Is Candy Corn a Vegetable?

Candy Corn has the word corn in it. That means it is healthy, right? How about this Halloween we don't deprive ourselves of all of our favorite spooky treats but rather find a way to build in one or two of our favorites so that Sunday night, after we made it though Trick Or Treating and Halloween parties, we don't sit down to all the leftover candy. We don't have to check it for safety. Come up with a plan. Buy 100 calorie Twix or take two fun size chocolates from the office, and keep them in the fridge for when something chocolaty and sweet sounds good. If we feel we are not supposed to eat a certain food, like candy, we eliminate it and then overindulge when we finally give in to the reality that we never going to give up candy. Nothing is off limits but you can't eat everything you want all the time. It is about balance and planning.

Why Substifoodtion?

So maybe I never explained the name, substifoodtion. My basic premise for weight management and a healthy lifestyle is finding substitutes for our favorite, not so health friendly, foods. Want a bagel with cream cheese? Save about 250 calories and opt for a Western alternative Bagel with Weight Watcher's cream cheese. Craving shrimp scampi, email me a request for a healthy version of this classic meal. Going out to dinner? Looking at the Brownie A La Mode for dessert? Save yourself a few hours at the gym and have some fresh berries while everyone else dives in. Then, when you get home microwave a Vitalicious brownie and top it with a Weight Watchers ice cream. It is all about finding ways to stay satisfied and beat the feelings of deprivation and dieting. It is about using your resources, and me, to keep the foods you love in your plan. Anyone need recipes or food swaps? Let me know.

Food Find Gardenburger

I have had almost every veggie and soy product on the market. I recently bought Gardenburger brand original burgers. They are oozing with cheese and al dente from the brown rice, rolled oats and bulgur. Great food find. Add Amy's Fat Free Split Pea Soup, a side of Green Giant's Just for One Broccoli and Cheese Sauce, a cup of frozen grapes and 60 calorie pudding and you have a complete lunch.

Balance

It is important to have a plan but equally important is learning how to be flexible with your plan. If you don't have access to your favorite healthy treats improvise. Don't give up and eat outside of your program. If you plan all day to have chicken and brown rice with vegetables for dinner, and you are invited out to dinner at the last minute, order at the restaurant what you would have eaten if you cooked at home. Don't give up and eat outside of your program. It is equally important that you don't miss out on plans, events, parties or celebrations because you are weight managing. You need to find balanace. You have to be able to live your life and let your dietary preferences fit it to your life, not the other way around. In food, and in life, balance is what is important.

Food Curve Balls

It is amazing how we can have a plan, be so pleased with our self for taking the time to prepare our food for the day, only to have a food curve ball thrown in. Dining out, specifically when your plans were to dine in, can often cause this curve ball effect. It is not the situation that we need to worry about but rather how we will deal with the situation. I found myself being treated to a beautiful lunch but it was a family style meal where I had very little control over the ordering. I understand that I have to adjust to these situations and do the best I can. I made it through the meal, a handful of calories higher than my standard lunch but I made up for it with a light dinner of salad with my new favorite Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger Dressing and a Boca Brushetta Tomato Basil Parmesan Burger. Two and a half years later it is still one meal at a time, one day at a time.

Go Figure

I figure it's worth a shot. I will keep track of my weight management, my food related journey and the guidance I give to others through this blog. It seems like it will be fun. I will update with new food finds, thoughts and motivations. Maybe I am not so out there after all. Maybe it is just true discipline and a real desire to be healthy and thin. Feel free to post questions. Think of it as your free advice line. I look forward to being a part of your journey.