Here’s my Thursday, Friday and Saturday food journal. Let’s face it: the weekend starts on Thursday for most of us. That being said these days are super critical in weight management. We think of the weekends as a time of letting loose and eating and drinking more than we usually do so it’s very important to be extra mindful during this period of the week. When I started incorporating an extra cardio workout on Sundays and since I always exercise on Saturday, I usually rest on Fridays. It’s important to allow yourself one super hearty meal (most people refer to it as a “cheat meal” but I don’t think of it as a cheat, it’s just a little extra that I let myself have). I think you need one meal when you actually feel super stuffed to remind yourself how terrible it actually feels.
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TUESDAY AND WEDNESDAY FOOD JOURNAL
Tuesday and Wednesday are basically interchangeable to me when it comes to diet and exercise. I always try to work out and eat clean on these days because I do start thinking about the weekend. Sometimes I try to meet a girlfriend for lunch or dinner to bring some excitement to the middle of the week. But even when I do go out, as I did this Wednesday evening, I try and keep my food and drink to a minimum. I always think about the food options available at a restaurant when I’m picking a place. There are some restaurants that have a lot of terrific options and I shy away from those that only offer wings and mozzarella sticks as appetizers.
SUNDAY AND MONDAY FOOD JOURNAL
Sunday is my carb cheat day. I always have a bagel in the morning and pizza at night. The only changes I have made recently is that I hollow out the inside of the bagel and only eat half at a time. This way I can stretch my food and remain full enough. Also, I try to eat gluten free most of the time because gluten bloats me but on Sunday I allow myself the real thing. I also always do a cardio session at home before I eat. That’s not to say that there aren’t Sundays when I don’t exercise but I do try to make it the rule.
7 DAYS TO DIET AWARENESS: WOMEN OVER 50
Losing weight is hard, especially for women over fifty. I always hate when diet companies advertise that “losing the weight is not hard, it’s keeping it off that’s difficult”. I think both losing and maintaining are a struggle, especially for women during middle age. One major problem is that most of the time we eat without thinking — eating is more of a reflex than a controlled activity. For instance, if you work in an office and there’s a bowl of candy sitting on someone’s desk, most of us will just grab a handful and shove the food in our mouth. Nary a thought goes into it — the food is available and the reflex is just to eat it. And the worst part is that the action is usually not even remembered. That’s why it is so important to keep a food journal.
3 STEPS TO A PERFECT PUSH-UP
When I suggest doing push ups to an over fifty girlfriend or a middle aged woman I talk to in the gym I usually get the same response: “no way I can do those”. Well it turns out that not only is there a “way” but it’s not difficult at all if you start simply and slowly. Push ups are one of the all time great exercises — they are fabulous at toning and sculpting your upper body, and they also engage your core and improve your endurance and stamina.
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