Return to Home Fitness Unlimited March 10, 2010 Tuesday, December 01, 2009 'Tis the Season Food for Thought By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women Milton, Massachusetts USA ghoffman@fitnessunlimited.com Greetings, on this 1st day of December!  I know you're all expecting nutrition tips on how to maintain your weight throughout the holidays... so I'll just say "have a plan." What I'd really like to write to you about is ideas for holiday gifts.  Think active!  Join Fitness Unlimited (ladies) or renew your membership.  How about Wii Fitness or new sneakers?  Fashionable athletic gear that you'll want to be seen in  can help you stay motivated with your exercise routine. Keep the kitchen in mind: an indoor grill, reuseable containers (skip the plastic baggies-- they cost too much for the environment), healthy-eating cookbooks or home food delivery service.  Being prepared helps you stick with your healthy eating plan. And how about those gifts that cost next-to-nothing?  A walk on the beach with a loved one or a home-cooked meal by the fireplace or windowshopping down main street?  Time may be money, but money can't buy time together. Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 07:32 pm Wednesday, October 14, 2009 The Biggest Loser   Food for Thought By Ginger Hoffman, RD, LDN Registered Dietitian for Fitness Unlimited Healthclub for Women Milton, Massachusetts USA This commentary is for all you Biggest Loser watchers out there. I started writing this blog 2 weeks ago and I'm glad I was slow to finish, since I have a slight change of heart since then. I was going to rant about how Jillian Michaels,one of the personal trainers on the show, is such a bully, and how she likes to yell and belittle contestants.  Sure, her team usually wins the weigh-ins, and more winners from the show can claim her as their trainer, but I'd love to see statistics on contestants after the show.  My guess is that Bob Harper's team members reach their goals and keep the weight off longer.  My fear for her team members: please the bully now but slip back into old habits once you leave the ranch and no one is screaming in your face.  Self-motivation is a far more useful tool than fear tactics (or game playing).  And weight loss is not the hard part: maintenance of the loss is.   So where is my change of heart??  This week Jillian turned on her counseling skills and drove right to the heart of issues for 2 contestants: Abby & Shay.  Both contestants had traumatic life experiences and turned to food as a coping mechanism.  Jillian was able to gently turn their attention to this and help both of them realize their past events don't have to shape their futures.  In this job (as a weight loss specialist) rarely is food the issue: it's about exploring people's behaviors and working together to find alternative coping mechanisms & creating new habits. I'd like to see more of this side of her!  I hope the at-home weight loss crowd does too.   Got questions, comments, kudos?  Send me an email: ghoffman@fitnessunlimited.com Posted by Fitness Unlimited @ 04:19 pm About Me VIEW PROFILE Login   Categories • Nutrition Nuggets • What's new!   Archives • December 2009 • October 2009 • September 2009 • July 2009 • March 2009 • February 2009 • January 2009 • December 2008 • November 2008 • October 2008 • September 2008 • August 2008