move more, eat less . . .

it's becoming my sidekick mantra to JUST DO IT!

While scouring Karen's blog as I do every morning, I recently found a link to Cathy Zielske's year long adventure into "Move More, Eat Less". It's such a simple philosophy and one that has helped her lose 30 pounds. And Karen being no less a slouch, has lost 18 pounds on her version.

What I love about each of their concepts is that the word "diet" is missing. I don't know about you, but the minute the "D" word reaches my brain, thought waves of starvation are generated to every cell in my body and my immediate reaction is to head to the fridge and devour everything in sight. Thus every single time I go on a diet, I gain weight. Seriously.

But this 'moving more and eating less' concept it one I can deal with. I can still eat, just less of it and I can leave my slugdom long enough to walk a couple of miles a day. For example, when I eat breakfast, which isn't often I admit, I fill my cereal bowl with Wheaties, add a teaspoon of real sugar and add 2% milk. Color me happy. The problem is that whatever size bowl, I pick, I fill it to the brim and then one day, I looked at the side of the box and realized the nutritional facts are based on a one cup serving. EEK! That was an eyeopener. So now I fill the bowl 1/2 full and guess what. It is plenty and I feel full but not stuffed. I am, after all, not a Thanksgiving turkey.

I'm also eating more veggies. I started this after discovering roasting. My, my, my, what a difference that makes. No rich sauces, just a pop in flavor. And since we cut back our red meat consumption in favor of fish and chicken some eleven years ago, dinners are pretty darn healthy.

So why have a gained weight? I blame it on old age, being a slug and those days when cheesecake enters the cave and leaves on my thighs. This Christmas season was not kind to my thighs. Not one bit.

And will I still cheat occasionally. Yep. Life is meant to be enjoyed. I will not give up my Friday night dinners at Carrabba's, I will not give up my Tuesday lunches with the girls. I will not change what I eat at either restaurant. I won't give up my red wine. But I will be better the rest of the week. Because, I will just do it. Anyone care to join me?