Tips to Stay on Track
November 15, 2010 by Caley
The holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year! I love all the traditions, lights, colors, decorations, parties, etc. But as of late, I’ve been getting nervous about this year…
1. Don’t worry about the turkey. Turkey is one of the leanest meats and when cooking with it, don’t forget to use a rack, the fat will drip off and stay away from it as it cooks. Also, stick with the whiter meat, the darker meat is less lean.
2. Don’t go to the party hungry or you’ll definitely be asking for trouble. Have a healthy snack before you go so you don’t feel the need to fill up on sweets. Fiber snacks are great because they make you feel full.
3. “Forget the D-word. Attempting a strict diet plan when you’re not truly committed can cause you to binge”. Focus on small portion sizes and consistent, daily physical activity.
{Tips 1-3: article found HERE.}
4. WebMD has a great slide show with tips to stay on track. Some include: drink plenty of water, be choosy about night-time snacks, and eat mini meals throughout the day. To see the other 20, click HERE.
Now, some tools.
These 2 diet trackers are some of the best for keeping track of your calories and goals…and they’re FREE!
1. SparkPeople.com is a great place to start if you have no idea where to begin. When you sign up you enter your weight, goals, allergies, workout habits, etc…and they customize a meal plan and workout plan around YOU! They have videos, articles, and also a community to help you reach your goals! It’s completely free and a great site {if you don’t mind all the ads}.
2. Myfitnesspal.com is a more simple program. You also enter your weight, goals, and workout habits when you begin, but it doesn’t create meal or workout plans for you. It tracks what you enter in: your calories eaten and calories burnt. They have thousands of different foods so it’s easy to find exactly what you ate. I prefer this site because it is so easy to use and I can invite my friends to see my goals and successes. The homepage reminds me of facebook. {Don’t worry, your friends only see the good stuff!} But, it’s nice to be able to leave messages to encourage each other along {which makes a big difference on the hard days!}
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I really hope these tips help you as they’ve helped me! I’m no longer nervous that I’m going to fail and these tools have got me motivated to stick with it!
And, if you have any other tips that help you to stay on track, PLEASE SHARE! It’s so much easier when we’re all in this together!
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Ahhh, just in time!!! You have, once again, made my day! Oh, how I love How Does She!
.-= Jen @ Passion-for-Parties.com´s last blog ..Toy Story Birthday Cake =-.
I am so glad you posted this! I have been fretting over the whole diet thing too. Last year I was pregnant so I didn’t worry as much, but now that I am not prego it’s nice to have a plan. A couple other good apps that I have on my ipod are Daily Burn (this is also connected to a website and facebook) and I also love everydayhealth.com. They have tons of info. I have an app for my ipod called the snack app and it has been great. It gives you tons of snack ideas that are 50, 100, or 200 calories. Usually it is food I already have so it is super helpful. Thanks again! Looking forward to Part II.
Thanks Lady!
Thanks Caley!!! These are good tips to know! You are awesome!
With the New Year just around the corner I’m starting to freak out about that resolution too. I hope I can stay focused. I started going to a moms fitness group once a week. We just weigh in, talk about goals and tips. Being accountable is a great tool for staying focused.
Yes, I totally agree! I made a commitment to myself to start exercising five days a week a couple of weeks ago and have been doing so good! And along with the holiday food is the holiday schedule with the kids home from school more frequently. It’s so much harder for me to stick to my work-out routine with the kids home. I’m keeping my fingers crossed that I can do it. Wish me luck!
.-= Shannon´s last blog ..Holiday Everything for 0 =-.
I LOVE this little push for extra motivation you posted today! I could be SO CLOSE to my goal (about 5 more lbs – before thanksgiving) – if only I would give that little extra bit every day! I have used sparkpeople before and did find it super motivating to click all the little extra graphics – I think I just might get back on that wagon for a week or two at least!
thanks for the push today!
terra
This has motivated me!
I’m going to stay focused,…while enjoying a little holiday food. 
Thanks Caley! 
I really like the daily mile it tracks your workouts for you…and is a little like FB in that your friends can motivate you. It’s awesome.
I’ve been worried about how to handle the holidays…when I was pregnant 4 years ago I gained 17 pounds in December (month 6). Yep, 17. I’m pregnant again and on activity restrictions, (can’t exercise at all, have to spend most of the day lying down) so I’m really trying to watch what I eat…my plan is that I can eat as much raw veggies or fruit as I want and I need to drink a whole glass of water for each serving I take. Wish me luck!
thank you for this post, seriously. A little boost and encouragment to keep going on the right track EVEN in the holidays! Thanks
Those are the SAME running shoes I have!!!!
Not that I’ve been running, I canceled my gym membership. It was too big of a pain to drag the kids to the gym. Now, I’m saving up for a treadmill…
Great tips! I have lost 12 lbs and 5% body fat – and I intend to keep it off through the holidays!!!
I have a health & fitness blog too, I posted an article about changing up your workouts to keep weight off if you want to check it out
http://getfitcinci.com/2012/09/changing-up-workouts-is-not-just-for-weight-training/