Secrets of Success

Read even the Healthy Food ingredient lists, SNEAKY Food industry!

Be sure to read all packaged food labels. The food industry is sneaky with the chemicals and word replacements. Soy and sugar replacements seem to be in everything!

Even the healthiest “packaged” foods can shock you. READ every label. The food industry can be SNEAKY!!

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br>See what i mean in my blog!! Green Tea Antioxidant Natural but it has "STEVIA" in it! Unacceptable.

Use a lunch taker every day

I bought a grab and go neoprene lunch taker to take to work. It keeps foods cool for four hours. I pack my lunch the night before and put the whole thing in the fridge. Now I do this even on days when I am not working, it encourages me to stick with my eating plan. Best of all, it keeps me out of the fridge and away from temptation.

Trigger food

If I have a trigger food that usually I can't keep in my house without finishing off the whole box...for me mint ice cream bars...I hide them in the back of the freezer with everything piled on top so that I can't get to them without digging everything else out first!!

Vision Board & GOALS

I "vision collaged" my back of the door mirror, this way I "SEE" it all the time!!! Everyday, sometimes several times a day! Foods, Exercises, Physically fit bodies, places I want to go and things I want to do!! Anything that is something to strive for or look forward to I put it on the edge of that mirror. SO when I do that one last check in the mirror before I sweep out the door I know what I want in LIFE!!! EVerything I want to live for is there: Prayer, Familiy, Friends.Healthy Lifestyle!

You Open the Fridge for the 50th time and Stare===A Solution

Set aside 200 cals for ingredients. Prepare a large plate of hors d'oerves with the ingredients. Put it in the front of the fridge. You now have something to grab when you open the fridge! You will be surprised how many snacks you can make from 200 cals. Use cucumber coins, tomato or veggie slices, lo cal crackers,1 tbsp whip cream cheese,or salad dressing, a cheese slice, deli turkey/ham, herbs and seasoning. Example: tomato,, dab of dressing ,sliver of ham. Be prepared!

No more excuses!

Only you can do this for yourself! Take control and do it, no excuses.

Off the couch, on the floor..

Determined to stay off the couch in the evening after a long day and exercise, I found if I sit on the floor I end up doing all my Calisthenics, yoga poses and stretching, while hanging with hubby and enjoying our tv show.

Stress Management: 4 A's - REMINDER! 4 A's

I am keeping the follwing four A's in mind: Avoid, Alter, Accept and Adapt. Whenever I feel my head is ready to pop from stress i'm going to look at the root cause and determine which one of the 4 A's can be applied.

Superpower your Willpower

I read this hint in "Women's World" (May 28, 2012) issue and IT REALLY WORKS!!

When cutting back on sweets or other temptstions, it is much more powerful to say "I don't want it" rather than "I can't have it." Studies show that saying "I can't..." makes me feel deprived and weakens my resolve. By saying "I don't want...", I feel in control and more empowered to stay on track. Try it!!

Log it before you scoff it!

I find it really helpful to log whatever I eat on my nutrition tracker BEFORE I eat it. It means that when I want a treat, the consequences of that treat are there before my eyes before they are on my hips! It really helps me decide between whether I really want something or whether I'm eating it for the hell of it. It's even easier to do this these days with smartphones and apps.

Get a cup!

If you want to eat something you love, get something about the size of a cup to put it in instead of eating out of the bag. Put in as much as you plan to eat, and put the rest away. That way, 'just one more' will feel unnatural!

Review and Tweak the Plan~

Whenever i'm getting off track or even when i'm feeling a little bored I look over my old blogs. Almost all of them give me a more positive perspective or solutions to what I want to tweak or change. Should I not feel more empowered or motivated to a new direction then I hit some of my SP friends blogs.

1/2 that portion...

Half that portion! I half the portion of whatever i'm about to eat. If it can't be halved without wasting part then I don't eat it Example: Sandwich you can half & save for later...cookie you would have to share if a person is available or throw the half away if you have no one to share it with. IF I would have to waste it then I don't eat it. Planning!
Don’t be a gingerbread woman, be a ROCKSTAR!
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Take Notes

Any time the idea of trying to itemize and research my food is overwhelming, I use the Notes field in the nutrition tracker to type a few notes on what I ate (with as much detail as I feel up to including). I might not know the exact calories and nutrition breakdown, but at least the food is on the record. It helps me close the book on that meal or that day and stop obsessing. At a later time when I'm feeling more up to it, I can always go back and try to enter the items "officially."

Stay in control when baking goodies.

When I bake a cake or cookies for my family, I keep a bowl of fruit or vege's right on the counter where I am working, so when I am tempted to even lick a spoon I can reach for a healthy snack instead. Then later have my ONE cookie! :)

CONCERN YOURSELF WITH WHAT YOU CAN CONTROL

Don’t be angry just because another may think that he is better than you; after all what goes on inside of his head is his concern; what you allow to go on inside of your head is your concern.

Cut it up!!

I started cutting my food into smaller pieces and it tricks my brain into thinking I have so much more food on my plate than what is actually there.
For example chop up a banana and cut your toast in half and tada! This secret is that easy.

Eating out of cups instead of bowls/plates...

I forgo eating out of bowls and use medium sized cups instead. It makes my brain things I am getting huge portions!! Because the cup is tall instead of wide the portions seem larger to me and I feel more satisfied.

My BEST BS Reading Ever ! ! !

Yesterday for Breakfast, I had a bowl of Cereal (Special K with Red Berries) and 1% milk.
Lunch = I made a pot of Chicken Veggie Soup. I had 2 cups with a slice of sour dough bread.
Dinner = Chicken Crouquettes, green beans and tomato salad.
Snack = popcorn.
Pre dinner was 99. This am FBS = 122
I'm think I'm starting to get control....

Pre-package it your self

I refuse to pay more for less. Those cute little individual packages of snacks for kids and other controlled portion needs are every where! They are bad for my budget and the environment. I just measure out 100 calorie servings or 1 serving size and store them in tiny reusable bowls with lids. The kids love to help and it might take me 20 minutes a month. It also helps to make sure i do not grab the whole box of cheese-its when watching a movie!

Transfat is the bad guy this week

Read about bad ingredients & learn why they are bad for you. Now read your labels and try to avoid them. Once you know why they are bad & what they cause, it will be easier to stay away from them. I was always healthy but last week my blood test showed my good cholesterol is low. I did my research & learned that transfat is the enemy! I have put down some of my favorite foods because I realized they have 'partially hydrogenated oils'.Take control and don't wait until your doctor says you must.

Say yes to the toothbrush... and no to dessert!!

I'm sure you've heard this one before, but there's a reason why...because IT REALLY WORKS!
As soon as you're done eating your healthy dinner, go brush your teeth immediately. You'll be much less tempted to dig into impulse desserts if your teeth are squeaky-clean.

Captain of your ship

Your are the captain of your ship, which is your body. If you're off course, you don't throw up your hands and let the wind take you away. You gradually correct course and head for where you want to go. There is dignity in quiet strength and perseverance.

Visual Aid

Portion control is very important. Keep in mind that your stomach is about the same size as your clenched fist. Compare your fist to the amount of food on your plate... and proceed with caution.

Goodies at Work

Someone brought a plate of your favorite cookies to work and you just have to have one. How do you handle that? Do you tell yourself that you can have just one and TRY not to eat anymore? That never worked for me, so I started doing the following.