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Thanksgiving and dieting do not usually go together.  Damage control is the order of the day.  But at Calorie Count, knowledge is power, and so let’s stop and look at typical Thanksgiving foods. Pick and choose from your favorites or make lighter versions of your recipes...

Boosting her self-esteem was what prompted Cellotlhicks to lose weight. Along the way, she learned many other things about the importance of mental discipline. Now she not only looks better, she feels better as well.

Do not use tub margarines or light spreads in baking because they do not have the properties of fat.  If calories are not your concern, you can substitute an equal....

Roasting sweet potatoes is even easier than boiling and mashing them. Maple syrup glaze transforms this ultra-simple dish into something sublime.

The center of most Thanksgiving dinners is, of course, the roasted turkey, glistening with juices, aromatic, golden brown and delicious.  Roasting the turkey perfectly is a learned skill, but it doesn't have to be a complicated procedure.

Pearls of wisdom from the Calorie Count forums...

"Terrified About Winter" says, “I get a free gym membership with the apartment I’m renting, but we are moving next week.  I am terrified that I will lose all motivation to keep working out after I move, especially with an Iowa winter coming up.  I’m scared I will start making excuses like, “It’s too cold outside to exercise today.”

Calorie Counters respond....

Let's admit it—we all have little food moments the whole world doesn't need to know about. Invariably mine occur at night. Once dinner is cleaned up and I've worked my way through the dreaded bag of unfinished office work I hauled home, I begin to hear the call of the night kitchen. The other evening, after answering the call, I was lying on the sofa watching a Seinfeld rerun and spooning my way through a bowl of my favorite chocolate-mint frozen yogurt. I realized I was doing exactly what all the diet tipsters warn against. But what's wrong with nighttime eating? Is food consumed after dark really more fattening than what we eat during the day?

New meaning has been given to the words, “I hate my scale.”  Last week, the L.A. Times reported on the first bathroom scale equipped with a wireless connection to send your weight (and percent of body fat) directly to Twitter. Talk about airing dirty laundry in public - try telling the world wide web!  I am trying to imagine who would want to use such a thing.

Inspired by her daughter, Tabbyrabbit has lost over 70lbs and isn’t the “fat mommy” anymore.  In her story she explains that changing her mindset and incorporating healthy food choices with exercise has her “rolling” down hills and enjoying every moment of it.

I commonly see these healthy foods offered at breakfast meetings: a tray of fresh fruit or fruit salad, low-fat or fat-free yogurts (6-ounce containers), low-fat

Thanksgiving is two weeks away and it's time to plan. Eating more calories than we should at the Thanksgiving dinner has less to do with the turkey and more to do with the side dishes.  So many of them are heavy with fats and sugar that just a serving of each favorite thing can really add up. 

In a past Blog, I covered the differences between chronic dieters (also called ‘Restrained Eaters’) and Natural Eaters who have not experienced deprivation diets.  The disparity rests with the restrained eaters' narrow boundaries, rigid control and inevitable feelings of guilt; the natural eater shares none of these.  For restrained eaters, all is presumed well as long as they stay within their narrow boundaries, but when they breakthrough and eat “forbidden food” (or even anticipate overeating). restrained eaters lose their resolve and that can lead to a binge.  For restrained eaters, the holiday season is particularly problematic.

Never one to miss a celebration, I always look forward to holiday gatherings. But crowded parties are a prime place to pick up a bug. Couple that with late nights, frequent travel, and I know I’m a target for a cold or the flu. That’s why I try to boost my immune system to help keep me from missing out on the fun of this season.

Chances are you know someone who follows gluten-free diet (why else would supermarkets and restaurant chains point out the gluten-free foods?). Gluten-free diets are catching on at college campuses. Oprah Winfrey's "21-day cleanse" included gluten elimination. But should you be jumping on the gluten-free bandwagon?  Let’s sort out the science from the hype.

Have you ever looked at a picture of yourself and didn't know who you were looking at? Well, that's what happened to Eyegal.  Seeing a picture of herself at such a heavy weight was horrifying but now it’s a constant reminder of just how far she’s come after losing over 110lbs