Save the Calorie, Save the World

So I've been brown bagging, taking my lunch to work. It's a challenge that another editor, Sarah, put out to the team. I'm astonished at the savings in calories and money this is! And the food I'm bringing today is so delicious! I have a whole wheat roll with some hummus and roasted veggies, some fruit and a small salad. I did the calorie count and the entire lunch is under 400 calories. Can you believe it? And it seems like so much food!

So as I sit here, working through the day and doing my best to lose weight, I'm planning my dinner in my head. I have a great recipe for a low-fat shrimp creole I'd like to share with you. It's so easy and being a bit of a foody, I can't wait to try it out!

It's the weekend...live out loud!

Marie

Guilt-cake ...and Diet Soda?

We were celebrating the birthday of one of the gals in the office here yesterday. I caught myself thinking "It's a special occasion! I'll have cheesecake!" And what did I order with it? A diet soda. Oh, this makes so much sense, doesn't it? Good grief! WHY do we celebrate with food that undoes all of our diet efforts? After I ate it, I felt horrible. I looked at the menu and saw that they did have fresh fruit I could have ordered.

Guess I learned my lesson! I think they should change the name to Guilt-cake.

This is from one of our newsletters:

That Diet Soda Might Make You Fat!

Diet soda drinking has been linked with metabolic syndrome, leading to high cholesterol, high blood sugar levels, high blood pressure and increased abdominal fat. Need to sip on something but want to avoid the calories? Try squeezing half an orange into a bottle of water or carbonated water. You’ll get the flavor you want, the benefits of a little orange juice and avoid the unwanted sugar and calories of regular soda.

Really makes you think, doesn't it.

You may be interested in the Curb Your Cravings Diet Patch, by the way. It does the trick in helping you not only control those cravings, it gives you the focus to help you make better food choices. Like skipping that darned cheesecake!

Stand up and Fight that Nasty Secretary Spread!

Yikes, isn't that just the most horrible description? It's sexist and disgusting and insulting - secretary spread. It's what some people call that time when your bottom gets big from sitting all day. Sheesh! So the other day I heard someone use the term and it hit me, does this describe me? I do sit an awful lot. No! No! I won't let it happen! It just so happened I was writing the Sit & Be Fit article for our newsletter and I realized it's time to start doing some exercising at my desk.

Let me share some tips from the article. Don't forget, you can subscribe to my newsletter at the Curb Your Cravings store.

Tips to Sit & Be Fit


•Head Rolls: Drop your chin down towards your chest and slowly rotate your head both clockwise and counter-clockwise.

•Side Stretches: These are best done in a chair without armrests. Sit tall in your chair and place your hands on your hips. Slowly bend both to the right and the left and hold for a few seconds. For variety, you could also raise your hands above your head and bend.

•Arm Raises: As the name suggests, for this you will simply raise your arms above your head, stretch and hold that position momentarily.

•Butt Squeezes: The beauty of these is that no one need ever know that you’re doing them! These can be performed either when sitting down or standing … simply squeeze your gluteus muscles together and then release. Try these in sets of 10.

•Leg Lifts: If room permits underneath your desk, straighten and lift your legs. Doing this strengthens your quadriceps (those large muscles on the front of your legs) as well as tones your behind.

Did you know that exercise actually helps build bone mass, too? It's true! You definitely need to be getting some exercise and bone support if you sit for long days and don't move very much.

So ...with a crick in my neck and a twist...I'll talk to you later!

Marie

A new week and an office challenge

Have you ever noticed that when you walk into the office coffee room or break room there are always snacks? I was really impressed when our office went "healthy" a while ago. There is a big fruit basket, some low-fat microwave popcorn packets, bottles of water, things like that. It feels good to be supported this way and we always have a good time saying things like "Hey, did you try that new organic fruit smoothie" and sharing healthy finds. In a way, when you think about it, we spend so much time at work, it should be a healthy place!

I'd like to share an article I wrote on this topic for one of our newsletters. I was amazed at the feedback we got on this piece. Tell me if this sounds familiar to you and your office setting:

Is your Office making you FAT?

Take a careful look around your office. Is it conducive to working or working out? If you’re confined to your cubicle or behind your computer all day, you will never lose weight. How can you make your workplace more diet-friendly? Here’s how:

•Replace those morning donuts with a nutritious fruit tray for everybody instead.

•Spread the word about healthier food choices. Clip out related newspaper and/or magazine articles and post these up on the lunchroom bulletin board. Another way to share the news would be to write up a nutrition article for your company newsletter.

•Take the stairs rather than the elevator. Climbing or descending a few flights of stairs will provide some healthy exercise and, often, get you to your destination far quicker than waiting for the elevator to arrive.

•Bring in a selection of herbal or decaffeinated teas. Substitute your “coffee break” for a “tea break”.

•Form a lunch-hour walking group. Why stay inside the office when you don’t have to? Gather a few colleagues together, stretch your legs outside and get some fresh air. Plan a few different walking routes to add variety.

•Break away from your desk occasionally. Stand up and stroll around. If nothing else, you can also stretch at your desk. While sitting in your chair, place your arms on your hips and bend from side-to-side. Hold each bend for 10 seconds.

As you can see, there are plenty of easy suggestions to make the office a healthier place. Continue to eat well and move around at work plus encourage others to join you. You all will feel far more invigorated throughout the workday and at-home as well.

Copyright © 2006-2009 Curb Your Cravings LLC. All Rights Reserved Worldwide

It's the weekend! Oh boy, now dieting gets hard!

Why is it that I can do fairly well during the week, eating smart, making better choices, but oh once the weekend is here it's like crazy-food-land! I was born with the appetite of a football player, I swear. I have decided that while this company sells the pink patches and everyone says they work great, I would give them a shot myself. I promise to let you know how it goes. I put my first patch on this afternoon. This was, of course, after going out for breakfast with my husband for our Saturday morning brunch at our favorite restaurant. Honestly, I didn't overdo it, but I know I could've done better with my portions. Hopefully this patch will help.

Anyone else using the patch? Tell me how you're doing! What did you experience? I know what I should be experiencing, but I'm really curious how YOU are doing.

Marie