I stuck with a rigid diet plan for the last triathlon training. I had not consumed alcoholic beverage for about four months and I did not eat anything that were considered “cheat food” - pizza, white carbohydrates, pastries, and fattier part of red meat. I felt great going into the race; I felt clean, agile, light, and energetic. I finished the race satisfied with my time. However, with the new season coming up, I have decided to let loose of my strict diet plan by rewarding myself once a week with “flavored” foods and drinks, while I can. Triathlon season usually starts in February and lasts until November. To be on a strict diet ten months a year will not only make me crash at the end but also feel being left out from experiencing different cuisines and beverages. So, every week, I will update Guinea Pig’s Weekly Reward with food and drinks that I allow myself to indulge on the weekend.

Week: 12/2/2007 ~ 12/8/2007:
1 Glass of Wine,
1 Beer (at the Jets’ game)
1 meal from a restaurant (to be picked later)

While people are fighting for x-amount of money for eating worms on Fear Factor, most of us are dealing with the fear of weighing ourselves in holiday season. Well, after reading “Health” – a woman’s health magazine, I have learned several tricks to control the temptation of stuffing myself with all the comfort foods at the parties, including drinks – the ones that can get me tipsy.

1. Snacking – you heard me. Toss out the obsolete grandma wisdom (no disrespect here grandma) - no snacking before dinner. Grab a handful of almonds or other healthy nuts before heading out. Nuts have healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats that can help you fight hunger and you won’t be drooling when you see the Mac & Cheese, pulled pork, and mashed potatoes provided by your hosts.
2. Be at the Center Stage: Well, don’t be a clown, but be talkative and make as many friends as possible. Pour yourself a glass of Barolo, walk around and greet people. While the glass makes you look sociable, your goal is to keep your focus away from all the treats while sipping the only glass you will have for rest of the night. Well, maybe you can have a couple more since it’s a holiday season. But don’t you start grabbing glasses left and right. Enjoy the conversation and you may meet someone incredible as well.
3. Pick Your Battle – Before start scooping those delicious creamy pasta (fine, meaty too) onto your plate, walk around the whole dining table and look at all the food provided. I am not going to tell you to stay away from grease food or sweets. But, pick three of your favorite dishes that you are dying to try and grab a scoop of each. Then fill up the rest of your plate with colorful steamed veggies that people rarely notice. At the end of the night, you will be happy and guiltless.
4. Dip and Stab – Ok, great, you got a plateful of spinach, arugula, raw broccoli, bell peppers, etc for the perfect dinner starter. But you are only half way done! What’s next to the salad bar? Italian, Russian, French, and all other different kind of savory dressings. You will be pounding your head against the wall and wondering why you still can’t shed the extra weight even if you stick with vegetables. Well, stacking your plate with vegetables is only half way to stay fit. Decorating your plate with grease and fatty dressing will “compensate” your healthy dining. So, put a small scoop of your favorite dressing in a party cup, dip your fork into the cup and just barely get a touch of the dressing before you dig into your salad. Do that for every other bite. You will get your sweet and sour taste and avoid the extra fats simultaneously.

 Good luck! Don’t let the weight scale ruin your holiday season!   

I have a seventy-year old woman as my personal training client. To keep her information as confidential as possible, I am only revealing that she is dealing with depression from aging. Even with obstacles, she manages to be at the gym on time and finishes her workouts. Her will to be active as long as she is alive has made me proud for every pound she lifts and every minute she spends on the stationary bike. My client is currently training twice a week with me. Here’s a challenge for all of us, everyone should spend at least 30 minutes twice a week just focusing on exercising. Sounds easy? How many of you does that currently?

To end my Magic Bag series on a high note, I headed to my favorite bagel store, Murray’s Bagel, to get myself a “power food” - Everything Bagel (sesame seed, garlic, poppy seeds, and other random seeds) with maple raisin walnut spread. Not that having a bagel is unhealthy, but a bagel plus sweet and fatty spread usually gives more calories than a person actually needs for breakfast. But at least consuming more calories in the morning is better than doing it later in a day.


Magic Bag #6

Everything Bagel with Maple Raisin Walnut spread…and this is it!

So here we are, done with my one week of indulgence in some savory and delicious breakfast foods. Now, it’s time to get back to some hearty oatmeal with fruits in the morning. Good bye Magic Bags, see you next time!

First and foremost, I am thankful to be healthy and able to share my Thanksgiving day with my readers. Here’s my day, which will be updated constantly, of how I celebrate - eat and drink, and not feel sleepy and bloated after indulging in some juicy turkey meat.

5:30 AM - Breakfast 1: oatmeal, a banana, a handful of mixed nuts, and a cup of 1% milk
6:30 AM - Morning Run: Time - 39:59, 4.5 miles, burnt 500 calories
7:30 AM - Breakfast 2: an orange, oat bran with dried blueberries, mixed nuts, and a cup of 1-% milk, and a serving of steamed barley with an egg.
10:00 AM - Visiting a friend/professor at Highland Park, NJ
11:30 AM - Last minute grocery shopping
1:00 PM - Lunch: 3 oz. salmon, sliced bell peppers, sauteed greens and mushroom, steamed broccoli, and an organge
Currently watching Thanksgiving football game! GO PACKERS!
3:30 PM - The bird is in the oven!
4:30 PM - Preping side dishes: mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes, roasted garlic green beans, and steamed stripped bass.
6:30 PM - Chow on! Portion control: 2 spoons full of every side dish, 2 slices of turkey breast, 1/3 of steamed fish, and 3 glasses of wine (Yes, i have gone over the limit on alcoholic beverage, but holiday celebration allows me to consume more than my rule of “1 glass per meal”)
8:15 PM - cleaning the kitchen…didn’t let turkey conquer me and put me into food coma!
9:15 PM - Catching a late train back to NYC because of personal training the next day.

Well, I made through my Thanksgiving feeling satisfied, but not stuffed, with delicious food and great beverage. And I am planning on working out on Friday as usual. So, how was your Thanksgiving?

Is there a such thing called “healthy muffin”? Maybe. The tofu muffin I had was delicious, not to say that it made me feel kind of healthy after stuffing it down. Well, I still don’t recommend making the tofu muffin as the regular breakfast choice. Remember, my magic bag series is for reward purpose only, not your daily dietary guide!

Magic Bag #5

Tofu Muffin

Currently feeling bloated after having all the sweets in the morning, and throughout the day. 1 more Guinea Pig’s Magic Bag to go!

I have been gaining weight from letting myself loose in diet since I finished my triathlon race. Although rewarding myself with savory pastries and desserts for a week will not put me in danger of obesity, diabetes, or other health problems, to ensure that I still get minimum exercise requirement of a healthy adult, 30 minutes of moderate intensity workout, I have been power-walking to food stores whenever I have the urge for something sweet and comfort. Well, my 7 days of indulgence has already ended and I am looking forward to get back on track and train hard.

A breakfast menu is never complete without a croissant on it. But a regular croissant is sort of boring; therefore, I picked up an apple croissant on the way to work the other day. By the way, this is the first croissant I have had in 4 years, and I will not have another one in the next six months.

Magic Bag #4

Apple Croissant

Magic Bag series is over half way through, almost can smell the plain oatmeal with boiled eggs breakfast again.

Enough with only HALF of a whole grain bagel with fat-free cream cheese for now. Bring on a WHOLE pumpernickel bagel and whole-milk fat cream cheese spread. Breakfast is in “full effect”!

Magic Bag #3

Pumpernickel Bagel with Sun Dried Tomato Tofu Cream Cheese

I am open for Magic Bag suggestions. If you have any great breakfast ideas, please let me know. But please, no Mickie D’s Bacon & Egg English Muffin. Breakfast shall be luxurious!

So I am a little late to celebrate the Halloween. But a buttery and sweet pumpkin muffin has made me feel warm and comfy. Of course…I still a healthy item, an orange, to balance out my guilt.

Magic Bag #2

The Pumpkin Muffin

Magic Bag #3 is on its way…