I am not a health nut, not by a long shot. But, in my 2012 quest to regain my girlish figure, I've been forced to take a good hard look at some of my very unhealthy habits and make some changes. Fast food can be blamed for a good portion of the pounds I packed on over the last few years. Or rather, my EATING of the fast food on a regular basis. It's so easy. So satisfying. Such a lovely guilty pleasure! I knew it wasn't going to be easy to cut it out of my life, but it had to be done.
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Since I am often on-the-go at the lunch hour, I now make sure I have easy to eat snacks packed before I leave the house. Carrots, nuts, pretzels. Anything that's "good" to grab when I get hungry, so that I don't start looking around at restaurants and tempting myself with things I shouldn't be eating. That works most of the time, but occasionally I find myself without my personal supply. I've learned not to panic about this.
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Determined not to fall back into old patterns, my first line of defense is usually to find the nearest Subway. Failing that, there's always the pre-packed healthy snacks that they now carry in most grocery stores. Sometimes you just don't want to get out of the car, though. Am I right? It's sad, but true. Enter the weight-conscious person's dreamy little McDonald's treat: the fruit and walnut salad! Lowfat yogurt, crunchy glazed walnuts, seedless grapes and red and green apple slices. 210 calories and only $1.49. This little number has really saved me a few times, so I thought I'd pass it along.
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I'm down over 25 pounds since January, and I'm NOT willing to go back. I try to add something new to my regimen every month while maintaining what I did the previous months. So, in January I quit drinking alcohol and eating fast food. February I added walking. March I added going to the gym. April I increased my cardio workouts. May is "add abdominal exercises" month. Now that my stomach isn't sticking out further than my chest, I'm ready to tighten up my mid-section. Do you have any special diet tips that work for you? Any sure-fire "million dollar abs in 20 seconds" routines to share? Please leave a comment!


