Sweetie took a vacation day today, which means he only worked 4 hours instead of his usual 10 or more. He'll be back in over the weekend to fix things up. Some IT problem has made it so that he can't check emails or access anything from home - all of 2 miles away - so he won't be home as much as he had hoped until they fix that.
Today we went to our home town and celebrated birthdays and Christmas with his parents who will be snowbirding this winter. We will miss them - at least I will - I am really hoping that when snow melts in the spring they will be able to move even closer to us - this all depends on the real estate market, of course.
While Sweetie was at work, one of my hometown friends actually visited us. So much fun hanging out with her. We have lots in common and she always makes me laugh. Plus, she calls me skinny. Yeah, I know she's teasing but I still like it :D
So I ate more bread that I needed today - nice big fat loaf of Hawaiian bread kept drawing me back to it. I think I'd better hit the gym tomorrow and every day this week. I wasn't making very good choices. I guess I spent all my good choices yesterday and today let down my guard. After the festivities, we went to see the new Harry Potter movie which - of course - was AWESOME! I've read all the books so no big suprises, except for a lot of it was exactly how I had pictured it. I might re-read the last part of the last book to refresh my memory as it has been a coupla years.
Tomorrow I'm going to try to hit the gym before going to lunch and to see the movie Tangled with some friends. Gotta make this long 5 day weekend go by somehow.
Showing posts with label self control. Show all posts
Showing posts with label self control. Show all posts
26 November 2010
29 October 2010
Eating strategies for Holiday festivities
I read a great article here . Let me splain. No - it is too much. Let me sum-up.
It's not all or nothing: eat healthy before you go, don't sabotage yourself just because you know you'll be tempted later. Treat each meal separately and attempt to give your body the necessary nutrients to get you through the day.
Get the lay of the land: Check out the offerings before you grab a plate and pile it on. Think about what you might like and then if you really want it - have it, in a reasonable amount.
Keep it colorful: Make your plate colorful. Not all tans and grays. You know that your body needs the nutrients from colorful fruits and veggies and this is a good opportunity to get them.
Don't drink your calories: Stick with water every chance you get. There's just no healthy way to booze it up.
Be realistic: Don't beat yourself up for having treats. It's a celebration! Keep moderation in mind and sample some goodies but remain in control.
It's not all or nothing: eat healthy before you go, don't sabotage yourself just because you know you'll be tempted later. Treat each meal separately and attempt to give your body the necessary nutrients to get you through the day.
Get the lay of the land: Check out the offerings before you grab a plate and pile it on. Think about what you might like and then if you really want it - have it, in a reasonable amount.
Keep it colorful: Make your plate colorful. Not all tans and grays. You know that your body needs the nutrients from colorful fruits and veggies and this is a good opportunity to get them.
Don't drink your calories: Stick with water every chance you get. There's just no healthy way to booze it up.
Be realistic: Don't beat yourself up for having treats. It's a celebration! Keep moderation in mind and sample some goodies but remain in control.
31 August 2010
Full vs. Satsified
"I eat less than 2000 calories a day and I am full"
"I cut out carbs and I'm still full"
"Whenever try to control myself, I never feel full"
"I'm so full and all I ate was watermelon"
These are just a few of the comments I've heard over about fullness. I want to suggest to all of you out there in blogville, that having a "full" stomach should not be on your list of goals if you are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle - especially if that lifestyle includes weight control. I have come to the realization that having a full stomach leads to a full figure.
When your stomach feels "full," it's a reaction to being stretched. This happens when too much food is put into it. Filling one's stomach can lead to discomfort, indegestion, and lethargy. There are recommendations against activity on a full stomach because when your stomach is full, it is easy to induce vomitting, cause diarhea, or cause muscle cramps due to circulation being diverted to the stomach in order to handle this overstuffed state.
Pay attention to your body. If it's hungry, feed it. When it's not hungry any more, stop feeding it. Full is not the goal. Satisfied is the goal. Absence of hunger is the goal. You should still be able to wear the same pants compfortably after a meal as when you sat down. If you can't, you've overeaten. You should still be able to do normal activity after a meal. Do you rub your belly and sigh/groan when you get up from the table? If you have to unbutton your pants and go lay down after a meal, that's not satisfaction. That's gluttony, over-doing it, and being sick. It's your body telling you "don't do this to me! I can't function like this!"
Just because the food may taste good doesn't mean you have to eat every bit of it. Just because you are on a 2,000 calorie diet doesn't mean that should be your daily intake goal. That is your upper limit, not the amount you want to achieve. Weight Watchers, 45 points (for example) is your daily limit. They give you extra in the week because they know you'll want to cheat. They've been at this a long time and know how it works, after all! Your body has built-in mechanisms to tell you when and how much to eat. Points and calories are excellent guidelines, but your body was either built through thousands of years of evolution or designed my an all-knowing god(ess). It's okay to be less than full, to be satisfied, to be nourished, to be comfortable.
Americans seem to have an obsession with being full, not just dieters. People think if they aren't full, they are in danger of starving. People don't realize that it is okay to be hungry once in a while. Our dear Allan posted a wonderfully perspective-inducing picture of what starving looks like on his blog today. In that spirit, I'm going to post for a you picture of what "full" looks like.
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Doesn't he look uncomfortable? I think he's having a hard time doing his job. He's overworked! Poor guy.
I'd much rather have a satisfied tummy than a full tummy at this point. It's taken me some mental conditioning to get here. I don't want a full tummy. I don't want the full figure that comes with it. I want to be satisfied with my figure, and with my life - which is already quite full, thank you.
"I cut out carbs and I'm still full"
"Whenever try to control myself, I never feel full"
"I'm so full and all I ate was watermelon"
These are just a few of the comments I've heard over about fullness. I want to suggest to all of you out there in blogville, that having a "full" stomach should not be on your list of goals if you are trying to lead a healthy lifestyle - especially if that lifestyle includes weight control. I have come to the realization that having a full stomach leads to a full figure.
When your stomach feels "full," it's a reaction to being stretched. This happens when too much food is put into it. Filling one's stomach can lead to discomfort, indegestion, and lethargy. There are recommendations against activity on a full stomach because when your stomach is full, it is easy to induce vomitting, cause diarhea, or cause muscle cramps due to circulation being diverted to the stomach in order to handle this overstuffed state.
Pay attention to your body. If it's hungry, feed it. When it's not hungry any more, stop feeding it. Full is not the goal. Satisfied is the goal. Absence of hunger is the goal. You should still be able to wear the same pants compfortably after a meal as when you sat down. If you can't, you've overeaten. You should still be able to do normal activity after a meal. Do you rub your belly and sigh/groan when you get up from the table? If you have to unbutton your pants and go lay down after a meal, that's not satisfaction. That's gluttony, over-doing it, and being sick. It's your body telling you "don't do this to me! I can't function like this!"
Just because the food may taste good doesn't mean you have to eat every bit of it. Just because you are on a 2,000 calorie diet doesn't mean that should be your daily intake goal. That is your upper limit, not the amount you want to achieve. Weight Watchers, 45 points (for example) is your daily limit. They give you extra in the week because they know you'll want to cheat. They've been at this a long time and know how it works, after all! Your body has built-in mechanisms to tell you when and how much to eat. Points and calories are excellent guidelines, but your body was either built through thousands of years of evolution or designed my an all-knowing god(ess). It's okay to be less than full, to be satisfied, to be nourished, to be comfortable.
Americans seem to have an obsession with being full, not just dieters. People think if they aren't full, they are in danger of starving. People don't realize that it is okay to be hungry once in a while. Our dear Allan posted a wonderfully perspective-inducing picture of what starving looks like on his blog today. In that spirit, I'm going to post for a you picture of what "full" looks like.
Doesn't he look uncomfortable? I think he's having a hard time doing his job. He's overworked! Poor guy.
I'd much rather have a satisfied tummy than a full tummy at this point. It's taken me some mental conditioning to get here. I don't want a full tummy. I don't want the full figure that comes with it. I want to be satisfied with my figure, and with my life - which is already quite full, thank you.
26 August 2010
First day of school
Yesterday was the first day of fourth grade for my daughter at her new school. It's a tough age group. Kids are mean and my daughter has inherited a bit of my social anxiety. This morning, the 2nd day, she had a hard time getting out of bed and getting ready. When we were walking to the bus stop, she started crying. She misses her old school. She misses her friends. There's a mean girl at the new school and she is her locker partner. She's too tired to go to school. She got on the bus with tears still streaming down her face.
I have to choose my reaction carefully. Mama bear wanted to come out and eviscerate papa bear for making this problem even exist. Mama bear's teeth needed sharpenedd . . .but, that wouldn't solve anything. Instead, I emailed the teacher to make her aware of the high emotional state and the nervousness about the locker partner. I asked the teacher to help kiddo find the other girl scouts in her class and find connections to other kids.
I wanted to take a nap and escape from the world for an hour or two. Luckily, my girlfriends keep calling me ensuring that won't happen. They tell me things will be ok, the world is full of jerks, and kiddo will become a stronger person for learning how to deal with them.
For a minute, I wanted to eat. Maybe only a half minute. I went and exercised instead. I'm going to go to that some more now so that I can be my calmest (sweatiest, stinkiest) mommy when she comes home. I fully expect that today was better than yesterday. It is, afterall, art day!
I have to choose my reaction carefully. Mama bear wanted to come out and eviscerate papa bear for making this problem even exist. Mama bear's teeth needed sharpenedd . . .but, that wouldn't solve anything. Instead, I emailed the teacher to make her aware of the high emotional state and the nervousness about the locker partner. I asked the teacher to help kiddo find the other girl scouts in her class and find connections to other kids.
I wanted to take a nap and escape from the world for an hour or two. Luckily, my girlfriends keep calling me ensuring that won't happen. They tell me things will be ok, the world is full of jerks, and kiddo will become a stronger person for learning how to deal with them.
For a minute, I wanted to eat. Maybe only a half minute. I went and exercised instead. I'm going to go to that some more now so that I can be my calmest (sweatiest, stinkiest) mommy when she comes home. I fully expect that today was better than yesterday. It is, afterall, art day!
15 August 2010
Acceptance
This morning I had the great privelege of listening to a lecture by a Buddhist Monk. Originally from Southern California, he was not exactly what I expected! I was a little disappointed to have an tall, fit, white American teaching us about Buddhism, I admit. But, as he shared his story with us, I began to appreciate him very much.
One of the things he spoke of was "acceptance" of the way things are. This has been something I've thought about a lot lately in relation to my health and I hope something I can share with others articulately.
There are things in life over which we have no control. These things must be accepted as they are. We must move away from the "why me" of our situation and realize that we are not in control. God, Allah, Mother Earth, the Universe, or whatever Greater Power you choose or reject (I like to use Yoda in my examples), if you are a believer, has control. If you are atheist or agnostic, then things are just what they are sometimes! Whatever the case may be, we cannot allow ourselves to continue to feel victimized by these outside forces. People get sick, die, or are mean. Accidents and disasters happen. That's not going to change.
What we must focus on, then, is the things we can control such as "food in" and "calories burned" when we are unhappy (as I am) with the shape of our bodies. We cannot continue to tell ourselves that we are fat because of circumstances outside of ourselves.
Many of us - myself included - have had extremely traumatic experiences in childhood. We were children at that time and not in control of our circumstances. We were small, vulnerable people who did the best we could with the limited resources we had. Often, we need to be "taken care of" and weren't. One of the basic ways that little children are taken care of by their parents is through feeding time. This comforts the child and leaves them feeling taken care of.
As adults, new circumstances may trigger these feelings that we need to be taken care of and comforted. Maybe we are in an abusive relationship, a job that we don't like, or a boss that doesn't like us, or some other blogger hurt our feelings. We are stressed and we need comfort. To "take care" of ourselves, we turn to food - the old standby. Only once we realize that we are using food to medicate or avoid these feelings, can we hope to overcome the compulsion to feed ourselves when we are not hungry. And that is just the very first step of our journey. There's a lot of work to be done there, lots of mental scars. Whether or not we get professional counseling, there's almost always "stuff" to work through before healing can begin.
Now! Now we are adults. Powerful men and women who can change the world around us. We are blogging to help ourselves and to help others. Once we accept that we cannot change the past, we can work on our present selves and make a better future. Once we accept that we cannot change others, only ourselves, we will stop hurting as much when people make hurtful comments. Once we realize the power within each of us, we can each become the best "me" possible. Once we accept others for who they are, we can adore the beautiful parts and reject the harmful parts. Although we will still have time that we feel vulnerable and childlike, we can find other ways to comfort ourselves, deal with the feelings and move on. This is what I hope for all of you.
One of the things he spoke of was "acceptance" of the way things are. This has been something I've thought about a lot lately in relation to my health and I hope something I can share with others articulately.
There are things in life over which we have no control. These things must be accepted as they are. We must move away from the "why me" of our situation and realize that we are not in control. God, Allah, Mother Earth, the Universe, or whatever Greater Power you choose or reject (I like to use Yoda in my examples), if you are a believer, has control. If you are atheist or agnostic, then things are just what they are sometimes! Whatever the case may be, we cannot allow ourselves to continue to feel victimized by these outside forces. People get sick, die, or are mean. Accidents and disasters happen. That's not going to change.
What we must focus on, then, is the things we can control such as "food in" and "calories burned" when we are unhappy (as I am) with the shape of our bodies. We cannot continue to tell ourselves that we are fat because of circumstances outside of ourselves.
Many of us - myself included - have had extremely traumatic experiences in childhood. We were children at that time and not in control of our circumstances. We were small, vulnerable people who did the best we could with the limited resources we had. Often, we need to be "taken care of" and weren't. One of the basic ways that little children are taken care of by their parents is through feeding time. This comforts the child and leaves them feeling taken care of.
As adults, new circumstances may trigger these feelings that we need to be taken care of and comforted. Maybe we are in an abusive relationship, a job that we don't like, or a boss that doesn't like us, or some other blogger hurt our feelings. We are stressed and we need comfort. To "take care" of ourselves, we turn to food - the old standby. Only once we realize that we are using food to medicate or avoid these feelings, can we hope to overcome the compulsion to feed ourselves when we are not hungry. And that is just the very first step of our journey. There's a lot of work to be done there, lots of mental scars. Whether or not we get professional counseling, there's almost always "stuff" to work through before healing can begin.
Now! Now we are adults. Powerful men and women who can change the world around us. We are blogging to help ourselves and to help others. Once we accept that we cannot change the past, we can work on our present selves and make a better future. Once we accept that we cannot change others, only ourselves, we will stop hurting as much when people make hurtful comments. Once we realize the power within each of us, we can each become the best "me" possible. Once we accept others for who they are, we can adore the beautiful parts and reject the harmful parts. Although we will still have time that we feel vulnerable and childlike, we can find other ways to comfort ourselves, deal with the feelings and move on. This is what I hope for all of you.
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