, Kami Gray shares her "Stay Slim Strategies to Survive the Season".1. Eliminate Temptation: First, go into your kitchen and your pantry and start reading labels. Do you see anything containing high fructose corn syrup? It's not just in soda pop and sports drinks; read the label on your sandwich bread, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, salad dressing, and chocolate syrup. This ingredient and many others like partially hydrogenated oils, modified food starch, and even sugar and sugar substitutes like Splenda actually set your body up for fat storage. By eliminating packaged and processed foods that contain these ingredients, you've solved half the battle...the battle of the bulge that is! Now that your cupboards are bare; restock you kitchen with real, whole foods. You'll find these on the perimeter of your grocery store. Shop wisely and watch your weight get and stay under control.
2. Snack Before Holiday Parties: Sounds counter-productive, but one of the biggest reasons we overeat is we're hungry! I always eat a little something beforehand. Since I have literally zero control over what will be served at the party, I supply my body with fuel so I don’t completely lose it and eat an entire plate of cheese and crackers. The usual appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and bowls of nuts are extra pounds in the making. Party hosts are apprehensive about serving starters that the average person doesn’t eat or enjoy, so they usually offer fattening crowd-pleasers. I’ve been guilty of this as well, but I always provide a few tasty options that are on the List, like mini–tandoori chicken skewers, which are high in protein. One or two are the perfect pre-dinner snack. If there are no good choices, skip the starters altogether. Just sip on water, wine, or a vodka soda, and wait for the main course. If your hosts are serving a specialty cocktail and not serving wine until dinner, cheerfully decline and let them know that water is good for now.
3. Stay on Track: Literally. If you're a walker, runner, or cyclist, find an indoor track to maintain your exercise routine. This can be at a college or a local gym -- an indoor mall works great for walkers like myself. I live in one of that rainiest cities in the US. I do not let that curtail my exercise routine. One tool I use to stay motivated is dailymile.com. It works for keeping track of daily walks, runs, swims, yoga workouts and almost anything else you do to stay healthy. It even has a handy tool to map your route. I found this particularly useful since I often overestimate how far I’ve walked — the same way I underestimate how many calories I’ve eaten! You can even post your workouts on your blog, website, twitter, linkedin, or facebook account. I find this aspect particularly motivating because my friends and family can see when I've posted a workout (or haven't posted one in while!). They can even write a short motivational message to me if I've gotten off-track!
For more information about The Denim Diet, visit www.thedenimdiet.com.
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