10 Tips for a Happy, Guilt-free Holiday

1. Enjoy the season

Food is certainly more plentiful this time of year, especially foods we consider treats. Focus on other parts of the holiday that are special for you as well. Decorations, gift giving, time with family and friends, time off from work, snowball fights. Make special traditions that don’t center on food.

2. Practice mindful eating

The holidays bring thoughts of turkey, stuffing, pie, chocolate, and many other goodies. When choosing holiday foods, choose your favorites and savor every bite. Choose an amount of food that leaves you feeling comfortable rather than overfull. You can have more of your favorite foods whenever you feel hungry again, especially if you bring home leftovers!

3. Practice mindful drinking

Try choosing water, seltzer, flavored seltzer or tea rather than juice, soda, eggnog or alcoholic beverages. If you choose to drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation. They will contain calories, extra calories from mixers, and often lead to mindless eating. Notice what happens for you if you choose to drink alcohol and decide if this fits in with your overall health goals.

4. Be active

Exercise can help manage holiday stress, reduce appetite, and boost your immune system. Make a plan to be as active as possible, especially during the holidays.

5. Make a plan

Think about what you want your holiday to be like. Think about how you want to feel after you eat. Make a plan to make this feeling a reality.

6. Make vegetables the main event

If you are hosting holiday dinners, this will be easy. If you are a guest, consider making vegetables your contribution to the meal. They will help you feel full, give you lots of energy, and keep you well during this busy season.

7. Try healthier versions of your favorite recipes

There are many quick and easy low-fat holiday recipes online and in cookbooks. Try something new this year!

8. Just say “no” to food pushers

Make a plan for how you would like to feel after you eat. Think about the potential food pushers at your holiday and practice how you will respond to their attempts to get you to eat more than you would like. Try something like this, “That sweet potato pie is just delicious, but I’m too full to enjoy another bite. May I take some home so I can enjoy it again tomorrow?

9. Keep perspective

One meal will not make or break you. Gently refocus your energy on mindfulness if you overindulge.

10. Resist the temptation to diet after the holidays

Planning to diet in the new year often leads to overeating around the holidays. Plan on NOT dieting in the new year.

Boston Vegetarian Food Festival

If you are in Boston this weekend, check out the Vegetarian Food Festival!

http://bostonveg.org/foodfest/

Peaceful Eating is Just One Bite Away…

Do you ever find yourself using “good” or “bad” to describe foods? Are you tired of feeling food is the enemy? What would happen if you gave all foods a permanent pardon?

This scenario might sound familiar to you if you have ever been on a diet.
Sue really wanted a chocolate chip cookie. But her diet plan did not allow for cookies, so Sue dutifully ate an apple instead. She still wanted the cookie, and since it still wasn’t on her diet plan, she ate a rice cake with peanut butter. The cookie craving persisted, and the diet plan was not wavering in the least, so Sue ate some carrot sticks with hummus. Sue couldn’t fight the craving any longer, so she broke down and ate three chocolate chip cookies. She felt she had “blown” the diet at this point, so she ate six more cookies. Sue felt guilty, and felt she failed again at this diet thing.

Here’s another version of the story.
Sue really wanted a chocolate chip cookie. She had learned to honor her hunger by eating whenever she felt hungry. She practiced mindful eating and really enjoyed every bite she ate. Sue put a chocolate chip cookie on a plate, sat down at the table, and ate her cookie. She savored every bite, letting each delicious morsel melt in her mouth. When she finished her cookie, she felt satisfied, and continued about her day feeling great.

The rebel in us will often be triggered the moment we are told we can’t do something. This is often true of food rules. If a particular food is not allowed in our diet, it sets us up to crave that food. This often leads to bingeing on this forbidden food, leading to overeating and guilt. Sue ended up eating more food and feeling worse in the first version of the story. The second version demonstrates Sue eating what she wanted, when she wanted, consciously and mindfully. She felt more satisfied with less food, and felt no guilt.

Consider experimenting with allowing yourself to eat anything you want whenever you want. No foods are forbidden. Eat when you are hungry. Stop when you are no longer hungry. Savor every bite.

Discover how peaceful your day can be when food is no longer the enemy, but is just food.

What clients are saying about me...

"Laura Foresta, you have solved the weight loss puzzle of my adult life with intuitive eating! First you taught me what my body needs to be nourished and then you suggested I investigate this new way of thinking about food and eating. Little did I know all that would happen.....in three weeks I lost 5 lbs., my blood sugar is better than it has been in 3 years, I am waking up early and full of energy and truly feel like I have a new lease on life. Since I have been paying attention to what I eat, I now know what being hungry feels like. I have discovered that sometimes I mistake "hunger' for thirst, fatigue or boredom. This new lifestyle for me is affecting other areas of my life as well....I am now mindful of each moment and find myself feeling calmer and enjoying things. I almost feel a spiritual change because of this new philosophy. Most of all I feel healthier and so much more hopeful about the future. I have been trying to lose weight for the last seven years unsuccessfully and now quite abruptly you seem to be helping me to reset my metabolism. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping me so much on this fascinating journey. My life is richer for all that you are teaching me and I feel in control, revitalized and on the cusp of something great, I can't wait to see what will happen next. - EN"

Stop this thing I want to get off (getting off the diet roller coaster)! - part 2

When you are hungry, you deserve to eat.

Yup, that’s right. When you feel hungry your body is telling you it’s low on fuel. When your car’s gas tank is empty, do you continue to drive it or do you stop at a gas station to fill it up? Eventually it will stop going without fuel. When your body’s tank is empty, do you stop to refuel? The reality is, if we ignore our hunger, our body responds by slowing down and conserving energy. When we ignore hunger cues long enough, we don’t get them anymore and stay in energy conservation mode. That means we are burning fewer calories throughout the day, making weight loss even more difficult. Eating when hungry helps your body stay in calorie-burning mode.

Some people feel anxious when they feel hungry. It might help to know hunger is a normal physiologic signal that your body needs fuel. Some people don’t feel hunger - especially chronic dieters. The good news is you can reset your hunger thermostat by eating regular meals. Eating breakfast is a great way to get your metabolism revved up. Breakfast skippers might notice they can go all day without eating, but then feel hungry in the evening and night. If you experiment with eating breakfast, you might notice you are hungry for a midmorning snack and for lunch, but end up eating fewer total calories for the day.

What does hunger feel like in your body? Does your stomach growl? Do you get a headache or get cranky if you wait too long to eat? What do full and overfull feel like? Do you feel uncomfortable or sick if you’ve eaten too much? If you wait until you are extremely hungry to eat do you tend to eat beyond comfortable fullness?

I invite you to experiment with eating when you are hungry (whatever time of day or night that is), and stopping when you are comfortably full (could go for 3 or 4 hours without eating again). Consider tracking your hunger level before you eat anything and your fullness level when you are finished eating. Do you notice any patterns? Get curious about what is behind your eating patterns, and use nonjudgmental language when thinking about them.

These experiments will help you on the path to the land of the non-dieter. Welcome!

If you would like to attend a group class in Boston discussing this approach to healthy eating, please post a comment indicating so with your contact information.

Controlling the American Appetite

Check out this great segment from NPR's On Point today featuring Dr. David Kessler. It is an eye-opening discussion of how foods are engineered to keep us wanting more.

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/07/controlling-the-american-appetite#comments

Mindless Eating

Check out this video about mindless eating.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dFjqEQgkxsQ&feature=PlayList&p=6DC68EA723156C7F&index=7

Stop this thing – I want to get off!

Have you been riding the diet roller coaster? Up and down and up and …

Roller coasters are for amusement parks, not for the kitchen. Frankly, they make me nauseous.

Obtaining nutrition is one of the most natural activities of all living creatures. Everything gets energy from somewhere. If this is such a natural activity, why is there a multi-billion dollar industry full of people telling us how to do it right? In all the chatter about this diet and that diet, we’ve learned to ignore our own body’s wisdom, and doubt our sense of hunger and fullness and our ability to choose healthful foods, let alone trust ourselves in a room with foods we consider “bad”. We chastise ourselves for being imperfect eaters and say uncomplimentary things when we view ourselves in the mirror. We ignore our hunger, causing our cravings to spiral out of control. Enter the bag of cookies that doesn’t make it out of the parking lot of the grocery store.

Consider the “diet” concept based on depriving yourself of foods you truly enjoy. It often requires you to count things: calories, carbs, fats, points, bowls of cabbage soup. Perhaps you must eat at predetermined times rather than according to your hunger. Perhaps you choke down some food you don’t like just because it’s on the “diet.” This pattern leads to rebellion and bingeing on the very foods we think we shouldn’t eat. It leads to a malfunctioning of our hunger and fullness thermostat and slows metabolic rate, making achieving and maintaining a healthy weight virtually impossible. It makes us feel badly and takes all the fun out of eating.

Take a leap of faith in your body’s ability to self-regulate and banish diets. Forever. While we’re at it, let’s banish “should”, “shouldn’t”, “can’t”, “ought to”, “good” and “bad” as they relate to food and eating patterns.

Imagine a world where no food is forbidden. You can eat anything you want anytime you want. There is no guilt. Food is satisfying and delicious – far from the cardboard-like rice cakes of diets past. Texture, color and flavor drive your food choices rather than some prescribed meal plan. Sound peaceful? Or maybe a little scary? Stay tuned for upcoming articles for tips on how to finally get off the diet roller coaster and put the pleasure back into eating.

Preparing for Pregnancy

Great nutrition and regular exercise are important for preparation for pregnancy. Being in good nutritional “shape” before pregnancy can help your body and your baby’s, especially during the early and important developmental stages of pregnancy before most women know they are pregnant.

There has been a lot of buzz in recent years about nutrition and fertility. Causes of infertility most related to nutrition involve body weight and ovulation. Women with low levels of body fat, especially those that do not menstruate are at risk for fertility problems. Women who are overweight (BMI 25-29.9) or obese (BMI 30 or greater) are also at risk for ovulation-related infertility. It has been noted that women who carry extra weight in the belly might be at particular risk.

A natural approach to increasing fertility is to achieve and maintain a healthy weight through a combination of a healthful diet and regular exercise. Crash diets are not recommended, as they often eliminate healthful nutrients necessary for good health and to prepare the body for a healthy pregnancy.

Nutrition ideas:

• Take a multivitamin with 400 mcg of folic acid.
• Avoid trans fats (hydrogenated oils in many processed and fast foods).
• Limit refined starches (white bread and rice, refined sugar, cakes, cookies, crackers).
• Choose higher-fat dairy products if you have an ovulation disorder (return to lower-fat dairy after pregnancy for weight maintenance and heart health).
• Follow the Plate Method for lunch and dinner: 1/2 plate colorful veggies, 1/4 plate lean protein primarily from plant sources (tofu, beans, nuts, seeds), 1/4 plate whole grain or high-fiber starch (whole wheat pasta, brown rice, beans, quinoa, millet, corn, peas, sweet potato with skin).
• Snack on fruit and veggies.
• Bring lunch from home instead of buying it out.

Exercise ideas:

• Choose exercise you enjoy so you will keep doing it.
• Meet friends for walks instead of lunch.
• Have family biking outings instead of watching TV.
• Hire a personal trainer.
• Join a gym.
• Try exercise classes at your local adult education center.
• Join a running, walking or hiking club.

Preparing for pregnancy can be an exciting undertaking. It can also produce stress. We know hormone levels are affected by stress which can impact the ability to conceive. As much as possible, reduce stress related to fertility and conception. Enjoy the healthful changes you are making. Celebrate all the ways your body moves and choose exercise you enjoy. Consider stress management techniques like yoga, meditation, journaling, counseling, etc. And have fun!

The American Plate - where does our food come from?

I had the good fortune of traveling to Hawaii last summer. It was there I ate some of the best organic strawberries I have ever tasted. They were grown locally, and red all the way through, having been allowed to fully ripen before harvesting to develop their complex flavor and sweetness naturally. When was the last time you had a strawberry that was red all the way through? This week I bought some organic strawberries that were grown in California. They were red on the outside, and white on the inside, without the wonderful flavor and sweetness of the Hawaiian strawberries.

What caused such a difference in flavor and quality? Differences in soil? Growing and harvesting practices? Perhaps the loss in quality is related to the distance food travels to get to my grocery store?

To say that U.S. agricultural policy is complex is an understatement. There are many issues to consider: economics, environmental impact, humane treatment of animals and workers, nutritional quality of the food, etc. For a compelling look at how some of our food gets on our plates, and in what state it arrives there, check out the clips on the link below. Be forewarned - you might be inspired to watch the films in their entirety.

http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/01/5-food-films-deserved-oscar-nomination.php?dcitc=daily_nl

Farmers' Market Season is Here!

You can't beat the flavor and nutrition of fresh, locally grown produce. Some local farmers' markets are opening in May. Check the link below for the dates, days, and times of farmers' markets near you.

http://www.mass.gov/agr/massgrown/farmers_markets.htm

Confused by all the nutrition information out there?

There are so many websites, books and infomercials hawking this diet or that supplement as the solution to our many health and weight control problems. If you're looking for straight talk regarding food, nutrition and health, check out Nutrition Action Healthletter published by the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). The healthletter is a no-nonsense review of the latest nutrition research, products and health recommendations in an easy-to-read, witty format. It's by far my favorite source of nutrition information.

http://cspinet.org/nah/index.htm

CSPI has been instrumental in many governmental policy changes regarding food labels, removing trans fat from restaurant foods, and removing unhealthy foods from schools. Read more about them at:

http://www.cspinet.org/about/index.html

Free Meal Planning Website

Check out this meal planning website. It has lots of tools for creating a more healthy lifestyle. You can make shopping lists, plan menus, get recipes, make plans for regular exercise, and discuss topics with other users. It has an option to create your own cookbook and can share that with others. It also has articles on various health topics and motivational planning tools.

http://www.mealsmatter.org/index.aspx

Belly up to the (pasta) bar

Planning to run the Boston marathon this year? Having the proper fuel on board before the race can help you have a strong showing at the finish line. Carbohydrate loading is a helpful practice to maximize the stored energy in your muscle cells to carry you through the race.

How does it work?

Our muscles store carbohydrate in the form of glycogen for use during exercise. This is one of the fuel sources that sustain you through endurance exercise. Our muscles also rely on body fat and on what we eat and drink during exercise for fuel for the long haul. Carb loading helps you store more glycogen in preparation for the big day.

Tapering exercise the weeks before the event allows for optimal rest and recovery of muscle cells before the event. It also helps prevent last-minute injuries. Resting muscles use less fuel, so glycogen storage can take center stage.

How do you do it?

Keep your carb consumption to about 50-55% of your total calories a week before the event. Protein and heart-healthy fats should make up the balance of calories you need.

Increase your carb intake to 55-65% (3-5 g carb per pound body of weight) of daily calories three or four days before the event as you continue to decrease your exercise to allow for maximum glycogen storage. You might need to reduce protein and fat intake on these days so as not to exceed your calorie requirements. If you notice excess gas, try lower-fiber sources of carbohydrate. Too little fiber can cause constipation, so experimenting early in the week before race day will be helpful. Glycogen is stored in the muscle cells with water, so you might notice weight changes during your carb loading due to fluid shifts. As your muscles use this glycogen on race day, the water is freed up and helps prevent dehydration.

Consider working with a registered dietitian to coach you through your carb loading process. This is especially important if you have diabetes or blood sugar problems, be sure your blood sugar levels remain in a safe range.

Have a great race and we’ll see you at the finish line!

Got Goals?

How many times have you come up with a New Year’s Resolution? You stick to it for the first few weeks, and then something happens to get in the way and throw you off track.

Here are some guidelines to help you set goals and resolutions that you have a shot at reaching. Try the SMART goal approach. This method works for any kind of goal, whether it’s for weight loss, work, exercise, or personal projects, to name a few.

S: Make your goals specific. The more detail you can put into your goal, the easier it is to achieve.

M: Make your goals measurable. Define your goal in terms that can be quantified, so you know for sure when you have achieved it.

A: Use action-oriented phrases and positive language when developing your goals. What will you do to help you achieve that goal?

R: Attainable goals are realistic ones. Start with the very first step needed to reach your larger goal. Approaching goals with small steps makes them more manageable. Little bits over time make a big difference!

T: Goals that keep you motivated are trackable. When you track your progress and build in a reward system for when you achieve your goals, you are more likely to continue working toward them.

Here are some examples of SMART goals for weight loss.
Long-term goal: lose 20 pounds
I will walk Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 6-7 p.m. on the treadmill at the gym at a pace of 3 miles per hour.
I will eat a fruit with breakfast and lunch every day.
I will make a weekly meal plan and grocery list every Saturday.
I will keep a food and exercise log every day, and will track my fruit consumption and treadmill walks. If I have met my goal every day for 1 month, I will buy a new pair of walking shoes.

If you are not able to reach your goal at the end of your planned timetable, review the goal. It probably isn’t the right goal for where you are right now. Take a look at the things that got in the way of achieving that goal. Now brainstorm ways to overcome those barriers. Consider making one of your brainstorm ideas your new goal.

www.ombecenter.com