Colorado Center for Weight Management Newsletter
Wishing You a Joyous Holiday Season!
December 2005
Dear Jennifer,
Season's Greetings! Ready or not the Holiday season is fast approaching.
Here at CCWM we are working to decrease your stress, improve your health and
overall holiday cheer. Sip some cinnamon hot chocolate, relax, and enjoy
this edition of the CCWM Newsletter.
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In This Issue
* Food and Thought This Holiday Season
* Easy Stress Management Ideas
* What Causes Stress?
* Reader Recipes
* Trans Fat Coming to a Label Near You in 2006!
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Food and Thought This Holiday Season
Cookie exchange, gift basket, fruit cake, business party, endless shopping.
Whatever your holiday traditions I am almost certain they involve food. The stress of family, friends, and holiday anticipation can make these food functions/traditions overwhelming, and difficult to maintain nutrition goals. Investing the time to ask yourself questions prior to each food event can help to create a food strategy, and prepare for any situations that may detour you from your goals.
Basic questions like ...
* What type of meal service? ... sit down or buffet
* Who will be hosting the function? ... family or friends?
* Do people at the function know I'm on a diet?
* Is there any food being served that can fit into my meal plan?
* Will there be dessert?
* How have I changed in my food habits from last year? Will people still treat me the same even though I have changed?
After you have answered these question start to formulate a strategy based on your answers.
* What EXACTLY will I eat at this function?
* Do I need to bring something to eat with me, and how will I prepare it?
* How will I deal with people who are eating around me?
* How will I deal with the most challenging situations during the event?
Finally ...
* What are my long term goals for weight loss?
* How does this event play into those?
* What are my short term goals specifically for this event?
Putting thought into food choices before holiday events will make the season less stressful, and make nutrition goals easier to achieve.
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Easy Stress Management Ideas
Stress is a fact of life, but being stressed out is not.
We don't always have control over what happens to us, says Allen Elkin, Ph.D., director of the Stress Management Counseling Center in New York City, and yet, that doesn't mean we have to react to a difficult, challenging situation by becoming frazzled or feeling overwhelmed or distraught. Being overly anxious is not just a mental hazard; it's a physical one too. The more stressed out we are the more vulnerable we are to colds, flu, and a host of chronic or life-threatening illnesses. And the less open we are to the beauty and pleasure of life.
For your emotional and bodily benefit, we've consulted experts and come up with 37 easy, natural alternatives to anxiety.
Enjoy!
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=14565
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What Causes Stress?
Regardless of the cause, stress sets in motion certain automatic changes in the body that are designed to give it a quick burst of energy. The pattern of changes has been called the "fight-or-flight" response because it most likely evolved from our prehistoric ancestors, who faced daily dangers in their search for food and shelter and had to either flee or do battle. Of course, we no longer face such dangers, but our bodies continue to react as if we did. So instead of responding to a saber-tooth tiger lurking behind a tree, the body reacts to petty annoyances like getting caught in traffic, being reprimanded by a supervisor, or worrying about bills. Regardless of the type of stress, the body goes through the following changes:
http://www.rd.com/content/openContent.do?contentId=12555
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Trans Fat Coming to a Label Near You in 2006!
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires food manufacturers to list trans fat (i.e., trans fatty acids) on Nutrition Facts and some Supplement Facts panels. Scientific evidence shows that consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, and dietary cholesterol raises low-density lipoprotein (LDL or "bad") cholesterol levels that increase the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD). According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, over 12.5 million Americans suffer from CHD, and more than 500,000 die each year. This makes CHD one of the leading causes of death in the United States today.
http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/transfat.html#unhide
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Join our mailing list!
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Wishing you and your family a peaceful and joyous holiday season!
Sincerely,
Jennifer Noll
Colorado Center for Weight Management
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email: jennifer_noll@hotmail.com
web: http://www.ccweightmanagement.com/ccwm.htm
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Colorado Center for Weight Management | 1805 Kipling St | Lakewood | CO | 80215