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12/26/2018 0 Comments Nutrition Trouble Spots - The Family Our families usually want the best for us, but often times they don’t understand that what works for them may not work for us. They question why we want to do things differently than they do, don’t understand why the way they do things isn’t “good enough”, and sometimes are afraid that changes we make in our lives may not leave as much room for them as they would like. Add that that family traditions that usually involve food and grandma’s great cooking courtesy of a pound of butter used daily, and family gatherings can get tense. A few things can help. First, if you are not staying there, eat beforehand and limit yourself to small nibbles and servings of the things you truly love. Second, if you are staying over, offer to do the grocery shopping or help with cooking. This gives you greater control over ingredients and preparation methods. Third, offer to plate dinner or suggest serving the meal buffet style. This allows you to make your plate look how you want it to look, and to make the best choices you can. Finally, if people really push as to why you are eating differently, be sincere about your goals and motivation, and ask for support.
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12/19/2018 0 Comments Nutrition Trouble Spots - The Party Parties often lead to dietary disappointments. There aren’t a lot of healthy options at most parties, alcohol is plentiful, and people may pressure you to act as they are. Here are a few ideas to help stay on track and have fun. First, eat beforehand. If you are already full, you will self regulate your food and drink consumption. Second, bring something yummy that you feel comfortable eating. I love veggies and dip, and make my own dip with fat free ranch dressing. Unless I eat all of the dip all by myself, that won’t get me off track. Third, club soda with lime is your friend. It looks like a drink and no one will ask you if you are drinking or not. Fourth, if it is polite to do so, arrive on the later side; always have an exit strategy. You can be social but it needn’t be five hours of temptation. Leave when you feel your willpower diminish. Finally, buddy up. If you know someone else attending has similar goals, stick together. A “no, thank you” is usually better received from two than one.
12/12/2018 0 Comments Nutrition Trouble Spots - The Office Offices are rife with problems for dieters. Between free food in the break room, forced socialization involving food for someone’s birthday/retirement/baby shower, that deadline that forces you to miss a workout or grab something that doesn’t fit your food goals, and peer pressure from coworkers to go out for food or drinks that aren’t part of your plans, your job can derail your fat loss goals. A few things can help. First, eat before going to work and before any work event, and have emergency rations just in case. Second, if there is a work event that involves food and you HAVE to go, plan what you will and won’t eat, feel free to say “no thank you, I just ate”, and stick to protein and veggies. Third, have an exit strategy to get out of the situation. During the workday, it might be an urgent message to return, or a project that needs to get out by the end of the day. At the end of the day, it can be other plans or a family commitment. Finally, if it is a HUGE event at work and you cannot get away from eating or drinking something you don’t really want, remember that a bite or two won’t derail you from meeting your goals.
12/5/2018 0 Comments When Can I Trust New Research? Back in October, several of my blog posts discussed how following the latest hyped research studies may not lead to the best results. Shortly thereafter, Greg Nuckols of MASS and Stronger By Science came out with a great article on how to determine whether a study’s findings can be trusted or not. It’s a bit dense, but I am linking to it because it is a great read. The Cliff Notes version? Look for three things before thinking about making changes to your nutrition or training based on a new study: replicability, consistency with the weight of prior research, and study design, including size, funding, and timing of when theories were developed.www.strongerbyscience.com/trust-research-findings/
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AuthorAmy Mariani is the owner of Fit & Fabulous LLC in Winchester, Massachusetts. She is also the nutrition coach at www.mountainstrength.com. Her mission is to help people eat healthy and love life. Archives
August 2020
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