My name is Catherine Morgan, I'm a writer, nurse, and mother. This is a blog about women's issues, health & wellness, inspirational thoughts, and other stuff too. If you like this blog, you will love BlogHer.com where I am also a contributing editor for Health & Wellness.
Find out all the places I blog at by going to catherine-morgan.com.
1. Avoid empty calories – Instead of drinking high calorie beverages, try drinking water with lemon. And limit alcohol whenever possible.
2. Try not to go to holiday parties hungry. When possible, eat a healthy meal before you attend the party. You will make much better food choices if you are not starving when you arrive to the party.
3. If you must indulge in holiday treats, remember that portion control is key. Just have one cookie, rather than a handful. Or have a small piece of pie, rather than a large piece. It’s okay to indulge, just try not to over-indulge.
4. Try making your favorite recipes healthier, just about every recipe has a healthy version.
5. Burn a few extra calories by having fun and dancing to your favorite holiday music. Don’t just listen to those holiday tunes, burn calories by dancing to them too. Kids love it when mom dances with them.
6. When possible, avoid stress. I know this is easier said then done, especially at this time of the year. But many of us are emotional eaters, and stress is an emotion that can really pack on the pounds. Do what ever possible to avoid stress.
7. Dress for success. Try to wear snug fitting clothing, it will make you more conscious of your food intake. And we usually look thinner when we’re not wearing clothes that are too bagging.
8. As always, avoid processed foods. Remember, you are what you eat.
Of course, I will be trying to stick to these tips as much as possible, but it’s easier to know the things we should be doing than it is to actually do them (at least for me). Here’s an example of one of my many healthy holiday eating dilemmas…
For Thanksgiving my son wanted me to make the pumpkin cheesecake that I made last year (everybody loved it), so I did. And since it’s a recipe lower in fat and calories, it seemed like it should be a healthy dessert choice — that was until I realized I couldn’t stop at just one serving (or even two for that matter). I guess you could say, I over did it a bit.
I know the best thing for me to do is to get over it and get back to making healthier choices. So instead of focusing on the negative, I’m going to follow my tips on the days I can, and not be too hard on myself on the days I can’t. I think that’s a pretty good plan.
What about you? Are you worried about holiday weight gain? Will you be trying to eat healthy over the next few weeks, or are you going to indulge your cravings and worry about it after the new year? I would love to know in comments.
Well, I’m here to admit that I was unsuccessful in my Choose You commitment. I don’t really consider it a failure though, because I did meet most of my goals. I’m very happy that I am finally at the point where I am not craving sweets and other junk foods.
I didn’t lose any weight, but I was successful in maintaining my healthier eating habits. I wasn’t even tempted when my daughter brought back a plate full of deserts when we went out last week.
I have no plans of giving up. My next Choose You commitment will be to continue my healthy eating while also integrating regular exercise (specifically swimming) into my plan. Although I hope to lose some weight in conjunction with all of this, I’m not going to hold myself to any number on a scale. If I lose five pounds that will be a great bonus, but I know the most important thing is that I am choosing a healthier lifestyle for myself.
I recently wrote a post about choosing to see the positive when we are working hard at weight-loss and fitness goals, but not seeing many results.
I find myself in the classic half-full or half-empty mark in my healthy eating plan. I can choose to see my plan as half empty, because I haven’t even lost one pound yet. Or I can choose to see my plan as half-full, because I have had success in eating healthier foods and avoiding sugar. In other words, I can choose to feel good about myself or choose to feel like a failure. It’s totally up to me. And I’ve decided to try something new, “choose” to feel good about myself and take a closer look at all the ways I’ve been successful.
Although I haven’t lost any weight yet, I have had the strength and willpower to maintain healthy eating habits (and give-up sugar) for over six weeks. In my book, that’s success.
Anyway, that’s my story. I’ll let you know more about my new commitment next week.
I’m happy to report that even with additional temptations this weekend [It was my mother's birthday and we got her an ice-cream cake, chocolate volcano cake, and cheese cake.] I was still successful in my goal to not eat sugar. It actually wasn’t hard at all to resist, I think because it’s been over two weeks, I’m just not craving the sugar the way I normally do. So that’s a plus!
Do you want to see the Birthday Dance of my mother that I made with the American Cancer Society’s new dance application? Here’s the link – Frances Ellen Disco Dancing (Feel free to tease her about it in comments, she loves all the attention).
OK, back to my post.
Since I was so successful with my first (two week) commitment, I decided to make a longer and more difficult commitment next. For the next six weeks I will be continuing to avoid sugar, but I will also eliminate high fat/calorie snacks and junk food, and lose 5 pounds.
That’s a lot…But you think I can do it, right?
So that’s my new commitment. Now for the giveaway.
Since I know my Choose You Commitment is going to get more and more difficult to stick with, I wanted to do something to increase my online support. It may sound silly, but I love getting comments of support and tips from my readers. And the more feedback I get, the more encouraged I get. So I asked the folks at the American Cancer Society if I could do a giveaway. Not only did they say yes, but they agreed to donate a Choose You Stainless Water Bottle and a Choose You Lapel Pin.
All you have to do is go to MY CHOOSE YOU BLOG POST and leave a comment on the post and you will be entered to win (I’ll announce the winner when I post next Tuesday). Any comment will do, but like I said in my first post… I could use all the support I can get from you.
Are you tired and sluggish all the time? If so, it could be something you’re eating (or not eating). Knowing what foods can help keep your energy up might be just what you need to get through your busy day.
Before we talk about what food are best, lets take a quick look at what you should try to avoid…
Stay away from “quick-fix” foods that contain a lot of sugar or caffeine (like candy bars, soda, and coffee). Although these may give you a quick spike in your energy level, that energy will rapidly bottom out leaving you feeling even more lethargic.
Energy drinks are particularly bad because of their high levels of caffeine and sugar. Energy drinks may also cause…
Nervousness
Irritability
Insomnia
Rapid Heart Rate
Increased Blood Pressure
Consuming high levels of salt may also contribute to a sluggish feeling.
Well, those are the things you should avoid, now let’s take a look at the foods with the most benefits. Try to focus on low-glycemic foods, because they release energy slowly. The best are foods high in complex carbohydrates and low in fat.
Whole Grains – These are high in fiber (which slow the breakdown and absorption of sugar) and complex carbohydrates, they also contain antioxidants similar to those in fruits and vegetables. In addition to increasing energy, whole grains are believed to reduce the risk of cancer, diabetes, and heart disease. For the most benefit, try to eat 6 or more servings of whole grains per day.
Oatmeal is a whole grain that is also beneficial for its high source of soluble fiber.
Foods high in protein but low in fat will also help keep your energy up…
Salmon is high in protein, and is also high in omega-3 fats that can also boost your cardiovascular health.
Beans are packed with protein, fiber, vitamins, and minerals.
Best fruits for increasing energy…
Bananas
Apples
Pears
Apricots
Watermelon
Berries
Top vegetable for increasing energy…
Spinach
Carrots
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Yams
Great energy snacks…
Almonds
Peanut Butter
Soy Nuts
Trail Mix
Don’t forget to drink plenty of water. Not only can dehydration lead to fatigue, but water also helps flush out toxins that can drain your energy.
Eating these high energy foods can have other benefits besides just reducing fatigue. When you avoid foods that cause fatigue and instead eat healthy high energy foods, you reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes, and possibly cancer. Eating these foods can also help you maintain a healthy weight. And don’t forget that you are the role model for the children in your life, you can teach them by example how to make healthy food choices.
We know that the food we choose to put into our body can have a huge affect on our health and quality of life, but many of us still choose to eat unhealthy foods. Let’s face it, the unhealthy stuff tastes really good, and we don’t usually have cravings for healthy food. That’s exactly why obesity is such a large problem for both adults and children in our country…But is dieting the answer? I don’t think so. As we all know, dieting can often lead to a roller coaster of weight loss and weight gain, that leaves many weighing more in the long run.
Would you like a little dog food and ammonia with your burger? -
Question. Would you eat dog food?
No?
What if it was mixed in with your hamburger meat? Would you eat it then?
What if I told you it wasn’t your choice? What if it was already in the burgers you are eating?
Don’t shoot the messenger. Anyway, it’s not like they are just putting dog food into your burger, they are adding ammonia first to kill off the E. coli. Well that’s a relief. And if the USDA says it’s safe, it shouldn’t matter whether you know about it or not. Right?
I don’t know how I missed this – It was in the New York Times back in December…
Eight years ago, federal officials were struggling to remove potentially deadly E. coli from hamburgers when an entrepreneurial company from South Dakota came up with a novel idea: injecting beef with ammonia.
No worries though…The USDA says it’s a perfectly safe way to turn fatty slaughterhouse trimmings (once sold as dog food) into burgers from your favorite fast food joint, grocery chains, and even school lunches.
Yes, you heard right. Rather than make dog food out of this otherwise trash, it’s now being processed into food for you and me (and our kids). What are the poor dogs going to eat? And how long will it be before we are all eating that too?
And get this…The USDA has exempted this new beef product from its mandatory E. coli testing, based on studies done by the same company making millions selling this disgusting stuff.
Is it possible to eat cookies and lose weight? Well, Dr. Sanford Siegal would certainly like you to think so. After all, at $56 for a week’s supply, Dr. Siegal is going to make an estimated $18 million this year selling his weight-loss cookies. It’s called The Cookie Diet, and if you like cookies it may sound like a great way to lose weight. But is it?
Usually, if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is too good to be true. And apparently the first deception about this diet is calling it a cookie. The word “cookie” implies that it’s a yummy treat, but it seems everyone agrees they don’t taste very good. Also, the meal-plan for the cookie diet restricts the dieter to only one meal a day, and less than 1000 calories. Anytime you restrict calories that low, weight-loss is inevitable (with or without the cookie).
A friend of mine tried these cookies because someone she worked with seemed to have lost quite a bit of weight using them. But she told me the cookies were very dry and not tasty at all. She also said she would never buy them again, because they didn’t work. When I asked her about the co-worker that had lost so much weight using the cookies, she mentioned that she saw the guy recently, and he had gained all the weight back.
Avoiding Candy Cravings During Halloween and Sticking To A Healthy Diet
I have been successfully off of sugar since my post Conquering Sugar Addiction: The First Step Towards A Healthy Diet (and the toughest), but I know I am always just one bite of a brownie away from falling off the wagon. And now there is another huge temptation – Halloween. It seems like everywhere I go I am faced with those giant bags of Halloween candy. The next few weeks are going to be a real test of my new-found willpower.
It’s nice to know I’m not the only one struggling with Halloween candy temptations.
I don’t normally recommend products on my blogs, but as a person suffering with chronic illness I know how important it is to share information that could benefit others. I started using these products about a year ago, in the hope of boosting my immune system, and increasing my energy. I believe it has done both of these things and more, I just feel so much better on the days that I use this product than on the days I don’t.
This product has the potential of benefiting your health in so many ways…And for anyone looking to generate an income, the company also offers a very simple way to do that too.
These products have really increased my quality of life.
It’s by a company called Isagenix. They have many products but I’ve been using three.
The first one is a nutritional shake. They come in Vanilla and Chocolate (and they actually taste good). Even though it is “technically” a meal replacement, I often use it as a supplement between healthy meals.
The shake contains 23 grams of the highest quality New Zealand whey and casein protein from grass-fed cows with no added hormones or antibiotics, as well as filling fiber, calcium and vitamins to support the body’s vital functions.
This perfectly balanced shake also contains Ionic Alfalfa™, our proprietary blend of 70 super-charged minerals, trace minerals and alfalfa juice. Active enzymes in each serving helps maximize the absorption of key nutrients.
Eating healthy and trying to maintain a healthy weight are important for our overall well being. But there is now growing evidence that eating anti-inflammatory foods can reduce symptoms of chronic illness and even prevent heart disease.
This is a diet plan that just about everyone can benefit from. And although this is not a weight loss diet, many people do lose weight simply because they are replacing unhealthy foods with healthier anti-inflammatory foods. The best part is…Many people begin to see benefits (such as reduced pain) within just a few weeks.
There was an interesting article this week in TIME magazine – Getting Real About The High Cost of Cheap Food. The article goes into detail about the harmful effects of cheap food on our environment, our finances, and ourselves.
Hope you’re enjoying your start to the week. I just wanted to draw everyone’s attention to Time Magazine’s very excellent cover article this week. It details the true cost–economic, medical, cultural, environmental–of mass-produced and processed food, and it’s worth reading and sending to your loved ones A.S.A.P. The article probably won’t tell you anything you didn’t learn from Food, Inc. or The Omnivore’s Dilemma, but it’s powerful, succinct, and uncompromising. Most importantly, it’s a huge sign of progress that major newsweeklies are spreading word about the true cost of cheaply produced, high-protein diets.
Sunday marks the first day of summer…How are you feeling about getting into your bathing suit? Personally, I was hoping to be in a little better shape by now. Even though I’ve been successful at getting closer to my ideal weight, I’ve been playing one step forward and two steps back for the last several weeks.
Since I know I’m not the only mom out there struggling to eat healthy and lose weight, I’m not going to give up. I’m determined to have my Valerie Bertinelli moment, and it would be great if I could get to it sometime this summer. And yes, I do have a plan. It involves a few of the things that have already worked for me, and a couple of new (somewhat unconventional) ideas too.
I’m not implying that any of YOU need to lose weight but if you ever need some inspiration to keep your eye on the ball and your ass in gear, just put on your bathing suit and look in the mirror. This is especially important if you’re putting on your bathing suit for the first time since it got warm. The impact will be much greater. But possibly more depressing, too. Consider yourself warned.
Then? Repeat EVERY SINGLE DAY so you never, ever become complacent or forget that you have NOT reached your goal…mostly because you sit in front of your computer all day. Ahem.
Most weight loss and diet bloggers do a lot of weekly update posts. I haven’t since going back to Weight Watchers earlier this year and starting on their Momentum Plan. You know why? Because reading that I’ve lost 1 pound here, or gained a few pounds back there, is boring.
Well, it’s beyond boring to me that is. In fact, it’s downright maddening.
I know I’m going to need to shake things up a bit if I’m going to get back in the swing of things. So, here is my plan…
First, something new – I’m going to take the advice of Violette DeSantis from Type-A Mom and try eating a Horned Melon (hopefully they aren’t too expensive)…
If we are not eating right our efforts at dieting and exercise are complemented with fatigue. Truth is we are more apt to work at eating right and continuing on a course of fitness when we have energy and less frustration. One remedy to fight fatigue is iron and a favorite source for most of us is melon. What usually comes to mind is our summer favorite, watermelon but let’s discover a new melon that packs a wallop of iron, the horned melon.
Yes, it looks scary; a puffer fish on a vine. I promise it won’t bite back.
Second, something old – I’m going to get more exercise to try to increase my metabolism, as suggested by Workout Mommy – Simple Ways To Lose Weight…
Instead of spending your free time on the couch, walk around and get a few household chores done as you keep an eye and an ear on the television. Instead of taking the elevator, use the stairs. Park at the end of the lot so that you need to walk longer to get to the office or your home. And get down to enjoy some rambunctious fun with your kids. These are small things, they’re certainly not what we would call exercise, but they do increase your metabolism and help you lose weight.
And third, something unconventional – I’m going to try a subliminal weight loss program that I received a few months ago. I listened to it a few times, but never committed to using it every day. But starting tonight, I’m going to give it a real try.
I’m hoping these subliminal messages will help keep me motivated to make healthy food choices and say “no” to the empty calories and angry whoppers. I’ll keep a journal for the next month so I can report back to everyone on whether it actually worked or not.
So that’s my plan, and I’m going to try really hard to stick to it. Do you have any plans for staying healthy or losing weight this summer? Will you be trying any unconventional weight loss methods? Does the thought of being seen in a bathing suit affect your desire to get into better shape? Let me know in comments.
Have you ever wondered how the foods we choose to eat each day effects our carbon footprint? You might be surprised to find out just how much it does.
But, do we all have to start growing our own food and become vegetarians to save our planet?
No. Even if we just make one or two changes in our eating and purchasing habits, we can each begin to make a positive impact on our environment. So…I’m going to give you several tips on little things we can all do to help us get on the path to greener eating.
Before we do that, lets take some time to address how our food choices are affecting our carbon footprint. Here is an interesting tool to help you calculate the carbon footprint of your diet…
Stalker Diet Detective Ambushes Overweight Women For Reality TV Show
Yes, you heard right. There is a new show on We-TV that has many women (including myself) up in arms – It’s called I Want To Save Your Life. But what could be so bad about a show that wants to save lives? Well, it gives the impression it is a kind of “intervention” type show…but it’s really an attack on women who are overweight.
This show is wrong on so many levels that I barely know where to start. Below is a promo clip of this pathetic excuse for reality tv.
I did happen to see this show last week, and it was quite shocking. I think the worst part about it is how family members (in the case I saw it was the husband), basically “rat out” the women and allow this guy to stalk them and then confront them about their weight and diet on reality tv. I don’t know who is worse, the stalker nutritionist or the husband who rats out his wife?
Kirstie Alley on Oprah Talking About Her Weight Gain
Did you see Kirstie Alley on Oprah? She was on to talk about her weight gain, and her desire to develop her own weight loss program. The interview wasn’t at all what I expected. She talked to Oprah about spending this past year researching weight loss (for her soon to be announced weight loss program), while gaining even more weight than she had lost on Jenny Craig. It was a bit odd.
One of the biggest questions I got from my post on Valerie Bertinelli’s recent weight loss, was about whether or not she will be able to keep it off once she stops the Jenny Craig diet. It seems that if Kirstie Alley is any example, the answer might be no.
What do you think?
I’ve known for a while now that Kirstie Alley had gained back all of the weight she lost on the Jenny Craig diet, and I have no judgment of her about that. After all, most of us spend a good portion of our lives gaining, losing, and gaining again. I’m no exception. I just don’t understand why she didn’t seem to make any attempt at all to maintain her weight loss? Even moving all of her high-end exercise equipment to her garage. Why? She obviously had the means to hire people to cook healthy meals for her, or trainers to work-out with her. Why didn’t she? I think I could understand a little better if she wasn’t also claiming to be developing her own weight loss program. I just don’t get it.
Understanding why we overeat is an important step on the road to making healthy food choices. And for many of us, our unhealthy emotions are contributing to our unhealthy eating.
It’s called being an emotional eater. Are you one of them? I can admit…I am. I think if we are being honest with ourselves, we all do this to some degree. And in small doses, emotional eating isn’t so bad. But many of us have gone way beyond minor emotional eating. Many of us are using food to avoid dealing with our true feelings…and not only doesn’t it work, but it also compounds are troubles with feelings of guilt and anger toward ourselves.
I think if you work hard at it, it is possible to eat healthy at some fast food restaurants. But to do this you also have to find the willpower to see those giant pictures of burgers and fries all around, and still choose to buy the less attractive healthy item. It’s not always easy, and recently it’s become a real problem for me.
After doing well at making healthy food choices and even losing weight, a few weeks ago I fell off the wagon. It’s so bad that I am actually afraid to get on the scale to see the extent of the damage. The crazy thing is, I’m not a fast food junkie (or at least I never was), but something called an Angry Whopper is turning me into a total addict. Seriously, I feel totally out of control. The worst part is, it was just a whim that I even tried this stupid thing in the first place, and every day since I have been wishing I could turn back time and replay that decision.
I really need to get a handle on this, and even though I know it is sooooo bad for me to eat these things, something is just not clicking. Ironically, it was about two years ago that I developed a similar problem with a Natcho Cheese Chalupa at Taco Bell. I think the turning point for me with the Chalupa was when I actually looked up the nutritional value (or lack there of).
Would you like to live to 100 years and beyond? Dr. Oz and other medical experts believe that a calorie restriction diet can help people to live longer with a higher quality of life. The calorie restriction diet also focuses on consuming calories that provide a high nutritional value, not just low calorie.
Many claim that a Calorie Restriction Diet is the answer to living longer. Personally, I don’t get the whole “extreme life extension” thing – It’s just so the opposite of living in the moment and that’s really not for me. And it’s not just a diet, it’s literally a lifestyle, one that I’m just not that into. But I do admit, there are aspects of this lifestyle that could be helpful to anyone interested in making better food choices and generally living healthier.
Is it possible to eat cookies and lose weight? Well, Dr. Sanford Siegal would certainly like you to think so. After all, at $56 for a week’s supply, Dr. Siegal is going to make an estimated $18 million this year selling his weight-loss cookies. It’s called 
I have been successfully off of sugar since my post 
Here are three easy tips that can help anyone become a healthier version of themselves.
