StyleSpy with Katrina Szish

I'm fresh off week two of The Red Carpet Countdown (which henceforth shall be abbreviated to "RCC" for typing efficiency), and I feel amazing.  Stronger, both physically and mentally.  I have more energy.  I am actually enjoying going to the gym.  Even better, I am seeing muscles that have not existed since I first met Mr. Husband in 1999.  He is suitably impressed.

The RCC is definitely in full swing, and it's worth every minute.

In addition to re-training my mind and body, I am also learning how to eat properly.

I've learned that it's not just quantity and quality of food, but also the frequency of the meals.  I've been warned that I need to keep my blood sugar and energy levels up in order to withstand this intensive workout program, while at the same time eating foods that work as fuel and will be burned off efficiently.  Sounds complicated.  And, since one of my primary goals of the RCC is stress reduction, I decided that stressing about food during this program would be counterproductive.

Enter Nu-Kitchen, the gourmet-meals-delivered-to-your-doorstep operation in NYC, that counts Sarah Jessica Parker and Mary Louis Parker (she's on the program right now, too!) as fans.

Jeff Kravits/FilmMagic

Nu-Kitchen's Director of Nutrition, Penny Geller, signed me up for the Nu-Kitchen 200 program, 40 days of healthy meals (3 meals, 2 snacks per day) delivered to my doorstep, geared towards healthy weight reduction. 

(Here's Penny!!)

She even made an office-call and measured my metabolic rate to determine how many calories I need each day to achieve my RCC goals in the healthiest way possible (every client who signs up for the Nu-Kitchen 200 gets the same one-on-one special treatment from a wellness coach).  This 15 minute test required me to breathe through a mouthpiece into a hand-held machine called the Body Gem.  My nose was lightly pinched with a plug (like the ones little kids wear while swimming), which means that you can't really swallow and end up drooling a lot.  Penny kindly stepped out of the room to let me drool in peace.

According to the test, the minimum number of calories I need each day is 1500.  That means if I sit in one place and do absolutely nada all day, my body consumes 1500 calories on its own.  However, I made a mistake and scheduled a training session the morning of the test; to get an accurate number, you should refrain from eating, drinking caffeine and exercising at least five hours prior to the test.  Oops.  So, factoring in my workout (which would likely have raised my resting metabolic rate), we estimated my actual number was closer to 1350.  Based on my workout schedule, Penny wants me to consume at least 1500 calories a day (the Complete Body gang agrees).  That sounds high to me, considering I want to drop pounds, so she agreed that based on how I feel (I'm also learning to "listen to my body"), I can adjust calories accordingly.  I'm still at 1500, working to drop down to 1350.

Lucky for me, Nu-Kitchen makes such transitions ridiculously simple.  Not only can I log onto the website to select which yummy meals I want each day, but I can also select the number of meals -- and thus the calories -- that are delivered. Oh, and the food is really, really tasty.  From chicken burritos to pancakes to chai latte brownies and cupcakes...

I've almost forgotten about Christmas cookies (almost...).

Admittedly, this is probably the most difficult part of the RCC for me, especially around this time of the year.  I am of the mindset that everyday is a holiday, so why not have a little treat?!  A Christmas cookie?  A single glass of champagne on New Year's Eve?  Penny said, "No."  If I truly want to make a memorable red carpet entrance (a la Reese Witherspoon at the Globes last year when she turned every head in Hollywood with her fab figure tucked perfectly into that yellow Nina Ricci number, not to mention those bangs...), I have to be rigorous.

Frazer Harrison/Getty

There is no magic or miracle involved in slimming down and toning up. This stuff is simple chemistry: Consume calories, burn them off.

No wonder I always preferred my English classes...figgy pudding never seemed to have any real consequences.