Category Archives: diet

Weigh in day: Week 4

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I’m just going to get right into it. I weighed myself this morning and I was shocked.

Weigh in #4 = 162

Then I left for my solo turkey trot. I ran 10 miles at the reservoir this morning. I did the same thing last year and I’ve decided to make it a tradition. I did a lot of thinking on that run. At first I was angry, angry at the scale, at myself, at my body. Then the anger turned into a string of justifications. I’m PMSing. I’m running more. I ate more than a few of the treats I baked last night for Thanksgiving including Mama Pea’s Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Balls and Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt. Vegan does not equal fat free, but it does equal delicious. Try them you won’t be sorry, but only try one or two then give them all away.

After being angry and blaming the weight gain on random things I started to calm down. In my comment on Biz’s Holiday Challenge update this week I wrote:

“OK so as far as the challenge goes, I’m feeling so unaccomplished. I weigh in again on Thursday, but honestly I don’t feel much different. My goal was to lose 10 pounds by the end of the year and I’ve done nothing but stay the same. I was thinking about my goal today. Was it realistic given that I’m training for a marathon? I do not use running as an allowance to eat whatever I want. However, I do realize that I need to nourish my body after it has run 10, 15, 20 miles. I try to be sensible about replenishing calories. I have maintained my weight throughout training and actually have lost 2 pounds since the actual beginning of marathon training.”

I probably won’t lose 10 pounds by the end of the year. That’s ok. I will lose it after the marathon. The scale is not going away yet because this is a challenging time of year. Food is everywhere and not necessarily healthy food. There is a party every week it seems between now and Christmas. I no longer see the holidays as a time to indulge and lose sight of healthy behaviors. I have worked very hard to maintain this weight that I am at for over a year and I intend on staying here until the marathon is over. If I end up losing a pound or two great. I suspect that the 162 is largely due to a bit of water retention and if I’m correct then the scale will return to the 160 it seems so comfortable.

I may not meet my Holiday Challenge goal, but the challenge has helped me to meet other bloggers, stay focused on portion sizes, and be cognizant of what I’m eating despite all the miles I’m running. My weight loss journey is far from over, but at least I’m no longer waiting for it to end. I’m out there running and strength training, playing outside with my son, baking and cooking more and more healthy recipes that are whole food and plant based, eating a rainbow of colors and enjoying it. I’m happy, healthy and I have more energy than I have ever had before.

I am thankful for so many things in my life on this Thanksgiving Day. Here are my top 5:

  • My beautiful son Carlos tops my list. He makes me smile and truly makes me want to be a better person. When I run I do it for both of us. I want him to grow up with a healthy, happy Mom and I want him to know he can do anything he sets his mind to.
  • My handsome husband Orlando is next on my list. We celebrated 10 years of marriage in September and it has been wonderful. I love him very much.
  • Breaking my rib in September…weird right?! I know it sounds crazy, but in a strange way I’m grateful for the experience. It reminded me of how I take my good health for granted sometimes. It taught me to listen to my body and treat it with care. It also proved to me how incredible the body really is and how deserving it is of excellent nutrition and fitness.
  • My job. I’m lucky to have a job and even luckier to have a job that I really like. I have to work tonight and I don’t even mind. I’m looking forward to seeing the girls I work with. We generally have an enjoyable time no matter what.
  • Running. I promise to not get all sappy about how running has changed my life so I’ll just leave it at that!

I am also very thankful for those of you who have been visiting my blog and leaving kind, encouraging comments. Thank you so much. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Weigh in day: Week 3

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“Slow and steady wins the race.” –Aesop

“Success is steady progress towards one’s personal goals.” –Jim Rohn

“It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” –Confucius

You probably already know where I’m going with this. Call me the Tortoise. As promised I haven’t weighed myself since the last weigh in (160.2). I didn’t feel much differently as I got on the scale and the scale agreed.

Weigh in #3 = 160.1

I know it’s still a loss, but really .1? Maybe if I took off my socks and shaved my head it would have pushed the scale to 159. I won’t go to those lengths just yet.

I have to be realistic about this weigh in. Even though we don’t have Halloween candy in our house save for a few things Carlos got at school and a recent birthday party, one of my co-workers has been bringing in a bag of mini candy bars a night for the last couple of weeks. I have had at least two or three minis on the nights I work with her. I now refer to her as the candy pusher. She even snuck a regular size Butterfinger bar in my mailbox at work. She is evil!

I’m running a lot lately as my marathon training has really picked up. I don’t look at it as an allowance to eat everything I want, but since I haven’t been diligent about journaling maybe I am over doing it.

And then there is my failed attempt at journaling. I suck at this. I cannot find a system that works for me. It’s ridiculous because I am around my laptop and iPhone all day yet I find entering the data to be tedious. OK I just read that last statement and I sound whiny. I know that I need to stop the excuses and do it. I start off the morning great journaling in Spark People then I fade out as the day goes on. I lose track of how many snacks I had and how much I’ve eaten before dinner.

I did well with my other goals though. Peanut butter and I met up only twice and we kept it casual, no spoonfuls from the jar, just a swipe on toast or an apple. I stayed hydrated with water and tea. I did well monitoring my portions by measuring out certain foods like cereal and rice.

Goals for the next two weeks:

Weigh 150 something, anything, please!

Journal every bite

That’s it. I am going to get back in the habit of journaling a la my Weight Watcher days. I have done it before and I can do it again.

Do you journal? If so what works best for you? 

Weigh In Day: Week 1

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I started this blog to chronicle my marathon training. I don’t focus on my weight or my history with weight struggles, but I’ve mentioned it here and there. In the last few years I have lost weight through a healthy diet and increased activity, plain and simple. Over the past year I have been stuck at about the same weight. To me this is still somewhat of a success because I never before had a handle on maintaining my weight. Despite staying at the same weight my body changed as I trained for a half marathon and began to strength train on a regular basis. I was starting to feel comfortable in my own skin. However, in the last four or five months not much has changed and I am not entirely comfortable in my body. I still carry an extra 20-30 pounds on my 5’2″ frame.

I saw my primary care physician in the second week of marathon training for a physical. He assessed my vital signs, looked over recent lab results and we talked about my health, my diet, my training and lifestyle. He agreed that everything looked great, but he wanted to do an EKG as a precaution. I have never had an EKG before. The EKG picked up a slight irregularity, T wave inversion. Without getting too clinical this reading on the EKG is insignificant in and of itself and since I was asymptomatic (no chest pain, no difficulty breathing) there was no reason to panic without further examination.

I was sent to a Cardiologist. A repeat EKG was performed with the same results appearing. The Cardiologist sat with me for 45 minutes at the end of a Friday. We talked about my health in-depth including family history. He reviewed my labs. My cholesterol levels had improved over the last few years. I had lost over 60 pounds since giving birth to my son in 2006. I have eliminated meat and most dairy products from my diet. The Cardiologist was pleased with all of this information and he enthusiastically gave me the go ahead to train for the marathon under one condition: that I continue to make weight loss a priority and strive to get down about 20 pounds. This would put me at the high end of normal on the BMI scale. I greatly appreciated that the doctor was not placing unrealistic expectations on me yet he was holding me accountable to myself to keep up the work I had been doing to improve my health. As for the EKG results, the doctor encouraged me to go forth with life without worrying about the irregularity because it is likely benign, but obviously stop activity at the earliest sign of chest pain or shortness of breath and call the office.

From early adolescence weight loss was about appearance for me. Since the birth of my son, weight loss is about creating a healthy body and a healthy lifestyle. I don’t want to simply lose the weight without understanding how to keep it off. I don’t want to necessarily get thin I want to get healthy.

Right now I am participating in Biz’s Holiday 2011 Challenge and I am really committed to it. When I signed up to do the challenge my goal was to lose 20 pounds by New Year’s. I got off to a slow start and then broke my rib which brought my physical activity to a screeching halt. Instead of giving up I decided to journal my food and track calories as much as possible. My weight has hovered at 161.5 for the last few months. It fluctuated a bit in the first week that I wasn’t exercising. I weighed myself one morning and was really disappointed to see 163. Once I got a handle on my limitations I stabilized back to 161.5 pounds.

I have been exercising again for a week. I continue to journal my food as often as I can. I have been really trying to limit my snacking especially at work. Yesterday was my first official weigh in for the Holiday Challenge.

Weigh in #1 = 160.4 pounds

I am beyond thrilled. I have re-evaluated my goal for the challenge and as of right now I am committed to losing enough weight to put me into the 140s by New Year’s. That is 11.4 pounds in 11 weeks. This is a manageable goal. I feel like I’m back on track and I’m ready to lose this weight. I know that I will feel better, run a little faster and be closer to optimal health.

My weigh in day was Thursday this week but next week it will be Saturday because of my work schedule and will alternate that way. I prefer to weigh myself in the morning after a night off.

Sorry for being so wordy tonight. I have been wanting to write this for a few days, but had to wait for the weigh in. Thanks for reading 🙂

Thankful

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It’s been five days since I fell down the stairs. I am going back to work tonight and I’m feeling as ready as I can be for it. My mobility is much improved. However, I have to be very careful about how I move because turning or reaching the wrong way can send a painful spark through my body.

Initially, I resisted taking the pain medication prescribed by the ER Physician’s Assistant. I barely ever take a Tylenol and I just didn’t want to take anything too strong. The day after the accident I took only Ibruprofen, but by the following day I was so sore all over I could barely move. I couldn’t find a comfortable position sitting or standing. It was torture trying to get in and out of the car. That night I came home from a school event for Carlos in so much pain I was crying. I took the pain medicine, got settled into bed with a heating pad and set the alarm so that I could take the pain medicine as scheduled. I took it as often as it was ordered throughout the night along with the Ibruprofen and various homeopathic remedies. By morning I was feeling more comfortable and moving a little better.

I have continued to follow a rigid schedule with the medication. However, I am able to go much longer in between doses of the Ultram. I am resting as often as possible usually with a heating pad behind my back. I’ve done quite a bit of research on homeopathic remedies to help speed the recovery of a broken rib and while it’s not the course of treatment for everyone I am pleased with the results so far.

I’ve certainly run the gamut of emotions this week. Frustration probably tops the list. It is most frustrating that I can’t do even the simplest tasks like put my sneakers never mind tying them. Despite the overly negative emotions like sadness, anger and pain, I’ve been trying to stay positive. I am well aware that this could have been much worse had I injured my back or hit my head. This injury will heal in time. How I choose to spend that time is entirely up to me.

I am choosing to spend time reading to my son, working with him in his workbooks, and just chatting about all the things on his curious mind. I have returned to Spark People to record my food intake so that I might successfully lose weight throughout the healing process rather than gain weight which would make returning to marathon training a lot more challenging. I am also reading more, something I rarely take time for when I am active and on the go.

My husband and son are adjusting to the new me. It wasn’t easy in the first couple of days. My son reiterated the same sentiment over and over, “I’m bored.” Of course he was. He’s used to being busy with me, running around outside, riding his bike, going for hikes, trips to the museum, etc. I should be knocking on every wood surface when I make this next comment. My son has never seen me sick. He was 4 months old the last time I called out sick from work. My husband has seen me with things like a headache or cramps, but otherwise nothing has ever kept me from doing anything. I think that we all take my health for granted. This has been a huge learning experience for my family. It has taught us that we need to work together more as a team, and that while I’m usually capable of handling most aspects of day to day life I shouldn’t be expected to perform them all. We have also learned not to take our good health for granted.

This too shall pass, one day at a time. I am thankful for today.

Saddle

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Did I really gain 10+ pounds since last week? Probably not, though I feel like it right now. It doesn’t help that it’s hot and humid out; or that a holiday weekend just passed and I definitely overindulged here and there; or that I’m in the midst of a PMS week; or could it be that I have been sidelined for the last four days with what seems to be a pulled muscle in my upper right back. It hurt so badly on Sunday that I could not take a deep breath. I rested most of Monday and took Ibuprofen. I felt much better on Tuesday and went to the gym for a light workout on the Arc Trainer. Today I am 100% better and looking forward to a run tomorrow.

As the old saying goes it’s time to get back in the saddle. Don’t google that saying though because it apparently has other connotations too which I didn’t know until I looked it up out of curiosity just now. Anyway you get the drift. I need to get my act together and make myself feel great again. Right now I feel like I’m standing in the middle of the see saw. If I take a step one way I will retreat to my old ways. If I step the other way I will continue down the path that I have paved over the last year of exercising daily and eating healthy and mindfully. With each passing day my foot seems to edge closer to the wrong side of the line. But I won’t let it cross, I promise. I just can’t go backwards.

And here is what a few wise men and women would advise right now:

“Today is your day, your mountain is waiting, so get on your way.” Dr. Seuss 

“And you? When will you begin your long journey into yourself?” Rumi 

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.” Maria Robinson 

“I have always been delighted at the prospect of a new day, a fresh try, one more start, with perhaps a bit of magic waiting somewhere behind the morning.” J. B. Priestly

“Your present circumstances don’t determine where you can go; they merely determine where you start.” Nido Qubein 

OK OK!! Enough writing about it and talking about it. It’s time to begin. I get it!

Numbers

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About a year ago I put my scale away and I haven’t weighed myself since. It was liberating to be free of the scale. I was no longer playing weird mind games with myself about the numbers on the scale. You know, if I don’t eat anything from now until morning, drink lots of water and then weigh myself completely naked after my first pee in the morning then maybe it will show a loss. It wasn’t working. I was stuck on a never ending plateau.

Around the same time that I ditched the scale I also registered for a half marathon and began training. My body seemed to change over the course of six months. I dropped from a size 14 to a size 12. Suddenly everything in my closet fit. I felt so much better in my body. Judging by my clothing I fluctuated a bit over the winter, but I knew when to reel it in and seemed to return back to where my clothing fit comfortably within a week or two.

I am nowhere near a happy weight, but I am much more confident and comfortable in my skin. I have been thinking a lot about getting back into weight loss mode now that I have adapted a regular fitness routine. I enjoy running so much and I love running races, but it often bothers me to know that I could be running faster and stronger if I were to lose a little more weight. I know that it would make me feel better and more confident.

A few weeks ago my husband and I had to have medical exams for new life insurance policies. The first time we took out life insurance I was denied any kind of preferred status because of my weight. Well that was shortly after giving birth to my now four year old son. I weighed nearly 200 pounds. When I last weighed myself a little over a year ago I was 168 pounds. I thought for sure I had lost at least 10 pounds if not more over the last year. Needless to say when the nurse weighed me for the insurance medical exam I was shocked and disappointed to learn that I had only lost 4 pounds. I weighed 164 pounds. Writing the numbers here is difficult for me. I never discuss my weight in numbers, but it’s important for me to acknowledge where I am at this point in my weight loss journey. I should also mention here that my height is 5’3″ (barely).

This has been on my mind for days. I instantly berated myself and decided that I should restrict certain foods from my diet until the scale showed a more significant loss. Within minutes I reminded myself how far I’ve come over the past year. My diet is made up of nearly all whole foods. I no longer rely on fat free and sugar free substitutes. I now bake my own treats with real ingredients and eat realistic portions. I make activity a part of every day. I have run a half marathon, signed up for a full, tried yoga, Zumba and body blast classes. I hike with my son. I take the stairs whenever possible. We rarely eat out anymore because we are all happier with my lighter, healthier creations. I wear a bathing suit when I go to the beach and I don’t even dread it (mind you it’s a tankini with the skirt bottom!). My weight is no longer the first thing I think about when I wake up and the last thing I consider when I go to bed.

So instead of putting myself on some ridiculous crash diet I did nothing…nothing drastic. I knew that I needed to give myself time to decide how I wanted to approach this. My son was finishing up school which meant a huge change in my workout schedule. I had the half marathon to run. My husband’s work schedule had changed a bit possibly rendering my sleep time even less. My Dad came to visit over Memorial Day weekend. I worked a 7 night stretch at the same time he was visiting. Too many things were going on at once. From previous experience I knew that any changes to my diet would be fruitless with so much happening and so little time to plan.

We met with the insurance agent just a couple of days ago to finalize our policies. My husband, of course, qualified for the highest preferred category. This time I did qualify for regular preferred though I was denied the highest preferred rating due to my weight. I was ashamed and embarrassed. I have struggled with weight issues since I was a teen. Though, I can honestly say that I have not felt this good about myself ever. I don’t love my body the way I wish I did, but I am so proud of what my body has been able to do in these last four years starting with carrying another life and giving birth to my son. I have so much more respect for my body. I know for a fact that I will not return to the 170s, 180s, 190s or 200s again. I hated the way I felt when I was at those weights and I haven’t forgotten that uncomfortable, self-conscious feeling yet. However, it’s time to see this weight loss journey to the end so that I can take a right turn and travel down the road to maintaining my happy, comfortable weight.

I don’t have an exact plan yet. One change at a time seems to be what works best for me. The first thing I know I need to tackle is night time snacking at work. I have been eating my fair share of graham crackers, Saltines and peanut butter at work for a few months now. Going cold turkey and eating nothing is not the answer, but I can bring healthier foods to curb my hunger. Last night I had to go to bed when my husband got home so I packed my dinner to bring to work. I brought some fresh pineapple and this amazing Quinoa Mediterranean salad from Emily’s recipe at Daily Garnish. It was light, refreshing, healthy and delicious. I brought extra for my co-workers to try and they loved it too. My husband ate the huge container I left him for dinner and he thought it was fantastic too. It was certainly a much more nutritious option than graham crackers. And yes the grahams sometimes served as my dinner. Bad bad bad!

Other small things I have been doing:

  • measuring and weighing food to control portions
  • immediately chopping and storing produce when I come home from the store to make it readily accessible for salads and snacks
  • drinking homemade fruit flavored unsweetened iced tea
  • snacking on my basic Green Monster smoothie (ice, banana, spinach, carrot, 1/3 cup soy or almond milk, cinnamon, ground ginger and a teaspoon of Agave)
I don’t have an exact weight that I want to be. I just know that this is not it for me. I am realistic and really more interested in feeling, being and looking healthy.

Vegitari-not

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The other night we had dinner at our friends’ home. We sat down to a lovely home cooked meal of chicken, tomato risotto with sausage and sauteed kale. My husband looked at me curiously to see what I would do. We hadn’t talked about this and I was silently praying that he wouldn’t say anything to our friends.

I stopped eating red meat, pork and poultry in March.  I have made many modifications in my diet over the past year and this seemed like a natural transition. I have seen Food Inc. and read various articles as well as the book Skinny Bitch. I never had a strong connection with animals. I didn’t grow up with pets nor am I all that comfortable around animals, but I don’t like the idea of any living thing being treated cruelly or tortured. I had decreased the amount of meat in my diet to once or twice a week if that in the last year so it wasn’t really difficult to stop eating it all together.

I really like the way I feel when I do not eat meat. I will be honest, I would love to go full force all on vegan, but I know myself and if I don’t ease into change then it doesn’t stick. That’s always been my problem. I start out strong but finish weak making any changes null and void.

I don’t label myself with any diet terminology. I actually haven’t been very vocal about my diet change. I told my immediate family and a few friends. So at dinner on Saturday night I graciously accepted a small piece of chicken, a helping of risotto and as much kale as I could possibly take without depriving others of a serving.

That experience made me realize how challenging it would be to become strictly vegetarian or vegan. It would require me to actually tell people for one thing. I grew up in a big Italian family who thought it was sinful not to eat large heaping portions of homemade meat ravioli drenched in meat sauce accompanied by chicken parmesan. Seconds were practically mandatory. To say that my family is set in their ways is an understatement. I brought a quinoa salad to Thanksgiving dinner and my mother kept asking me what to do with it. “Now what is this again?” I love her dearly but seriously??? She is trying though and now keeps veggie burgers in the freezer.

Ironically when I was in the application process to become a Peace Corps Volunteer I was asked during the interview if I was a vegetarian or had any dietary restrictions. I said no and then was asked if I understood why I would be asked such a question. I did understand. Meat is a luxury in many countries. Offering a chicken or a goat is often a sign of respect to a guest in someone’s home. Also other cultures have different traditions or celebrations that “require” eating certain foods. Let me tell you I ate my fair share of goat, freshly killed chicken, pig, cow, innards, fish with heads, sardines, and a variety of unidentified things I would rather not think about.When your colleague invites you to her home, comes in with a white and a brown chicken that probably cost her family a week’s salary, and asks you to choose which one you want for dinner it’s really difficult to say “oh by the way I don’t eat meat.” That’s not to say that you can’t maintain your convictions, many volunteers did remain vegetarian. I am a people pleaser and have always tried to be accommodating to others. These are not in any way redeeming qualities. The older I get the more I am learning that I need to take care of me first and then worry about others.

My husband and I talked about how I felt after eating meat on Saturday night. I didn’t enjoy it as much as I would have years ago. I felt a little guilty but mostly conflicted. If I am not a full fledged vegetarian then how often is it ok to eat meat. Do I make up my own rules like I will only eat meat if it is served to me at someone else’s home?

One thing that might make it easier for me in situations like this would be to bring a hearty side dish like this Cilantro Lime Speltberry Salad from Angela at Oh She Glows.  I made it the other night and it is truly delicious. I offered to bring something but was asked to bring dessert. Next time I will bring both!

This was an eye opening experience that has given me much to ponder especially as we head into Memorial Day Weekend and at least two barbecues on the calendar.

Appearance

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My 4 year old son and I love to listen to music. We love music that makes you move. In fact we have dance parties in the kitchen all the time. I have to admit that I am not a huge fan of children’s music. I tried. We did the Music Together program for a few sessions. I bought various CDs and downloaded music on iTunes, but I just couldn’t fake it. So I started listening to the radio in the car and Carlos would bop in his car seat to anything upbeat. It didn’t take long before he had his own playlist on the iPod which included everything from Dave Matthews to Enrique Iglesias. I then discovered Kidz Bop which takes popular songs and makes the lyrics more appropriate for children.

The other day a song came on the radio and we both instantly loved it; Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep.” Have you heard it? It’s fantastic. She has such an amazing voice. Last night while cooking dinner I found the video for the song on You Tube. Then I happened to read some of the comments below the video and I was so saddened that many of the comments had more to do with Adele’s appearance than with the music. Most agreed that it was a terrific song and that Adele has talent, but many also posted very mean spirited comments about the singer’s looks and weight.

This brought me right back to the hallways of my high school. I was always heavier than most of the girls. I was awkward with hair that didn’t know if it wanted to be curly or straight, unsightly acne, and a hideous wardrobe that definitely made me look heavier than I was. I was not picked on any more than other kids, but I internalized it and it made me miserable. Despite numerous diets I was never able to lose a substantial amount of weight. I had a horrible relationship with food and an even worse opinion of myself. I felt worthless, ugly and overall uncomfortable in my own skin.

Somehow I managed to find my way out of high school and into college where my mind was opened to new experiences, people and ideas. It was the beginning of my journey to self-acceptance and self-love. I wish I could say that I am now a confident woman. I am not 100% there yet, but I have come so far. Unfortunately society has not changed much. I think it is even worse today with so many social media outlets that provide people the opportunity to pick on others anonymously.

As I watch my son grow up amongst bullying policies at school, Facebook, Twitter, You Tube, reality television, shows like Pregnant and Sixteen, etc., I can only pray that he grows up to be a nice, respectful, confident young man with the guidance that we provide to him.

Here is Adele’s video for “Rolling in the Deep.” When I watched it all I saw was a beautiful talented woman. What do you see?

Snacky

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I was cleaning out my cabinet the other day and much to my surprise I discovered a number of half eaten bags of snacks like rice cakes, nuts, crackers. Some of which I bought quite a while ago.

This may not seem momentous but it is a huge accomplishment in my weight loss journey. There was a time not so long ago that I could not keep a snacks in the house without polishing then off within a day or two of buying them. I had no concept of portion size. I would assume a “small” bag of something was one serving and eat it all. I was a picker. I would snack while I was cooking, waiting, watching, talking on the telephone. You get the picture. I would have a little bit here and there multiple times a day. Before I knew it the snacks would be gone.

So what has changed?

Last year I bought a food scale and started measuring out recommended serving sizes. This completely changed my perception of portion size.

Now I take a portion out of the bag or box. I close up the package and return it to the cabinet. If I decide to have a second portion I have to physically get up and get it. This gives me a little time to actually think about whether or not I’m really hungry.

I stopped buying most packaged snack foods. I limit them to things like Triscuits with a short list of ingredients I can actually pronounce. I splurge on organic treats from Trader Joe’s or Whole Foods when I am able to avoid unhealthy ingredients. I also bake whole grain treats as often as I can. I keep lots of fresh fruit within reach and I try to grab for that first when I feel like snacking. A big bowl of grapes is great for when that “picky” hunger hits mid day.

I come prepared.  I carry healthy snacks on me if I’m going to be out for a couple of hours or more. This eliminates stopping somewhere and having limited choices. Since I have a toddler I usually pack a snack bag for him so why not throw in a few for me too.

Sometimes I try drinking a glass of water or a cup of tea to make sure I’m not just thirsty. Unfortunately for my voracious appetite thirst has never been a big issue for me!

I recently picked up a new tactic over on Marisa’s blog Loser for Life.  I’m trying to incorporate Green Monster smoothies as my afternoon snack. They fill me up, take a little more time to make than rifling through a bag of chips and I get the added bonus of another serving of veggies and fruit.

I am in much more control with snacking and eating in general. I am learning to pay attention to my hunger and respond to it as opposed to just eating for the sake of eating. Snacks seem to be more enjoyable when I take my time to think about what I am actually eating and how it might make me feel.