Holiday eating tips

With Thanksgiving just days away, the holiday eating season is about to go into full swing. It would be impossible -- and no fun -- to try to banish all sweets from your diet from now until the new year, but there are some smart choices you can make to lessen the damage to your waistline. Here are a few tips:

1) Don't drink your calories. It's so easy when it's cold outside to hit the nearest Starbucks for a hot chocolate, but resist: a tall hot chocolate with whipped cream at Starbucks has 290 calories; a venti with whipped cream has 440 calories! Instead, opt for Swiss Miss diet hot cocoa (made with water) -- it has just 25 calories (some other Swiss Miss varieties have 160 calories, so be sure to read the label). If you do find yourself in a Starbucks, skip the whipped cream and ask for non-fat milk. That will knock at least 80 calories off your total.

2) Remember portion control. There are few days when I don't have a hankering for chocolate. But instead of buying a package of chocolate -- which I know I'll finish quickly -- I choose a single-portion item instead. That way, when I'm done, there's no more left to tempt me. My recent favorite: A Russell Stover marshmallow-chocolate Santa that has 140 calories (it's 69 cents at CVS).

3) Look for reduced-calorie sweets. At this time of year, it's easy to find candy canes. A regular size candy cane has just 50 calories. Candy corn, another seasonal favorite, is a good choice, too. Twenty-two pieces have 140 calories.

4) Boost your exercise. One easy way to fight weight gain is to step up your time at the gym. Last week, I spent 60 minutes on the treadmill Tuesday morning at a speed of 4.1 miles per hour. I upped it to 65 minutes on Wednesday and 70 minutes on Thursday. Gradually increasing my minutes allowed me to make progress without too much risk of muscle strain or shin splints, and the extra time meant that I boosted my total by about one-third of a mile each day. Over a month, that can really add up.

5) Know that the buffet will always be there. If you go to a party and there's a big spread on the table, don't feel compelled to pile everything on your plate at once. Instead choose a few healthy options, such as shrimp, deli slices of (lean) meat, fruit or veggies (skip the dip), and then move away from the table, preferably to the other side of the room. If you want more, go back once.

6) Alternate spirited drinks with water. This one can be hard to follow if you're having a good time and everyone around you is imbibing. But try to alternate each glass of wine, beer or hard liquor with a glass of water. Not only will you reduce your chances of a nasty hangover in the morning, you'll be less likely to make the bad food choices that drinking can encourage.

7) Forgive yourself, and give yourself a day off. It's a hard concept for anyone trying to lose weight, but you need to give yourself some breathing room. If you mess up one day, don't write off the whole week -- just start fresh with your weight-loss commitment in the morning. And be sure to give yourself a (planned) day or two off between now and Jan. 1 to fall off the bandwagon and enjoy the holiday spirit (and food). But remember, you'll need to hop back on board the next morning.

Happy holidays!

Thank You, Sue!

Many thanks to Sue for her extremely generous donation to my Avon Walk! Sue is very special to my family -- her mother and my dad's mother were best friends many years ago, she and my dad went to the same high school in New Jersey, and I went to the same high school as her daughters in Arlington. She's known me my entire life, and has always been a wonderfully thoughtful person. Thank you, Sue, for supporting me!

Thank You to the Borks

Followers of this blog will remember that I received a generous contribution from Laurie Bork's sister in her memory and that I told readers about Laurie in a subsequent entry. Laurie passed away from breast cancer, and I will be wearing her name on my shirt as I complete the Avon Walk in May.

Laurie's parents have also kindly donated to my walk. I can't tell you how touched I am by the Bork family's generosity. It will be an honor to walk in Laurie's memory and a reminder of the work we have to do to beat this terrible disease. Thank you so much to her family for their support.

Thank You to My Anonymous Donors!

Thank you to two very generous donors who wish to remain anonymous. I will thank them privately, but just say here how much I appreciate their kindness and help in contributing to my walk. Thank you both -- you know who you are! :)

Thank You, John!

Thanks to John, a family friend who donated to my Avon Walk. John is getting his Ph.D., so, given that he's on a student salary, it was very nice of him to donate to my race. When I visited John in Minneapolis in August, he took me to pick out proper socks and a non-dorky fanny pack for my walks this fall. Thanks for your contribution and support!

Another Walk in '08!

After a two-week break, I have some news to share and several people to thank, so let's get to it!

I just signed up for the Marine Corps Historic Half Marathon in Fredericksburg, Va., on May 18 (a Sunday) next year. It's primarily aimed at runners, but, again, the rule is only that you have to be off the course in four hours. My friend Lynn -- who completed the Marine Corps Marathon on Sunday, so kudos to her -- signed up as well. (Also, hats off to my friend Melanie, who finished the 10K!) The half marathon starts at 7 a.m. -- I'm a morning person, but that is still pretty early -- and comes two weeks after the Avon Walk, so I'll be keeping up my motivation and walking all summer!

By the way, there's an interesting article in The New York Times today about races that do not allow runners to use their iPods. I was quite worried about the fact I couldn't use mine in Baltimore, and annoyed when I saw many other people on the course using theirs. Even if races ban their use, however, it seems like an impossible rule to enforce. There just aren't enough race officials throughout the course to ensure that runners follow the rule (and are they going to run after all the rulebreakers?), the police officers have other things to worry about (such as street closures) and runners aren't going to rat out each other. I would gladly sign a waiver saying I accept any responsibility for not hearing instructions, etc., if it meant I could use mine. It will be interesting to see how this develops.

Also, an update on the cute Komen lunch bags: Mine arrived in the mail yesterday and they're adorable.