Fall is in the Air

I think Fall may be my favorite season. Keep in mind my idea of Fall is a wimpy California-ized version where only half the trees change color & there's barely enough of a chill in the air to wear a sweater. But it means you can actually sleep with a blanket on the bed, and it's cold when you get out of the shower. I love everything about fall, BUT I think it's a dangerous time for weight gain.
Why? Well lets see.. now that it's getting dark early (and once the time changes, we're really in trouble) all I want to do is go home, change into pajamas and cuddle up on the couch eating warm comfort food (mashed potatoes?) and drinking hot chocolate.
Not helping anything- Fall clothes which I love (sweaters, boots, etc) are a little more forgiving than the bathing suits & tank tops of summer.
So... how to enjoy & embrace the fall season without putting on pounds? Here's my plan:
-Keep working out. I've signed up for another 12 week session of bootcamp and am committed to going 3x a week per my deal with Chris. I know I'm going to HATE coming home & going to workout in the dark, but it will keep me on track.
-Eat my fall favorites ONCE. And make sure they're good. For example, i'm not going to eat average pumpkin pie anwhere, but if we are at a great restaurant and that's their specialty then I may go for it. BUT next time I'm tempted to order it, just remember I've already gotten that "treat" for the season & crossed it off my list.
- Make my Fall Favorites healthy. Lots of meals that appear to be comfort foods can actually be revised with healthier options. When baking- you can subsitute half of the oil in a recipe for an equal amount of applesauce. Choose plain non-fat greek yogurt instead of sour cream on a baked potato. Cut the amount of butter in a recipe in half, or use Pam spray instead of oil in a pan. Lots of ways to cut calories & fat.
-Crock Pot. This is a big part of my fall plan :) Last night Chris and I (feeling the fall spirit) decided to make a delicious Crock Pot dinner for tonight so we went & found a great cookbook with all kinds of ideas! And what was exciting was- they were all fairly healthy and "whole food" type ingredients. But when you eat something out of a crock pot, becuase of the slow cook method, it tastes rich & indulgent like a treat! So I'm excited about this technique & I will let you know how our first recipe turns out tonight!
-Eat Fun Food. Two nights ago, for a side I bought pre cubed squash (think it was spaghetti squash) from TJs. I put a touch of olive oil, salt & pepper & baked it in the oven for 30 min. It was SO good and a great side that was way lower in calories than rice or potatoes. I also bought some sliced sweet potatoes to make "fries" with later this week. Yum- fun fall food!
-Stay Accountable. Through the fall I will continue to weigh myself once a week. That way if I see myself starting to slip & gain weight I can scale back and fix it before a 2 pound gain turns into 5.
Ok- Think that's it... I know it's been a while. I was really sick for nearly a week and didn't eat barely anything other than gatorade & crackers (don't think anyone wanted to hear me blog about that) and then this past weekend Chris and I were in Napa having a very "foodie" trip, which was AMAZING.
But now I'm back & being healthy :) Happy Fall!
Chel