Winter Slumberland

Dear Diary,
It is almost winter. Finals are looming and I am stressed out. I work all the time, and then I study. Then I sleep. Rinse. Repeat. Toss in a dash of comfort food and the urge to sleep all winter and-BAM!-winter inactivity can make the pounds cling to thighs like magic. How do we combat this?

Work out early in the evening before the sun sets, extending the feeling of a daytime workout. Fill up on vegetables before settling in to the cheesy, fatty foods. And if all else fails, go out for a post-fatty-dinner walk with the family pup, to help burn off a few of those calories and keep your metabolism cookin'!

The plus-sized pinch

I love shopping. I hate shopping. Shopping online, I love. Shopping in a store, crowded with scrawny twigs who probably ate a half of a carrot stick and a diuretic for lunch makes me cringe. BUT, I do it anyway. Call it self torture. Or being stuck between "misses" and "plus size" clothing lines. UGH! And I can empathize with larger women because the moment you cross the threshold into va-va-vooom voluptuousness, manufacturers assume you've lost your sense of style, and your vanity. Ha!

There is even a clothing line for the voluptuous set called...drumroll please...SAG HARBOR. Now, you tell me-how much would YOU like to wear something labeled Sag anything? Wake up, manufacturers! Twigs do not rule the world, but a good healthy size 14 just might.

The 12 fats of Christmas

To the tune of the 12 days of Christmas...enjoy!

1 Sugar Daddy
2 fried chickens
3 big cookies
4 mashed potatoes
5 pounds of cheese
6 fried ice cream sandwiches!
7 cream cheese bagels
8 slices of pizza
9 quarts of ice cream
10 spiraled hams
11 pots of soup
12 broken zippers!

Happy Holidays!

Work it out!

I love to shop. If the mood strikes, and I have the time to wander through the mall aimlessly, picking up a scarf here, coffee beans there, I will do it. It's never been to excess, my shopping habit. But it is there.

So while I am wandering aimlessly through the local mall, imagine my shock as I am being perpetually passed by a bunch of 180 year old men and women, clad in jogging suits and power walking through the mall. I will concede that it's healthy and safe to walk through the mall, but isn't that just a more centralized type of loitering? Do like I do, mall wanders of America! Purchase a gym membership, then don't use it.

There's always the promise of not going to the gym tomorrow.

Aaah, turkey

Turkey. What a wonderful word, conjuring up all sorts of gustatory memories. Most of them involve family, friends, football...and a larger pants size. But, turkey day is not a day to count calories; instead we should be grateful for our full plates and fellowship.

But the day before Thanksgiving, I was shopping at a local market and was less than surprised to see tons of people with buckets of peanut oil-presumably for the deep-fried turkey. Now that's just ridiculous! Do we Americans have to deep fat fry every damn thing? First it was chicken, then Snickers bars, then Twinkies and now it's TURKEY?

I am thankful for moderation, though I don't practice it on holidays.

'Tis the season

Fall lulls into winter, the holidays draw nearer and the parties come alive. So does the thick heavy foods, rich in fat and low in nutrient value. According to http://mydr.com, "We do not need to eat more food during winter. In colder climates, before the days of artificial heating, an extra layer of body fat might have been welcome." But now, there is no need to pack on the extra calories, but it seems that it is programmed into our pysyche.

So how do we combat these urges? Go for the whole grains before the gravy boat. At family gatherings or social occasions, fill up on the veggie trays before you hit the buffet. And most importantly of all, don't forget to go on a post-binge walk if you're feeling guilty. It'll help keep metabolism going, and help prevent you from packing the pounds.

Chocolate

I have severe chocolate cravings. Like the cycles of the moon, at certain points of the lunar calendar I MUST have it. Studies have shown that it is hormonal, and while some crave salt, I must have creamy fat. Cosmopolitan.com says that women are many times more likely to overdose on the fat. How do we chicks combat this monthly pull to the dark (chocolate) side? Pudding. Chocolate pudding in lieu of the candy bar. Fudgesickles...also good options. Try those, but if you're a guy...suggest this to the ladies from a very safe distance. ; )