I'm a Mall Walker!

I've needed to get back into exercising a long time ago, like about 5 yrs ago when I had our first son. But since he's been going to preschool, i've recently started walking at the mall. I know the first thing I thought of was,"I'm going to be the youngest person that goes to the mall to get exercise." It's really not that bad and I have seen others younger than myself. Crazy I know but I have to get started, again!

A New Start

Any health related new year's resolutions?  Lets hear them!

Happy Holidays

I copied this article straight from the Fitness Ridge Blog.

With Thanksgiving this week as well as Christmas right around the corner, some of you may be worried about how to fit it all in with your weight loss goals. The important thing to remember is PORTION SIZES. I really feel like holidays should be filled with yummy foods without guilt. If you want the pie, eat the pie. If you want the potatoes, eat the potatoes. Just be sure to watch the amount. Also, decide if it is worth it. Everyday goodies like store bought cookies or crackers may not be what you want to splurge on. Instead, save room for your Grandma's famous pumpkin pie that may only come once a year!


Here are the Facts:

Nutritional Facts for Traditional Holiday Foods


Turkey, 4 oz= 130 calories, 5 g fat

Glazed Baked Ham, 4 oz= 140 calories, 4 g fat

Gravy, 1/4 cup= 50 calories, 2 g fat

Potatoes, mashed, 1 cup= 250 calories, 9 g fat

Sweet potatoes, mashed, 1 cup= 258 calories, 1 g fat

Stuffing, 1/2 cup= 180 calories, 9 g fat

Green Bean Casserole, 3/4 cup= 160 calories, 10 g fat

Cranberry sauce, 1/4 cup= 110 calories, 0 g fat

Roll, 1 small= 120 calories, 1 g fat

Egg Nog, 1 cup= 360 calories, 20 g fat

Gingerbread cookie, 1 small= 190 calories, 3 g fat

Sugar cookie, 1 small= 165 calories, 9 g fat

Fudge, 1 oz= 140 calories, 4 g fat

Pecan pie, 1/8th of 9” pie= 508 calories, 29 g fat

Apple pie, 1/8th of 9” pie= 400 calories, 20 g fat

Pumpkin pie, 1/8th of 9” pie= 316 calories, 14 g fat

Fruit cake, 2 inch square = 140 calories, 4 g fat

Here is a sample meal for 800 calories. You can adjust if you would like to eat less but this is a reasonable amount for a holiday meal.

4 oz Turkey = 130 calories

1/2 cup Mashed Potatoes = 125 calories

2 tbsp Gravy = 25 calories

1/2 cup Stuffing = 180 calories

1 small Roll = 120 calories

2 tbsp Cranberry Sauce = 60 calories

1/2 slice pumpkin pie = 160 calories


While I don't believe in sacrificing on holidays, you should be aware that the average holiday dinner alone can have about 3,000 calories and most people will also munch away another 1,500 from appetizers and drinks before the meal even starts. Combined, that will be about 4,500 calories, which is more than 2 1/4 times the average daily calorie intake and almost 3 1/2 times the fat. In fact, the average person may eat enough fat in one holiday meal to equal three sticks of butter! Here are a few tips to help you stay a bit more on track.



1. Don’t skip meals! If you have learned nothing else from me, I hope you will at least do that. Starving yourself will result in a lower metabolic rate and will make you ravenous for food which will result in eating more than you may have planned. (Remember the hunger scale and don’t get below a “3”!)

2. Start meals with a salad, veggies or a broth based soup. Research shows when meals are started with high volume, low calorie foods such as these, people tend to eat 12% less calories than they otherwise would have.

3. Eat lower fat and reduced calorie foods for the days in advance of the holiday feast and for the days after.

4. Build your plate to be 1/2 fruits and vegetables, 1/4 lean proteins and 1/4 whole grains. Remember those balanced meals!

5. Avoid recreational eating. While some foods are more calorie-dense than others, no food will make you gain weight unless you eat too much of it. At parties and holiday dinners, people tend to eat (or keep eating) beyond their body’s physical hunger simply because food is there and eating is a “social thing.” (Remember the hunger scale!) To avoid recreational eating, consciously make one plate of the foods you really want. Eat it slowly and enjoy it. When you’re done, pop a mint or stick of gum in your mouth, get a tall glass of water and sip on it throughout the night. Position yourself away from the food as well.

6. Prepare for handling your worst temptations; if you want a piece of pumpkin pie, tell yourself you can have some and just watch the portion size. Remember, telling yourself you can’t or shouldn’t could lead to preoccupation and binges with that particular food.

7. If cooking, provide low-fat, low-calorie foods or ask if you can bring a side dish. You can cut back on fat by 1/2 and sugar by 1/3 and still get good results when cooking or baking. Roasting root vegetables can make a great healthy side dish. Make stuffing with wild rice or whole grain bread. Take the skin of the turkey breast. Mash cauliflower instead of potatoes. Provide a nice tray of fresh veggies and dip. Bring whole grain dinner rolls. Limit condiments, sauces and gravies. All of these will add up!

8. Make traditions with family and friends that have nothing to do with food. Take a walk, play games, or compete in a Thanksgiving Day Turkey Bowl! Celebrate what the holidays are really about!

9. Remember that the holidays are truly only 3 days, Thanksgiving, Christmas (or Kwanzaa or Chanukah which is 8 days) and New Year’s. Three days of indulging a little is not enough to do too much damage. It is the vicious cycle of not enough exercise and too many calories for the 3 or 4 months during the holidays that causes weight gain during this time of year.

10. Sign up for a 5K or fitness walk to keep your mind focused on fitness goals. Keep up with your exercise during the holidays and try to be even more active to offset the extra calories.

11. Limit alcoholic, carbonated and sugary beverages. Have one if you must and then switch to water. Remember, it is easy to overdo on calories in liquid form.

12. Keep minimal snacks and goodies on hand. Only bake enough to give away or for a party. Out of sight, out of mind!

13. And finally, it may be more realistic to focus on weight maintenance rather than weight loss during the holidays. If you can continue to lose weight that is great but don’t give yourself unrealistic expectations.

What holiday tricks work for you?

...and above all, HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Emily Fonnesbeck RD,CD

Diet Update

So its been about 7 weeks since my husband and I started our diet and we're so excited about the results! The first 3 weeks is the losing period and then the next 6 weeks after that is the maintenance period. During the first 3 weeks it was very strict on the amounts of food, what we could eat, and when we could eat...No sugars and starches and even the types of vegetables we could have. The first 3 weeks of the maint. you still can't have any sugars or starches but you can eat more of a variety, and eat until your full....no more weighting everything. For desserts we were able to have sugar free pudding with sugar free cool whip or sugar free/fat free frozen yogurt with fruit. It was so nice to finally get a treat...If any of you know me, you know how I am with my sugar! :)I thought I would really miss my soda pop but I haven't at all...just missed the treats. During the first 3 weeks I lost 13 pounds (which is right where I wanted to be) and my husband lost 28!! WAHOO! I'm back to pre-baby weight and he is back to pre-wedding weight! He is loving all the attention he is getting about his weight loss (you'll never catch him admit it though). Everyone says he looks so much younger. The only place I thought I was losing was in my belly but my brothers tell me they see it in my face too. (that was new to me, I didn't think my face was chubby) That's the first place I saw a difference in my husband is his face. During the last 3 weeks of maint. you can start slowly adding sugars and starches back in. I had a turkey hoagie yesterday for lunch and since I haven't had bread in over 6 weeks it was by far the best sandwich I've ever eaten!!! The first week of all this was by far the hardest thing either of us chose to do. It was mentally, and physically draining! I will admit that on day 7 we broke down and cheated. We were both so weak we could barely get out of bed, and just couldn't focus and function. We went to Arctic Circle and I got chicken fingers (I only could get 2 down before I was too full)and he got a taco salad. Immediately upon eating, we felt completely normal again, and were able to go back to the diet. After that, it has flown by and was completly worth it. I would totally do it all over again. I am also happy to report that my sister in-law who did this diet before and lost 50 pounds, is back on it again and has lost another 20...so proud of her!

Any Takers?

Does anyone know of a personal trainer that would trade for massage?

Any Takers?

Does anyone know of a personal trainer that would trade for massage?

Brain!!!!!

Here is a great article about exercise and the brain- http://www.marksdailyapple.com/the-fit-brain/#more-14427. I am a firm believer that regular exercise is beneficial to your brain.