motd Academy Awards Sunday, Feb 26, 2012

[Guest guest]

WHO...WILL...WIN!?

Sunday, 26 February 2012

Later this evening, the limos will begin

pulling up to the Kodak Theater in Hollywood. The Red

Carpet will be rolled out and the stars will begin

marching down the carpet as thousands of fans cheer on

their favorites. It's

night!

The Artist.

Moneyball. The Help and War Horse are

just some of the films nominated for Best Picture this

year.

The Artist. Moneyball. The Help. War Horse. Those

are just some of the films nominated for Best Picture

this year. We all have our favorites and, I must

admit, I just loved Viola in The Help. So how many of this year's nominated films

have you seen? Did you make it to your local cineplex

to see your favorite?

Ahhh, the movies. I used to love going to

one of the big movie houses on Canal Street in New

Orleans with my mother to see the latest feature from

Hollywood. Seeing the movie was great but...there

was just as much action going on in my seat. That is,

with my hands reaching into that giant bag of popcorn

and nursing my big-old cup of Coca-Cola.

Let's face it. We've made visiting the theatre's

concession stand as much a part of our movie-going

experience as seeing the movie itself. Not only are

those movie treats expensive but for now, I want to

focus on what else they cost you...calories!

My brother gave me a subscription to Consumer

Reports for

Christmas and I just love it. (Thank You, Lenny!)

Well, this month, they had an article on movie-theater

food and, I must tell you, I was shocked at the number

of calories some of those movie foods contain. Let me

give you a few examples from Consumer Reports.

One of those cardboard

trays of cheese nachos will rack up 728-907 calories.

The large size of buttered popcorn? Anywhere from

844-1591 calories. (I guess that depends on how much

of that so-called "butter" you drench on your

popcorn.) One of those cardboard trays of cheese

nachos will rack up 728-907 calories. And did the

clerk at the concession stand talk you into getting a

jumbo-sized cup of soda? (It's only 25 cents more,

you were told.) Well, you'll be drinking 384-696

calories. And we haven't even mentioned

the JujuyFruits and chocolate bars. Oh, my! (Do

any of those movie-houses sell bottles of

Pepto-Bismol, too?)

Look, I want you to have a good time at the movies.

But remember, you're not there to eat, you're there

to enjoy the movie! Movie-watching and food often

leads to mindless eating and that leads to consuming a

ton of calories. In fact, based on the numbers I just

shared, you could easily consume all the calories you

needed for the whole

day while

watching that two hour movie!

I don't think the

movie-theatres are going to start offering

veggie-trays with a low-fat dressing for dipping

anytime soon.

Look, I don't think the movie-theatres are going to

start offering veggie-trays with a low-fat dressing

for dipping anytime soon. But, in the meantime,

follow this advice. Do not go

to the theatre hungry! Eat a sensible meal

before you leave the house. And if you must have a

treat while watching the movie, choose the smallest

size of that item. Instead of a soda, buy yourself

some bottled water to sip on while watching the

movie. That's right, you can have a good time at the

theater without blowing your weight-loss efforts for

the entire day!

Oh, I can't wait to see who'll take home

those handsome gold statues tonight. Which ever movie

wins for Best Picture will probably have a surge of

people going to see it on the big screen. If you're

one of those people who goes to the movies this week

to see one of the winners, have fun.

Just remember to be in control when you see that

concession stand. If you do, I can make a prediction

right now. Who...will...win? YOU WILL!

Love,