Thoughts
WALK !T
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 | Thoughts, Thursday 6:30 Merriam WeightWatchers | 2 Comments
That’s right, this is the PSA about the WALK !T challenge that Weight Watchers is launching this week! I’m so excited about it. In the Celebrating Change in Spring challenge that I gave to my Weight Watcher meeting (a non-scale number goal to work on until Mother’s Day) 22 of the 24 goals had to do with exercising more, so… obviously everybody is primed to go, and I expect our group to rock!!!!
So, here’s the downlow on the basics, go to www.teamweightwatchers.com and check out the program, there are training programs, teams to be formed, awards to be given, and pounds to be lost people! We’re going to talk about all the specifics during meetings, but be sure to get on the website to check out the events in the area that we could get involved with. Let’s sign up, get together, and get moving!
Food P#rn
Tuesday, April 14th, 2009 | Thoughts | No Comments
This came up in my Weight Watchers meeting… and how could I resist writing a post about it??? Seriously, too juicy to pass up! You know you’ve thought about it… it’s the Special K commercial with the chocolate ice cream seductively calling from the freezer, it’s the thought you had about eating all those scrumptious looking chocolate eggs in the grocery store. (Um, yes that was me that stood in front of the Cadbury display for an uncomfortably long period of time..)
I watched an immensely entertaining episode of No Reservations (with Anthony Bourdain) that talked about nothing but this subject…. and what did Anthony say about it? He said it’s on the rise, that more Americans today than every are sitting down to watch footage of food and food experiences that they are not likely to experience themselves in person any time soon. http://anthony-bourdain-blog.travelchannel.com/read/the-money
Seriously, how often do you actually recreate the masterpiece that you just witnessed on food network? I’m guilty, I do get ideas and ”weightwatcherize” recipes all the time, but I also love to watch Iron Chef, Giada, Paula, all of them, making things that I will never dare to try. Really now, how on earth would I lower the calories in Paula Deen’s Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding????
So why do I like it? Here’s my theory, there’s more to food than food. Food is full of feelings, food is one of the first expressions of love that we recognize. It’s full of memories of childhood, the smells can remind us of good times, of being a kid, of family dinners, of things we wish we had more of, things that aren’t stressful. Michael Pollan (in his book The Omnivore’s Dilemma) has the theory that eating is a communal act, we’re looking for community or belonging, sort of a stopper for our loneliness drain. Maybe when we’re staring at food network, or the giant crazy honey bun, we’re confused… we’re like the teenager who confuses what love really is… we’re looking for love, but all we get is food lust.
Willpower
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009 | Thoughts | 4 Comments
That’s the topic this week at weight watcher meetings. It’s one that gets me thinking. Is willpower what makes you succeed, what vaults you into the realm of people who lost weight versus the ones that never do? Is that what it takes to lose weight? Somewhat it is, it has to be, because at the end of the day, no matter how much support you get or don’t get, no matter where you start from, it’s you. You are the one that decides every day to keep going no matter what, and that takes willpower
I think that willpower evolves over time, it’s not static. At first it’s the willpower not to eat like you used to, the willpower to wake up every morning and put in a good workout, all the stuff you think about when losing weight but I think these are only the beginning, the obvious. After a while it takes willpower to keep going even when you don’t get the results you think you should. Willpower to show up to your meetings even though you know the news is bad, to forgive yourself. The willpower to face yourself and the reasons you gained weight in the first place… that one’s a tough one, but of course, the hardest is possibly the most important.
Celebrate Spring
Wednesday, April 1st, 2009 | Thoughts | No Comments
It’s definitely spring, I know, I know it snowed last weekend, but isn’t that how spring is? Gorgeous flowers interspersed with tricky surprise snow and ice storms? Enjoy them. Really, at last the long grey winter has broken and it’s time to celebrate!
Think about it, this time of year we celebrate newness and change in everything, so why not the newness and change in yourself? This spring, it’s all about noticing the little things. The birds that weren’t there before, the flowers that didn’t die in the ice storm, the day that was warmer than yesterday, the second cookie you didn’t take, the healthy breakfast you made time for, the 20 minutes of working out that you gave yourself! These little changes, they add up to so much more, next spring you can look back on this one, and see what a difference you’ve made!
5.8
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 | Thoughts | No Comments
Can you believe that number? 5.8 is the number of times that the average adult eats out every week! Here’s another shocker, 19% of all meals in America today are eaten in a vehicle. That one just makes me sad.
Well, I was a little shocked when I saw the 5.8 number, but after thinking about it, I’m probably right there in that typical zone. How many “let’s do lunch” business situations come up in my life? It’s not uncommon to have 3 or 4 a week, then add on a dinner out with the hubby, appetizers with friends, an “I’m to busy to cook” sushi or salad bar grab at the super market and I’m already over the limit! So what can we do to cope with all of these tempting and possibly out of control situations?
Well, I’ve got a couple of friends who are consultants (translation, people who eat out for at least 15 of their 21 weekly meals) and manage to keep the pounds at bay, so I inquired as to their secrets and here are three great tricks:
- Don’t view every time you eat out as a “special occasion.” When we were kids, it seemed like a big deal to go to a restaurant, and you wanted to make sure you got the most out of your experience. Now when we’re going out 6+ times a week, it’s not special anymore. Don’t feel like to have to finish it all or order the specialty brownie sundae, you can always come back!
- Ruin your Dinner. This is another one that goes against everything we learned in kindergarten, but if you don’t come to dinner starving, that chili cheese fry explosion will be a lot easier to resist.
- Free is not Free. Even if it’s on the company dime, it’s on your thighs, remember that and calculate the true cost of that meal for your waistline!
Bleary-Eyed Exercising Excitement!
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009 | Exercise, Thoughts | No Comments
So… here’s a confession: If I don’t work out the moment I wake up in the morning, there’s only about a 50% chance that I will… If I make it past noon, it’s around 15%. People say they can’t get up, but to each his own. For me I can’t argue with myself at 5:30am, I’m too foggy. I just get up and do it, like brushing your teeth.
Lately though, the old routine had gotten stale, the elliptical, while I love it, just wasn’t vaulting me out of bed every morning, it was a cardio rut. Lucky me, I have an awesome weight watcher group, and a couple of weeks ago, they came up with a lot of great ideas, which I’ve since stolen and seriously pumped up the volume on my AM workout:
- Netflix: Did you know that Netflix has tons of exercise DVDs, and many of them on demand to be watched at the drop of a hat??? I didn’t, but now I’m dancercising, kickboxing, and doing pilates whenever I feel the bug, how fun is that?
- Drop in Classes: My local community center has FREE drop in classes so you can try before you buy! This is great for super cheapos like me who dread buyers remorse! I’ve signed up for an early AM extreme spinning class after LOVING the first one, YAY!
- Alternative Sports: Why do I always think that just because I can’t catch a ball or figure out how to play a team sport that I can’t participate in any sport??? I’ve been inspired to get in some sporty fun by tuning up my bike for some team rides and signing up for a rowing seminar!
Ok, are you exhausted yet? Seriously folks you think there couldn’t be any more but there is! A challenge, something to strive for, I’m signing up for the local Susan G Komen race for the cure in August. The area weight watcher leaders and members are forming a team, and I think it will be a wonderful experience for everyone!
Diet Season!!! (A message to all the newbies in 2009)
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 | Thoughts | No Comments
It’s January, and it’s here! I can tell by the weight watcher meeting rooms, almost double in some meetings, the overcrowding of my office gym, and the sales in every grocery store on frozen diet meals and rice cakes! I have one thing to say to all of you who’ve got the New Year’s resolution diet bug…. make small changes, they will carry you to the big change you’re looking for!
Last year I was in the middle of losing my weight when diet season hit I’ve never really been a big resolution kind of girl, so it took me by surprise, but what was even more surprising was how short lived it was! By the middle of February many had given up, or gone back to old habits!
But for all of you who’ve just begun, don’t burn yourselves out! You can do it! Pick a small, manageable goal, and work towards it, don’t try to lose 100 pounds in a month, don’t try to exercise 3 hours a day, just make small changes that fit into your life, and gradually you’ll add to them and make more! I know it’s hard to wait sometimes, but remember, in 3 years, you could have had 3 failed diet seasons, or you could have slowly and steadily worked towards your goals, achieved them, and maintained the loss, either way three years would have gone by!
Congratulations on your start, keep up the momentum!!!
Stretching and Balancing the French Way
Wednesday, January 14th, 2009 | Thoughts | No Comments
Stretching and balancing what you eat, this is something I’ve thought a lot about as I’ve gone through this weight loss/maintenance journey, because I love to eat, and frankly, I want to be able to eat whatever and still look great! (Who doesn’t?) I think maybe French women are the best masters of this balancing act. I, like many Americans had the experience of going on a trip to
France, eating cream, cheese, wine, and every other tempting morsel offered to me in that country, and coming home twenty pounds lighter! How do they do it? How can I do it???
A couple of years ago I read the books “French Women Don’t Get Fat” and “French Women for All Seasons” by Mireille Guiliano. What she said made a lot of sense to me, and I’ve really tried to incorporate some of her principles into my life. Basically she said, indulge, but balance it out, either eat lighter later, or move more! Sad that there isn’t a great secret, but I’ve really tried to take it to heart, to make sure I eat the things I really love, and forgo the mediocre for lighter fare, while also taking the stairs, parking far away, actually walking, etc. I think it makes a lot of sense.
Another great balancing tip I got from the French is eating seasonally. Seasonal produce tastes so much more flavorful, that it’s something to get excited about, and it’s limited quality actually makes me want it more, look forward to it when it’s not there, that gets me more excited about lower calorie food, which is great!
Also, apparently on that side of the ocean, what you eat is actually considered part of your “personal style” meaning what you choose to eat, and what you choose to forgo says something about who you are! I think about that when I’m eating, what do my choices say about me? What do I want them to say? It’s so interesting, and of course I’d love to be as stylish as the French!
This summer I’m heading back to Europe, let’s see what other lessons I can pick up!
The Big Picture
Friday, November 14th, 2008 | Thoughts | No Comments
Why are we so hard on ourselves? A couple of nights ago, I was working at a WeightWatchers meeting (I work for them part time) and a woman whirled into the door with tears in her eyes and declared, “I am so frustrated! If I don’t lose weight this week that’s it for me!” I asked her what was going on and she said, “It’s been 5 weeks, and I haven’t lost any weight, it’s just so frustrating, I can’t do this.” I told her that in the middle of my weight loss I had stalled out for 6 months. She looked shocked, said “I could never do that!” and ran into the meeting.
After the meeting was over, the same woman snuck back out into the lobby and said, “Ok, how did you last 6 months with out giving up?” I wish that I could have told her that I had been a saint, a model of perfect faith that knew throughout that whole time that everything would work out, and I would eventually reach my goals, but… that just wouldn’t be true! I was just like her, worried, overly focused on the number on the scale, and totally frustrated.
What I told this understandably upset woman was, that 6 months was still going to go by, no matter what, and what path did I want to be on? Really, that’s how I made it through, I kept telling myself that in the big picture, I really had made progress, and that these setbacks while frustrating, will pass. Actually, for me, I didn’t break through that stall until I stopped worrying about it so much. I went on vacation, got a little extra sleep, and that’s how I finally got through the plateau.
The whole encounter made me think… why are we so hard on ourselves? Why do we focus only on the negative, worrying about the number on the scale and forgetting all of the good habits we’ve gained, all the unhealthy things we avoided?
If this is supposed to be a lifelong journey, a balanced healthy way to live your life, then somehow we’ve got to keep the big picture in mind.
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Thoughts and Sites
- 9 Cold Hard Diet Truths
- America’s Healthiest Diets
- Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes on YouTube
- Bacteria and Weight Gain
- Calorie Counting is coming back!
- FANTASTIC Muffin Alert!!
- Learn the French Way
- What do you mean you don’t have time to plan healthy meals????
- Who is Sabotaging Your Weightloss?
- You Are What You Eat?