Healthy traveling fast food alternatives

Blimpie

Best Salad: Seafood Salad
122 calories
4.4 g fat, 0.7 g saturated fat
418 mg sodium
3.2 g fiber
6 g protein

Best Sandwich: Union Square Ultimate Veggie Six-Inch Cafe Sandwich
280 calories
17 g fat, 4.5 g saturated fat
480 mg sodium
6 g fiber
19 g protein

Best Soup: Garden Vegetable, 8-ounce cup
80 calories
0.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat
620 mg sodium
3 g fiber
5 g protein

Worst Overall: Ultimate BLT Wrap
831 calories
50 g fat, 15 g saturated fat
2,677 mg sodium
3 g fiber
34 g protein

Takeout Tip: Choose Blimpie's cold subs or Cafe sandwiches over their grilled subs and wraps -- the latter usually contain an entire day's allowance or more of sodium. (Aim for no more than 2,300 mg per day of sodium; too much raises your risk of high blood pressure. Since lunch meats and soups are notoriously high in salt, keep a close eye on your intake the rest of the day.)

Subway

Best Salad: Grilled Chicken & Baby Spinach
140 calories
3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat
450 mg sodium
4 g fiber
20 g protein

Best Sandwich: Deli Style Turkey Breast
210 calories
3.5 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat
730 mg sodium
3 g fiber
13 g protein

Best Soup: Spanish Style Chicken with Rice, 1 cup
90 calories
2 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat
800 mg sodium
1 g fiber
5 g protein

Worst Overall: Double Meat Meatball Marinara six-inch sub
960 calories
42 g fat, 18 g saturated fat
2,490 mg sodium
10 g dietary fiber
37 g protein

Takeout Tip: Skip all the packaged dressings on your salad -- Atkins Honey Mustard and Ranch each add 22 grams of fat, while the Fat-Free Italian contains 720 mg sodium. Ask for oil and vinegar (from the sandwich condiments) instead, which add just 45 calories and 5 grams of fat.


Panera Bread

Best Salad: Fandango Salad: mixed greens with walnuts, gorgonzola, orange slices, and fat-free raspberry dressing
390 calories
27 g fat, 7 g saturated fat
530 mg sodium
6 g fiber
12 g protein

Best Sandwich: Smoked Turkey Breast Sandwich on Sourdough
430 calories
14 g fat, 2.5 g saturated fat
1,820 mg sodium
3 g fiber
29 g protein

Best Soup: Low-Fat Vegetarian Moroccan Tomato Lentil Soup
120 calories
1.5 g fat, 0 g saturated fat
730 mg sodium
6 g fiber
7 g protein

Worst Overall: Italian Combo Sandwich
1,110 calories
56 g fat, 20 g saturated fat
3,220 mg sodium
5 g fiber
61 g protein

Takeout Tip: Go for the soup or salad here. All the sandwiches -- even our top pick -- are fairly high in sodium.

Originally published in Fitness magazine, April 2006.

10 ways to avoid gaining weight during the Holidays.

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10 ways to avoid gaining weight during the Holidays.

1)Control your own environment. When the party is at your house, try your best to set rules. Suggest you over ride the old traditions with new healthy ones. Stick to your plan even when others make you feel like you "have to have 4 desserts on the table". Or, " you must have green bean casserole instead of steamed green beans low fat Italian dressing drizzled on it ."

2)Research ways to make your Christmas meal as healthy as possible. Make mashed pots with chicken broth or 1% buttermilk instead of whole milk and a stick of butter.

3)Plot out your "bad meals". You know ahead of time when and where you will be going to Christmas parties. For that matter you know from past experience what they will have there to eat. Pick your battles wisely and decide to only eat a few bad meals out of all the parties you will go to. For instance, I have already decided that I will eat bad on the evening of December 13th because I am going to our Italian friends Christmas party and boy do those women bring of the food. I have already planned to partake in their cookies and wonderful Italian foods. I also plan on making Cinnamon rolls and fresh fruit salad on Christmas morning. That's another bad meal ( well, at least the Cinnamon rolls) I just can't sacrifice with my little boys.

4) Make the decision NOW to politely decline any offers to take home left overs. Even if your kids beg you....just say "no". If you are anything like me, you will find a way to take a slither of your child's left over pumpkin pie before you hand it off to him or her.

5)Practice mentally preparing yourself to make only one trip to the food buffet. Mentally go through it over and over in your head. Picture yourself sitting down, slowly eating and visiting, and then not going back a second time. If you are a person that already eats a lot and is know for going back again, and again, then people will take notice of your new habits. They may not say anything, but they will take notice.

6) Try hard to not let you food touch on the plate. Stick to the one starch, one meat, and one (or more)veggie rule when filling your plate. No piling!!!!

7)Drink a large glass of water before you start eating at the party or Christmas gathering. If you are still hungry after, then drink another large glass of water after your meal too.

8)Start your meal by filling your plate with the salad. Lots of people skip the salad altogether during the holidays. Plan on making that the first thing you go for.

9)Add and extra 15 minutes of cardio to your workouts. If you are already doing 30 -45 minutes of cardio then make sure you do between 45-60 minutes of cardio.

10) Weigh yourself twice a week instead of just once per week (only for the holidays). I can gain 3 pounds in one weekend on my mother -in -laws food when I am there. It doesn't take long to gain the weight, but losing it is harder. Reminding yourself of your current weight before you go to a party might prevent you from going back to the dessert table for a second helping.

Opps, but its ok!

Well ladies, turns out that my data is old and the average person does not gain approx. 7 pounds over the holidays. I was researching it further and found several different articles that had new up to date findings, but very good points.

Please read it: http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/aa121505a.htm

We are still on for our 6 week challenge because you and I both know that if we are not on it that we will end up gaining between 5-10 pounds in the next month. Please watch your calories closely. Please plan you only 5 bad meals and stick to them.

6 pounds in 6 weeks challenge

Did you know that the average women gains 7 pounds during the Holiday Season. Today I challenge all my clients to take the 6 pounds in 6 weeks challenge with me. Yes, it is possible, we can do this. Over the next 6 weeks we can defy the odds and work at losing 6 pounds in the next 6 weeks instead of gaining 7. More details to come. Here's how!

Look at your calender and instead of eating a bad meal once a week, I encourage you to plan out your bad meals around all the family/work gatherings you will have. Then, give yourself permission to eat terrible on those days only. Now, the kicker is that you can only have 5 bad meals within the next 6 weeks.

More details to come!!