Hershey's Moderation Nation Info & Giveaway!

I received a wonderful offer from My Blog Spark and Hershey the other day.  Let me first say that this couldn't have come at a better time!  Since the house fire back in March, we have been without a kitchen, thus eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Dining out got old very quickly, and needless to say some of the weight that I had lost last year was now back, and staring me right in the face.

Hershey's new national program, Moderation Nation was created by the Hershey Center for Health & Nutrition, (HCHN) in collaboration with the American Dietetic Association, you can now have access to a variety of tools that will help you achieve moderation – and you don’t even need to give up your favorite foods!

One of my favorite features of this program are the great on-the-go needs, the new Moderation Nation iPhone app, free and available on iTunes or via http://www.themoderationnation.com/, will reward you for the activity you’re already doing, while encouraging you to do even more in a way that suits your busy lifestyle. With an easy-to-read tracker and a comprehensive list of activities to choose from, you can earn badges for your progress and go from a Starting Gun to a Healthy Hero!


Moderation Nation offers:
 
Recipes and Expert Tips. Here you’ll find advice from Cheryl Forberg, registered dietitian (RD) for NBC's The Biggest Loser, award-winning chef and New York Times best-selling cookbook author. Additional recipes and tips from Regina Ragone, Food Director at Family Circle magazine; Keri Glassman, author of the O2 diet; and Liz Ward, author of Expect the Best Pregnancy.

Moderation Menus. Seven-day meal plans – with snack ideas – that will help you plan out your week. Each menu is based on an individual lifestyle, such as Single, Adults with Kids and Adults with No Kids.

Balance the Meal. This cool balancer tool allows you to input your main dish and its preparation method; in return, you’ll receive ideas for complementary side dishes that round out the meal smartly.

Useful Facts. Here you’ll find everything from a “portion distortion” guide - providing cues on what actual portion sizes should look like – to a grocery shopping fact sheet – to a guide on how to start and maintain a food journal.

Ahhh... The food journal, it's always sounded like a great idea, I was just never the type to actually list everything I ate all day long.  That was until I had the right guidance and tools to start one, like Moderation Nation showed me.  What got me going?  I will tell you that not only do you list what you eat each day, but now I am also putting at the top corner of each page, my current weight, and my waist size.  Being able to see a constant reminder of where I am and where I want to be, really has given me the motivation, and awareness I needed. 
 
Now for the fun part, the Giveaway! 
 
One lucky reader will receive what I received, a nutrition journal, complete with pen, (no excuses not to write!) a Moderation Nation T-Shirt, and a bag of Hershey's Chocolate!  Remember that this is not a diet, but a way to learn how to eat in moderation! 
 
Here's how to enter:
 
♦ Mandatory Entry:  Go to Moderation Nation, and take a look around, come back and let me know what you like about the site.
 
♦ Additional Entries:
     ~ Follow me on Twitter, tweet about this giveaway, and come back telling me you did.  (Once)
     ~ Sign up to receive the Brandy's Big Bargains Daily Newsletter.  ( just make sure you confirm your subscription, as only active subscriptions will be entered, check your Spam folder if you haven't received your confirmation, or Sign up for an RSS Feed. (Once)
     ~ Blog about this giveaway on your own site, and come back and leave me the link. (Once)
    
This will run through October 5th, 2010.  Winner will be drawn at 9 pm. 
 
Good Luck!!