Body-Wise
I was at a social gathering recently when a complete stranger approached me and asked if I was one of those lucky gals who could eat what I want, when I want. Mind you, I was sipping a glass of white wine and not eating a thing during this encounter. Anyway, I know very few women who fit that description. The sad fact is that my body needs far fewer calories a day than I wish it did.
Throughout this season of eating, I will offer a few of the habits I have cultivated to help keep me fit and trim—especially during the holidays. Here are three:
Don’t eat anything standing. This works, and it is as simple as it sounds. When I am fixing dinner, stocking groceries, cooking for a party, baking cookies, whatever it is, I don’t take a bite of anything if I am standing. If I truly feel compelled to taste that yummy broiled chicken, a spoonful of my neighborhood award-winning chili (honestly, I have a trophy and all), or a few of my homemade salad croutons ala Jacques Pepin, I swear to Peter that I put it on a plate and sit down. If I allowed it (or was unaware of it) I could eat a whole meal’s worth of calories at the kitchen counter. No eating and standing goes when I am at a party, too. That’s what wine glasses are for: To hold something while you chat. If I eat, I fix a plate, find a seat, and enjoy the experience. This leads to Tip 2.
The end. When I fix a plate of food—either at an informal gathering or at a sit-down affair or on a routine Tuesday evening—when I am done with that plateful, I am done. The end. No more. Mouth shut. Kitchen closed. They say the hardest exercise is the one where you push away from the table after one serving of food, and I agree it’s a tough one. But it is something I can consciously do. And, I believe what you do enough becomes habit. To make this a little easier, I often have a cup of hot peppermint tea at the ready at the end of my one plateful. Or I save a few sips of my dinner wine, sort of my dessert. Which ties right into Tip 3.
Dessert night. Wednesday is dessert night at our house. My kids pick what they want (almost always chocolate ice cream). We eat it sitting down, and when our bowl is done, the end. (See how beautifully it all fits together!) Our schedule gets knocked off a bit during the holidays, but the principle remains. We often decide ahead of time which event affords dessert, and boy do we enjoy. But then we don’t overdo it at other parties or dinners that week. My girls might have a cookie or two, but that’s it.
Thanksgiving is Thursday, and I will have all the foods I want, just not when I want or as much as I’d like.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/23/10 at 04:49 PM
