Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! As I talked about in my last post, this is a day to enjoy with family and friends and not focus on “dieting”. Enjoy the food, the company and the chance to relax. That being said, for those of you watching your weight, try not to think of it as an all or nothing day. One piece of pie will taste just as good as 3 pieces!

Here are some last minute tips to avoid getting stuffed on Thanksgiving:

1. Don’t go into the Thanksgiving meal being ravenous. This will only lead to consumption of massive amounts of food. Have your normal (hopefully healthy!) breakfast and perhaps a light snack – depending upon what time the meal is served.

2. Be careful with the appetizers. They often contain almost as many calories as the meal. While waiting for the meal to be served, don’t plop yourself down next to the candied walnuts or bowl of chips and dip!

3. When the serving bowls are passed around the table, be descriminating. Don’t feel like you need to sample every dish. Stick to moderate portions of your favorite foods. Why take the creamed spinach made by your Aunt Betty if you don’t even like spinach? Why take a dinner roll when you can get one of these any day of the week?

4. Eat really slow and drink a lot of water. Try to be the slowest eater at the table. That way you might feel gluttonish is you go back for seconds if everyone else is done eating.

5. Load your plate up with white meat turkey and veggies. Then take small portions of your favorite foods.

6. If you are a guest in someone else’s home, avoid taking home goodie bags of desserts or other fattening dishes (i.e. stuffing, gravy, any vegetable with cream sauce, candied sweet potato). Instead, askfor turkey. If you feel it would be rude to refuse these leftovers, I hate to say it … but … there is always your doorman or trash can. (Sorry Aunt Betty!).

7. Get out and take a walk after dinner.

8. Be careful with cleaning up. This can be a problematic time for some people. Leftover desserts can be quickly popped into your mouth when no one is looking. Try to enlist the support of someone else to help you tidy up. You are less likely to sneak eat pieces of pie if Uncle Bob is helping you dry the dishes! Get leftover problem foods packaged into doggy bags for your guests to take home.

9. Lastly, try to make Thanksgiving Day about spending time with loved ones … not just about food.

 
Here are the calorie counts in some typical Thanksgiving Day foods:

Of course, many of us consume alcoholic beverages with our Thanksgiving Day meal. Can’t forget about those “sneaky little calories” that contribute empty calories and often end up making us eat more.

Calories in alcohol:

Enjoy your Thanksgiving!

 I don’t mean to bombard you with posts this week, but I just came across this recipe in the New York Times and thought it looked so delicious I had to share it in time for Thanksgiving! It contains some of my personal favorite ingredients – apples, sweet potato and Greek Yogurt. Try it out!

November 19, 2009
Recipes for Health

Sweet Potato, Pumpkin and Apple Puree
by Martha Rose Shulman

This mixture of sweet potatoes, savory pumpkin and tart apples is a variation on my sweet potato puree with apples. For the best flavor, I suggest you make it a day ahead.

1 pound sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1 pound pumpkin, seeds removed

2 tart apples, such as Granny Smith or Braeburn

2 tablespoons lime juice

5 tablespoons plain Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Pinch of salt

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Scrub sweet potatoes, and pierce in several places with a sharp knife. Pierce the apples in a few places. Line a baking sheet with foil, lightly oil the foil, and place the potatoes, pumpkin (cut side down) and apples on top. Bake the pumpkin and apples for 30 to 40 minutes, until a knife can easily be inserted right to the core of the apples (it’s fine if the skin pops off the apples, or if they collapse) and the pumpkin is soft. Remove the pumpkin and apples from the oven. Continue to bake the sweet potatoes until thoroughly soft and beginning to ooze, 15 minutes or longer, depending on the size. Remove from the heat, and allow to cool until you can handle them easily.

2. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees. Remove the skins from the potatoes and pumpkin. Peel and core the apples, and scrape off any apple flesh that adheres to the skin. Chop everything coarsely, and place in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Puree until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend well. Transfer to a lightly buttered 2-quart baking dish.

3. Heat the puree in the 350-degree oven for 20 minutes, or until steaming. Serve hot.

Yield: Makes six to eight servings.

Advance preparation: This can be made up to three days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Reheating will take 30 to 40 minutes.

BTW – check out her website at martha-rose-shulman.com    She has some great recipes!

Thanksgiving is a day we spend with family and friends. It should be a day filled with thanks, however for those of us watching our weight, it can be a day filled with stress and anxiety. Food, food and more food … turkey, gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce and all the pies! While they taste delicious, many of these foods are laden with calories, fat and carbs. These tempting foods can be especially problematic for people who struggle with weight issues and carb cravings.

For some people, a few bites of certain food (i.e. sweet dessert) can trigger the urge for more … snowballing into a binge that can last for days. This can be even more problematic if you are going home for the holiday. It is one thing to overeat at one meal, but now you will be faced with leftovers for 3 days! So it will be important that you think ahead as to how you will handle this holiday from both from a practical as well as psychological standpoint.

Calories consumed on Thanksgiving Day … Yikes!
According to the Caloric Control Council, the average American will consume more than 4,500 calories and 229 grams of fat on Thanksgiving Day alone.  Many of these calories come from snacking before and after the meal. While this may sound like a lot – this one day of eating does not have to do serious damage to your weight loss efforts. Here is the math: it takes an extra 3500 calories to promote a one pound gain of fat. Let’s say you are the typical American and consumed 4500 calories on this day. Your caloric needs to maintain your weight are 1800 calories. So eating 4500 calories means that you ate an extra 2700 calories over your maintenance needs. This equals a 3/4 pound weight gain of fat. Not the worst thing in the world! The real problem occurs when you let this one day of overeating open the floodgates to a week of overeating.

Tips to help you feel more in control psychologically:
1. First let me start by saying that I strongly discourage strict dieting on Thanksgiving – I don’t even like to use that word! I believe that it is a day where you should allow yourself to enjoy the food and eat a little extra. This way you won’t feel like you went off your eating plan. That being said, you don’t want to go to the other extreme and think of it as a “free for all!”

2. Try to fit in an exercise session prior to the meal. Even a 30 minute speed walk will help you feel better physically and more in control psychologically.

3. If you will be spending the day with family or good friends, let them know you are trying to eat healthy and ask if you can bring a dish or two to the meal. This way you will know for sure there will be several healthy dishes for you to choose from.

4. Before you have that second piece of pie, remind yourself how bad you will feel physically and mentally after overindulging. Stop and think before eating seconds. Ask yourself if it’s worth it!  (pic is of woman with stomach ache from overeating)

5. If you end up eating a lot more than you planned, don’t beat yourself up. Tell yourself it was one day and get back on track the next day.

6. After the meal, get all problem foods out of the house if possible. Exception – obviously if you are guest in someone’s home, you aren’t going to throw out all the leftovers! 

7. For those of you who use the scale, do not weigh yourself for 1-2 days after Thanksgiving. You will likely be retaining water from the extra sodium and carbs. Why upset yourself?

8. If you are going home for the holiday, make sure you plan activities for the day after Thanksgiving as well as the weekend. This will get you out of the house and away from the leftovers.

Stay tuned for my post on Wednesday on the calorie content of Thanksgiving Day foods and last minute tips to avoid getting stuffed!

If you a sushi fanatic like me, you may be wondering if  it’s possible to have sushi on a regular basis and still lose weight? The answer is yes … assuming you have a little “sushi smarts”!

Is the rice really fattening?
I see people getting a little too caught up in thinking the rice is really fattening but forget about the calories in sake, the orange salad dressing, spicy sauce and the higher fat fish. While I agree that you shouldn’t overdo the rice, the amount that is put in most rolls and pieces of sushi is not that much. For example, a piece of sushi has about 20 more calories than a piece of sashimi (due to the rice).  Not too bad! However, I still would suggest a combo of sashimi and sushi.

So how many calories should your sushi meal be?
I generally recommend a woman trying to lose weight consume approximately 500 -600 calories for dinner while a man can consume up to 800. Of course, this number will vary depending upon your activity level, age, weight and individual metabolism.

salmon avocado roll or eel avocado roll = 280
yellowtail scallion roll = 190
miso soup = 50
520 total calories

salmon avocado roll or eel avocado roll = 280
3 sashimi = 105
miso soup = 50
small sake or a beer = 180
615 total calories

yellowtail scallion roll = 190
5 sashimi = 175
4 shumai or green salad with 2 T. orange dressing = 140
green tea = 0
505 total calories

spicy salmon wrapped in cucumber = 210
4 shumai = 140
2 sushi = 100
2 sashimi = 70
miso soup = 50
green tea = 0
570 total calories

tuna roll = 190
seaweed salad = 120
3 sashimi = 105
small sake = 180
595 total calories

8 sashimi = 280
miso soup = 50
2 small sakes (this one isn’t my first recommendation!) = 280
610 calories
*I averaged the calories in the above meal plans from the lowest calorie fish to the highest. Check out my FREE Downloadable Sushi Survival Guide. This is a more comprehensive list of the calories in sushi and sashimi.

Slenderizing Sushi Tips
1. Limit alcohol – the calories add up fast…

• 5 oz sake (small) ~ 180 calories
• 12 oz beer ~ 150 calories
• 6 oz wine ~ 150 calories

2. Omit the alcohol and save 150-180 calories. You can eat more food instead (or have a lower calorie meal!) Substitute green tea and get tons of antioxidants.

3. Limit crunchy rolls (adds ~ 60 calories or more) and spicy sauce (adds ~ 50-70 calories or  more)

4. Vary your fish. This will help to limit mercury from excessive amounts of tuna or PCB’s from too much farmed salmon. In addition, some fish (i.e. eel and salmon) contain almost double the amount of calories as compared to other fish. See my FREE Downloadable Sushi Survival Guide for more details.

5. The Japanese orange dressing appears very innocent from a calorie standpoint. I was suprised to learn it contains about 150 calories per 2 Tablespoons. Some larger salads may contain 4 Tablespoons!

6. Drink a lot of water or green tea while you are eating. This will help fill you up and flush out the sodium from the soy sauce.  Even low sodium soy sauce is loaded with sodium. High sodium meal = bloated body the next day!

7. Miso soup and the green salad with dressing on the side are good low calorie fillers. Start with them and you will end up eating less at your meal. Your goal is to slow down your rate  of eating. Eating your salad with chopsticks takes an even longer time (now who would use a knife and fork in a Japanese restaurant?)

Lastly, keep in mind that eating raw fish may increase your risk of foodborne illness, especially if you have certain medical conditions. Pregnant women should not eat raw fish.

How does it take you to eat your lunch? Five  minutes, maybe ten? The majority of city girls and guys I know inhale their lunches. Who has time for lunch? You grab the quickest option available … which often turns out not to be the healthiest one!  I often suggest to my clients that they get a “pick your own ingredient salad” for lunch or order a healthy sandwich made fresh (versus the premade fattening sandwiches such as a caesar wrap). They tell me they don’t have the five minutes to wait in line and end up grabbing something not-so-healthy. I have watched nurses at the hospital where I work scarf down sandwiches in the corner in literally 2 minutes. We inhale food in our cars. I’ve even eaten a sandwich in a closet in between clients! What happened to the good old “lunch hour”?

So, the majority of people eat too fast. And the majority of people are overweight …. see the connection?

We have heard in the past that it takes 20 minutes for your brain to signal your stomach that you are getting full. If you eat your meal in less than 20 minutes, it is likely that you will not feel full and will end up overeating. But now, new research actually demonstrates how this works.  It appears that appetite regulating hormones produced in the gut after a meal will signal the brain’s satiety center. For more details, read on:

Eating Quickly Is Associated with Overeating: New Study
Newswise — According to a new study accepted for publication in The Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), eating a meal quickly, as compared to slowly, curtails the release of hormones in the gut that induce feelings of being full. The decreased release of these hormones, can often lead to overeating.

“Most of us have heard that eating fast can lead to food overconsumption and obesity, and in fact some observational studies have supported this notion,” said Alexander Kokkinos, MD, PhD, of Laiko General Hospital in Athens Greece and lead author of the study. “Our study provides a possible explanation for the relationship between speed eating and overeating by showing that the rate at which someone eats may impact the release of gut hormones that signal the brain to stop eating.”

In the last few years, research regarding gut hormones, such as peptide YY (PYY) and glucagon-like peptide (GLP-1), has shown that their release after a meal acts on the brain and induces satiety and meal termination. Until now, concentrations of appetite-regulating hormones have not been examined in the context of different rates of eating.

In this study, subjects consumed the same test meal, 300ml of ice-cream, at different rates. Researchers took blood samples for the measurement of glucose, insulin, plasma lipids and gut hormones before the meal and at 30 minute intervals after the beginning of eating, until the end of the session, 210 minutes later. Researchers found that subjects who took the full 30 minutes to finish the ice cream had higher concentrations of PYY and GLP-1 and also tended to have a higher fullness rating.

Tips to slow done your rate of eating
1. Pay attention to how quickly you eat. Awareness is the first step in making changes.

2. Make slower eating a priority. You need to let those gut hormones signal your brain! Tell yourself the slower you eat, the thinner you can be!

3. Your goal will be to take 30 minutes to eat your meal  (30 minutes may not be possible for many of you – so aim for at least 20!)

4. If your tendency is to finish your sandwich in 5 bites, then select a lunch that will take longer to eat.  Using silverware will likely slow down your rate of eating. For example, a salad or grilled fish with rice and vegetables will take longer to eat than a sandwich.

6. Start your meal with soup or a salad. This will force you to slow your rate of eating down. 

7. If you are with a group of people, try to be the last one to finish eating.

8. Drink sips of water in between eating bites of food. This will also help you to feel fuller.

Even though the ghouls and goblins have disappeared, don’t let leftover Halloween candy and naughty treats haunt you. If your sweet tooth keeps souring your diet goals, don’t fear, nutritionist Martha McKittrick shows how to “exercise” those demons away for good. For some of you, Halloween may have opened the floodgates for the taste of sugary tempting goodies. With the holiday season just around the corner, it is time to put the breaks on your sugar cravings now!  (Pic is of Martha and Divya with Halloween candy)

Last week, I was interviewed by Divya Gugnani from Behind the Burner for some  tips to help get you back on track after your Halloween

Even if you didn’t get “tricked” by the candy on Halloween, we still have the holiday season  around the corner. You can use these tips to help control your intake of tempting holiday goodies. Check out the video!

For all you foodies out there, I would recommend that you check out Behind the Burner! If your food and wine adventures are more about the journey than the destination, Behind the Burner is the perfect place to explore your culinary desires.

Behind the Burner aims to satisfy your craving for insider food and beverage tips, tricks and techniques by convincing the best culinary experts to spill their beans. Renowned chefs, from Wolfgang Puck to Francois Payard and Michael White to Michael Psilakis, present best-practice, timesaving solutions that dissolve the boundaries between professional and home kitchens.

From poultry brine recipes to juicy hamburger recipes, simple salads, healthy snacks, and chocolate dessert recipes, they’ve got the secrets to serving exquisite food in a flash. They also give you deals on the tools and ingredients that the experts use and recommend. With Behind the Burner, learning never tasted so good!

And stay tuned for 4 more videos of me being interviewed by Behind the Burner!

I probably shouldn’t even been posting this story, but I couldn’t resist. It goes to show how desperate some people are to lose weight. This is probably the most disturbing weight loss technique I have yet to see. For those of you with queasy stomachs, you may want to bypass this post!  

BTW – this is the only post I have never added pictures to. I can’t force myself to post a tapeworm picture. But if you are really curious, there are pictures and a video on the link below.

Tapeworm Diet: A Crazy Way to Lose Pounds
by Deborah Dunham Nov 10th 2009 4:00PM  (taken from AOL Health)

How far would you go to lose weight? Would you let a 15-foot tapeworm live in your stomach in order to shed those unwanted pounds? The Tyra Show recently featured two women who would.

How far would you go to lose weight? Would you let a 15-foot tapeworm live in your stomach in order to shed those unwanted pounds? The Tyra Show recently featured two women who would.

Chalk it up to shock TV, but it’s true that some people become so desperate when traditional diets fail that they are willing to swallow a parasite to consume their extra calories. While this is arguably one of the most extreme methods of losing weight, it’s actually nothing new. Ads dating back to the late 1800′s feature a woman promoting the “easy to swallow, sanitized” tapeworms in order to lose weight without diet or exercise. Sounds like a magic diet pill — eat whatever you want and still lose weight. Except this is no pill. It’s the same parasite found in undercooked meat and seafood that can make people extremely ill.

In case you’re not totally grossed out yet, here is how the tapeworm diet works: People ingest a tapeworm cyst from a cow (some come from pigs and fish too, but those are considered more dangerous). The tapeworm then grows inside the digestive track absorbing calories from your body, which can result in losing one to two pounds a week. Once the target weight is lost, an antibiotic is taken to get rid of the tapeworm.

Tapeworm sales are banned in the U.S. because they carry substantial health risks. While a sizable portion of ingested calories go to the tapeworm, so do vital nutrients. This can lead to vitamin deficiencies and anemia. Other harmful effects include abdominal pain, bloating, digestive disturbances and intestinal obstruction, according to Joan Salge Blake, a clinical associate professor of nutrition at Boston University. There is also the potential for putting the weight back on once the tapeworm is killed — if it doesn’t kill you first (some strains can be deadly). Plus, some tapeworms can grow to 50 feet, which is just downright disgusting, no matter how you look at it. It’s no wonder that “purposefully consuming tapeworms is not healthy,” according to Blake.

The risks far outweigh the benefits (you can drop one to two pounds a week with diet and exercise). Stick with the tried and true methods of losing weight, and leave the worms out of it.

Two weeks ago, we got a plea for help from Esther, who had previously lost 19 lbs on CGB. She was getting ready for a vacation to Aruba and was not feeling bikini ready at all as she had regained some of her weight.  Her goal was to lose ~ 5 pounds in 3 weeks. She felt that taking her case public (once again) would help her stick to her goals. Check out my post last week on Esther.

Esther just ended week two of her Bikini Ready plan and checked in with her progress. Here is my interview with her:

Did you lose any weight in the past 2 weeks?
I lost 2 pounds week one and no weight the second week. I’m now at 135 lbs

How did you do with meeting  your goals?
Goal #1: Go to the gym 5 – 6 days per week and add weights & pilates back to my routine (which had mainly been spinning and cardio)
My progress:
Week one: Gym 6 days (spinning 4 days, pilates  + tread mill 1 day, boot camp class 1 day, treadmill + wgts 1 day)
Week two: Gym 4 days (spinning 2 days, eliptical 1 day, treadmill 1 day)

Goal #2: Eliminate alcohol with the exception of one day a week
Progress: I did not meet my goal, however I did much better than I had been doing. Week one: drank on 2 days and week two: drank on 3 days

Goal #3: Log food intake on the ITOUCH application LOSE IT. This allows you to log everything that you eat as well as exercise to let you know your calorie intake for each day. Esther’s goal was 1300 calories per day – but she was actually able to eat more on the days she exercised.
Progress: Yes, I logged my food and exercise intake daily. I met my calorie goal about half of the time. The other half I was slightly over.

What are the biggest challenges for you and how are you going to handle them?
- Challenges definitely are when I socialize as I end up eating more. When I’m on my own I have more control and seem to do better. 
- Controlling my snacking is a problem. However I’m snacking less because  I see that my snack intake was contributing to when I went over my budget.
- I find that The Lose It program really helps to monitor my calorie intake and exercise – this helps to keep me on track.  As I view my intake during the day if I go overboard I can try to curb my calorie intake for the remainder of the day OR add more exercise
- A good motivation is to try on my bathing suit each day and when home wear it around to make myself aware of the work I need to do

 
 What are your goals for next week?
Aruba is only one week away. I would love to lose 2 pounds this week so I’ll be extra careful. I realize I consume more calories when socializing so I’ll pay special attention to this. I will really try to stick to calorie goal, exercise 5 days this week and limit alcohol to only one night. Alba, the event planner,  is having a birthday on Friday the 13th, so I will need to be especially careful. Alba (she is the one who is had trouble at the chocolate show) is one of my “eating and drinking” friends!  (Check out this post on how to handle eating and drinking friends)

To all you CGB readers out there who are trying to watch your weight, you may want to check out some of the ITouch or IPhone apps for calorie counting or weight loss. My clients love them. You may also want to try out Esther’s technique and wear your bathing when in the privacy of your home. It will make you think twice before grabbing another snack!

Stay on track Esther – you have one week to go!

Imagine being in a room with macaroni and cheese, lasagna, fresh bread, all kinds of delicious desserts, etc … and they are all homemade! Potluck dinners are a time for people to show off their cooking skills and make their favorite dishes to impress their friends and co-workers. With the financial crunch that many of us are experiencing, these dinners can be a lot less expensive than socializing in restaurants. But they can also be a time for people to feel out of control when faced by an overwhelming array of tempting dishes. A little taste of Sue’s homemade beef stew, a few bites of Jessica’s lasagna … and then the desserts!  A feeling of camaraderie exists as everyone piles their plates as high as possible. However, for those people trying to watch their weight or limit their sodium, fat or carbs, potluck meals can spell trouble.  I doubt many people are using nonfat milk or Pam cooking spray when making their dishes!

Just last week two of my clients faced major “potluck  problems”.  I thought with the holiday season almost upon us, it would be a good idea to discuss how to handle these potentially problematic  situations. These tips can also be used for holiday parties or the dreaded buffet!

Tips on  preventing potluck dinner potbellies
1. Bring a healthy dish, ideally one that contains vegetables or lean protein. Talk to some other people who will be attending the potluck and see if you can build “allies” for bringing healthy choices. (Think SURVIVOR at the potluck dinner versus a remote island!)  If you eat only your healthy dish, it might look a little strange.

2. If you are a carbohydrate craver, or sugar addict, tell yourself that you will stick mainly to the protein and vegetable dishes. Don’t even start with your trigger foods.

3. Set limits on yourself. Scope out the options first and allow yourself a set portion (i.e  one cup) of your favorite fattening dish. It could be 1/2 cup of the lasagna and 1/2 cup of the mac and cheese. Fill the rest of your plate with lean protein and veggies. Or allow yourself a 1/2 cup portion of your favorite dessert – that is it!

4. Arrive a little late if possible. While this may sound rude, it can cut down on eating time.

5. Fill your plate up with vegetables or something low calorie. This way you won’t have much room left for the more fattening dishes.

6. Find someone interesting to talk to and get involved in a deep conversation (if possible!) This can take you mind off the tempting desserts.

 7. Don’t sit down or stand next to the food table. Try to grab a seat far away from the food. The more effort it takes to get to the food, the better off you are.

8. Plop yourself down next to someone who is eating sparingly. Perhaps their eating habits will rub off on you.

9. Watch the other people overeat.

10. Wear a very tight outfit. This will make you more self conscious and will possibly help prevent overeating.

11. If you find the dessert too tempting, you always say that you have another obligation and leave early. Or just have a cup of coffee or tea.

12. If you end up overindulging, don’t beat yourself up. Just get back on track the next day

With a little planning, you can prevent your potlucks from turning into a potbelly!

What were you doing this past Sunday – watching the marathon or stuffing your face with chocolate for 6 hours at the New York Chocolate Show? Being the chocoholic that I am, I think I know which choice I’d make!  Can you imagine being in a room filled with the most delicious chocolates … every kind you can imagine (and some you couldn’t imagine) … for 6 hours! Forget about second rate Halloween candy when you could have the real thing.

The Chocolate Show is the ultimate event for all chocolate lovers where consumers, trade and media converge to celebrate chocolate in all of its forms. It is the largest consumer show in the United States entirely devoted to chocolate. It was held on Oct. 30, 31 and Nov. 1 at the The Metropolitan Pavilion in NYC.  Tickets were $28.

I received an email from “Foodie” Alba C., NYC event planner regarding her experience at this delicious event:

 ”On a day, when the healthy and fit are expending 2600 calories,  I decided since I didn’t train this year to run the marathon, it would be a perfect day to eat 2600 calories…. Where you may ask?  At the Chocolate Show.

 Even before I entered the Metropolitan Pavillion, I was given a sample of a decadent truffle that I didn’t even chew. I merely let it melt on my mouth. And underneath that wonderful dark taste was butter…I knew I was in heaven for the next few hours, where I proceeded to eat all kinds of chocolate in its various, delicious forms. (pic is Alba about to dive into chocolate covered bacon!)

 There was chocolate, toffee bark, champagne cognac truffles, champagne truffles, chunky peanut butter and chocolate spread (of course eaten with a spoon),dark chocolate with Macadamia Nuts, Mango and Caramleized nibs, chocolate covered bacon…yes, that’s right and it was delicious.  I could go on.

 My best find was Sweet Riot @ 70% dark chocolate,  one bar is 180 calories.  FORGET HEAVEN….I’ve reached NIRVANA.

 I’ve passed on some samples to our favorite city girl to have her break down this little piece of heaven to see if its actually true.”     Alba

 
I spoke with Alba later in the evening to get the low down on the Chocolate Show. All I can you is that she was wired! Too much chocolate Alba???   BTW – Alba is quite lean and exercises on a regular basis. She ran in the NYC Marathon a few years ago. Obviously she doesn’t indulge in chocolate covered bacon (or any other chocolates for that matter) on a regular basis!

I didn’t post info on The Chocolate Show prior to it being held as it’s my mission to help city girls and guys stay slim. No need to be tempted by a room full of chocolate for 6 hours….but I must say that I am anxiously awaiting my sample of Sweet Riot chocolate! 
FYI: you would need to run a marathon to burn off the calories one pound of chocolate (which could have easily been consumed at The Chocolate Show).