Tip Tuesday

A friend asked me, "how late is too late to eat?" There's no black and white answer to this because it does depend on your nightly routine. Late night snacks are not a good idea because those are the calories that sit around, don't get burned, and are converted to fat. I make sure my dinner and water is in me before 7pm because I feel better in the morning. I've noticed that going to bed with a tummy full of water causes two problems: nature calling and actual stomach aches. There are nights that I can't stick to this rule, mainly the pack pint runs on Thursday nights and weekend splurging. I haven't reined my weekend treating in yet.

What are your thoughts on the subject?

Things to look forward to at Esther Norine Designs in 2014:

1-Tip Tuesdays will continue.

2- I plan to research and write reviews on my favorites.

3- If you'd like to ask me a question, I'll happily answer it and possibly post it on my blog with a link back to your blog.

Thoughtful Thursday and the Piano

Thoughtful Thursday 

I've come to realize that I eat way too fast and I'm not mindful of what I'm eating. This means that I'm not enjoying my food. Good food deserves attention and should be savored. In high school, I had 30 minute lunches and some of my jobs were the same. I think that's the root of this bad habit. Starting right now, I plan to enjoy my food and eat it slowly. Smaller bites that are well chewed will be much better for me.

I have been playing the piano for over 20 years and I still get frustrated! I constantly question my knowledge and abilities. Should I be able to play better than I do? Will I be able to learn and improve? In high school, I learned how to play chords for the purpose of playing for the youth group worship. Rote memorization was the key and I learned the basics. Later I learned the anatomy of a chord but still it was basic. Today, I am wanting to play more than chords. I want to be expressive and add depth to the worship experience. That is not possible playing chords. The music director at church is trying to teach me but his primary instrument is the bass and drums. This process has been so difficult that I've taken to youtube to try and make sense of it all. The conclusion is that I'm back at the beginning, learning more basics: all the 12 keys and the tones, and how to hear the key of a song and compile the chord progression of that song. Truthfully, I have no idea how this basic music theory will help me to be more expressive. I must move forward to find out.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Stepping the scale daily is not healthy for me. Weight naturally fluctuates and I don't need to drive myself nuts trying to micromanage my weight. My friend only weighs in once a month and as I sit here writing this post, that may be the way for me to go as well. I have been doing weekly weighins and I am still noticing a regular fluctuation by about two pounds. Possibly that's not a big deal, especially if my clothes still fit.

For now, I will keep the weekly weighins since I need to monitor my progress. As I have worked towards my goal, I have learned that that maintenance is particularly difficult. My brain is chemically sabotaging me to gain the weight back. I have been at or above 150 twice and over 140 once. I will always need a lazer focus to make sure I don't go back to 150.

For a bonus holiday eating tip, you must continue to count calories the entire holiday season. Counting calories keeps you accountable to what goes in and what you expend with exercise. If you keep a good diary through myfitnesspal.com, you will likely not gain weight. I usually put in breakfast, lunch, snacks, and exercise. My goal is to leave about 400 calories for dinner at the end of the day. I don't usually enter dinner because it is homemade and that's tough to count.

Don't you love all the food photos? I do that to show you how I constantly struggle too. Do you need someone to coach you torwards your weight loss goal? I'd love to help you. I can help you with nutrition and recommendations in the gym. I can constantly encourage you to meet your goals and stick to your plan. 

Tip Tuesday

The holidays are just around the corner and it is time to be thinking of healthy eating strategies. I will be sharing tips to help you avoid the usual ten pound gain each year. I have typically gained ten pounds and had to lose it in January and that takes months to accomplish! Please tell me, I am not the only one to experience this problem.

In honor of Thanksgiving, just around the corner, today's tip is to help you avoid eating too many calories at the dinner table (or the snack table). Select the smallest plate or cup available. This is more of a mind trick, which tricks your mind into thinking you have loaded your plate, which you can do when the plate is smaller. When there's not enough space to fill it past your usual daily caloric intake, you won't have over eaten. You can enjoy everything that is offered but enjoy it in smaller portions.

Truthfully, I am horrible at portion control. I never stop when I know I should or sometimes I just don't know when to stop. Having a smaller plate in hand will help me and you keep away the calories we don't need. It will essentially force us to use better portion control.

Go ahead and give it a try. Tell me how it worked or didn't work for you. If you are looking for a coach to help you meet your weight loss goals, email me or leave a comment below. I would love to encourage you to stay healthy this holiday season.

I had wanted this post to be filled with random photos but got rather impatient with my computer. Hence the lack of pictures.

Thanks

I am not sure what happened yesterday but today definitely turned out better. I accomplished so much! When I got off work, I did one load of laundry and I put the dishes away. That deserves tons of kudos.

Stress is a problem and when it gets to be too much I can get into all sorts of trouble: eating my emotions, wallowing in my emotions, losing my zeal for fun things.

I have crossed this bridge before.  I am trying to remember the way and using mindfulness techniques. At this point in time, I am not safely across the bridge but I will get there again.  Thanks for your prayers and support. I will send my prayers and support your way, if you tell me. Happy hump day friends!