The Holidays are Here

Ah, how I love Christmas. I just arrived in Texas yesterday, and the gingerbread men and sugar cookies that my brother baked have been calling my name non-stop! I was in a sugar coma yesterday, especially after decorating every last one of them. I figure, "Hey, the holidays are only here once a year, why not indulge?" Of course, I'll be mad at myself when I see how much the scale has crept up after the holidays. But, isn't that what New Year's Resolutions are for? It will definitely be time to kick some diet in high gear- not sure what it will be yet.

My family members and I all know how to cook quite well, especially when it comes to baking! I think the key to baking and not gaining weight is to bake stuff you don't like. For example, I made two pecan pies for one of my friends on Saturday. I prefer other types of pie (cherry is my favorite), but was happy to try my hand at something new. Since this isn't my favorite dessert, I didn't try it in the process, thus not gaining an inch around my waist.

On the other hand, when I helped decorate the cookies yesterday, I had to try the sugar cookies by themselves, the icing by itself, and then both together. I'm not kidding when I say sugar coma. I sometimes wish that recipe was not so good because then I would not want them so much. Luckily, they are such a pain to make that the sheer exhaustion keeps me from craving them.

One thing is for sure- the holidays are here and in full swing. I will live it up now, but I better be ready to crack down come 2008.

Forego Cake Day- Are YOU Crazy???

One of my girlfriends works at PWC in downtown Atlanta. When I was on the phone with her last night, she said, "Oh, you'd be proud of me. Today was 'Cake Day' at work, and I didn't go. I have never missed one until now." After talking to her a few minutes, she said that she didn't really feel like cake because she hadn't craved sugar at all that day. She said also that she is at her lowest weight in a long time and didn't want to do anything to mess it up. Yes, I was very proud of her, and especially because she had the guts to do this in the workplace. If you're like me, it's very hard in the workplace to forego eating certain foods because you don't want people to judge you. If I were to go on a serious diet, people would say that I didn't need to lose weight. The problem is that no one else can tell you how good you look- you have to believe it for yourself.

Guess what... you would be proud of me. Why? Well, I have gone a lot of days this week without any chocolate. There is a lot of truth to the statement that the longer you go without something the less you crave it. To illustrate, I took a nutrition class at the local community college during my senior year in high school. One day, my professor went into great detail about how bad fast food was for you. Of course, back in those days, my metabolism was so fast that I didn't have to worry about how much fast food I did consume. Nevertheless, I decided that I just couldn't put that into my body anymore. And, the longer I went, the less I craved. Since then, I have had less than ten hamburgers from a fast food place. Now, I usually go to Subway or have a salad at a fast food place.

We'll see how long this no-chocolate kick will last. I'll satisfy my craving if I want it, but I'm pleasantly surprised with myself this week that it has not been a must-eat item in my daily routine!

To Workout or Not to Workout When Sick

I admit it, I still workout even when I'm sick. Some people think I'm crazy, but some people don't see any harm in it. I've read many different articles that justify working out when you're ill. Unless I'm seriously out for the count, I will still do something good for my body. Cardio doesn't bother me at all, and sweating helps me get my mind off the fact that I'm a little under the weather.
What do you think? To workout or not?

Nothing Like a Little Guilt to Get You Moving

I have to confess- yesterday I had not one, but two bagels from Einstein's for breakfast. The first one was so good that I just had to go back for a second one (with cream cheese of course). I only told certain people about my splurge and here were their reactions:
1. Anna Kate (my best friend from Baylor who currently lives in Texas)- said that it's okay to splurge once in a while
2. Susanna (my older sister)- said, "Oh my gosh. Do you know how many carbs you just had?"
3. Aaron (friend who works in our corporate office who is also a personal trainer)- "Yeah, you just had your one splurge for the week."

After I got off the phone with my sister, I decided I probably needed to go run during my lunch break to burn off some of the calories. I knew that I would have to eat very light (and very well) the rest of the day to try and undo some of the damage.

After I got back from running I instant messaged Aaron and said, "Well, it's all good now because I just went running, plus I am going to spinning class later today." He replied, "You can't do that if you're trying to lose weight or drop a size. That's a common misperception that people have. You can't just double your workout to burn off food. If you're in maintenance mode, then it's okay, but not if you're trying to lose weight.

Aaron says that you can splurge once a week. I guess a weekday took that up for me so I have to be as good as I can over the weekend.

So, there you go. I learned something new yesterday. I wish I hated food because then I would not want it all the time. It's especially hard when you have fitness goals because you have to be very choosy what you splurge on and the company you choose to splurge with.

Cheers to Fitness Goals!

Calling All Crunch Members

Well, it looks like the big day is finally going to be here... my audition to teach spin. Saturday, November 3, at 9:30 AM in Buckhead, I will be teaching a 60 minute spin class in front of Jennifer, the regional fitness director. As Will Ferrell in Anchorman would say, she's "kinda a big deal," so this is huge for me. I know that some of you go to Crunch, so if you have time next Saturday morning, please come to that class so I can see some familiar faces.

Provided that everything goes swimmingly, Jennifer will say that I am ready to have a class and I can start substituting, or even have a class of my own if there is room on the schedule.

I have lots of work to do to prepare before then. Wish me luck!

Granola Greatness

When I went to Houston a few weeks ago, I went into one of my favorite supermarkets- Central Market. For those of you who are not familiar with this absolutely amazing place, it's similar to Whole Foods, except not all of its products are organic. They have foods from all over the world, so if you're looking for Nutella or Bonne Maman Jelly from France, this is your one stop shop!

It's always fun to go to Central Market on Saturdays because they have free samples of everything- fine cheeses, breads, wines, salsa, etc. I go there to have breakfast/lunch because the free samples are so grand. On this particular Saturday, the free samples were especially great. After passing the wine section, my sister and I came to the packaged goods and saw free samples of granola. Unable to pass up granola, I tried it and thought I had died and gone to Heaven. Yes, it was just that good. I talked to the young entrepreneur who came up with the recipe, which consists of whole grain rolled oats, tart cherries, unsweetened coconut, cranberries, zante currants, dates, and flaxseed. The stats on this are amazing:

For one serving, you get 13 grams of whole grains, 0 grams of trans fat, low sodium, 110% of your daily allowance of vitamin C, and 80 milligrams of potassium. To top it all off, it's only 130 calories per serving (of course, my problem is actually sticking to just one serving because it's so addictive!).

So, what makes this granola different? Well, for me, it's the fact that it's chewy and not crunchy. It tastes similar to apple crisp, without the apples of course! I also like that it has currants, black cherries, dates, pecans, and almonds! It keeps me full for a long time, and since I probably just had about two servings of it (in addition to the cheerios I ate just before it), I should be able to last WELL into the afternoon without needing a snack. I eat it straight out of the bag, but I'm sure it tastes great with ice cream or vanilla yogurt.

If you are into granola, you've got to check this out. Go to www.andersontrail.com to learn more.

Muscle Milk Part 2

In one of my first posts, I described my love affair with Muscle Milk. Since then, I have converted my sister into a believer too. Have any of you tried it? If not, you have to! Don't worry, you'll thank me.

I have a good friend that just bought a street bike. Consequently, he is getting a lot of cardiovascular exercise. Since he's into keeping his heart rate up, I decided to be nice and give him a Muscle Milk Chocolate Mint pre-made shake. After a few days, I checked in with him to see what he thought of it. To my suprise, he hadn't drunk it yet. He kept "saving it" for after a bike ride. I told him after a few days that if he wasn't going to drink it then he should give it back to me.

A few more days passed. Never had a report with a verdict of Muscle Milk.

A few more days passed. Same story.

After a week and a half, I figured that he hadn't tried it and said, "Ok, I'm going to come over there and get it because you're obviously not interested in it. I know I'll drink it." He replied, "I did drink it. And you're an Indian Giver." Do you know how long it's been since I have heard the term "Indian Giver?" I cracked up for about five minutes! Just thinking about it makes me chuckle. So, thank you friend (you know who you are) for a good laugh.