'll be surprised just how many extra calories are consumed during these little holiday taste tests. Do you really want to have a second dessert when you need to write it down in your journal?

• Eat Clean Whenever Possible When you know you've got a party in the evening, this is the time to be completely clean with your diet throughout the day. Remember it's the vicious sugary carb cycle that makes you crave even more sugary carbs.

  Choose foods throughout the day that are low on the GI index and you won't be fighting insulin driven cravings in the evening. The sense of discipline displayed during the day will also go a long way towards discipline at the evening party.

  	Alcohol And The Metabolic Diet. Studies show that even small amounts of alcohol have a large impact on fat metabolism... [ Learn More ]

• Watch The Alcohol Two to three alcoholic beverages can easily add 500-1000 calories to your intake. Think carefully before ordering another. And don't cave into social pressure if you're really not in the mood for a drink. We've all been in situations when the host is insistent. For those situations, go mix your own.

  Pour water into a martini glass and add your twist. Social pressure gone! If you do want to drink, alternate alcohol with water or diet sodas, and stay away from all those mixed drinks with hundreds of added calories in each beverage.

• Don't Go To Parties Hungry This is asking for trouble. The temptation is great enough already; so don't make the situation any harder on yourself by staring at the dessert table when you are starving.

• Stay Away From Dips Any of those white, creamy dips and sauces are loaded with calories that do nothing to fill you up.

In addition to applying these eating tips, you also must keep up with workouts and cardiovascular exercise because of the boost to your metabolism. We'll have some tips for working out when time is short, next week. If you want an email reminder when that article is posted send an email that states, "Add me to your mailing list!"

The advice given in this column should not be viewed as a substitute for professional medical services. Before undertaking any exercise or nutrition program, Legendary Fitness, LLC advises all to undergo a thorough medical examination and get permission from their personal physician.

Babyboomers
fitnessgirl56@yahoo.com

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