Brought out your fat pants yet? I have. I'm having a real problem, not just in the wardrobe department, but with food. It just tastes so damn GOOD. Thanksgiving through New Year's should just be called Food Season. I even insisted we go with the shorter, wider Christmas tree this year just so I can stand next to it and look lithe and wonderful. Ha! Hopeless, I know.
I also fell off the workout wagon. A couple months ago I sprained my right ankle, then a couple weeks later I sprained my right big toe pretty badly. Then of course there was the big blistery burn I got when I dropped boiling spaghetti sauce on my right foot, and the possible fracture I sustained when I tried to catch a full *glass* jar of peanut butter with my right foot. Toes don't like being smashed like that...they're still talking about it. Sorry, right foot. I didn't mean it.
It was easy to justify not working out when I couldn't do half the workouts in my classes, but despite my foot's propensity for injury, I haven't gone back now that I'm pretty much healed and fully capable. At this point it is just laziness, though the couple of pounds I've put on isn't motivating me to go out in public in stretchy pants, either.
This time of year there is some magical, mystical force that forces us to shove food down our throats when it isn't physiologically necessary. I have succumbed to the force...even joined the Dark Side. We're putting on our winter layer. No, truly, we are putting on a winter layer of fat as insulation, to acclimatize our bodies. Your body wants you to gain weight. It's for real science, dude. Hormone regulation and fat storage are way different in winter than in spring or summer. Your body's production of Leptin gets all screwed and your body thinks its starving. I know, right?! WTF! So your body produces appetite stimulating hormones so you eat more.
Its a goddam biological conspiracy!
I'm not saying this weight gain is healthy for us, no no. Let's not get carried away. I'm just giving an excuse for the lapses in judgement we suffer when standing in front of a table full of luscious, ooey gooey chocolately fruity frosted cream filled desserts. Science.
With all the holiday gatherings going on, it's easy to load up on all the appetizers, booze, rich foods, booze, desserts, boozy desserts, dessert-y booze... and it's adding up. FAST. What's a fatty to do?!
My big idea is to eat healthier at home between all the parties. I tried not eating at all and ended up binging at the end of the day, so I scratched that plan. Of course working out at least a little bit would help compensate for the 7,000 (so I heard!) calories I consumed at Thanksgiving, and in leftovers every day thereafter for at least 4 days. Yesterday at the grocery store I bought the monster pack of salad for $5, hoping the price would inspire me not to let it rot in the produce drawer of my fridge. We'll have to see about that.
I'm so not going to get all preachy on you and say this is the perfect time to start some insane workout program, but if you're suffering like I am, here's a couple things to think about doing for damage control:
1. Lighten the f*ck up. Stress is one of the biggest factors in weight gain. Need some help? STRESS RELIEF. It works. I take it A LOT. Also, levels of seratonin drop in the winter, causing you to experience all kinds of bullshit. Try some Vitamin D!
2. Take only cash to the grocery store. This will (hopefully) force you to forego the junky empty calorie snack foods which tend to be kind of pricey. *Disclaimer: Do NOT go to the store with 400 bucks in your pocket.
3. Go walk around the block. Just once.
4. If you're at afood holiday party, have your steak or other main protein course, but go waaaay light on the creamy side dishes. Load up on the cleanest-looking vegetables on the table. And eat them first. The veggies will take up some valuable real estate in your stomach and keep you from overeating the bad stuff.
5. Last but not least, when you're out shopping and get hungry do NOT swing into the nearest fat food joint. Throw a protein meal bar or snack bar and a bottle of water in your purse. It's enough to hold you over till you can get home and eat some of that $5 salad.
Don't forget...stuff like B vitamins regulate your blood sugar and keep cravings down and energy up. My suggestion is to take two every morning. If you like hot or cold tea, try this...a little caffeine + hunger suppressant = happiness.
Now go get 'em, tigers!
I also fell off the workout wagon. A couple months ago I sprained my right ankle, then a couple weeks later I sprained my right big toe pretty badly. Then of course there was the big blistery burn I got when I dropped boiling spaghetti sauce on my right foot, and the possible fracture I sustained when I tried to catch a full *glass* jar of peanut butter with my right foot. Toes don't like being smashed like that...they're still talking about it. Sorry, right foot. I didn't mean it.
It was easy to justify not working out when I couldn't do half the workouts in my classes, but despite my foot's propensity for injury, I haven't gone back now that I'm pretty much healed and fully capable. At this point it is just laziness, though the couple of pounds I've put on isn't motivating me to go out in public in stretchy pants, either.
This time of year there is some magical, mystical force that forces us to shove food down our throats when it isn't physiologically necessary. I have succumbed to the force...even joined the Dark Side. We're putting on our winter layer. No, truly, we are putting on a winter layer of fat as insulation, to acclimatize our bodies. Your body wants you to gain weight. It's for real science, dude. Hormone regulation and fat storage are way different in winter than in spring or summer. Your body's production of Leptin gets all screwed and your body thinks its starving. I know, right?! WTF! So your body produces appetite stimulating hormones so you eat more.Its a goddam biological conspiracy!
I'm not saying this weight gain is healthy for us, no no. Let's not get carried away. I'm just giving an excuse for the lapses in judgement we suffer when standing in front of a table full of luscious, ooey gooey chocolately fruity frosted cream filled desserts. Science.
With all the holiday gatherings going on, it's easy to load up on all the appetizers, booze, rich foods, booze, desserts, boozy desserts, dessert-y booze... and it's adding up. FAST. What's a fatty to do?!
My big idea is to eat healthier at home between all the parties. I tried not eating at all and ended up binging at the end of the day, so I scratched that plan. Of course working out at least a little bit would help compensate for the 7,000 (so I heard!) calories I consumed at Thanksgiving, and in leftovers every day thereafter for at least 4 days. Yesterday at the grocery store I bought the monster pack of salad for $5, hoping the price would inspire me not to let it rot in the produce drawer of my fridge. We'll have to see about that.I'm so not going to get all preachy on you and say this is the perfect time to start some insane workout program, but if you're suffering like I am, here's a couple things to think about doing for damage control:
1. Lighten the f*ck up. Stress is one of the biggest factors in weight gain. Need some help? STRESS RELIEF. It works. I take it A LOT. Also, levels of seratonin drop in the winter, causing you to experience all kinds of bullshit. Try some Vitamin D!
2. Take only cash to the grocery store. This will (hopefully) force you to forego the junky empty calorie snack foods which tend to be kind of pricey. *Disclaimer: Do NOT go to the store with 400 bucks in your pocket.
3. Go walk around the block. Just once.4. If you're at a
5. Last but not least, when you're out shopping and get hungry do NOT swing into the nearest fat food joint. Throw a protein meal bar or snack bar and a bottle of water in your purse. It's enough to hold you over till you can get home and eat some of that $5 salad.
Don't forget...stuff like B vitamins regulate your blood sugar and keep cravings down and energy up. My suggestion is to take two every morning. If you like hot or cold tea, try this...a little caffeine + hunger suppressant = happiness.Now go get 'em, tigers!
