10 Ways to cut 500 Calories a Day

1. Get enough sleep. A lack of shut eye can make you snack, new research from the University of Chicago shows. People who got only 5 1/2 hours of sleep munched more during the day. Snooze more and save about 1,087 calories.

2. Don’t eat in front of the TV. You’ll eat up to 288 calories more, according to research from the University of Massachusetts. Instead, eat at the table, and trade one hour of TV for a casual walk. Together, that’s 527 calories burned.

3. Get in tune with your tummy. Pay attention to how full you feel, and put down your fork when you’re satisfied. Listen to your body’s cues—instead of looking at whether the plate is clean—and save up to 500 calories a day.

4. Use smaller plates. Swap your 12-inch plate for a 10-inch one. You’ll eat 20 to 25 percent less—and save up to 500 calories. You won’t feel any less full, either, researchers say.

5. Clean house. Tidy up for 2 1/2 hours and burn 510 calories

6. Think small at the ice cream shop. Even if you indulge in your favorite full-fat flavor, you’ll save as many as 550 calories with a 5-ounce size instead of a 12-ounce

7. Shovel snow. Clearing the driveway and sidewalks for one hour and 15 minutes will torch 510 calories

8. Tap your foot. Your skinnier friends are probably fidgeters, who burn up to 350 calories a day just by tapping their feet or being restless. Try it for a few days. Walk around while you’re on the phone, or tap out a tune with your hands or feet (in the privacy of your own office, of course).

9. Ice-skate for one hour and five minutes and burn 516 calories

10. Go window-shopping. Whether you buy anything or not, an afternoon of walking around and trying on clothes can torch 548 calories.

People think that the only way to burn calories is by running, doing heavy weights,

climbing mountains or sweating to death.

We all forget that we are already burning calories throughout the day.

These are just a few ways to burn extra calories by doing things a little differently in your day:)

Hope Your all Enjoying the Holidays!

(Information from Health.com)

Did You Know??

The Skinny on Holiday Weight Gain

In the previous years the Media has exaggerated immensely on weight gain during the holidays. They say the average person gains 7-10 pounds during the holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, etc.

....Little did we know it was all a gimmick for the gyms and weight loss programs to get business at the start of the new years. Which of course they all did and continue to have there busiest time at the start of the year.

Well, come to find out with some help from the New England Journal of Medicine by doing a study, the average person only gains 1 pound from the winter holidays. They weighed a group of 160 people the day before thanksgiving and weighed them again after 3 weeks. Only one of them gained 2 pounds and the rest of them only gained the 1 pound!

So why am I telling you this? Crash diets are dangerous. Don't make it a goal to lose all that weight that you think you gained from the holidays. Continue to eat balanced meals and portions, exercise regularly, and most importantly-DON'T BEAT YOURSELF UP if you have a dessert. Eat it, enjoy it, realize it wasn't the best thing you could have put in your body, and get over it! Move on! Don't let it ruin your day and if anything your mood! Us girls can beat up ourselves mentally pretty good and hard.

The best thing about our bodies, is that it forgives us easily the second we start treating it right.

There is always tomorrow, and remember that even if you didn't glance at the the healthy foods at the party-doesn't mean you can't eat the fruits and vegetables the next day:)

White Chocolate Chunk-Cranberry Cookies

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
I hope you were all more controlled than me:)

I wanted to get some Holiday recipes out there for all of us to enjoy without guilt.
This one is perfect for not only feeling cozy on a snowy day, but letting your kids get away with eating cookies knowing it's not going to ruin there bodies.

White Chocolate Chunk-Cranberry Cookies:
2/3 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar (which is all natural sugar crystals, haha but we just used splenda and they tasted just as perfect)
2/3 c. shortening
1/2 c. butter or margarine, softened
1 tsp. finely shredded orange peel
1 tsp. vanilla
1 egg, or 1/4 c. fat free cholesterol-free egg product
2 1/4 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
2/3 c. dried cranberries
1 package (6 ounces) white chocolate bars, cut into 1/4 inch to 1/2 inch chunks

Directions:
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Beat sugars, shortening, butter, orange peel, vanilla and egg in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy, or mix with spoon.
Stir in flour, baking soda and salt. Stir in Cranberries and white baking bar chunks.

Drop dough by rounded teaspoonful about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until light brown. Cool 1-2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack, cool completely about 30 mins.

Drizzle with White Chocolate Glaze....MMMMMMMMMM....

White Chocolate Glaze:
1 package (6 ounces) white baking bars, white chocolate, chopped.
2 tsp. shortening

Directions:
Place ingredients in 2-cup microwavable measuring cup or deep bowl.
Microwave uncovered on high for 45 seconds; stir.
If baking bars don't melt, microwave 10 to 20 seconds at a time, stirring after each time, until melted.

Nutritional Facts:
Fiber 0g
Fat 5g
(saturated 2g)
Cholesterol 10g
Sodium 45g
Protein 1g
Carbohydrates 11g

*Feeds 5 1/2 dozen cookies.

(This recipe came out of my favorite Betty Crocker's Diabetic Cookbook)