Aaaaaaaaahhhhh!! The TASTES of Fall!!

Today is the first rainy, cold wet day we've had since fall's began and all I can say is "aaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh". I LOVE it! It's dark and grey outside but still feels so warm and inviting because of all of the golden colors that are starting to appear everywhere you look. It's so beautiful and mysterious out there and makes you just want to cuddle up by the fire with a good book and savor every moment of it! I've got my house decorated for fall, the fireplace on, and a pumpkin spice candle lit in my kitchen. Is there any season more beautiful?

Well with fall comes all of the holidays that are right around the corner. With holidays comes all of the good, irresistible food that we all feel perfectly okay with eating because after all, "tis the season" right? RIGHT! It is the season. When it's cold outside it's only natural to want to make and eat warm, yummy food that not only warms the body, but the soul as well. It's comfort food and was in no way mistakenly named so. And I have always been one that loves to bake around the holidays and make all of the fun holiday treats right along with the rest of you.

I just want to say that in my opinion, there's nothing wrong with any of it. As a matter of fact, it's SO right! It's the time to be grateful that we all have warm houses and loving families to be with and that we are all so fortunate to have the good food to eat in the first place, let alone the good memories that come along with it. With all of that being said, there are plenty of ways to make it through the holiday season and to really enjoy it as well, without gaining holiday weight. It all comes down to portion control and movement. It's easy when it's cold outside to put off that workout routine and stay snuggled and warm underneath the blankets instead. It's also easy to hide some extra fat underneath the comfy sweatshirts and sweaters that we get to wear as well. But the thing that's NOT easy is when the holiday season is over and we have to look at ourselves again knowing that Spring is around the corner and we have to loose the weight that we packed on. That's the NOT fun part that we all dread. So here's my plan to still enjoy the holidays and all the warm, yummy treats that come along with it, but not the extra pounds:

1) KEEP JOGGING! Movement of any sort is SO important, especially in the months when we tend to move the least. I plan on always trying to be more active in my day to day routines and I'm going to get a little watch with a beeper on it that will go off each hour to remind me to get up and move around for a minute or two if I haven't already. (See previous post on Metabolism boosts).

2) PORTION CONTROL! There's nothing wrong with eating! It's the portions we eat that we have to pay attention to. Remember: Smaller portions lead to a smaller butt!!! It's not rocket science!

3) ONLY EAT WHEN HUNGRY! This means to wait until you're truly hungry to eat and plan meals accordingly. Also, if you do plan on having a dessert or a treat afterward, SAVE ROOM for it! Don't eat until your full and then try to squeeze in some dessert just because it sounds good. It's not even enjoyable, nor does it taste as good when you do that. So if I want dessert afterward, I'm going to stop eating before I feel satisfied to save the room for it.

4) DON'T EVER, EVER EAT UNTIL YOU ARE STUFFED! This is SO important not only to prevent weight gain but for your health as well. It's something I have practiced doing for a while now. You need to quit eating before you get to that stuffed, uncomfortable feeling. In order to be able to asses when that is, you need to SLOW down and enjoy the food. Put down your fork between bites, take sips of your water between bites and savor the food. Isn't that how it's supposed to be eaten anyhow?

I'm also going to try to continue to boost my metabolism in natural ways and I'm still going to do the Isagenix 9 day cleanse soon, probably this month, to give me a little energy boost as well. I'll keep you posted as to when and will blog about it of course. I also have a little experiement I'm going to try with Maci that I think might help to keep me motivated...More on that to come...

So get out there, enjoy all of the wonderful, fun things that come along with fall and the seasons and most importantly, HAVE FUN and take time to cherish the scents, the scenery and the TASTES! Ta ta for now. I'm off to bake some pumpkin bread...