by kelsey | Nov 29, 2012 | Weight Management
The holidays can bring out a variety of emotions and when food is at every holiday party or gathering, it can be challenging to practice portion control and make good choices. The first step in overcoming emotional eating is to recognize what emotions cause you to eat more. Keeping a food log that includes your feelings and emotions in relationship to your intake will help you increase your awareness. Once you know what is causing the urge to overeat, the next step is to figure out how to avoid or overcome that situation or feeling. Think about what needs to change in your life to break the pattern of emotional eating, how can you reduce your stress, and channel your energy in another direction that is away from food. If certain foods are more tempting to you, then do not buy them or keep them in your home. If you slip up from time to time, do not get down on yourself! Instead, overcome it and get back on track the next meal or snack and examine each fall back as a way to find out more about what is causing your emotional eating. Exercise is also helpful as it produces natural endorphins that boost mood, so next time you get the urge, get moving!
-Kelsey
by kelsey | Nov 28, 2012 | Etc.
Well it’s difficult to write this, but Dr. Dan and I have a case of writer’s block and we need your help!! We use this blog to educate and inform our patients and STRIVE participants about diet and exercise topics you want to learn more about. Please helps us overcome writer’s blog and tell us what you want to learn more about! It can be anything related to health, wellness, diet, and exercise…we want to hear from you! You can email us at strive2survive@brownclinic.org, comment on the blog or Facebook, or call us! This is your opportunity to get free advice from experts in the field and learn more about ways to improve your wellness!
We look forward to hearing from you!!
-Kelsey & Dr. Dan
by kelsey | Nov 27, 2012 | Etc.
Even though we are in the middle of the holiday season, we are already planning for the New Year with our Winter STRIVE 2 Survive program planned to kick off on January 8th. The results are still coming in for our fall session and so far we have seen incredible improvements in weight, cholesterol, blood sugars, blood pressure, and overall health! The common feedback we are getting is that STRIVE 2 Survive has really helped them learn how to make healthy choices and implement the education gained into their everyday lives. In addition, Dr. Dan has helped inspire them all to be more active. Even though it’s a month away, we encourage you to consider making plans to start the New Year in a great way by putting YOU and your HEALTH first by signing up for STRIVE 2 Survive! I encourage you to check out the dates of the lectures in our “calendar” tab and contact me if you have any questions or desire additional information. We are looking forward to another great group of people as we work together to STRIVE 2 Survive!
-Kelsey
strive2survive@brownclinic.org
884-4226
by Dan | Nov 23, 2012 | Exercise, Holidays
Here is our Brown Clinic float for the Lighted Parade here following Thanksgiving. Very cold out, but the wind had gone way down. It was nice to get out and walk, and was much easier to stay warm moving. All in all, it was a good turn out again this year. Our theme this year was “Have a yabba-dabba-do Christmas” with the Flinstones characters. The Flinstones car is sitting in the trailer here.
Here we are. Pebbles, Bam Bam, Wilma, Betty, and Fred. Our float won for “Most Original”. It was a scramble to get set before the judging. Our generator went out when we pulled up in line, and we had to go find someone with another one, but got it set up in time. It is always a good time to start off following Thanksgiving.
Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day #: 1784
by kelsey | Nov 21, 2012 | Holidays
Happy Thanksgiving to you! The Thanksgiving holiday is always a fun one enjoyed by all as we stuff ourselves and then resort to the couch to watch football or the start of the holiday tv shows. Here are some tips for you to get through the holiday without putting on all those undesired extra pounds.
- Survey the entire table before you take any food. Decide what foods are worth eating and what can be ignored, and then stick to that decision. Why waste calories on foods that don’t bring you pleasure?
- Eat a snack before you leave home. If you arrive at a party starving, you’ll be more likely to overindulge.
- Eat your calories instead of drinking them. Stick to lower calorie or calorie-free drinks (diet sodas, water, light beer, or wine spritzer) instead of punches, eggnogs, and mixed drinks that can have up to 500 calories per cup.
- Sip a large glass of water between every alcoholic drink or non-alcoholic punch or eggnog. This will help keep you hydrated and you’ll drink fewer calories by the end of the night.
- When you are the host or hostess, include nutritious and lower-calorie foods like fruits, vegetables, and lean meats on the menu. When you are a guest, bring along a lower-calorie dish to share.
- Try not to hang out near the food. Find a comfortable spot across the room and focus on people instead of eating.
- Watch your portion sizes. Don’t cover your plate completely with food. In most cases, especially when it comes to holiday sweets and alcoholic beverages, less is better. Use a smaller plate or bowl.
- Drop out of the “clean plate club”. Leave a few bites behind every time you eat, especially if you are eating something you don’t really care for.
- Enjoy your favorite holiday treats but take a small portion, eat slowly, and savor the taste and texture of the wonderful foods of the season.
- Skip the pie crust and go for the filling.
- Choose light meat over dark meat.
- Use home-made cranberry sauce over canned cranberries that are jam packed with added sugars.
- In soups, sauces, puddings, and desserts: Replace whole milk or cream with low-fat milk, evaporated fat-free milk, or nonfat dry milk.
Lighten up your recipes:
- To make dips and toppings: Use low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese or sour cream.
- To make salad dressings: Use nonfat yogurt or low-fat buttermilk.
- In place of 1 whole egg in recipes: Use 2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute.
- In place of regular cheese: Use fat-free or reduced-fat cheese
More importantly is ENJOY your family and friends and all that have to the THANKful for!
-Kelsey
