Traveling & Dieting, Say what?

I write here today because I need your thoughts and positive vibes. This weekend I head to Nashville for a blogging conference. I'll be there Thursday - Sunday and am worried that my progress (7lbs so far!!) will be greatly hindered with the temptation of road food, fun/fancy dinners with old friends and the dreaded excuse "it's just more convenient to eat this."

See you would think, because I am writing about this and congizant of the pitfalls that I would be OK.  But I am not so sure.  I know me. I know that I will fall off the wagon and if I do, I'd rather it be a short fall and not a long one!

I've not traveled while dieting before, so if any of you have any tips, I'd love to hear them. I am planning on packing some healthy snacks in my bag, but when it comes to meals I am going to have to get creative.



Shannan
Current Weight: 153
Starting Weight: 160

UPDATE: After reading this post, my friend Phyllis who is a health coach, sent me the following tips:

TOP 10 TRAVEL FOODS

1.     Chia seeds  (find them at whole foods, your favorite health food store or www.emeraldcitytea.com)

2.     Nuts, seeds and dried fruit/veg

3.     Vegetables: sugar snap peas, cut jicama, celery, carrots, cauliflower and bell peppers (hummus to dip)

4.     Fruit – cherries, plums, apples, pears, grapes, clementines

5.     Hard boiled eggs

6.     Ezekial sprouted wrap, organic turkey slices, sprouts & spicy mustard (this might be hard to find on the road but you get the idea)

7.     Flax or nut crackers –check ingredients

8.     Greens Plus Bar with Protein

9.     Homemade trail mix (nuts, seeds, dried cranberries, dark choc chips, coconut)

10.   Emergen-C, Sencha green tea powder, probiotics

You Spin Me Right Round

Continuing my effort to lose weight (can't believe I am staying with it) on Monday I tried my first spin class. I must admit that I have been avoiding spin class for years. My friends have always talked about how great it was, but something about it scared me.

Well talk about feeling dumb. I loved it and it's a GREAT cardio workout and best of all? The time flies by.  Here's a quick video I found that gives an overview of spinning. I will def. be doing this again, and again, and again.
Shannan
Starting Weight - 160
Current Weight - 156




  

When the Lights Go Out

I am writing today because I have a confession and need your help.  My name is Shannan and I am a late night snacker.  It's true....9pm hits, the boys go to bed and all I can think of is, "I wonder what there is for me to snack on?"

Some of you might think a snack is OK. What's the harm in a little late night treat? Well it's not the good snacks - nuts, fruit, etc. - I'm crazing. It's the evil snacks that fill my mind, in particular, chips & chocolate.

I don't know what it is. It's like the lights go out and I lose all self control.  Last night I annihilated a 1/3 can of Pringles and barely stopped there. Just going to bed is not an option when I am not tired.

What am I doing wrong? How can I curb these cravings? Does it have to do with my diet during the day? I really want to nip this in the bud so all my hard work during the day isn't for nothing.

Help!

Shannan
Starting Weight - 160
Current Weight - 158

Win a Copy of The Spark!

CLOSED: Congrats to Feoshia, Carla & Big Lug Jay!  They were our winners!

I've mentioned before that I am a big fan of SparkPeople, the online site that specializes in helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle.

I first discovered the site back in 2006, and have returned everytime I've needed help getting back into shape and back on the dieting bandwagon.

In December, SparkPeople released it's first book, The Spark, that promotes a 28-day plan for losing weight, getting fit, and improving your lifestyle. I am getting ready to read the book, and to celebrate the launch, we here at Cincinnati Losers have three copies of The Spark to giveaway!

About The Spark:

The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life. 

This groundbreaking book will connect the dots between weight loss, fitness, better health and lifelong goal achievement. You'll discover:

• How to increase YOUR odds of success with the 27 proven secrets of success used by thousands of successful SparkPeople members and 100-pound losers.
• A 28-day program that distills the best of SparkPeople's tips and advice into a simple, fun, easy to follow program–all new and available only in this book!
• A special workout program created by Coach Nicole, featuring SparkPeople's 10-minute exercise solution to help you fit in 10 minutes a day!
•  Delicious SparkDiet meal plans and a mix-and-match meal system that lets you eat more delicious foods that keep you satisfied while losing weight.
• The Spark's special formula–a breakthrough combination of strategies that will lead to the end of dieting, lasting weight loss and better health.

Win It:
Three lucky readers of Cincinnati Losers will win a copy of the book, The Spark.

To enter, complete any of the following tasks and leave a comment letting us know you did so. Additional entries can be achieved by completing more than one of the tasks ;-). Contest is open to Cincinnati/Dayton residents only (we are the CINCINNATI LOSERS) and ends at Midnight on January 18th.  Winners will be drawn at random using a random number generator.

1. Leave a comment sharing your favorite weight lost tip
2. Share your SparkPeople.com user name
3. Leave a comment with your favorite weightloss blog(s)
4. Follow the Cincinnati Losers blog (see right sidebar)
5. Add Cincinnati Losers to your blogroll
6. Tweet the following about the giveaway -  Cincy Losers is giving away 3 copies of @sparkpeople's book, The Spark! http://ow.ly/TJmq

UPDATE: I am also giving away 2 copies of The Spark on my personal blog, Mommy Bits. Feel free to enter on both sites! Also, you don't have to live in greater Cincinnati/Dayton to enter the giveaway there.

For those of you who are interested in purchasing The Spark, it is available online at Barnes & Noble, and through Amazon.


A big thank you to the people at SparkPeople for providing us with copies of The Spark to share with our readers!