Vacation and Meeting Your Weight Goals

As any seasoned dieter can attest, there are three dining options on vacation: Losing, gaining or maintaining.

Eating well and staying active on a getaway can, no doubt, be a challenge. Many people use the word “vacation” as an excuse to indulge and take a break from everything, including a healthy lifestyle.

But according to those in-the-know, maintaining and even losing weight is possible while still enjoying your time off, whether it’s a trip to a theme park, island retreat or a cruise with its all-you-can-eat mentality.

“People focus in on vacation as food,” says Rosemary Barresi, a Staten Island Weight Watchers leader and leader mentor. “A lot of members say, ‘vacation is I’m on vacation.’”

But, a question needs to be asked: “Are you there to see the sites or to see the restaurants?”

“It’s all about personal choice,” says Ms. Barresi. “What’s important for me at this moment? And what does it get me long-term?”

She recently took a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and lost 2.6 pounds while there. She dined out, but was mindful of portion control, using her motto of “food as fuel, not food as fun.” That’s not to say she didn’t indulge with dessert, but she didn’t ask for seconds and didn’t have it with every meal.

Ms. Barresi also made sure she didn’t skip meals, which can set you up to overeat during the next meal. And she paid attention to her own hunger signs. “Your body let’s you know when you’re done,” she says. “You don’t have to keep hitting override.”

For exercise, Ms. Barresi simply walked. Whenever she had the chance, she used her legs instead of taking the easy, lazier route. For example, instead of taking a monorail across the theme park, she walked the distance.

“I always walk because I always have my feet on me, there’s no excuse,” she says.

Grace Duffield, author of “Travel Well: Exercises and Healthy Habits for People on the Go” ($29.95, Personal Best Publishing), notes that healthy habits don’t have to be “all or nothing” during vacation. Being too uptight can be just as bad as being too lenient.

“If you’re too strict, people realize I can’t do this on vacation and then go to the other extreme,” she says.

Before leaving for a trip, it’s good to be prepared, the author says. Call your hotel or cruise line and ask if they can put a refrigerator in your room. This way, you won’t have to eat out every night and can store healthy options in your room.

Also, take snacks with you. “A lot of the control that we lose when we’re traveling is that we get too hungry. For some reason, we skip a meal or it’s too late. You want to prepare for this. Once you’re hungry, you might eat a whole basket of bread at a restaurant,” Ms. Duffield says.

When it comes to ordering out, she advocates choosing foods that are steamed or poached and staying away from options with cream or that are deep fried.

“Don’t always feel like you have to clean your plate,” she advises. “You may share meals with people and don’t get appetizers at every meal. If it’s a buffet and food is free, especially like those on a cruise, just because it’s free doesn’t mean you have to over-consume.”

In addition, plan for exercise, says Ms. Duffield, the founder of the Your Personal Best Trainer, Inc. fitness studios in Ridgefield, Conn., and Somers, N.Y. Remember to pack a bathing suit for the pool and good walking shoes.

Although your hotel may have a gym, don’t count on it for exercise, she says. Workouts can be done in your room, whether it’s a squat performed against a wall, resistance band exercises (an easy item to pack) or exercises using your chair, like a butt raise to work the glutes. You can also bring a favorite exercise DVD.

When it boils down to it, whether it’s healthy eating or staying active, Weight Watchers’ Ms. Barresi points to an expression used in her groups that can apply to both: “You rest, you rust.”

“A vacation is not a vacation from your lifestyle,” she concludes. “Ask, what do you want to happen when you come back? If it’s about the food — the mindset is it’s all inclusive, I paid for it — you’re going to pay for it on the scale.”

Wow who would of thought you can reach your health and weight goals and still have fun on vacation!

Available at http://www.silive.com/healthfit/index.ssf/2011/05/pack_healthy_habits_with_your_suitcase.html.

Have off this summer and your kids too...join us

Ready to lose weight & live healthy? PIck a program below:



SUMMER SLIM DOWN CHALLENGE
Join us this summer while we learn how to eat healthy and burn calories to reach our weight goals. The program includes:

Workouts with a Certified Personal Trainer
Nutrition education & healthy recipes
Weekly weigh ins and biggest loser prizes
Babysitting available & includes a fun health program for kids
June 7th to August 19th♦ Tuesdays & Fridays at 9:30 a.m

Shadyside Park, 1645 Shadyside Rd, Downingtown

Keystone and Personal Choice insurances covers entire program. Call to inquire about costs.

In the news

Community Benefit: First ‘Dance Your Health Out’ Event
Published: 4/19/2011 1400


Cher-Ron Truitt was one of many women who had her blood pressure checked at Christiana Care’s first ever Dance Your Health Out event.

Christiana Care recently hosted women from across New Castle County for an evening designed to inspire attendees to take action to improve their health through exercise and smart nutrition choices.

By uniquely combining dance, fun and education, the first ever Dance Your Health Out event held at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Wilmington provided free Zumba instruction, healthy food prep demonstrations and health screenings to more than 200 women.

Attendees took part in a 50-minute Zumba workout led by local instructor Davi Mozie that had them dancing, clapping and moving to the music. Zumba combines Latin and International rhythms with a fun, aerobics-style workout. The group included women of all ages – from teenagers to a woman in her nineties – with varying movement abilities, including “newbies” and skilled dancers.

Christiana Care employee Cindy Noble was one of the more experienced dancers in attendance, having lost 47 pounds in the past year thanks to Zumba and an improved diet. She was impressed by the number of first-time participants at Dance Your Health Out.

“Every time I would turn around just to see what was going on in the room, I was amazed at the volume of people who were there dancing and into it,” noted Noble. “People kept coming onto the floor and they weren’t intimidated.”

“I think the group was exceptionally energetic,” commented Mozie. “When we got started I really didn't think they would be able to last. We ended up going ten minutes longer than we had planned because the group just didn't want to stop. It was great.”

Others took advantage of the free health screenings available throughout the evening. Staff from Christiana Care’s Imaging Services and Center for Heart & Vascular Health assessed attendees’ risk for bone and heart disease, while members of Christiana Care’s Department of Family & Community Medicine calculated body mass index and provided body fat analyses.

Following Zumba, Jenn Barr, with Christiana Care’s Center for Community Health, conducted a healthy cooking demonstration. Attendees sampled low-calorie dinner options provided by local caterer Food for Thought and learned about the importance of nutrition in maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

A post-event survey of attendees offered telling insight about the effectiveness of the inaugural event. More than 97 percent of respondents said they were motivated to eat healthier and increase their physical activity.

The event was a collaboration of several departments within Christiana Care, including Women’s Health Services; the Center for Heart & Vascular Health; Family & Community Medicine, Center for Community Health; Food and Nutrition Services; Imaging Services; Preventive Medicine & Rehabilitation Institute’s Food & Nutrition Services; Employee Health; and Volunteer Services.

How to for Parents to Get Their Kids to Eat Health with the Dietitian

“YOU WANT ME TO EAT THAT?”


Downingtown Library and
Downingtown Nutrition & Weight Management Center
have partnered to offer a nutrition and healthy eating program for parents. The workshop, taught by a registered dietitian, will offer tips on getting your child (and maybe you too!) to eat healthy.


Thursday, May 26th from 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Downingtown Library, 2nd Floor Multi-purpose Room
330 E. Lancaster Ave, Downingtown



To register, call 610-269-2741 or go to http://www.ccls.org

Summer is around the corner

Yesterday was a beautiful day! Although it was a fun way to play outside and get some exercise, it reminded me bathing suit season is quickly approaching. I've been working hard exercising and eating balanced, but obviously I haven't been perfect (especially since I just discovered chocolate pretzel M&M's). Lately, I feel like all the moving and healthy eating I'm doing is just making up for my sweet tooth! I work hard to create the calorie deficit, but I'm using it for evil. Yesterday I made "healthy" brownies with my girls, pureed prunes was swapped for the oil, Truvia for the sugar, flax seed and water for the eggs, whole grain flour for the white flour and ovaltine for the chocolate. It actually isn't bad and tastes okay. Luckily, it's a treat for the girls they can shape like Easter eggs and I'm not going to drool over it all week. In the meantime, I have to avoid the candy check out and just keep it out of my house. I did have a small gain of victory last night. I was faced with homemade coconut and butter creme eggs in pastel foils, but I said no, but almost said yes. Easter is hard, all those peanut butter smidgens, malted eggs, Cadbury eggs, Peeps, and coconut chocolate. It's like heaven for chocolate lovers. But my desire to feel good and look good are more important than a few sweets in my mouth. YOU CAN DO IT TOO. Enlist a friend, neighbor, co-worker, partner, or family member. Get a walking/workout buddy. Misery loves company. Just kidding but it does make you go everyday if you know someone is doing it with you. Then that can be your go out buddy and you can make good choices together. If you are going out, check out the new apps for your phone. Look at the calories at the menu and make a decision BEFORE you go. Opt for 400 calorie meals or less. YOU CAN DO IT!

Losing weight is hard

Even dietitians wish there was a magic bullet to lose weight quickly. I see so many tempting fad diets, (mostly for the advertised quick weight loss), such as the hormone diet, no or very low carbohydrate diet, grapefruit diet, diet pills, and on and on the list goes. The truth about these diets may be that they lose weight quickly, but mostly because you are decreasing your caloric intake or dropping water loss. These diets are not a way of life. Finding a meal plan that you can have many choices, dine out at restaurants, visit friends dinner parties, eat dessert and attend sporting events is important. Life is about living and food is tucked in every moment of life. We bring food to some one's house, when someone has a baby, eat cake at weddings, and eat at funerals. From womb to tomb we EAT!

It has been a difficult few weeks trying to maintain my weight. Planning out what I'm having for the week, with a little room to go out if needed, and planning my exercise (fun things too...swimming, dancing, group programs with friends) has really helped. It's also motivating to talk to other people who struggle with the battle of the bulge. Reminding myself that summer is around the corner also helps!

In short, there is no easy way to fast weight loss. Slow and steady will win the race to a healthy weight and longer, happier life. Keep on moving everyone. Sunday is suppose to be great and the Muzzy 5k is this weekend. Come out and join me Sunday, April 10, 2011 to burn a few hundred calories and enjoy a beautiful day on the Strubel Trail. For details on the Muzzy run go to http://www.chescocf.org/funds/fund%20purpose/muzzyterryfoundation_purpose.htm.

Too funny not to share

Some very creative students at WCU, can't wait to see their work when they start their careers. Way to go!