Think Slim, Issue #012 - Fun in the Sun

June 30, 2005

Look great, feel great

Hi

Summer has finally arrived in Scotland with usual results – burnt noses and faces on Monday mornings. We see so little of the sun that everyone rushes out to make the most of it when it arrives with (sometimes) painful consequences. It's so easy to soak up those rays without thinking… especially as suntan cream is something most people here only buy when they go abroad.

Whether you're in the Northern hemisphere and enjoying the summer (wearing your sun protection of course!) or having a beautiful mild winter in the South, have a great July...

Hope you're enjoying some sunshine this month wherever you are

Love

P.S. My little nephew Jamie likes to go out with his mum for juice and a Danish but not quite having got the hang of the language yet, he calls his snack a "Dangerous pastry". Out of the mouth of babes and all that... Maybe we should rename all our "danger" foods with new names "French fiends" for fries etc

P.P.S. There are quite a few postings on the Think Slim blog this month. See them all at http://smallchange.typepad.com/thinkslim.

Contents

Feature article : Fun in the Sun

Do you use your annual vacation (or holiday as we say in Scotland) as an excuse to eat whatever and as much as you like? Do you lose weight for your trip only to pile it all back on again while you're away?

Believe or not a holiday doesn't have to get in the way of your weight loss efforts. Here are 6 tips to make sure you come back a little smaller or at least no bigger than when you left home.

1. Be active! Make the most of all the facilities at your chosen resort. No, not the pizza restaurants and ice cream stands, I mean the swimming pool, the fantastic places to walk, the beach games, the water-sports and the gym at the hotel. Not to mention the all-day sight-seeing trips and shopping excursions. You'll be taking exercise without even knowing it.
2. Lighten up! With warmer weather you'll naturally feel like lighter food – so choose the healthiest food on the menu that you like. Select the restaurants that have the most delicious nutritious choices. Choose the exotic fruit and wholegrain cereal at breakfast (rather than something heavy and cooked). Have a delicious salad, light sandwich or simple picnic with bread, local cheese and fruit at lunch. And just because "all you can eat" is on offer doesn’t mean you have to choose to eat until you feel stuffed. They may as well have a sign outside saying "All the fat you can add to your thighs". Instead choose a small portion of 5 of the most tempting foods and thoroughly enjoy them. Get your enjoyment and money's worth from quality food not quantity.
3. Drink up! Go easy on fizzy drinks and alcohol. Drink lots of water in the sun. It's the best thing to quench your thirst and has no calories.
4. Relax! Make the most of all the free time you'll have on your holiday. This is probably the one time in the year when you'll be able to fit in all the sleep, rest and relaxation you need to feel good. No stress-eating required. (Unless you have children, that is, in which case take it in turns with your partner to catch up on rest and relaxation on a rota basis, an hour or so at a time or night on, night off. You'll still get more rest than you get at home! And when it's your turn to be on duty you can run around chasing the kids, having fun and using up tons of calories because you'll know you'll get your turn to stretch out with your book soon.)
5. Plan it! Focus on fun rather than food as the central part of your holiday. Make plans for the activities you want to do, the places you want to visit. Enjoy a myriad of new sights and experiences and take the focus away from restaurants and meals.
6. Enjoy it! DO sample the local delicacies. It would be a shame not to while you are there. Just make sure that you eat them when you are hungry and stop when you are full – unless it's so delicious you absolutely have to finish it. The odd over-indulgence or two on your holiday won't make a difference even though two weeks of non-stop eating will:)

This month's tip : Lighter cooking

Reduce the oil and fat in your meals.

When recipes ask you to use spoonfuls of oil or butter to soften vegetables, you can usually use a little vegetable stock instead.

For browning meat use a non-stick cooking pan and a light coating of oil from a spray.

Every tablespoon of oil you replace reduces the calories in the finished dish by 124 and every 1oz (25g) butter by about 180.

Recommendation: Knitting

Take up a new hobby while you watch TV. Apparently knitting is the new celebrity pastime of the moment – and surprisingly therapeutic, except that is, when you drop a stitch. You may just manage a single misshapen sweater by December – but who cares if it keeps your hands out of the cookie jar?

Wishing you a fantastic month, looking and feeling great

Janice Elizabeth Small

P.S. I hope you enjoyed this newsletter. If you have any comments or suggestions for future issues, please let me know. I'd love to hear from you. Just reply to this ezine.

P.P.S.Know anyone else who might enjoy it? Please pass it on. If you received this from a friend you can sign up for your own copy at....

www.weight-loss-motivation-program.com

copyright © 2005, J. Small. All Rights reserved.

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