Anyone hungry yet?

Anyone hungry yet?  I have to say that I feel pretty good today.  My cold is gone, thanks to the miracle work of my friend. Also I feel like I have more energy, and I don't feel mentally sluggish.

So is this from eating smaller amounts?  There are so many studies that point to mental and physical health problems being directly linked to bad diet and obesity.  It makes sense that eating lighter and less would be more conducive to feeling healthier and essentially being healthier. Hmmmmm....now that is food for thought :) I want to pass on healthy thoughts for the day.

I have a little exercise:

• Let's envision ourselves in a place of complete and total perfection, what do you see?  What would you change about yourself? Example:  I get told by people once in awhile that I like to talk, which makes me think that maybe I need to work on being a better listener (or spend more time in my office writing) but that is something I would change about myself...I would be a better listener.  Okay  now back to you :) what would you change about yourself?  
• Take each thing one by one and hold it in your mental hand. What exactly does this piece of yourself that you are removing look like? What does it smell like?  Does it make any sounds as you rip it away?
• Now shake the thing you have removed and toss it into the air, then blow to assist it along. Do you feel lighter?
• Remember to get them all, all the little things that you want to change about yourself. Is it your nose? Your gray hair? The spacing between your teeth? Is it the way you laugh? Whatever it may be tear it loose in your mind and set it free.
• Now take a look at yourself in the mirror (the mirror in your mind) how do you look? How do you feel? 
• Now look at yourself in the mirror hanging on the wall or bathroom.
• Notice how beautiful/handsome you are inside and out.  You are. Beautiful/Handsome!!
• Give yourself a huge hug because love is always and forever burning within us no matter what shape or size we are.

If you have an ipod consider downloading the podcast "Chakra Meditaion" by Paul White. It is free and it only takes a few minutes to go through the entire thing, but it works!

Tonight: think light,  take a load off.

Sweet dreams

Just a little poke

So today I decided to face yet another fear: needles. I have a good friend that does acupuncture and I decided to let him be the "catalyst," as his website puts it, to help me face my fear.  Lets just say the needles won. I couldn't ease into my happy place long enough to reap the benefits of the process so my friend had to use alternative "stickers" on me. I did enjoy the experience of fire cupping on my back, where he used heat to suction globe like glass balls on my back.  This sucks out the toxins, such as the cold I came in to see him for.

What does this have to do with our experiment?

 Fear.

We are all afraid of something.  Some of my fears are heights, needles, disease, venomous snake bites, and mountain lions jumping out on me while hiking on a deep wooded trail.  The fact is whether small and minute or huge and overbearing we all have them.

The thoughts for tonight:

1. What are/is my fear(s)?
2. What are/is my coping mechanism(s)?
3. Am I afraid of change, or find it stressful?
4. Do I feel hungry or have the urge to eat when I feel fear/stress?

These are some questions that you may find interesting to free write about in your journal.  Try this: Without thinking too much about what you are writing, answer these questions.  After you answer them all free write for two minutes (or longer if you like, but time yourself) once two minutes are up go back and read what you wrote, did you discover anything interesting about yourself?

Sweet dreams.

Day 2

WOW!  This is going to be a challenge.  I am always gun-ho to try new things until I get to that familiar place where a change must occur.  Breakfast was good as always, and I didn't notice any fluctuations during lunch. My afternoon snack of a mini snickers (trick-or-treat) and a stick of string cheese went over well, but it was at dinner that I squeaked!

That was supposed to be somewhat poetic.  Because...well I did make it.  For dinner I was running late and didn't feel like cooking dinner so I went to the grocery store and bought a rotisserie chicken, a bag of frozen vegetables, a box of chicken broth and a tube of biscuits.  Little did I know each night in the past, that I had piled gravy over mounds of biscuit halves, that a serving of biscuits is only ONE....ONE?  Wait, one?? That can't be!  Yes the tape worm (that is what I have named my endless hunger) in my belly tightened sharp and slowly, sadly slid away.  So instead I ate a small salad with diced tomatoes, my ONE biscuit with a cup of gravy (as the serving size allows), and for dessert...ONE cookie :)
...and I was satisfied.

Tonight if you made it, pat yourself on the back. Now 27 days more to go. We can do this.

Welcome...

to day one of the actual "Serving Size Experiment."  The first thing you should do today is tape yourself to find out what your starting measurements are.  Record results in your journal.

Example:

November 1, 2010
Upper Thigh  24 in.
Calf              15 in.
Hips             40 in.
Waist           28 in.
Bust             36 in.
Bicept          10.5 in.

To Get Started
Like any other experiment this may have a few little ticks.  For example this morning I was making my bowl of oatmeal and realized that a serving size of walnuts is 1/4 cup (surprising large).  I put the amount I wanted in my bowl and ate the rest plain.  Similarly, my boyfriend was making lunch for me and found that a serving size of lettuce according to the package is 2 c. I walked in the front door and found my boyfriend up in arms with a huge pile of greens on my plate.

NOTE: we can adjust these servings down as much as we like to suit our needs and wants.  For example tomorrow morning I will just take the portion of walnuts, out of the serving size, that I desire for my oatmeal and forfeit the rest.   I also want to throw out there that once you forfeit a portion of your serving you can't eat more of something else to make up for the portion of a food not eaten.....just want to make that clear :)

For the entire month of November you can enjoy any thing you like. The goal of this experiment is not to put certain foods in the time out corner, but to embrace them warmly...just in moderate bites.  So eat whatever you choose as long as you abide by the serving size on the package.

I suggest that you try to eat five small meals a day.

• A breakfast consisting of good sugars such as catelope, grapefruit, or fresh oranges
• Try whole grains over refined.
• Enjoy a yogurt or protein shake for a post breakfast snack
• Try salad for lunch.
• Soups are a delicious filling way to get tons of fiber, vitamins, and protein.
• Make everything from scratch (as much as time affords)
• Try an apple and peanut butter to curb the afternoon munchies.
• Make dinner count!  The more colorful the better.  I always keep in mind that whatever I eat for dinner will be sitting in my belly ALL NIGHT :/

This is going to be fun!  I will be posting every day to keep you motivated.  Just remember to keep up with your daily exercise (30 minutes minimum), take a daily vitamin, eat what you enjoy, but watch those labels.  

Example:

Daily food log:

Breakfast-

1 serving of oatmeal with walnuts, flax, coconut, maple syrup  NOTE: These are all portioned out by ss

1 c. tea

1 c. (8oz) orange juice  NOTE: this is actually a larger serving than the list below, but I followed ss on box label

Snack-

1 container of cherry yogurt

16 oz. water

Lunch-

1 turkey pot pie

1/2 c. arugula salad with a cherry tomato and (less than) 2 T. of italian dressing.

Snack-

1 cheese stick and four triscuit crackers

16 oz. water

Dinner-

fist sized hunk of steak

1 baked potato with a pad (less than ss) of butter

1/2 c. vanilla ice-cream

Later-

16 oz. water

1 c. hot apple cider (no sugar added)

Last minute reminders:

• measure yourself tonight if you can or as soon as possible
• record what you eat
• read the labels
• if a serving size is more than you like, then don't eat the full amount
• try eating five small meals a day. Like a car, our bodies are little engines that need fuel to keep them running.  If you let your tank run dry then your engine will be running on fumes (or fueling on muscle rather than fat)
• drink lots of water
• meditate. get enough sleep. smile often. journal, journal, journal. enjoy new recipes

As a reminder here are a few label less serving sizes again:

According to the United States Department of Agriculture a serving size is:

• Fruit/Veggies-about 1/2 cup for raw
• Greens like spinach or romaine lettuce is about 1 cup
• A single piece of fruit such as an apple, orange or pear is considered one serving size
• One serving of fruit juice is a 4 oz. glass.
• The serving size of meat should be roughly the size of your palm or a deck of cards. 

Okay I hope this helps everyone get started. 

This is going to be a lot of fun and hopefully everyone will feel energized and healthier in a month, just in time to look fabulous in your new Christmas party dress!

Serving Size Experiment!

Tomorrow is day one of the serving size experiment!  November may be the hardest month (or equal to December) to try the serving size experiment.  Now that your children have brought home bags of goodies (too much for them to eat alone) and Thanksgiving dinner encroaching at the end.  Yes this will be a challenge, but I am confident that we can all do this...if we stick together.

This month I will be making daily posts to help motivate you through the days. I will also be offering advice, fitness ideas, eating solutions, and tons of fabulous recipes for everyday use and the big Thanksgiving dinner.

Don't forget to measure yourselves again sometime between today and tomorrow and record your results so you can see if the serving size experiment was effective for you.

Until tomorrow.

Bored?

On a rainy day do you find yourself restlessly looking out the window?  Are you anxiously folding clothes, half heartedly reading a book, or fiddling with the loose string on your sweater?  Are you bored?


:) THEN GET UP :)

Consider joining a club, finding a new hobby, trying something new, or getting a gym membership.

Winter is right around the corner.  The muffled time of year when the weather gets cold, the leaves have shriveled up into crumpled piles on the ground, and the clouds are threatening to throw snow, so get up and get going before the spell of hibernation finds you!

Decide to make a pact with yourself that you are going to be proactive this winter.


Be a motivator! 
Start your own club. Do you enjoy cross country skiing but have no one to do it with? Start your own club by putting an ad in the paper or hang flyers at the super market.  Do you have a unique skill?  Volunteer to teach others and get out into the community.

Stay warm this winter by having friends over for a game of cards over hot chocolate. Start a Christmas carolers club at your local church or school.  Take initiative to reinvent yourself, motivating others is also self motivating.

Tonight: Find your posse.

Anxious

I can't wait to start the next part of the experiment next month!  The weeks are flying by so I wanted to just give you a little heads up for the next step in the Serving Size Experiment.

First, Don't forget to measure yourself again on the last day of October so you can see what your results are from day one, to the end date on November 30th.

Second, review some of the serving sizes I posted in October. You will have to click on October to see the post from that month.  I will repost them when we get closer to the first day of phase II, but just to get an idea I recommend that you take a glance.

Most Importantly plan ahead.  Remember we are going to be eating everything only by the portion sizes so if you can get a head start on preparing foods that aren't prepackaged that would be great. For example if you plan on taking some raw veggies in your lunch to work then bag (or used little Tupperware containers to measure them out ahead of time. This will save you time when you are trying to rush out the door, I find that convenience is key.

Next month should be exciting, I hope to hear from everyone about how things are going. I will be posting recipes, work out ideas, and lots of inspirational motivation.  Remember if you ever have any questions ask I would love to hear from you :) magicalfruit88@yahoo.com