Reduced-Fat Thoughts

First off, we took the kids shopping for new tennis for school the other day and I got a new pair also. You can see in my picture that I put them on right away. Well, nothing makes you want to workout more than a brand new pair of tennis shoes so I proceeded to workout in them right away. That wasn't such a great idea. I needed to work them in a bit before walking hard for a straight 30 minutes. My feet weren't sore for too long, so that was good. :)

Okay, now on with my thoughts...

Yesterday I went grocery shopping the other day with "Fit to the Finish" on my mind. I was shopping and looking at labels, which is something I've never really done before. It was quite the learning experience. I learned that many things that are "reduced fat" are not that much less in calories and/or they are much higher in sugar. hhmm.... This is partly why I think keeping fresh fruits and veggies in my diet is so vital. Boxed and pre-packaged foods can carry a lot more in them than we realize.

In my shopping I decided to buy reduced-fat Mayo. I have a recipe to make that uses 1/2 cup of mayo and I thought this would be good to use for that and cut the calories, plus I can use it on my 98% fat-free turkey sandwhich on 100% whole wheat bread (yes, I'm a little proud of these better choices). As I put it in my basket I thought to myself, "My husband is going to flip out when he sees this in the fridge. Oh well, I'll tell him it's for me and not tell him that I'm going to use in a recipe also." I grinned to myself and went on with my shopping.

When I got home and put my groceries away I showed him that I bought him some Hot Pockets for snacks. He said, "No more." and proceeded to pat his belly. "What?!?", I was thinking. (Remember he's been working out daily, but he's not that big - still in the high end of his healthy weight range and he told me a long time ago he wasn't changing how he ate) Upon further inquiry he explained he had watched a little video clip about how cardio and weight loss are necessary to lose belly fat and show the six-pack abs. No, he's not a body builder, but getting rid of that little bit of belly fat he accrued over the last five years means a lot to him. (Someday I just might be able to see what I'm hiding under all this fat also...*giggle* ) I decided that was a good time to tell him that I bought reduced-fat mayo and he just shrugged. Time will tell if he gets desperate enough to use it on his sandwhiches, but in the meantime I was glad he didn't "freak out" on me about the reduced-fat mayo.

Speaking of sandwhiches..I don't think I care too much for the reduced-fat mayo. However, if it will help me eat less calories and lose weight, then I'll keep using it.

Wait a minute.. That's what this is all about, right? We are finding out what will work best to help us get healthier and lose excess weight. Sometimes we may not like it, ie. reduced-fat mayo, and sometimes we may love it, ie. new tennis shoes, but we know that in the long run the pay-off will make it all worth it. And I LOVE that thought most of all! :)