Okay, so I guess that’s not exactly probable.  But my husband and I went to a Denver, Colorado haunted house and I swear I jumped, leapt, and shook so much I must have lost nearly five pounds!

Halloween is a tough for me because while it is my absolutely favorite holiday (I have the craziest costumes you’ve ever seen), it does mark the beginning of my annual (dreaded) holiday weight gain.  This year, I’ve vowed to change.  You can too with these small and simple tips!

• Cut back on the candy!  Not only will all that candy will rot your teeth (remember hearing that as a kid?), it packs tons of unnecessary sugar and calories.  You should also implement healthy eating with your kids, so make sure your monitor their daily candy intake during the days following Halloween.
• Hosting a party?  Try serving yummy healthy treats rather than the traditional candy and sweets, such as apples and caramel, popcorn, pretzels, veggie trays and so on.
• Roast pumpkin seeds!  Instead of throwing away all those seeds when you are carving pumpkins, find a tasty recipe to roast the seeds.  They make a good snack to munch on to help you curb hunger.
• Serve pie, frozen yogurt, or sorbet rather than cake and cupcakes.  Use natural fruit juices or apple cider to get into the holiday spirit.  Avoid drinks saturated with sugar. 

Whether it was deliberate or an unplanned pregnancy, no woman ever plans or wants to gain an excess amount of fat during pregnancy.  But alas, it is a fact of life.  Many women lose the fat after the birth; however, many of us are just not that lucky!  So what’s the best way to get rid of all that baby-fat?

As much as we may not want to face it, exercise and healthy eating are the only sure fire ways you will lose the weight.  Losing baby fat is not much different from normal weight loss, aside from the fact that you may be breast feeding, which in that case you will need more calories daily. 

First of all, you should modify your eating habits if needed.  Kick carbonated, sugary drinks, fatty foods, and high carbs to the curb.  Eat lots of fruit and vegetables, which also make for great mid-day snacks.  Drink lots of water to ensure you are getting the minimum of eight glasses a day.  Drinking water can also help to curb hunger if you have cravings during the day.

Exercising is the other half of the equation.  Getting sufficient physical activity daily does not mean implementing a tedious and stringent exercise regiment, especially since you may still be recovering from child birth.  Implement light exercise through small changes, such as parking further in the parking lot or taking the stairs.  You will find that carrying and running after your little one is a great form of exercise.  Consider joining a new mothers group, and take your child to the park and on walks.  You will discover that you are burning a lot of calories without even realizing it! 

I know this is a common one, but one thing that really helps me lose weight is to drink water everytime time I feel hungry between normal meals. Not only does this fill my stomach, but it also helps me get my 8 cups per day. I feel like I often eat just because I’m bored, or because there’s food in front of me. Obviously this is not good.

But when I fill myself with (zero-calorie!) water, I can usually make it to the next meal.  Give it a shot…see if it works for you.

I have heard that tea, particularly green tea, has many health benefits and can even help you lose weight. This tea has been used for over 5,000 years by the Chinese.

Besides the health benefits, I love having a daily cup of tea to relax and rejuvenate me. Sometimes I even have a tea party with my girlfriends, complete with my best china and scrumptious pastries (tip: if you have chipped or broken china from your tea party, you can find a china replacement dish online).

Green tea also comes in other forms than the traditional leaves or tea bags, such as in capsules, convenient tubes, or as an additive in a weight loss pill or energy supplement. Although I prefer relaxing with a warm cup of tea during the early afternoon, you can benefit from the antioxidants in green tea in any form. Drink to your health!

With the holidays coming up, most people worry about gaining weight. With so little time to complete all the holiday tasks, and so many delicious foods tempting you at every angle, it can be difficult to stick to a healthy eating plan. Here are some tips to keep you from overeating this holiday season.

-Eat before you attend parties. If you eat something before you go to a party, you won’t be so hungry that you eat everything in sight.

-Try a little. Taking one small bite of a few small treats will keep you from eating too many calories. Take only those things that you think you will really enjoy; don’t waste your calories on unsavory treats.

-Don’t drink all your calories. Unless you plan to not eat any food, don’t drink more than a glass of alcohol or eggnog. A little goes a long way.

-If you’re planning a Christmas party, use a Utah catering company that can provide healthy foods along with desserts. This way you and your guests can enjoy some healthy food, and you can please everyone.

-Don’t eat the whole plate of cookies. This means that when you receive many desserts from neighbors, try to eat only one treat from each. You can enjoy one cookie better than a whole plate (particularly if you don’t overeat and get a sick stomach). If you have too many treats tempting you, pawn them off to the kids, the neighbors, the office, or stick them in the trash.

My mom recently dragged everyone together to have family portraits taken.   Thankfully, my parents use the same Utah photographer I used for my wedding so I had full confidence that she would make me look absolutely fabulous (thank goodness for photoshop!).

Well, she did make me look flawless (and gorgeous) but I couldn’t help but notice the few extra pounds I had packed on during since the wedding (no way to hide that, right?).  I suppose everyone is their own worse critic, but I felt really bad about it.  So I decided now was as good of time as any to start using the gym pass I purchased several months ago (and had yet to use) and start eating healthier.

Well, that was only about a month and a half ago, but already I can start to see and more importantly feel the results.  It’s definitely a long road but shedding even two pounds has made me feel great! 

When you are trying to lose a small amount of weight, the most healthy way to do so is plain ol’ exercise and healthy eating!  Yeah, I know it sucks.  Too bad there’s not a magic pill that would get rid of all that darn weight with in one dose.  While I would encourage the use of a weight loss supplement, I would do persuade you to use it in conjunction with exercise and a prudent diet.  

JFL Mag would love to hear about your weight loss experiences, trials, and triumphs!  Let us know what works for you and what doesn’t.  Any tips, tricks, or advice is always welcomed. 

One of the guaranteed sure-fire ways to ensure successful weight loss is participating in an outdoor exercise or activity that you enjoy.  If you start up an exercise regiment doing something that you don’t like (such as running), you will never stick to it!  Rather, identify what you enjoy and make an effort to do the activity regularly.  Whether it is hiking, tennis, basketball, or another outdoor exercise, go for it!

Personally, I love the newly invented sport of “canyoneering,” which entails traveling through a canyon by any means possible, whether climbing, walking, or swimming (think traveling through a narrow slot canyon).  I became addicted to it when I read about it in a Utah outdoor adventure guide.  My husband and I made the short trip to Zion National Park and hiked the entire 16 miles downstream through the infamous Narrows slot canyons. 

Using a calorie burn estimator online, I figure I burn anywhere from 300 to 700 calories an hour canyoneering, depending on the type of terrain we are traversing and subsequently, how fast we are moving.  Not only do I get a substantial workout, but I get to enjoy the beautiful outdoors and foster a sincere appreciation for nature.  An avid hiker in general, I have noticed over the past four months that I am in better shape than ever because I have been consistent in making sure I get plenty exercise through hiking, whether it be on a weekend trip to my favorite national park or just around the local park. 

So identify your favored exercise or activity, find a buddy (or drag your husband along like I do), and start burning calories, losing weight, and preparing to say hello to the healthier, fitter you!

In addition to the previous post, healthy eating is not just about what you eat, but how much you eat.

If you look at pictures of people from the early 1900s into the 1970s, people look very slim and wore smaller clothing than today (for example, my mother’s wedding dress fit me when I was 14 but I couldn’t possibly wear it today although I am the same age she was when she married. I also have several 1940s pattern that have much different sizing than now, a size 6-8 today would be about a size 12 back then).

However, you can also find overweight people throughout the ages, which seems to be caused by overeating and not genetics. (Although this was once thought attractive because only wealthy people could afford to be plump, these days people are of the opposite opinion.) So it seems that the key to being healthy and slender is to not overeat, and to rid yourself of the Western notion of emotional eating.

How do you do this? Besides planning healthy meals and snacks and eliminating processed foods, you must also control portion sizes. This can be difficult when initially cutting back. Many people employ the use of appetite suppressants like Akavar or even go to extreme measures like a gastric bypass surgery. You can also try using a food scale, drinking more water, and keeping a food journal to help you eat less.

Whatever method you employ, make sure you feel satisfied and not full or stuffed after eating. Eat slowly and you can reach your goal of eating less and losing weight.

It seems that America’s huge problem with obesity started when companies began to introduce processed snacks and foods to the public. These days, nearly everyone eats processed foods from infancy. It is hard to not eat processed foods when nearly everything in the supermarket contains preservatives and other additives that can be damaging, like MSG.

The best solution to avoiding processed foods is to buy organic whole foods from the store or to grow your own food. You should also cook most of your own meals.

Although it can be time-consuming, if you prepare snacks and meals ahead of time on the weekend or a less busy weekday, you can avoid the damaging trans fat and additives that processed foods contain. By making your own food, you can also avoid the large amount of oil and refined sugars that are in most foods.

A great way to lose weight is to find an activity that you enjoy doing. For example, I love to hike and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery. It’s much better than walking on a treadmill because you get to enjoy the fresh air and you can always find a new path or terrain to explore.

When exercising, remember that you should always be pushing yourself farther or changing your routine to keep your body guessing. Change is the best way to keep your body weight dropping or to keep from gaining weight.

In that light, I decided to completely change my routine and scenery by signing up for a Swiss hiking tour. The views in Switzerland are unparalleled and it was a great adventure for my body and mind.

Whatever you enjoy doing, take it outside and enjoy the fresh air and heart-healthy exercise.