Merry Christmas: Enjoy

Diet-Blog said:
Over the next week there will be much eating, drinking, and making merry. After that there will be a spike in diet book sales as everyone thinks about new year's resolutions and what they want to change.[...]

My gym will also be overrun with a bunch of clueless trainers who don't understand how to conduct a proper workout or share a gym properly. Thankfully, they'll all be gone by about March.

For anyone out there scared of joining a gym because you're self-concious around experienced trainers, this does not mean I hate all new people at the gym or even mind showing new people how to use equipment and teaching them gym etiquette, just as long as they're serious about staying.

I'm going to do double the exercise after christmas. But i hardly never have problem gaining weight this time a year.

My gym has a predictable pattern - almost empty in December, and packed so full in January that they run out of towels and have lines 10 people long for machines.
I wonder how many people actually keep going for the whole year? Or did I already read that stat somewhere?

I'm a happy camper this year. I convinced my family to not make any desserts. I'm making a giant bowl of sugar-free fruit-salad. The side dishes are going to be non-fattening other than a potato salad, but I'm taking a green salad as well.

After years of eating meat + a few grapes from the table center, I can't believe I'll get a real meal at the holidays.

Oh about the gyms, they get packed here somewhere in mid-October. People travel during the summer, so in October they realize they need to lose weight. By mid-December, they are empty since these people never return when their vacation is over.

After that there will be a spike in diet book sales as everyone thinks about new year's resolutions and what they want to change.

The irony is that the bestselling books are diet books and .... wait for it .... cookbooks. If you check the bestseller lists you usually find both in equal proportions!

Same here Ryan, squat-rack curls are still alive and well :-)

iFitandHealthy: It's a good thing that I'm developing well-shaped quads, and so I will never use the squat rack.

Ryan,

What do you do for your quads?

iFitandHealthy: Sissy squats, hack squats, and leg extensions. For the hack squats, I go down till my butt touches my ankles, go up a quarter of the way, go back down, then come all the way up for each "rep". The key is working the deepest part of the exercise to develop that lower part of the leg.

The problem with the squat is for most people it works up the hips and butt and encourages the teardrop shape in the thigh. But if you're someone like Sergio Oliva, then you don't have to worry.

Happy Holiday's to all! May all fitness dreams come true!

Jan--I am jealous! I wish I could get my family to make a nice healthy holiday spread. Maybe next year, that's what I'll do. It would be so much nicer to be able to actually enjoy eating what's served at Christmas.

Spectra, after a few years and everyone being diabetic and/or with high blood pressure and/or with high cholesterol, they finally got a clue. They'll still eat the potato salad, of course, but at least I got them to change from ham to lean tenderloin, and to ban desserts altogether.

I would start going to the gym but I just haven't found enough of a motivation to spend the 20-30 dollar membership fee.
I recently got to where I have a full set of weights, bench, as well as a weight machine all at home. I usually jump rope for cardio. Though at times I wish had the option of going to a gym, I just wish that I could find a cheaper gym or that I could just stop being a cheapskate.
I HAVE stuck to my new years resolution of 2000 to where I still work out religiously. Basically every day for an hour.

It is also important to do one thing:

Avoid EVERYTHING containing ANY amounts of hydrogenated oils. Even small amounts is very harmful.

It is OK to indulge and gain a few pounds during the holidays. As you see, you need some saturated fats to absorb vitamin D and process the vitamin A in your body. Monounsaturated fats absorb the precursers, but saturated fats are required to turn the beta-caritones into alpha caritones, which is full-blown vitamin A. Hydrogenated oils, however, inhibit the processing of vitamin As, so steer clear of any processed foods containing vitamin A.

Enjoy dark chocolate covered cherries. They not only taste great, they are also great for you. Cherries contain a lot of vitamin A and C, and the dark chocolate contains a ton of antioxidents. New studies show that dark chocolate covered cherries can actually prevent clots in your arteries, as well as raise HDL cholesterol.

When making cookies, use butter, blend margarines (like Smart Balance, Benecal, or Take Control), and emulsified oils. Stay away from stick margarines or hydrogenated shortenings. Best of all, blend it with omega-3 based oils (like fish oil, krill oil, cod liver oil, flax oil, or walnut oil). Some healthy cookies include whole grain oat-meal dark chocolate chip cookies, pumpkin-flax-raisin cookies, or pumpkin butternut oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip nut-butter cookies are also a healthy choice, since they can lower cholesterol and contain antioxidents and protein.

Avoid artificial sweeteners. They are just as bad if not worse than sugar. Instead, use natural or herbal sweeteners, like xylithol, stevia, honey, or maple syrup.

Avoid vegetarian diets. I did watch charlot's web, and know how emotional I am about the axe on the pig, but the reality is: we need animal protein in our diet. But buy organic animal protein. Farmers there treat their animals humainely, and the meat there is healthier.

If you gain 5 or 10 pounds, don't fret about it. Just go on a diet, or next year, lose weight to go below normal, so you can indulge, while at the same time, blunt your weight gain, so you won't have to work as hard. I mean, if your normal weight is 175, lose down to 155 to 160 by thanksgiving, so you can have room to gain some weight. However, continue exercising during the holidsays to further blunt your weight gain. But you still need to avoid ANYTHING containing hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners. You can have your piece of cake and a cookie and eat it, so long as it doesn't contain any hydrogenated oils.

You may now take out once in a while, in some areas. Some restaurants themselves are already axing the hydrogenated oils. Some restaurants are even taking a step further and adding omega 3 based oils to their food.

So, indulge on your food. Just watch out for hydrogenated oils, and go back on to your diet come January 2nd. Thanks, Marry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

Charlotte's Web? How old are you, four?

Hey! I LOVE Charlotte's Web...haven't seen the new movie but I'd read the book again in a heartbeat. Oh, and I'm 45!

Don't dis my "Some Pig".

lol Nic... I'm 44 and one of my favorite movies is Shrek... I can't seem to commit to gyms, so I'm planning 30 minutes a day, six days a week program that mixes strength training (I have a pilates video and 5 lb weights so far... any suggestions to add to that?) and fast walking and dancing for the cardio. That's to start anyhow. I am 200 lbs right now and don't want to give myself a heart attack!

I really don't know about that comment to "eat considerably less the day before you plan to indulge".

Wouldn't that slow the metabolism?

Kailash: Actually, the best technique I know for weight loss is to eat maintenance or slightly above maintenance calories one day, then cut calories the next 2 or 3 days. After about 3 days, your body starts to catch on, so raise your calories again. Of course, if you severely restrict calories, you'll slow your metabolism pretty quickly.

Happy Holidays! Would anyone be so kind as to offer a possible explanation for my 5 lb weight gain? I certainly overindulged for a couple days this past weekend. And while for about 3 days I averaged about 2300-2500 calories/day (normally I stay around 1500-1600), I can't understand how this would amount to 5 extra lbs especially since I made sure to get plenty of exercise. Is it water weight? If so, when does it go away? Just curious- doesn't seem fair that 12 months can be undone in 3 days! ;)

When I was on the Curves diet they always allowed for a 5-lb weight gain before we had to do the 3-day diet again. I think it's a natural thing for a woman's weight to fluctuate with water retention.

Amanda!
Probably a combination of salt/carbs leading to retaining fluid. If you go back to your normal style it will most likely balance out. Or try a Sauna :-) But as a good friend of mine says,"Don't over do it now!"

Someone asked *way* up there, about getting people to plan a healthy holiday dinner. I've managed to do that with my family, who is insane about desserts and about fatty foods with the meal. I sat down with my mom, who is the usual hostess, and we planned the core meal together - turkey, steamed veggies, healthy dressing (mostly veggies and whole-wheat bread), sweet potato casserole with pineapple instead of marshmallows, etc. When people offered to bring stuff, she asked for appetizers of cut veggies, fruit plates, and cheese and crackers. Those who offered to bring desserts were asked to bring fruit pies (instead of cookies or cakes), or individual chocolates.

We didn't completely eliminate all fats, but found that by doing some creative substituting (low-fat/sodium chicken broth instead of butter for the mashed potatoes), nobody missed the old fatty, heavy stuff, we could still enjoy dessert in moderation, and nobody complained about missing stuff.

MMMM,The holidays.... my best advice is to load your plate up with everything there is to offer, in SMALL amounts, with so many different tastes for your pallet you will feel satisfied faster.