That Tastes Grea...YUCK!

Greetings and Salutations everyone! Hope this Super Bowl Sunday finds you in good spirits with good weather (especially those of you who have been dumped upon by the snow gods of late!).

As I'm sure you're all aware, Valentine's Day is upon is...it's a mere week and a few days away, and of course, along with Valentine's Day comes all kinds of confections sold in the store that promise someone will feel loved only if you offer them such a wonderful delight.

Just yesterday, I was offered a Valentine's cookie from a friend. She had gotten them, and not really wanting them herself (smart girl!), wanted to pawn some off on me. I hadn't eaten yet and was feeling a bit hungry, so after looking at the label to see what sort of damage would be done, I allowed myself one of her tempting looking Valentine's cookies (they were small, a serving size was actually three cookies). I promised myself to truly enjoy that little morsel of delight, so I promised to take small bites of the almond cookie dipped in white chocolate frosting with pink sprinkles on top.

So there I was, cookie in hand, ready to take my first bite. And I did. I was bound and determined to REALLY enjoy that cookie, so I chewed slowly, allowing my taste buds the time to really savor the almondness and the white chocolate. However, about three chews in something happened. I realized that the ONLY thing I could taste was the sprinkles on top...you know those cute sparkly little pink ones I mentioned? Clearly, a dye had to have been added to make them that shocking pink color, and that was ALL I could taste. Chemical dye. It left this aftertaste that was not appealing in any way, shape or form. YUM! NOT!

I think you probably get my point. Far too often, we rush through our food, not really even tasting it, just eating it to eat. If we were to slow down and really savor the taste of our food, how many of us would eat less because our brains realized it doesn't really taste as great as we thought it would?

It was quite the epiphany moment for me...a reminder to slow down, taste the food, really enjoy it, but if it tastes like crap, don't shove another handful into your mouth! Heck, even if it doesn't taste awful, does it taste good enough to want to eat more of it? Probably not.

So slow down and take your time with your food. I know it's tough sometimes...my husband was a Marine and eats a meal in about 15 seconds flat. I always feel rushed to keep up with him. He, however, can learn to wait...I plan on enjoying the taste of my food from now on.

I LOVE FOOD...too much sometimes...

Greetings and salutations my friends!! So here's the deal...I love food. I love it a lot. Sometimes I love food too much. Seriously, I wake up in the morning and the first thing I think about (well, perhaps the first thing I think about after going to the restroom and letting the dogs out) is breakfast. Then I think about my mid-morning snack, and after that it's what's for lunch, then an afternoon snack, and then it's dinnertime, and I'm off to bed and once again waking up thinking about...BREAKFAST!

For many of us, our struggle with our weight isn't our lack of fitness or exercise time, it's food...mainly too much of it. I'm fortunate...at 5'9", I carry more weight than your average height female, so lucky me, I get to eat more! However, I find nutrition to be a battle almost every single day. Bad habits, such as taking the entire bag of pretzels into the living room to watch t.v. (as Chalene Johnson says, "Open bag = Saddle Bags!"), 'grazing' while fixing dinner, or convincing yourself that since you did workout today you can eat the 2 dessert servings, rear their heads from time to time, and sabotage your results. So...what's a girl (or guy) to do?

With regards to my own nutrition, the best thing I have done so far is log my calories every single day. I got out of the habit this spring when I was injured, and slowly, but steadily, I started to pack on a few pounds. Now that I'm back in the habit, it really helps keep me accountable and makes me more aware of what I'm putting into my body. I use an online food diary called My Fitness Pal, and I like it for it's ease of use, the fact that it's free, and it's extensive food database. If you join, I'm on there as "Glfprncs2." Look me up, friend me...we can support one another! If you're really brave, make your food diary 'public' and let the world see. Talk about some major accountability! There's also a really nice group of supportive people on the message boards who really want you to succeed.

If you are going to utilize a food diary, you've got to be TOTALLY honest with yourself. You can't have the candy bar at work and not log it in...period. No grabbing a handful of pretzels or peanuts as you fix dinner without logging it in. You eat it, you log it. You want results, you track it. Simple as that. It's truly an eye opening experience.

The other thing that's key for me is setting myself up for success when I hit the grocery store. My biggest piece of advice: DON'T GO GROCERY SHOPPING HUNGRY! You know as well as I do that you'll buy the Chex Mix and eat the bag before the kids get home from school. Go after you've eaten so you don't make those 'munchy' purchases because it looks good.

Second...shop with a list and stick to the list. Yep, I'm sure that when you walk through the pastry section the pound cakes, sugar cookies, and glazed doughnuts look appealing. Well, unless it's on your list, you dont' put it in your cart (and I'm here to tell you, the pound cake, sugar cookies, and glazed doughnuts shouldn't be on your list!). If you're tempted...keep reading...

Finally...if you pick something up that's not on your list, I want you to really think about it before you put it in your cart. Ask yourself, "Will this food item nourish my body and provide it the nutrients that it needs to sustain my life?" If the answer is no, then you need to put the object back on the grocery store shelf and allow someone else, who doesn't mind gumming up their own gut with preservatives and non-nutrients, pick it up. I know that sometimes things just look yummy...it can be agonizing, especially when your head says, "Buy it! I want it!" On Monday, I agonized over Honey Graham Crackers. It's just a graham cracker, I know, but was it something I needed? I think I put it on the shelf and picked it back up 3 times. I WANTED the graham crackers. After reading the label for the 3rd time, and knowing that the honey grahams really weren't going to provide my body with much nutrition, I put them back, and went on my way. The inner battle was maddening!

Food can be tough...take it one day (or even one meal) at a time. If you mess up, and totally blow a meal, don't allow that to be an excuse to ruin the rest of the day. Pull up your big girl (or big boy) panties, forgive yourself, and do better next time. It's a process, and little by little, you'll win the fight...

Message me if you'd like some help on your own journey...