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Uh-oh. Here it comes. Yesterday’s unusual meal (unusual for me, lately, that is) is starting to have an effect on me. I don’t use table salt, haven’t for years. I use little to no salt in cooking, too. So, when I eat at a restaurant, or at someone’s house who uses what I consider “a lot” of salt in their cooking, my body eventually rebels in one way or another.

Sometimes, the rebellion is in the form of “I want more of that yummy salt!” This is part of what I’m feeling today. I’m also getting a reaction to the higher-than-I’m-used-to amount of sugar that I had yesterday, in the pie, the wine, and the packaged crackers and other nibblers that I had. My body wants more of the same today. I’m not surprised.

My daughter does a second Thanksgiving at her home the weekend after Thanksgiving. She does this because Thanksgiving leftovers are so good, and she wants leftovers of her own. I can’t blame her. I, too, look forward to her “Thanksgiving, Part Deux” because I know that she will give me lots of leftovers to take home with me, and especially because I get to spend another day with her.

Of course, this second indulgence will wreak havoc with my eating plan, since I’ve already begun to lose some of the momentum I’ve built up. That’s OK. I have every intention of living my life as a normal (for me) human being. This includes a bit of overindulging during the holidays. I will pay for it eventually, but I know the routine, I know what to expect, and I know how to get back on the wagon once it’s all over. (Think oatmeal with peanut butter for breakfast. It’s a very strong restart.)

During the next few weeks, it’s quite likely that I will wind up going off program quite a bit. Again, it’s OK. I’m allowing myself this time of imperfection. We are none of us perfect, and I will not hold myself up to an impossible standard. Why do that? It’s only a recipe for failure.

In expectation of what’s to come, I will say now that it is very likely that this blog will suffer a bit during the hiaitus. I hope that you will be patient with me during the lull. I promise that I will be back after the New Year, if not sooner. I may even stop in now and then, in the weeks to come, but it’s quite likely that I will be less consistent than I’ve been so far. (I know this game so well.)

In the meantime, enjoy your holidays. Don’t over-discipline yourself. Eat the holiday foods, in moderation if you can. If you indulge in alcohol, have that glass of wine, that beer, or that mixed drink, unless it’s a problem for you. What I’m trying to say is, don’t set yourself up for failure by expecting superhuman strength in the face of that bowl of stuffing or that slice of pumpkin pie, or whatever it is that calls to you. Have some fun. Together, we will come back stronger than ever after these weeks have gone by.

In case I’m not around to say it, Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, Happy Kwanzaa, and Happy All-the-others-I-missed. Happy New Year, too! See you in 2010, if not sooner!

I love that it’s OK to say, “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone I know without anyone bringing up some politically incorrect slant to it. It’s a great day for gathering family and friends together for a scrumptious meal. Not many would complain about that!

I spent the afternoon at the home of my daughter’s in-laws. The meal was traditional — turkey, stuffing, gravy, white potatoes, sweet potatoes, turnips, cranberry sauce, etc. Dessert included apple pie, pumpkin pie, squash pie, pecan pie… hoo boy!

Before I left my house earlier today, I had a protein bar (Peanut Passion), and brought a bottle of water with me to drink during the ride. By the time I got to the in-laws’, I was easily able to make good choices, and in good portions. I had a glass of wine with dinner, chose one slice of pie for dessert, and did not feel as though I was depriving myself of anything. It felt good to be so comfortable doing that.

Tonight, I’m not feeling uncomfortably stuffed, and tomorrow, I won’t feel guilty for overindulging. Another win-win. I can do this!

I hope that your Thanksgiving was filled with good food, good friends and good feelings. Thanks again for being here.

As I may have mentioned, I recently started a new home-based business. The start-up takes some work to get things going, but once that’s done, I’m looking forward to a lucrative residual income for many years to come. (Ask me about this, because you can do it, too.)

Anyway, one of the things that I’m doing is creating a small website that will help me to collect the names of folks who might be interested in pursuing this same business. As with most any new website, there are bugs that need to be ironed out. I’m almost there, but there’s just one box on the page that’s causing me some issues. Dealing with code can be frustrating, but once it’s done, it will be a tool that everyone on my team can use.

Another bit of frustration is that I’ve gotten into the habit of working late into the night. (Dealing with code tends to demand it at times.) I need to get back on track with bedtime, or it’s going to undermine everything I’m trying to do here.

At any rate, frustrations and bumps in the road are an inevitable part of anything worth doing, so I’m just going to take it in stride and keep going forward. It will all work out in the end.

Do your kids fight you when it comes to eating healthy foods? I’ve got a solution for you that will get you and your kids cooperating about food choices, while providing them with the nutrients that their growing bodies need.This is truly a win-win situation!

Along with the other products, like protein bars, smoothies and shakes, the company has just come out with a group of products geared specifically for children. These products provide healthy snacks for kids. (Adults like them, too.)

What child today couldn’t make healthier choices when it comes to snacking? These products are specifically geared to provide an average of 15 grams of protein, along with other important nutrients, in a tasty snack that kids can enjoy.

Depending on the ages and taste buds of your children, they might also enjoy products geared more for adults and teens, like the BBQ Soy Puffs. These are similar to barbecue-flavored cheese puffs, but they’re balanced for weight loss and good nutrition, with 15 grams of protein, 3 grams of sugar and 120 calories per individual package.

If your kids are not into BBQ flavor, similar products are the Sour Cream and Onion Puffs and the Chocolate Puffs. Both provide the same crunch satisfaction and the same nutrition as the BBQ flavor. Kids love ‘em, so there’s no struggle getting them to add good nutrition to their diet.

Other products in the line that kids might enjoy are the protein bars. These come in a variety of flavors, including Chocolate Delite, Blueberry-Pomegranate, Lemon Blast and Peanut Passion. I love them all!

This product line also offers healthy and yummy meal-type foods, like chocolate caramel granola cereal, cinnamon apple oatmeal, and a variety of soups.

You’re sure to find some products that your kids will love, and you can feel good about these choices, because they provide more protein and other good stuff than what you can purchase on the shelves of your local grocery store.

If you’d like to give any of these items a try, visit the Ideal Health website.

Weight: 188

On the way home today, I thought about going to the gym, something I haven’t done in quite a while. When I got to the spot where I’d need to turn left towards the gym or go straight towards home, I found myself making the turn. “Yeah, right,” I thought. “Who am I kidding?”

A few doors down from the gym is a great little Chinese restaurant that serves steamed chicken and vegetables, with sauce on the side instead of mixed in. It’s a great choice for dieters, and I get it fairly often. The veggies are still crisp and full of color, making them a much healthier choice than stir-fry. I feel good about this choice, and I figured that if I got to the gym and couldn’t get my body to go inside, at least I’d be able to pick up some healthy food for dinner.

I drove into the parking lot that services both the gym and the restaurant, parked, grabbed the book on the seat next to me, got my treadmill sneakers from the trunk of the car, and found myself walking towards the gym door. I checked in, changed into my sneakers, got onto the treadmill, and opened the book. As the belt started turning, my feet started moving, and they didn’t stop until an hour later! The time flew by, because I was lost in my reading. That was a nice surprise. I hope I do it again, soon.