Woo-hoo Friday! Tips, Tricks and Inspiration

Woo-hoo!  It's Friday!  As a stay-at-home mom, weekends are pretty much like all the other days  to me except we get to see a lot more of dear hubby.  I love Fridays, though, because that's the day I share with you my week's gleaning of tips, tricks and a little inspiration for your journey!

Since we are coming onto a holiday weekend in the US, we'll focus on that.

 First the Tricks:  Consider a plan to maintain for the holiday weekend.  If you are hosting or attending a holiday gathering -- especially one that spans a couple of days -- maintaining may be a more reasonable plan than weight loss.

Trick #2 is painstakingly obvious:  If you are contributing a dish or two to the holiday festivities, make it a guilt free one.   Take a giant salad, a fresh fruit salad,  Homemade Hummus with low-fat pita chips, or anything else you really love that is filling, fresh and easy on the waistline. 

Tip of the Day: 
Do you ever wonder about whether organic foods justify the cost?  Are you harming yourself or your family by buying "regular" produce?  The debate on these questions rages on but I have settled on a happy medium.  I carry with me a list of the produce most likely to contain harmful pesticides -- The Dirty Dozen -- as well as it's companion list, the cleanest fruits and vegetables, and it helps guide my decisions.  We all have to make a personal decision about these matters but this list helps me hit the middle ground.

Finally, The Inspiration of the Week.  I know from personal experience that teaming up can make weight loss more fun and successful.  I lost my first 45 pounds with dear hubby.  I am making the second half of my journey with my friend Tammy; we are succeeding together.  Here's a great story from Woman's Day about a married couple who underwent a huge transformation together.  Enjoy.

Happy 4th of July everyone.  I am grateful for the freedoms I enjoy and often take for granted.  Have a thankful holiday!