How Many Calories Will YOU Consume on Turkey Day?

Okay – I’m climbing up on my SOAP BOX for a moment. If I step on somebody’s toes, well, they needed to be stepped on. I’m about to go off on weight gain during the holidays.

WHY do people think that because it’s the holiday season, they have carte blanche to eat their way into a food coma? I don’t get it. I’m not trying to be smug – I truly don’t understand. I would love to know how to get through to others and try to help them see how that mind-set is completely self-destructive.

Here’s what I hear. “I just can’t win during the holidays. Everybody at work brings in cookies and cakes, and the food is just too tempting. I have to try it all. It just looks so yummy. It all tastes so good and everybody else is eating and I don’t want to feel left out.”

Huh? Left out? Left out of what – heart disease, type II diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure? Left out of having clothes that fit and don’t cut you in half because you’re carrying too much body fat? Just a few things to think about.

Here’s what I’ve discovered. When many people are having that moment of “Oh my God, I’ve got to eat some of that”, I’m usually having the opposite moment of “Oh my God, you’re really going to eat that?”

So here’s what I want to know -- when you walk by the holiday platters or candy bowls at work or at a party, what is your thought process? Are you the one thinking, “I’VE GOT TO HAVE THAT!”
If so, then I challenge you to stop a minute and ask yourself why you feel you’ve got to have “it” and what reason is good enough to allow the indulgence. Because “everyone else is eating” or “because I know it is going to taste so good”, are not valid reasons. Am I suggesting not indulging at all? No. Just not through the whole season. Last time I checked, actual holidays are observed on a DAY, not a week or over a span of months. Go to parties and catch up with friends. But don’t hang out at the table and nibble for a couple of hours.
There are many emotions tied into this time of year. But please, don’t let food be your drug of choice. Think about what you’re doing. You’re not depriving yourself, you’re living up to the promise you made to live a healthier, more energetic life.

Eat sensibly and use the examples below to help guide you in your choices this season. Just because “it’s” there, doesn’t mean you’re obligated to eat “it.”

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Shana Ross Fitness is a private fitness training studio located in the Houston Heights. Focus on nutrition and exercise as the way to transform your health. Specialize in programs for baby boomers and menopausal women.

Please visit our website: www.ShanaRossFitness.com

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