It's not what you know, it's what you do with what you know that matters most!

I apologize for the delay since my last post, however, as I mentioned my wife and I just had our first child (beautiful daughter)!  This is a tremendous blessing and we are truly grateful, but combined with my work schedule, consultation business and ongoing deadlines surrounding my PhD time has been quite short with respect to being able to sit down and blog.  Thanks for tuning back in.  Anyway, here we go with this week's post.

Knowledge is great.  Heck, it's the new currency!  However, there is so much of it today (via the internet) that we often suffer from knowledge overload and specifically misinformation overload!!  Anyone, who has a product to sell, can put together an add that, to the untrained eye, will look like a respectable informational report or scientific publication, when in reality it's nothing more than an add for their product!

The other side of this, is that we can at any moment find answers to our questions by using our favorite search engine and asking the question.  Quite often, it's been asked before and often results in thousands or more of hits once entered.  The challenge is: 1) to find respectable, factual information and once we've found a correct and scientifically valid answer, then we need to 2) use the knowledge we gain to somehow make our health and lives better!

When dealing with health and lifestyle information, hopefully you will learn to trust my information that is all well researched and thought out.  Sometimes, it takes me longer to publish a new post, but I would honestly rather publish something that's valid and factual and well researched vs. just publishing a post fast to keep active (especially if it's garbage of BS).

Anyway, when attempting to change your health or lifestyle for the better, it is critical that we convert any knowledge or concepts we learn into practical daily and weekly behaviors.  In other words, it's not what we know, rather it's what we do with what we know that leads us to success or failure.  Here is an example of some of the positive lifestyle behaviors we've discussed in prior posts or will discuss in subsequent posts and how to create a behavior checklist from them.  I know it seems 3rd grade, but do it and you'll be able to track your progress daily and accurately assess/predict if you are heading towards your goal or not.  Much better than waiting for weekly weigh ins, waist measurements, etc...  You would simply check off the behaviors as you do complete them.

Example of Success Behavior Checklist

Success Behavior	Achieved
Eat 6 times/day (every 3-5 hours)
Consume adequate amount of PRO/day
Consume PRO at every snack/meal
Moderate calorie restriction (20-30% below)
Moderate Carb restriction (Adequate Fibre daily)
Eat 7-10 Fruits and Vegetables / day – 4 servings from Fruits + cooked starchy vegetables.
30-60 mins min daily exercise (3x/wk cardio + 2- 3x/wk Resistance)
Adequate Fluid intake (3.7 L/d men; 2.7 L/d women)
Did I do 80% the right stuff today?

So what behaviors are musts for you to achieve your goals.  Figure them out, then work backwards and map them out into a specific daily / weekly plan for yourself.  Only then, can you know how you are doing and make adjustments on the fly!!!

Anyway, please see my prior posts and stay tuned for future posts for more specifics as to the behaviors that you should be working into your daily life in order to truly transform your lifestyle into a healthy one!

Be sure to check back regularly for more information!!!  You can also follow me on Twitter.

Have a great weekend!  Plan and adopt a healthy lifestyle now!!

Dan

Could that Valentines Day Chocolate be Good for You?

Dark Chocolate and Your Health

Valentine’s Day has just passed and many people got some chocolates as a gift.  There are a lot of misconceptions out there about chocolate and whether it is good for you or not.  What type of chocolate is better? Etc…

Let’s take a serious and in depth look at the scientific evidence on Chocolate and your health.  What follows is a simplified version of an evidence review that I conducted for an oral exam for my PhD.   It is in four parts.  I will release one part each day (today and the next 3 days).  I hope you find this entry informative and it helps you stay on track and avoid being sucked into the marketing “traps” that are out there.  Please comment with any questions or thoughts you might have!

The first potential benefit that we’ll cover today is the anti-inflammatory effect of dark chocolate.

1)            Anti-Inflammatory Effects - Compounds known as polyphenols [1, 2] and flavonols [1, 3] found in dark cocoa solids are known to decrease inflammations by the following mechanisms.  We need at least 85% of cocoa solids to see significant benefits here.

a.            Free radical scavenging – flavonols show greater free radical scavenging compared with Vitamin C and Beta Carotene [3, 4].

Flavonols have been shown to effectively impair reactive oxygen species production (free radical type) as well as neutralize existing free radicals [3, 5-7].

Compounds in dark chocolate solids (epicatechin, catechin and procyanidin B2) are known to reduce oxidative destruction of red blood cells in a dose-dependent manner [3, 8, 9].

b.            Altering Gene Expression – Simply put, if gene expression is altered, then protein production is subsequently altered, since genes code for proteins that carry out specific functions in our bodies.  Flavanol compounds have been shown to alter gene expression (mRNA and DNA) and therefore affect the amounts and types of proteins produced, thereby effecting key function of the body [1, 3]. 

Cocoa flavanols decrease production of pro-inflammatory interleukins (IL-1β, IL-2 [1, 10-15] and TNF-α [1, 16-18]) by altering expression and production of mRNA, which is responsible for protein transcription and translation.  Cocoa flavanols have also been shown to increase production of anti-inflammation compounds TGF-β + IL-4 [1, 16-18].

IL-5 predicts risk for specific oral infections and in turn predicts incidence of CAD [1, 19, 20] and larger cocoa flavanols decrease production of this compound [1, 21] therefore, decreasing risk of CAD.

So that’s the evidence of the anti-inflammatory benefits of dark chocolate summarized for you.   Clearly, there are some benefits of consuming dark chocolate.  However, it’s important that you realize that these benefits were only observed in dark chocolate containing at least 85% cocoa solids, which provided enough of the cocoa flavanols to be effective on lowering/preventing inflammation via the mechanisms above.

I hope this helps.

Stay tuned tomorrow when I will release the next potential health benefit of dark chocolate – Immune Cell Function.

Have a great day!

Live healthy, live passionate, live prosperous, live long!

Dan

Citations

1.            Selmi, C., et al., Chocolate at heart: the anti-inflammatory impact of cocoa flavanols. Mol Nutr Food Res, 2008. 52(11): p. 1340-8.

2.            Schroeter, H., et al., (-)-Epicatechin mediates beneficial effects of flavanol-rich cocoa on vascular function in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A, 2006. 103(4): p. 1024-9.

3.            Ramiro-Puig, E. and M. Castell, Cocoa: antioxidant and immunomodulator. Br J Nutr, 2009. 101(7): p. 931-40.

4.            Nakao, M., S. Takio, and K. Ono, Alkyl peroxyl radical-scavenging activity of catechins. Phytochemistry, 1998. 49(8): p. 2379-82.

5.            Hatano, T., et al., Proanthocyanidin glycosides and related polyphenols from cacao liquor and their antioxidant effects. Phytochemistry, 2002. 59(7): p. 749-58.

6.            Yilmaz, Y. and R.T. Toledo, Major flavonoids in grape seeds and skins: antioxidant capacity of catechin, epicatechin, and gallic acid. J Agric Food Chem, 2004. 52(2): p. 255-60.

7.            Pollard, S.E., et al., The reaction of flavonoid metabolites with peroxynitrite. Biochem Biophys Res Commun, 2006. 350(4): p. 960-8.

8.            Zhu, Q.Y., et al., Inhibitory effects of cocoa flavanols and procyanidin oligomers on free radical-induced erythrocyte hemolysis. Exp Biol Med (Maywood), 2002. 227(5): p. 321-9.

9.            Zhu, Q.Y., et al., Influence of cocoa flavanols and procyanidins on free radical-induced human erythrocyte hemolysis. Clin Dev Immunol, 2005. 12(1): p. 27-34.

10.          Mackenzie, G.G., et al., Epicatechin, catechin, and dimeric procyanidins inhibit PMA-induced NF-kappaB activation at multiple steps in Jurkat T cells. FASEB J, 2004. 18(1): p. 167-9.

11.          Mackenzie, G.G. and P.I. Oteiza, Modulation of transcription factor NF-kappaB in Hodgkin's lymphoma cell lines: effect of (-)-epicatechin. Free Radic Res, 2006. 40(10): p. 1086-94.

12.          Mao, T., et al., Cocoa procyanidins and human cytokine transcription and secretion. J Nutr, 2000. 130(8S Suppl): p. 2093S-9S.

13.          Mao, T.K., et al., The effect of cocoa procyanidins on the transcription and secretion of interleukin 1 beta in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Life Sci, 2000. 66(15): p. 1377-86.

14.          Sanbongi, C., N. Suzuki, and T. Sakane, Polyphenols in chocolate, which have antioxidant activity, modulate immune functions in humans in vitro. Cell Immunol, 1997. 177(2): p. 129-36.

15.          Ramiro, E., et al., Effect of Theobroma cacao flavonoids on immune activation of a lymphoid cell line. Br J Nutr, 2005. 93(6): p. 859-66.

16.          Mao, T.K., et al., Modulation of TNF-alpha secretion in peripheral blood mononuclear cells by cocoa flavanols and procyanidins. Dev Immunol, 2002. 9(3): p. 135-41.

17.          Ramiro, E., et al., Flavonoids from Theobroma cacao down-regulate inflammatory mediators. J Agric Food Chem, 2005. 53(22): p. 8506-11.

18.          Ramiro-Puig, E., et al., Spleen lymphocyte function modulated by a cocoa-enriched diet. Clin Exp Immunol, 2007. 149(3): p. 535-42.

19.          Beck, J.D., G. Slade, and S. Offenbacher, Oral disease, cardiovascular disease and systemic inflammation. Periodontol 2000, 2000. 23: p. 110-20.

20.          Joshipura, K., C. Ritchie, and C. Douglass, Strength of evidence linking oral conditions and systemic disease. Compend Contin Educ Dent Suppl, 2000(30): p. 12-23; quiz 65.

21.          Okudaira, H. and A. Mori, Simple understanding and optimistic strategy for coping with atopic diseases. IL-5 central hypothesis on eosinophilic inflammation. Int Arch Allergy Immunol, 1998. 117(1): p. 11-9.

Sugar and your Diet

Sugar in the Diet.

A friend of mine is currently purging sugar from his diet for the next month.  A great gift you can give yourself is to free yourself from the possible addictive nature of high sugar foods.  This got me thinking about some of the common questions and issues regarding sugar that arise during my Clinical practice regarding sugar.  Hope they help you!

o       It has been well established that consumption of sugar can stimulate over consumption by increasing reward mechanism feedback in the brain (Kanoski 2012).

o       This suggests that hippocampal-dependent modulatory control of feeding behavior can be compromised by typical Western foods including saturated fats and simple sugars (Kanoski 2012).

o       Sugar sweetened beverages have been implicated in high calorie intake due to low satiety and low nutrient density (Maersk, Belza et al. 2012).

o       There is recent suggestions that sugar addiction although real does not lead to obesity or increase the risk of developing obesity (Peters 2011).  Seemingly contrarily, it was suggested that food addiction is an underlying subtype of obesity, however, upon further investigation scores on the Yale Food Addiction Scale suggestive of food addiction were more likely to be associated with co-morbid diagnosis of depression, binge-eating disorder and ADHD compared to their age and weight equivalent controls (Davis, Curtis et al. 2011).  This suggests that individuals with these co-morbidities likely have a higher propensity to use food for self-medication (Davis, Curtis et al. 2011).

o       The AHA released a statement that consumption of not more than 25 g of sugar for women and 37.5 g sugar for men per day respectively (Johnson, Appel et al. 2009).  Consumption of more than this amount increases risk of heart disease independent of the weight gain that would most likely also occur.

o       Therefore, it’s important to reduce intake of sweetened beverages, simple sugar containing food items and shift intake to more slowly-digestible and resistant starches (Aller, Abete et al. 2011).  These have been shown to protect people from the weight gain that occurs with higher sugar intake.  The confusing part is, many well meaning advisors will tell clients that carbohydrate amounts are the problem and not specifically the amount of simple easily available carbohydrates (remember that fiber is technically part of carbohydrates, but not available).  Furthermore, consuming protein along with carbohydrates acts to slow the digestion and absorption of the carbohydrate.  Specifically, protein containing beverages significantly increased satiety and were associated with higher nutrient density (Maersk, Belza et al. 2012).

o       Finally, if we consume a diet high in low glycemic index foods it is more likely that we will meet our nutrient recommendations including adequate but not excessive calorie intakes (Louie, Buyken et al. 2012).

Therefore, our take home message, based on the evidence should be that we need to consciously decrease our intake of simple sugars and focus on more complex and less processed fruit and vegetable sugar and starches.  We should increase our intake of protein, fibers and healthy fats in place of the higher levels of simple sugars, both of which can result in significant health benefits.

I hope you enjoy this section.  Look for my next Blog post in the near future!

Take care.

Dan

Citations

Aller, E. E., I. Abete, et al. (2011). "Starches, sugars and obesity." Nutrients 3(3): 341-369.

Davis, C., C. Curtis, et al. (2011). "Evidence that 'food addiction' is a valid phenotype of obesity." Appetite 57(3): 711-717.

Fowler, S. P., K. Williams, et al. (2008). "Fueling the obesity epidemic? Artificially sweetened beverage use and long-term weight gain." Obesity 16(8): 1894-1900.

Johnson, R. K., L. J. Appel, et al. (2009). "Dietary sugars intake and cardiovascular health: a scientific statement from the American Heart Association." Circulation 120(11): 1011-1020.

Kanoski, S. E. (2012). "Cognitive and neuronal systems underlying obesity." Physiology & behavior.

Louie, J. C., A. E. Buyken, et al. (2012). "The link between dietary glycemic index and nutrient adequacy." The American journal of clinical nutrition.

Maersk, M., A. Belza, et al. (2012). "Satiety scores and satiety hormone response after sucrose-sweetened soft drink compared with isocaloric semi-skimmed milk and with non-caloric soft drink: a controlled trial." European journal of clinical nutrition.

Peters, A. (2011). "Does sugar addiction really cause obesity?" Frontiers in neuroenergetics 3: 11.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruit and Vegetable Intake

It's long be touted that we need to consume adequate fruits and vegetables.  Many studies have shown that there are valid mechanism by which adequate fruit and vegetable intake supports longer health span and life span (Joseph J et al., 2009).  Conversely, it has been shown that inadequate intake is associated with higher risk of illness and death (Rissanen TH et al., 2003).  Taken together, the evidence suggest that the benefits far outweigh the potential risks of consuming adequate fruits and vegetables and it can be downright dangerous to consume inadequate fruits and vegetables.

1)      Fruits and Vegetables

-          Many food classification systems lump fruits and vegetables together because they have similar benefits.

-         INADEQUATE fruit and vegetable intake has been linked to shorter life and greater risk of illness, especially CVD (Martínez-González MÁ, 2011) and cancer (Parkin DM, 2011).

-     Also adequate fruit and vegetable intake has been suggested to be protective against excess weight gain (i.e. overweight and obesity) (Maskarinec G et al., 2006).  This is not necessarily causal, but changing to more fruit and vegetable based diet has been shown to significantly decrease calories in the diet (Maskarinec G et al., 2006), which would help with weight loss.

-          This year it’s time to explore locally grown fresh produce, so TAKE ADVANTAGE.  You can even join a local CSA program (http://csafarms.ca/index.html).

-          Target about 7-10 servings per day for both together (http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/food-guide-aliment/index-eng.php).

-          When weight management is a goal, consider both fruits and vegetables separately.

-     Remember that the carbohydrates coming from whole fruits and vegetables are much more complex than the “processed” ones coming in refined grains.

2)      Fruits

-          Significant source of natural fruit sugars.

-          Flavorful and can be ++ beneficial to creating fruit smoothies – caution with amounts.

-          If you are managing your weight, remember to use a) whole fruits, b) dried fruits then c) juice.

3)      Vegetables

-          Some are significant sources of natural starches (i.e. starchy vegetables = potatoes, carrots, squash, turnip, etc...), but only countable carbohydrates when cooked.

-          Tendency is to overcook (mushy).  Ideal is steaming for 10 mins.

-          If you are managing your weight, remember to use a) fibrous vegetables, then b) starchy vegetables.

4)      Tips to add more into your diet.

-          Make a point to have 2- 3 servings of fruits and vegetables at each meal.  Ideally use a combination of both at each meal.

-          When managing your weight, attempt to consume at least 5-6 servings of fibrous vegetables (non-starchy), then the rest of your servings can come from whole fruits and/or starchy vegetables.

-          Eat egg scrambles / omelets at breakfast with lots of fibrous vegetables.

-          Fruit and vegetable smoothies are a great way to incorporate adequate servings of fruits and vegetables into your daily intakes.

·        Use a blender vs. a juicer keeps the fiber in the fruits and vegetables.

·        Use water to change the volume of the finished product without adding calories to the smoothie.

·        Combine vegetables with a bit of fruit and you will mostly taste the fruit item.

o       Sample Recipe:  My wife and I use this (and others) daily and blend in our Vitamix, then portion into about 3 – 4 sealed glasses so we can bring them with us for our day.  Our fruit and veg intake has increased significantly since incorporating this.

o       4 cups spinach/kale (raw, rinsed)

o       2-4 whole carrots (raw, washed or peeled)

o       1 cup frozen mixed berries or 2 cups frozen whole strawberries.

o       1 whole banana (or more to taste)

o       1-3 cups water to bring up to volume

o       TIP:  I often use one of these post workout.  You could add Greek Yogurt or Protein powder to increase protein content.

      Hope you learned something from this entry!  Be sure to leave any questions and topics you'd like to learn more about in the comments.  Also, please share with your friends by sharing the link through social media, if you like.  Thanks.

      Take care,
     
      Dan


      Citations:

Rissanen TH, Voutilainen S, Virtanen JK, Venho B, Vanharanta M, Mursu J, Salonen JT.  Low intake of fruits, berries and vegetables is associated with excess mortality in men: the Kuopio Ischaemic Heart Disease Risk Factor (KIHD) Study. J Nutr. 2003. Jan;133(1):199-204.

Joseph J, Cole G, Head E, Ingram D.  Nutrition, brain aging, and neurodegeneration.  J Neurosci. 2009 Oct 14;29(41):12795-801.

Martínez-González MÁ, de la Fuente-Arrillaga C, López-Del-Burgo C, Vázquez-Ruiz Z, Benito S, Ruiz-Canela M.  Low consumption of fruit and vegetables and risk of chronic disease: a review of the epidemiological evidence and temporal trends among Spanish graduates.  Public Health Nutr. 2011 Dec;14(12):2309-15.

      Parkin DM, Boyd L, Walker LC.   16. The fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in the UK in 2010.  Br J Cancer. 2011 Dec 6;105 Suppl 2:S77-81. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2011.489.

Maskarinec G, Takata Y, Pagano I, Carlin L, Goodman MT, Le Marchand L, Nomura AM, Wilkens LR, Kolonel LN.  Trends and dietary determinants of overweight and obesity in a multiethnic population. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2006 Apr;14 (4):717-26.

SMART Goal Setting

I realized that I never re-posted this session on SMART goal setting, so here it is!  This is absolutely critical in order to set yourself up for success, whatever your goals are.

Do NOT sell yourself short! You can achieve what you set out to achieve, just be sure to create the right road map (i.e. behaviors to reach the goal).  I will cover this in another blog (again) later.

Be sure to subscribe to our complete at home fitness & nutrition program.

https://www.youtube.com/chizlefuel = My nutrition channel.

https://www.youtube.com/chizlefitness = Trainer C’s at home fitness revolution!

Subscribe today & check back daily for the WOD & the nutrition tip/concept of the day!

We are here to help you succeed!

Sincerely,

Dan Tisi aka Dietitian Dan T

SMART GOAL SETTING 

Happy New Year Everyone!

I hope you all had a great holiday!  My wife and I are still eagerly awaiting the birth of our child.  Any day now!

In the spirit of the New Year, please enjoy my segment on how to set SMART goals.  Adopting this effective strategy should help to optimize your chances of successfully setting and reaching a goal rather than the business as usual New Year’s Resolutions, as you will see.  ENJOY!

Every New Years we do it...  Take a look at our lives and decided to change… something! January has the highest number of people starting lifestyle change plans, etc… However, it also has the highest percentage of these individuals who drop out, or quit!  Therefore, we examine how to set goals in a way that maximizes our chances of following through! 

SMART Acronym:

1)     Specific – Must answer the six “W” questions:

a.      Who – is involved?

b.     What – do I want to accomplish?

c.     Where – Identify a location.

d.     When – Establish a time frame.

e.      Which – Identify requirements and constraints.

f.       Why – Specific reasons, purpose or benefits of accomplishing the goal.

Example: SMART Goal regarding health = Do cardio training for 45 minutes 3 days / wk and resistance training for 45 minutes 3 days/wk at XYZ fitness club VS. Get in shape.

2)     Measurable – Concrete criteria for measuring progress towards the attainment of each goal you set & regularly scheduled progress checks.

3)     Attainable – You begin to figure out ways to achieve your goals.  Develop attitudes, abilities and the skills to reach them.  This “development” occurs only when you see goal achievement as possible for you.  Stair steps/Stage wise – over time what was once inconceivable to you becomes well within your achievement.

4)     Realistic – A goal must represent an objective toward which you are both WILLING and ABLE to work.  TEST of Realistic = DO you BELIEVE that the goal is attainable?

5)     Timely – A goal should be grounded with a time frame.  This increases your sense of urgency and can help you tap more of your resources to achieve the goal.

Other tips for Lifestyle Change Goals: 

A) Include adhering to your lifestyle habits as an outcome (i.e. I will consume 8 servings of fruits and vegetables per day; or 5 vegetables and 3 fruits per day; or I will do 3 cardio and 3 resistance training workouts this week (for 30 – 45 min each)).

B) Research your desired outcomes and be sure to discuss them with a health professional who can help you set a realistic target and timeframe, as well as help you overcome obstacles and use effective, proven strategies. 

C) Share your goals with peers who can support you and hold you accountable to your standards.

References:

1) Adapted from: Psycho-education.  2006.  Dr. I. Patelis-Siotis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario.

2) Wikipedia entry on SMART/ER - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SMART_criteria.

Steps to Successful Weight Management During the Holidays

The holidays are almost here and the number one question I get from my clients is always (to paraphrase) how can I enjoy the holiday parties and feasts like I always have and still achieve my goal of losing weight?  Of course, the answer simply put is that you can't.  Let's look closer at what I mean.

It's pretty simple.  The definition of insanity is: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result.  So if you've never lost weight over the holidays before, and you intend on doing the same behaviors over this year, how can you expect to have a different result.  Obviously, you can't.

However, this illustrates an excellent point.  The MOST IMPORTANT PART OF ANY HEALTH AND FITNESS PLAN is...

YOUR BEHAVIOR

I always instruct my clients to create a behavior checklist.  This includes essentially all the daily steps that they would have to take in order to achieve their overall goal.  For example.

So perhaps you already have weight management numbers in figured out for your specific case, maybe not.  Either way, here is an example of a good behavior checklist that you can adapt for your specific situation.

BEHAVIOR CHECKLIST - for avoiding the holiday bulge!

• Eat a good breakfast within 1 - 1.5 hrs of waking up.
• Eat at least 2-4 servings (14-28 g on a label) of lean source protein at every meal and at least 1-2 servings (7-14 g) at each snack - This will increase your metabolism as your body has to spend more energy processing dietary protein, so use this to your advantage and spread the work out over your day.
• Eat at least 30 g of fiber/day (unless restricted by your physician for GI issues).
• Purposely slow down your eating.  Avoid rapid eating - This is because your stomach transmits a signal to the brain every time it is stretched that tells the brain we are full.  However, this signal takes at least 15-20 mins to reach the brain.  Give it time to reach the brain!
• Do a minimum of 30 -45 mins /day of exercise x 6 days / week (3 bouts of cardio coupled with 3 bouts of resistance based training has been shown to be best for increasing metabolism).  If your just getting started, start gently and consult your physician first.  Also, if you can afford it, find a QUALIFIED personal trainer who can educate you on the correct movements for your body and to prevent injury over the long term.  Remember, if you are overweight or obese prevention of injury is imperative because of the excess weight on your leg joints already.
• Eat 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables daily - if you are trying to lose weight shoot for 6-8 servings of non-starchy vegetables and compliment with 2-4 servings of fruits/starchy vegetables daily; also, avoid fruit juice - this will make sure you get all of the beneficial plant compounds known to improve human health while still limiting your calorie and sugar intake.
• Hydrate properly. It's critical that you achieve your target free water for the day - This will ensure that your body is metabolically prepared to deal with the foods and food types and even the alcohol that you might be exposing it to.
• Moderation, moderation, moderation - This truly is the mantra of the Dietetics field, and just like in real estate, it's the most important factor. Enjoy the indulgences of the holidays, but do so in Moderation!!!

Again, take these points and create a behavior checklist for yourself.  Monitor your progress daily and check off each item as you "handle" it.  This is empowering, builds momentum and is quite motivating.  Also, if you do not reach a behavior, then you are aware of that and can better figure out what was off in your approach for that day/week.

I hope that you each take something positive and useful away from this/my first post. In case we don't touch base before Christmas.  Have a Happy Holiday everyone!!!

I am hoping to have a goal setting blog for the upcoming New Year to help guide those of you who are looking to set some goals.  My wife and I are expecting our first child Boxing week at some point, so obviously, my timeline for delivery is dependent on that.

Take care everyone!!!

Dan