HOW TO EAT CHOCOLATE BIRTHDAY CAKE??!!!

So... we had a pretty amazing night last night... it was my birthday, Feb 28th. So... how did eating right and exercising work out on a SPECIAL OCCASION?? Well... let me share.... when we were in CA and went out to eat with Dr. Duke... he shared some CHOCOLATE CAKE EATING TIPS! :) Yes... if you are like me, you're like, "How can I eat chocolate cake properly?" ... stay tuned... I'll tell you at the end.

My day started out sleeping in a bit and had 45 minutes until I had to get to my birthday present, an HOUR and 1/2 MASSAGE! So.... since it was raining I got dressed, rushed over to the gym and did 2 sets of 4321.... so 44332211.

• 44- CARDIO - 30 seconds as HARD as I could go, 30 second recovery - did this on the eliptical for 8 minutes.
• 33 - STRENGTH - Basically this is 3 different exercises done for 1 minute straight. I did 1 minute of Dumbell Squats, 1 minute of Tri-cep Extensions and 1 minute of a plank.... then i repeated it for the second set. (so did each for 1 minute 15-30 second break before the 2nd set) - The plank is BRUTAL!!!! Great for glutes and lower back!! Get in a push-up position, but rest on your forarms, hold it for a minute!!! As Joey would say, "WHOA!"
• 22 - CORE - this is abs and back. I did 1 minute of dumbell crunch, and 1 minute of Single leg bridge. 15 second break before doing them again for 1 minute. The single leg bridge is a bit brutal too! You can feel it on the booty! Lay on your back, feet on floor with knees bent.... when you come up in the bridge position extend one leg out, then bring it back to the floor when coming down, repeat with other leg.... so when you are "bridging up" you are alternating extending out a leg! Whoa! You will feel that in your butt for sure! Especially after 2 minutes of it!
• 11 - STRETCH - basically this is 2 minutes of stretching. on my program I have where I'm suppose to do a "cobra" and "back pat". Cobra is suppose to help get my back some flexibility... the back pat, to stretch my arms a bit. I did some other stretching too.

Came home for a QUICK shower, and then to get my deep tissue massage. It was wonderful!!

So, we had a dinner in Charlotte with about 150 other people who flew in from all over... it was super fun. It was catered in.... let me tell you what I had to work with for my exchanges... I was actually pretty proud of myself! :)

• 2 Protein exchanges
• 7 vegetables
• 2 grains
• 4 fats
• 1 fruit
• 2 free

Here's what I ate:

• 2 protein - may have had 3. Had about 1/2 a chicken breast - which was probably 3 oz.
• 7 veg - i probably didn't come close to this! b/c remember a veg exchange is 1 cup of RAW veggies, or 1/2 cup cooked/steamed. Well... I had a salad maybe 2 cups worth (which lettuce is actually free, but we'll count it b/c it wasn't iceburg) (= 2 exch).... then i had about 1 cup of green beans (= 2 exch), and 1 cup of cooked veggies (= 2 exch) in marinara sauce (= 1 exch). So... that would equal SEVEN! I may be stretching it a bit, but it gives you an idea.
• 2 grains - Bruchetta cracker (= 1/2 exch) (yes, i'm sure had oil on it, it was yummy!), we'll count my choc. cake as the rest.
• 4 fats - we'll count the oil for my veggies as 2, and 2+++ for chocolate cake.
• 1 fruit - had about 1 cup of strawberries (= 1 exch)
• 2 free - chocolate cake!!

So... how to eat chocolate cake properly?? Dr. Duke said to always eat the BEST BITE first!! What happens is your taste buds send a signal to your brain.... and it's like the "sensors" are going overtime!! They are excited! Then it begins to satisfy your desire quicker. So... that first bite is the most important... then, take the 2nd, 3rd etc bite... the best... well... that what I did. I took the bite with the MOST chocolate first! It ROCKED! I may have had 4 bites total... and they were all good! But, I ended up leaving 1/2 the chocolate cake on my plate. But... it was the middle part that didn't look as fun anyways! So, i left several 100 calories on my plate! Cool! AND I was satisfied! I had birthday cake! It only happens once a year.... but there are occasionally special occasions that do call for dessert! Nothing is FORBIDDEN, it's just about moderation!

So.... this is super long today! Just wanted to fill you all in! Love ya! Have a great day! Happy work-outs to you and may it be an OPTIMAL HEALTH kind of day! :)