[This post is written by Doretta Gaudrea - Nutritional Consultant at Athletic Lab] Thanksgiving is just a few days away we are all looking forward to enjoying that nice big turkey and sweet desserts. Most people accept the fact that the holidays tend to bring along a few extra pounds, but the truth is they don't have to. You can still enjoy all the great food without having to worry about gaining weight, feeling guilty, or "undoing" any of your training. Here's How: This year, when making holiday meals and sweet treats, use low fat or fat free dairy products, and if a recipe calls for sugar, use 1/4 less than what it calls for. Using just a little less sugar doesn't affect the taste and its healthier to have less than more. Make sweet potatoes instead of regular potatoes, serve whole grain dinner rolls instead of the usual white bread dinner rolls, and put out raw veggies as an appetizer. Keep in mind that moderation is key. Fill at least half your plate with veggies and wait to get seconds until you are absolutely sure you are still hungry. It is ok to indulge every now and again, but listen to your body and stop when you are full. Try to limit unhealthy desserts to only one serving, once a day. If there are several pies for dessert and you want to try them all, eat very small portions of each. In other words, if there are two pies, eat only 1/2 of a slice of each, three pies, 1/3 of a slice of each, etc. Don't drink too much. Alcohol is filled with empty calories. The daily recommended allowance for women is one [...]

Since we're entering that time of year where food and festivities are plentiful, we thought it we'd offer a Holiday Food Survival Guide for our members. Even the best training can be undone by a bad diet. So with that we'll kick things off with the first in what will be a short series of articles about Holiday eating. [This post is written by Doretta Gaudrea - Nutritional Consultant at Athletic Lab] The North Carolina State Fair is here!!! And so is the Holiday Food Season. The next few months are going to be filled with parties, family gatherings and a lot of not so healthy, but oh so yummy food. This is the first installment of a series of blogs meant to help you navigate your way through the Holiday Food Season without totally missing out on all the good bad foods. Fried oreos, ice cream, gigantic turkey legs, all the sweets you can imagine and then some are part of what makes the fair so much fun. Half the reason you go is for the food. If you are trying to loose weight and or eat healthy, the fair is not going to make it easy, but just because you are trying to be healthier doesn't mean you have to miss out on all the fun. Here are some diet survival tips for eating at the fair: Limit yourself to one meal and one snack while there. For example, if you are going for the day, eat breakfast at home, lunch at the fair, a small snack after lunch, then dinner at home Eat a larger breakfast before going to the fair so you are not hungry when you get there, for example [...]