Healthful Hints to Help Navigate the Holidays

My mom sent this to me and I thought I'd share the Mama Nerl lovin'. Thanks Mom!

Surviving and Enjoying the Holiday Buffet without Gaining Weight

Yes it is possible to enjoy the holiday - to have your cake and eat it too. It is important to keep in mind to use a small plate and eat slowly, while eating only the foods that you want to eat. As well, Brian Wansink, Author of Mindless Eating, suggests that you keep in mind the "Rule of Two." This rule says you can have anything you want at the buffet, but you are not allowed to have more than 2 items on your plate at one time. He claims that his works so well because:

• You tend to take the two types of food you want most. People who love desserts don't work their way up to desserts. They'll start with the desserts and then stop.
• You tend to not overfill your plate. Putting only two things on our plate helps keep our serving sizes somewhat small because we psychologically don't want to overload on a particular item.
• You tend not to go back more than two times. In one study they did on the "Rule of Two," 83 percent of people only made one or two additional returns to the buffet.

The Top 10 Tips for Eating Healthy During the Holiday Season

Focus on weight maintenance not weight loss during this time. Maintaining your current weight during the holidays is a big enough challenge so don't stress yourself by trying to lose weight instead.

Do not plan on dieting after the New Year because then you wind up eating everything in sight and not setting restrictions. Wait until after the New Year to plan a diet plan for you, without setting restrictions and depriving yourself of certain items you like.

it is important to keep in mind to be physically active everyday to relieve stress, regulate appetite, as well as burning extra calories during the holiday season.

Remember to eat a light snack before going to a holiday party. It is important not to starve yourself because then you will only wind up eating more at the party.

Make a plan to think about where you will be and who you will be with as well as the food available for you. Once you have planned for the social event, it will be much easier to deal with a difficult social eating situation if you encounter one.

And as mentioned above, take steps to avoid recreational eating by consciously making a plate of food that you really want and eat slowly.

Keep in mind to trim back the trimmings when it comes to food. To cut calories, be sure to go light on the nuts, cheese, gravy and butter. It is important to remember that you want to leave the party leaving satisfied, not stuffed.

When it comes to choosing a drink, choose wisely. Some alcoholic beverages can have between 150-450 calories per glass. Choose to have 1 to 2 light alcoholic beverages and then make water or sparkling water with a lemon. Watch out for the eggnog that can have almost 350 calories for 1 cup!

Always keep in mind to have fun and enjoy family and friends. Share laughter and cheer, reminiscing about the years passed. Relax and enjoy the holiday season.

Lastly, maintain perspective. If you happen to overeat one day, don't feel guilty. Just go back to your normal eating habits the next day.

Monday's are for Sucka's

So needless to say this Monday sucked a big one. If you are friends with me on facebook you may have gotten a chuckle from my status update. Chuck Norris would be proud. A swift roundhouse to the face will shut anyone up! Normally I don't talk shop on here, but I can't help it today. I'm kinda having a Jerry Maguire "Mission Statement" kind of day. I will apologize before hand for giving you a one way ticket to negative town with this posting.

It was my department's first day with out our fearless leader, and as the stars and planets align, and as the forces that be, I'm the only person in the PR and MKT department with seniority (mind you, I've only been at my current job for a year and eight months, at least that is what linkedin.com tells me based on my profile). I honestly can't believe I've lasted in Cleveland that long. I've always wanted to move to a different city in a Whitney from "The City" type of way and make it big and become a bad ass designer. Well in some way I guess I have made a design dent in this so called thing called work and well, I guess I can go on the record and say I'm kinda a big deal ... at least in Painesville, Ohio. I find it amazing how much can change in a year, especially with in a organization. I often wonder how long it takes an established organization to realize that the decisions that they make create a domino effect that has lasting impressions on it, not only with the people that work for it, but the people it serves, it's identity, and mission.

I had a meeting today, ok like five meetings today, but my last one of the day really put a sour taste in my mouth ... an no I wasn't eating sour patch kids during it so we can rule that out as a factor. So, I'm in this meeting, go over the project at hand, changes, concerns, time lines, blah, blah, blah. Well to make a long story short, I have tomorrow off, and the lady heading up the project was concerned I wasn't going to be checking my email and forwarding the proper information on to the outside designer if she got it to me by tomorrow, which I will be on the road most of the day. She said she would be checking her email through the holiday because she checks her email all the time. My question is ... when do people stop working? I tried to convey to the lady that I can't guarantee that the printer will even be in service over the holiday ... and why you ask ... BECAUSE IT'S A HOLIDAY AND PEOPLE ARE ENTITLED TO TIME OFF FROM WORKING ON OTHER PEOPLE'S WORK! I love how everyone thinks their project is more important than the next, and that I should sacrifice time with my family and friends, who I sacrificed for a job that is 4.5 hours away from them and only get to see every so often, to do more work for them. Um hello, the last time I checked that is what vacation days and floating holidays are for ... vacation from projects, deadlines, e-mails, questions....

Now I know what it is like to work over the holidays. I'm a veteran of the Broadcasting world and have worked Thanksgiving, New Years and New Years Eve, July 4, Labor Day, Christmas, Christmas Eve, Columbus Day, Grandparent's Day, Mother's Day, Father's day, Flag Day, Pirate Day...the list is endless. I'm no stranger to hard work, putting in a little extra time when needed along with a side of elbow grease, to go above the call of duty with the tasks at hand, but I'm only one person, two hands and eight hours a day. My "concern" with all this is when is enough, enough. When do people step back and look at their life and realize that this thing called work, isn't what life is about.

I will say by far, this year has been a trying year for me. Between finding out my Grandma had breast cancer (and is now in remission), starting up my side business (Emilie Nerl Graphic Design - launches in December 2009), love life woes, work drama, new additions to the family, new friends and reconnecting with old ones, developing a vintageish jewelry line ... I will say there is never a dull moment, and I must commend myself on still standing after all this with a smile on my face (ok maybe one of my eyebrows is raised and I have the "oh no you didn't" head tilt going on).

So this crappy day not only blew out any positivity that I had going this morning but it always reflected in my poor choices of meal options, well at least for dinner it did.

Breakfast

Bowl of honey nut cheerios

Lunch

Everything Bagel with light butter and the remaining pasta from last night's dinner and a glass of Crystal Light ice tea

Snacks

nada

Dinner

Here's the heart attack waiting to happen ... Chicken McNuggets (6 piece) and a medium fry with a coke. Yeah not proud of it, but hey at least they love to see me smile.

Workout

Nada...I worked out Monday thru Sunday (anywhere between an hour and 1.5 hours), and plan on getting up at the ass crack tomorrow to work out before hitting the road. I'm entitled to my off day!

Wishing you a Happy (skinny) Thanksgiving

I never use to be one to think about not binging on a holiday eating. Why is it that the best things are made on the holidays? Seriously, why can't every day be buckeye day or pumpkin pie day. In the light of this "healthy lifestyle" journey I decided to take my holiday cooking (which by the way is as rare as a blue moon ... or a frozen intact woolly mammoth) to the "skinnier" side of things.

I'm giving this recipe a whirl for Turkey Day, Low-Fat Pumpkin Mousse Pie or Low-Fat FROZEN Pumpkin Mousse Pie. A nice addition to the array of Frich's pumpkin pie, Cheesecake Factory Pumpkin Pie cheesecake, pecan pie and other delectable fruit (or veggie) filled pies adoring the holiday spreads this season.




Low-Fat Pumpkin Mousse pie
(serves 8; ready in 2 hours and 10 minutes including fridge time)




Ingredients

• 1 READY CRUST Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Pie Crust
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1 (1 ounce) package Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1 (8 ounce) container fat-free or lite whipped topping, thawed, divided (half for pie mixture the rest for the topping)

Directions

1. Combine milk, pumpkin, pudding mix and spice in a mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer until smooth.
2. Fold in one half of the whipped topping. Spoon into pie rust. Top with remaining whipped topping.
3. Freeze or refrigerate at least 2 hours before serving.
   Nutritional Info: Calories per serving 199; Total Fat: 7 g; Cholesterol 1 mg.
   
   
   
   FROZEN Low-Fat Pumpkin Mousse Pie
   (10 servings; 2 hours and 20 minutes including freezing time)
   
   
   

Ingredients

• 1 READY CRUST Reduced Fat Graham Cracker Pie Crust
• 1 cup canned pumpkin puree
• 1/3 packed brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 pints (4 cups) frozen low-fat vanilla ice cream, softened

Directions

1. Combine pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg in a large bowl.
2. Add ice cream and stir until blended. Spoon the mixture into pie crust.
3. Freeze until firm or at least 2 hours. Let the pie soften slightly in the fridge for 20-30 minutes before serving.
   Nutritional Info: Calories per serving 230; 5 grams of fat; 4 mg cholesterol
   
   
   
   

Cookin' with the Neighbors ... Chicken Teriyaki Meatballs With Edamame and Snow Peas

My neighbor, Andrea, has introduced me to a whole new world of healthy eating by using a stove (novel idea I know...).

She made this one night before we hit the gym and I have to tell you it's a taste bud pleaser! A healthy, tasty asian inspired meal made with fresh or frozen veggies of your liking. This meal takes less than 30 minutes to cook! Enjoy!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups long-grain rice


• 1 1/4 pounds ground chicken (or turkey)


• 2 scallions, chopped (optional)


• (1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (optional))


• 2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger


• 2 tablespoons canola oil


• 1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed


• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce


• 2 tablespoons brown sugar


• baby carrots, sliced in halves or quarters


• snow pea pods

Directions

1. Cook the rice according to the directions on the package.


2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine chicken or turkey, cilantro, scallions and ginger. Shape into 16 meatballs.


3. Heat 1 tablespoon of hte oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs, turning until cooked through, roughly 10 to 12 minutes.


4. Combine the veggies with meatballs and then in a small bowl mix the soy sauce and brown sugar. Add to skillet, toss the meatballs and veggies and simmer until saus is slightly thickened.


5. Serve over the rice.

Nutritional Info
Calories per serving: 431; Fat 17 g

Guess Who's Back and 25 LBs less???

Hello my lovely readers! Sorry I've been MIA for the past few weeks. A lot has been going on, and on the weightloss front, I've loss 25 pounds! I know I've been bad about keeping my food journal on here up-to-date, but I plan to get that back on track this coming week. I've still been watching what I eat and working out like it's a last chance workout every freakin' day. I've just been slammed with work lately. As most, or some of you know, I'm a graphic designer by day, exercise maniac by night. Not that this is any excuse for not keep up with my blogging, but every day I work my normal shift, work out for two hours and then do side work for about five hours. Fun huh?

Anyways, enough shop talk right, lets get down to the nitty gritty. 25 pounds ... I'm still kinda in shock. I hope that when I got home to the nasti 'nati this week before stuffing myself on sweet potato casserole I will have lost another 5 pounds (or maybe even more). I've had a lot of people asking me about my motivation or how I do this day in and day out. Well it's easy, and I'm about to share a secret with all of you ... I do it because I want and need to. Crazy huh? Who would in their right mind would push themselves when their legs are about to collapse when doing a 6% incline on the treadmill for almost 40 minutes, and then proceed to feel like they could puke all over the elliptical after the first 30 minutes. Doesn't that sound like fun!? Well it is for me! I'm making the commitment to myself that being fat is NOT an option anymore.

I was talking to a friend of mine who is about to embark on her own business as a career coach (believe me, she is the best, and I'm not just saying that as a plug for her I mean it!) but she also serves as a 15 year veteran as a weightloss coach for Weight Watchers, and she said something that turned the light bulb on and changed the way I think about a lot of things I want and need to do with my life. She said, that we all have the answer with in ourselves but sometimes we don't know how to get there. It was like Christmas when she said that. You're telling me I spent money on "The Secret" and all along I had the answer!? Pure genius I say. As corny as this is going to sound, it is true ... you can do anything you put your mind to. I don't have any gimmicks, tricks or magic. I eat less and fresh then write it down, work out 1.5 to 2 hours a day, cut out soda and upped the water, cut back on the junk food and allow between 1 to 2 cheats a week. Harmless right? I would be lying if I said I didn't have my days because I do. I have my bad days, but I don't let them get to me because if they do then I become consumed with what I ate and focus on it like a zit on my cheek.

While on this weightloss journey I've rediscovered the girl I use to be ... a motivated, positive, hard working, over-achiever who sees the good in most situations. I can focus on the negative all day, and well to be honest, in the environment and society we live in now that's easy to do because it's in our face like that bite size snicker that sits on our desk, BUT we can choose what to do with it. We can take it for face value and let it get us down, OR take it, run with it, and do something positive in the light of it. New Years is right around the corner folks...

Enough of my yoda smoda talk grasshoppers. I'm back like NKOTB so get ready for some new posts because they are coming at ya like Cleopatra!

It's a Hip-Hop Dance Party!

I don't know about you, but there are times when I just don't want to travel to the gym. It's raining...it's cold...I'd rather be at home than working out.

I've decided to still get some cardio in on those lazy days, and I now have a pretty extensive collection of workout DVD's. Pilates, step aerobics, kickboxing...you name it and I have it. I recently purchased Jennifer Gilardi's Dance Off the Inches Hip-Hop Party. I know the name sounds a little cheesy, but this is a great workout DVD. I usually get bored with a workout DVD after watching the second time, and the fact that I can workout to this DVD a few times a week tells me that this is a great workout and DVD.

The workout is all dancing, so if you don't like to bust a move, don't waste your time reading the rest of this post. There is a seperate section of the DVD that teaches the dance moves in detail, so no time is wasted during the actual workout section. The workout is fast paced and makes you sweat. The routines are themed-based: one is a basic hip-hop routine, the second a "sexy" routine and the third is what I like to call the "world rhythms" routine which is full of Latin and Bollywood moves. Also, Jennifer is not one of those really cheesy "You can do it!" workout DVD instructors, so the annoynance level is pretty low. The best thing about this DVD, though, is that it keeps you moving for 45 minutes straight. Wether it's the warmup, the routines, or cool down, you are always moving your body.

So, check it out. You can purchase the DVD on Amazon for less than $10.