Bye Bye Holidays and Holiday Eating

Bye Bye Holidays

Hoping everyone had a fun, fantastic, exciting and relaxing mix of Holiday eventfulness or lack thereof. Whatever it was that you did, that it most suited your moods and needs. Since the holidays were shortened into one compact week, Saturday to the next weeks Sunday, there was no time to languish. You had to seize that holiday time with both hands and feet to get the most out of it.

Holidays for me mean visiting family, since they live in another country (Canada) this is only a biannual event and therefore more meaningful. I have to inhale everyone to their essence and then painfully let go. Because it's a large family it takes concentration and a lot of energy, especially because there are a growing number of children and I certainly don't want to miss any of the details of their development. I also want them to remember me meaningfully until the next time I see them in six months. Holiday shopping helps.

With family being the central focus of the holidays all the other holiday concerns melt away. Though in the end after we arrived back in New York and I stepped back on my weight scale and I realized something very important. I'm sure you remember my first "diet" experiment which was ' Atkins' and its terrible results. I have since brought the carbs back into my daily regime focusing once again on healthy, whole grains, veggies galore plus lean proteins. Also I am trying to eat more meals with smaller portions for blood sugar regulation, meaning no blood sugar spikes that trigger insulin which triggers cortisol causing fat storage around the abdomen. I can usually make time for four meals a day. So this years results from Holiday foods were astounding because my weight hadn't changed at all. Whereas last year when I had stopped the Atkins I had gained four pounds over the holidays. Here's the reason why I had such different results. It wasn't because this time around I was more disciplined and controlled. It also wasn't because I avoided food. It was because my body was used to the carbs which are a necessary component of daily nutrients so I didn't have this overreaction with water retention to the extra carbs. I have to tell you here that my brothers wife Bonnie is an amazing cook. I strongly adviced her to share her gifts and take up her talents professionally. Anything she made I had to try because I knew how fantastic it would be. Though I admit she uses sugar and some kind of white flour and butters I allow anything she makes into my stomach because it is glorious and therefore has to be good for me. I know its not rational but the scale doesn't lie and I gained not a pound. I also had only a few days of eating these foods but enough to have done damage last year.

Another part of the mysterious weight patterns is that once my body got used to the carbs again with a healthy balanced regime, my metabolism found its homeostasis, a set point where the body wants to stay. Yes it's a couple pounds over where I was when on Atkins but it is now healthy and balanced and amazingly easy to maintain?as my Holiday experience showed. Workouts? Well okay I squeezed in a couple, I wasn't sedentary and walked outside with my mother in eight inches of snow and howling winds for an hour one day. Which I couldn't have done while on Atkins due to lack of energy.

Now I'm not telling you to go out with reckless abandon and eat whatever tastes good. In your day to day routine discipline and control tempered with regular exercise are your mainstays to health, fitness and keeping young. The good thing about eating carbs is that during Holidays you can kick your feet up, enjoy yourself, relax and make the most of what life has to offer.

DEBORAH is a highly respected authority in personal training for overall health and fitness, with more than 22 years of experience and success. Her credentials include...

Currently licensed Registered Nurse specializing in Rehabilitative Nursing Medical Exercise Therapist: certified by AAHFRP, an internationally recognized physical rehabilitation certification Maternity Specialist Pre & Post Natal certified by Maternal Fitness Personal Fitness Specialist: certified by NASM, an internationally recognized certification Yoga Teacher Professional Health Member, National Organization of Fitness Instructors (IDEA), a leading membership organization of health and fitness professionals Deborah Caruana RN, AAHRFP, NASM, ACE. http://www.vitalsignsfitness.com email deb@vitalsignsfitness.com call 212-677-3185 Get Free Fitness Tips, Strategies and Secrets from a recognized expert at my web site: http://www.Vitalsignsfitness.com

---

(Fitness) Health Thoughts, Living on the Health Minimum Wage?

Random thoughts taken from valuable sources, what many nutrition experts... Read More

The Anti-Aging Wonders of Hyaluronic Acid

ABC News has recently focused on the possible anti-aging benefits... Read More

Understanding Nutrition

With the release of the new dietary guidelines, in the... Read More

Physical Health is Attainable Through Proper Nutrition and Exercise

Obesity is epidemic in this country for both children and... Read More

Dieting -- The Basic of Meal Planning

BASIC MEAL & MENU PLANNINGAs a basis for meals and... Read More

Good Eggs -- Rediscover The Simple Pleasures of Eggs!

Health food or heart attack on a plate? Eggs had... Read More

The 9 Most Common Mistakes to Avoid When Reading a Food Label

NutrientsFat, Sugar, Sodium and CarbohydrateThe sections on a food label... Read More

Protein - The Denominator Customary to All Diets

The Human Body is in a constant flux with the... Read More

Odd Fact or Oxymoron: Learning How To Cook Will Help You Drop a Few Pounds and Gain a Few Friends

Finding simple ways to reduce my waistline is always a... Read More

The Power of Capsulized Foods

For most people, the concept of capsulized food? usually conjures... Read More

What is Organic Food?

"Organic" has some quite specific legal definitions in most developed... Read More

Alternative Therapies for Acid Reflux Disease

Acid Reflux Disease, or GERD, is a common disease which... Read More

Take Back Your Life 7

In parts 1-6 of this series of articles titled "Take... Read More

Principles of The Zone Diet Plan

The Zone Diet has been around since around 1995, when... Read More

Is It Possible To Follow a Strict Diet Program and Still Have A Normal Lifestyle?

Following a diet program of any sort can sometimes be... Read More

Nutrition - Its Whats Eating You That Counts

"It's not what you eat, it's what's eating you that... Read More

Ginger 4 Spleen - A Love Story!

For all I prefer to buy my fresh produce at... Read More

Chew Your Food

I am going to share with you possibly the most... Read More

Getting More Minerals From Your Fruits and Vegetables

Before the thirties, people knew the importance of mineral. Their... Read More

Summer Sun Cures

With summer comes more sun and with more sun comes... Read More

Let Your Freezer Be Your Ally!

Most recipes end with instructions to "serve immediately." You could... Read More

How to Have Great Sex - Nutrition and Foods That Create Passion

Is the thrill gone? Has the thrill gone out of... Read More

The Sneak Attack of Trans- Fats

If you are like most people, you are probably confused... Read More

Factors that Affect the Nutritional Requirements of an Individual.

The factors that affect the nutritional requirements of an individual... Read More

Autism and ADHD Linked to Child Vaccines

In a study review conducted by David A. Geier, B.A.... Read More

Fasting & Enemas...For A Clean Body Detox

A hundred years ago, life was very different here on... Read More

Vegetarian Lifestyle

Being vegetarian is one of the greatest things in the... Read More

Introduction to Detox Diets

Detoxifying the body has become an apparent key preventative measure... Read More

Capsulized Food: The Next Step in Food Evolution

Anyone who has spent a day fasting from food, or... Read More

9 Tips to Stop Food Cravings and Help You With Your Diet

Most of us are "regular" people. We don't eat the... Read More

Beans - The Perfect Food?

Beans. Legumes. Pulses. Whatever you call this plant group, they... Read More

pH and Weight Loss

THE RISKNo doubt you've heard of the increasingly popular "raw... Read More

Understanding Amino Acids and their Importance in Diet

The importance of protein in a healthy diet is well... Read More