Football Fare Gone Healthy

Most of us will be watching some pretty exciting football games over the next few weekends. I will admit, that being from Wisconsin, I am a little more excited than some of you may be...GO PACK!  Regardless, if you're going to huddle around the TV with food galore, you may as well be making some good choices. Here are a few ideas/tips/tricks/recipes to make your Sunday its best!

* The biggest tip I can give you is to focus on what you CAN control and deal properly with the rest.

* If you're going to a party, offer to bring something. That way, at least you'll be in control of (and very comfortable eating) one of the dishes.

* If you're throwing the party, be specific with what you want your friends to bring. Maybe you make the dips and they bring the crackers and veggies. That way, you can be in control of what goes into the dips.  Or, you make the meats and request they make specific side dishes.  

* Consider a taco bar! With the right lean meats (ground round/extra lean ground turkey/ground chicken or even ground venison) and healthful toppings (nonfat Greek yogurt, tomatoes, salsa, lettuce, avocado, beans and maybe a little cheese), you're going be able to enjoy eating and have fun.

* Think about whether is it worth the calories, and then decide if you're going to drink alcohol.

* Weigh your options and look at how balanced your week was and determine if you want to cheat or not.

Dip suggestions

* Combine nonfat Greek yogurt with dry ranch seasoning. Eat with veggies or whole grain crackers.

* Consider making the guacamole recipe on the blog.

* Blend nonfat cottage cheese with a dip mix that you have. Enjoy with crackers or veggies.

Other thoughts

* Make buffalo chicken: Marinade chicken tenders with Louisiana hot sauce, serve with your ranch-yogurt dip.

* Make meatballs: Combine lean ground meat with onion soup mix, steak sauce, worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, form into meatballs, brown on the stovetop, add marinara sauce and simmer until ready to eat.

Use these suggestions, your own judgement, really look at your goals and how you're going to get there and weigh your options before going into this Sunday's get-togethers. What do you really want? The cause of your dilemma isn't the game, the company or the food...it is the opportunity. So, is your decision going to be a greasy burger and nachos or to feel GREAT on Monday morning?

In the end, isn't that what it always comes down to? Choice....

Sex Up Your Appetizers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfJw340Jf-U

Comfy Pants...

How many times have you gotten home after a long day, put on your comfy pants, let out a sigh and thought, "That's better?"

Are your weekends full of comfy pants? Are your evenings all about comfy pants? Do you long for your comfy pants most of your waking hours?

Why aren't all your pants "comfy" pants? Why don't you feel so good in your jeans that they would be classified as comfy? Why do your work pants dig into your tummy when you sit down in a not-so-comfy kind of way? What choices can you make so all of your pants become more comfy?

Let's chat about just a few:

• Eat a low-fat, high-protein, fibrous carbohydrate breakfast when you get up tomorrow morning.
• Pack at least one snack (a bit of protein and a bit of carbohydrates), such as a 1/2 cup of low-fat cottage cheese and a handful of whole wheat crackers...maybe even 2 snacks.
• Bring your own lunch from home! Either leftovers from last night or a beautiful sandwich of whole wheat bread, organic lunch meat and maybe some mustard.
• Get your workout in!  Strength training is #1 and just 10 minutes of cardio can boost your mood!
• Make your own dinner of foods that are as natural as possible, have low sodium, lean protein, smart carbohydrates and always include fresh or steamed vegetables.
• Finally...DON'T put on your comfy pants--especially for an entire day on the weekend!

Don't lose focus. Keep those jeans/dress pants/skirt/whatever on until after you've eaten for the day, so you remember how much further you have to go before ALL your pants are just as comfy as the next!

A Real Secret

Yesterday's blog made me think about something...secrets. Let's chat.

The definition of the word "secret" is as follows:

• not open or public; kept private or not revealed 
• not expressed
• hidden 
• confidential 

That means that if I had eaten something "naughty" yesterday and not told you guys, it would have been a secret. The only people who would have known (since no one was home) would have been me and me. The moment I shared the information with someone, it wouldn't have been a secret anymore.... And let me tell you, if I had done that, I wouldn't have told ANYONE...it would have been a REAL secret...or would it have been?

You see, I think the guilt, anger, disappointment, sadness - OK, let's be honest - the truth would have been all over my face. I would have tried my best to believe it wasn't, but I think it would have been pretty obvious.  

Food is something we lie about all the time. We keep these secrets, thinking no one knows, and lie, thinking everyone believes us when the TRUTH is all over our faces.

We bring pants into the dressing room in a size too small and walk out saying, "I just didn't like them."

We go to weekly weigh-ins and say we followed our "plans," only to weigh in at the same weight (or more) and swear we don't know what happened.

 

We smile and say, "I'll pass," when chips, brownies or cake are offered, but then, in the comfort of our own homes, when no one is looking, we create these secrets - which slowly become continual, enabling, sickening, uncontrollable lies.

Instead of lying to ourselves, we need to look in the mirror and deal with what we see. We need to make one of two decisions. We can choose to live in our current lives without complaints, OR we can choose to put forth the honest effort necessary to make changes. The one choice we do not have is to lie behind closed doors...because sweetie, the truth is all over your face!

Just (Don't) Do It!

Its funny how a craving or impulsive moment can ruin your day...if you follow through on it, that is.  I'm sitting here, working on my computer, and suddenly, all I want to do is eat something bad.  It's weird.  I have no idea where it came from. I'm not hungry. I'm not bored. I'm not stressed, angry, sad, mad, overly glad, lonely, or any of the other things commonly associated with random, unnecessary eating.  I'm just fine.  

So, I thought about it.  No one is home.  I could eat whatever I wanted and no one would know but me.  I could pull out some Christmas cookies or Halloween candy (yes, we still have a ton). I could have chips. I could look through the freezer... There are heaps of things I could indulge in right now, without anyone around.

Then I thought a little more.  Why would I want to do that?  Right now, I feel great.  I've had two-and-a-half days (I cheat on the weekends) of perfect eating and wonderful workouts and now, just because I "think" I want X, I'm going to ruin this momentum...this pattern...this entire day???  Really?  For what?  The most temporary euphoria there is (for the most part).  I'm going to knowingly eat something that will taste fantastic in my mouth only to realize the second I swallow that it wasn't worth it and then go on with the rest of my night pissed off at myself...and actually, the rest of the world.  All for that one moment of flavor? 

Well, today I decided that I just wasn't going to do it...and I feel so much stronger (and happier) because of it.  

What are you going to do?