Wednesday, February 1, 2006
Posting on Wednesdays and weekends



Soooo... How're You Doing on Those Resolutions?

Well, somehow we have gotten through January, a month filled with good resolutions about losing weight, getting in shape, watching our money, getting organized, and... and... All those wonderful plans were challenged of course by after-holiday bills, the dire desire to eat, eat, eat on dark winter days, the call of the comfortable couch, and well, life in general, right?

Let's just look at that weight losing resolution and see if we can get back on track. My TRP(Tonnage Reduction Program!) had centered on happy thoughts that "I'd be careful what I eat," "watch it," and "cut out junk." HA! On the last day of the month I weighed exactly what I'd weighed on the first day of this new year.

Time to get drastic! Going back to the work I've done over the years when I have lost weight, I thought about my three biggest challenges: eating slowly, portion control, and social eating. What to do, what to do!

Well, last night I was playing in a cribbage tournament, doing well with my Diet Coke, UNTIL a birthday cake appeared for one of the regulars. And it was chocolate... Well, of course I had to have a piece, and as I wasn't cutting, it was a b-i-g piece. Did I eat it all? You bet! RATS!

A new day... I have to measure what I eat much as I absolutely hate doing that. AND, far, far more important, if someone else is serving, I have to eat only, ONLY, what would be a reasonable amount even though it's way wicked hard for me to not "clean my plate." The measuring... for years I've had juice, cottage cheese and chopped walnuts for breakfast, a great start to the day for me. But, ahhhh, that 1/3 cup of cottage cheese had crept up... up to a generous 1/2 cup. No big deal really, but then, yes, it IS a big deal, really.

S-L-O-O-O-O-W down! Good advice of course, but oh-so-hard! I think I learned my bad speed-eating habits during ten years of teaching. If I was very lucky, I'd have 12 minutes to wolf down my lunch. IF I didn't have lunch duty! That same good advice tells us to pause between bites, eat smaller bites, savor our food, etc. Yup, sounds good. Conscious effort is the only answer. Okay, then...

And so, on February 1st, I'm re-resolving! How about you? Mary