Adopted from Bob Greene
What to Do After Fat Tuesday
It's Fat Tuesday, otherwise known as Mardi Gras! Often celebrated with drinks, Cajun and Creole food and King cake, the holiday is known as a last day of total indulgence. So what can you do tomorrow to get your health and fitness back on track? Here, Bob Greene, exercise physiologist and Oprah's trainer, lists six things you should stop doing:
1. Drinking alcohol (when you're trying to start a weight-loss program). I don't want readers to think that they have to give up alcohol entirely if they don't want to. People who want to lose weight should give up alcohol for the first month or two because it slows the metabolism. You can work it back in appropriately after the initial period.
2. Drinking full-calorie soda. These are best left out of the diet entirely. Once most people are exposed to better alternatives, they never go back to drinking sodas.
3. Eating anything with trans fat. The good news on this one is that food processors and manufactures get the message that trans fat is bad, and many have eliminated it from products on grocery story shelves.
4. Eating fried foods. These have to come off the table—whether you're on the road or eating at home.
5. Eating white bread. People who give up white bread miss it at first, but then gravitate to the whole-grain and whole-wheat breads, eventually liking those better.
6. Eating high-fat milk and yogurt. These are easy to replace with low-fat yogurts and 1 percent skim milk or soy milks.
