Vegging Out

Lose Weight by Vegging Out on MSNBC.com. Are you part of the 11 percent meeting the government's minimum Dietary Guidelines for Americans (see also MyPyramid.gov) for both fruits and vegetables? I've already had 4 servings of fruits & veggies and I'm eating stir-fried veggies over a baked potato as I write this for 2 more. We're having a challenge at work right now to ensure that we get in at least 6 servings of fruits & veggies per day. We have the chance to win a weeklong trip for 2 to Europe or Hawaii, so that makes it worth it! Besides the fact that it helps me maintain my weight :)

Our program measures servings differently than the government's minimum. All servings must be consumed in a low-fat/non-fat context to be counted as a serving.

One serving of fruit =

• 1 medium piece of fruit (approx. 6 oz. of the edible portion)
• 1 cup of mixed fruit
• Dried fruit & fruit juices do NOT count as a serving

One serving of vegetables =

• 1 medium sized potato or about 6 oz. (including sweet potato or yam)
• 1 cup of cut vegetables
• 3 cups of leafy vegetables
• 1/2 cup of beans or legumes (including tofu)
• All vegetables are included

As part of our challenge, we also have a minimum number of HMR meal replacements and a minimum amount of exercise that we must do each week. I went for a 4 mile run this morning and am going to walk for a couple of miles after work. Have you exercised today? Make a commitment to include at least 10 minutes of exercise before the end of the day. Be fabulous!!