Playing the Role of Helpless Victim?

You want to lose weight. You keep trying to lose weight. But, you can't. It's out of your control. Seriously. Your husband made your favorite lasagna for dinner. You'd planned to eat only tuna on salad. You couldn't help it; you had to eat too much. And, there's that co-worker who purposely brings homemade brownies and cookies in to work every time she bakes just to sabotage you. And, if only you didn't have to go home every day, cook dinner, deal with kids, and all the chores that need to be done. Then, maybe you'd have enough time to exercise and lose weight. Everything that interferes with your weight is really beyond your control. Not your fault.

Stop. Let that self-talk go. It's easier to make excuses and play the helpless victim. It's harder to find time to do what needs to be done to take care of yourself and lose weight. Healthy cooking and exercise take time and commitment. But, that's the real path to successful, healthy, weight loss that stays off.

Want to be a success with weight loss? Time to give those big girl/boy panties a big tug upward!! 

• Remember that with each situation that arises, you have a choice as to how you will react.
• Prioritize your wellness needs. If you don't, it's easier & easier to be the helpless victim, eating unhealthy foods and becoming a sedentary couch potato. 
• The more frequently you see your own actions as being controlled by other people or situations, the more you relinquish your own power of decision making. 
• You always have a choice. Yes, you can eat 2 pieces of pie because Aunt Bess made it just for you, feel stuffed, and feel guilty. Or you could have a small slice and tell her how wonderful it is, and how full you are. Choices.
• Allow no food, person, or situation to have the power to make you eat.
• No one determines your values or priorities except you.
• Make the best choice you can at the moment. Breathe. Relax. Move on to the next choice... 

Next Time: Mindful Holiday Eating!

 Easter happens once a year. If we went overboard and overindulged with candy and other holiday foods once a year, we'd be OK. If it stopped there. The trouble is, between all the holidays and birthdays Americans celebrate during a year, there aren't many non-holiday days for mindful, healthy focused eating.

You know, we really need to practice mindful eating all the time. Calling a day off from listening to your body doesn't play out very well. Yesterday, too many people undoubtedly decided to let the day go, and ended up head first in the chocolate eggs, jelly beans, extra servings of cheesy potatoes, ham, and desserts. Without a thought as to what their body was trying to tell them. I heard phrases like "sugar coma." Moans from overeating. And, heard that people were unbuttoning pants or changing into stretching waist pants. Hmm...

Maybe next time, mindful eating can be part of the celebration. The cool thing about it is that you can choose to eat anything you want, enjoy it, and you'll never end up with pain from overeating.

Our family enjoyed making dinner together: lamb, scalloped sweet & white potatoes, grilled asparagus, fresh strawberries & pineapple, with a light lemon cheesecake topped with mixed fresh berries on top. 

Less Wise and More Mindful

Most people end with 4 wisdom teeth. Teeth that are a big expense for parents of teens to remove before they erupt so they don't mess up thousands of dollars of orthodontia work.

Then there are those few that don't have any. Like my husband. Don't ask me why, but he just never ended up with any. I always kidded him that's why he needed to get his PhD---not enough natural wisdom. Ahem.

Then, there's me. Unique. I had 4 wisdom teeth that taken out at one time in the dentist chair when I was 21.  I wasn't even sent home with prescription pain killers!  I remember my husband convinced me that scotch would work just as well. It must have helped. I don't remember.

After my 5th wisdom tooth was removed, I must have been labeled an oddity. Then, my dentist started those full scan mouth X-rays. Yep. I had a 6th one fully developed and directly above the last molar on one side. Odder still. Then, some funky things started to develop...

...and Friday, I had oral surgery to remove that silly 6th supposedly wise tooth (Why are they called "wisdom?" teeth) Of course, instead of the usual 2 roots, it had 3. I can't do anything by the books. The oral surgeon warned my husband of bruising, and the need to explain a possible black eye as a result. (Yes, I'm looking colorful today!)

And, eating's been a pain. The nurse suggested ice cream, yogurt, jello and sent home a sample of Ensure. I've tried soup, cream of wheat and polenta. But, I have a hard time opening my mouth very wide, let alone chewing (Yes, me!) So, when I tried eating salmon and lettuce tonight, I just got too tired of eating. Seriously.

I guess the bright side of all this is that is forces mindful eating: extremely small bites, chewing very carefully, & resting between bites. But, I really don't recommend polishing mindful eating skills this drastically!

Nutrition Labels Go BOLD

We've had nutrition labels for quite some time. So. What's the big deal about the FDA's newly proposed labels? It's all about change.

Our current nutrition labels leave the typical consumer confused. Manufacturers have been messing with us. They've twisted serving sizes to fit their own needs. Small bottles of soda list 2 ½ servings per container. One packaged muffin, 3 servings. Huh? Who shares? With smaller serving sizes, the manufacturer is able to declare lower calories, grams of trans fat, sodium....or whatever is deemed "evil." Lower in "bad things" should mean better sales. Only dedicated label readers with good eyesight can see what's really going on.

The new FDA system requires that the calories per serving be clearly displayed in bold font, thus discouraging caloric denial. Not that any one of us could be guilty of that. And, serving sizes will be updated to be closer to what people actually eat instead of what they should consume. One muffin instead of ⅓ of it.

A package that could be eaten in one sitting will be asked  to list nutritional info per serving and per package. But... Emotional overeaters and binge eaters may need the nutritional info on all size bags. I mean, really. Who's to say what size package could be eaten in one sitting?

And finally, added sugars and naturally occurring sugars will be clearly distinguished on labels. Definitely a positive change to help us lower our intake of processed foods with added sugars. I'm all for this one.

But the big question: will the new labels work? The big, bold calories will definitely be noticed and heeded by many, much as the calories on restaurant menus have. As for the rest of the changes, it's all about education. We are what we eat, so we'd better start examining those nutrition labels to see what indeed we are really made of!

Filling Easter Baskets or Your Tummy?

They're everywhere. Cadbury Eggs. Hershey chocolate eggs wrapped in foil. Malted milk eggs. Jelly beans. And, the big, solid chocolate bunnies that hop into your grocery cart, all by themselves, when you're not even looking...(I know they do that.)

Instead of making your Easter Baskets overflow with candy, perhaps it's time to think of a few alternatives. Recently, JAMA reported a major study telling us that obesity in 2-5 year olds has declined 40 percent over 8 years in most states---fantastic news! Let's keep going with this positive trend;  it isn't a good reason to deliver a mother-lode of candy. Especially, if you're the one who ends up eating most of the candy and re-buying it a number of times before Easter.

I'm not suggesting a candy-free basket. Can we just go for less? Start by filling each basket with fun, age-appropriate, non-edible toys that may even promote a bit of movement: balls (tennis, golf, basketball, stress ball, colorful play ball,) Frisbees, yo-yo's, kites, bubble stuff,  iTunes gift cards, books, magazines, stuffed animals, or games.  At this point, you can add your well chosen candy, nuts, dried fruits, granola bars, popcorn, coffee, tea, or gum.

Great idea from Denise F. who plans to fill mini-cellophane bags with dried fruits and nuts for her husband's and mom in law''s baskets. They still get the one designer chocolate egg, but the rest of the baskets are going healthier this year. Gotta love it!

Peter Rabbit needs to be upping the carrots and watching his chocolate intake too, or he just may turn into a chocolate rabbit himself!