Reflecting on Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! Ours was full of friends, fun and food. I am so thankful for all of God's blessings in my life especially my wonderful husband. I started to come to a realization a couple days before Thanksgiving, and now the day after I am reflecting back on how far I have come. Holidays used to cause me stress when it came to all the food. Not a bite could enter my mouth without it being analyzed for all it's nutritional content and then I would be worried that it was already making me fatter. I would tell myself I should have stuck to my diet better so that I was actually thin at this family gathering. Instead I was worried people we're looking down on me because I didn't need to eat that extra cookie. Here is how the transition started:
After getting in better shape and losing weight. I still got hung up on counting numbers, was afraid of magically gaining 15 pounds after one meal, and still kind of kept myself on a restrictive diet. I have always loved cooking and baking, but had a bad relationship when it came to eating.
Gradually over the past couple years as I've learned more and more ways to prepare healthy food. I've changed my tastes. Now I have always liked healthy food, but I didn't know there were so many options, and I've gotten away from many unhealthy choices. Learning to accept myself has helped me to cut down on the emotional eating too.
Eventually I've noticed that I definately stick to eating every 3-4 hours, choose healthy options and portion sizes, and exercise for pleasure instead of pain;) Even without trying after awhile this habit has helped slim me down a little more, and I was finally able to go wow I need to bump up my food. Because I finally raised my metabolism! Yay! My plan has changed to more of a maintenance one, and working out is to make me strong and keep me in shape.
Which brings me to Thanksgiving. This year I did not worry that I was going to look awful(well because I've worked hard to get where I am), I wasn't worried that people would care how much or little I ate, and I also did not worry about gaining weight as I enjoyed my turkey dinner. I've learned to listen to what my body is telling me and when it said you absoulutely can't eat another bit:) I didn't go back for more because this was the only day I can pig out. Nope I tell myself I don't need more right now. If I want more turkey and stuffing I can make it for dinner next week if I want too! Who says cranberry sauce is just a one day a year food!

You can have your potatoes and eat them too!

Potatos have gotten such a bad rap from all these low carb no carb diets. Well guess what? You know they grow in the ground, so that means they are not processed. They are full of potassium and other beneficial minerals. This year when you are making the mashed potatoes try boiling them whole(as opposed to chopping them in little bits), roasting, baking, or microwaving to keep more of those minerals in the potato. If you are curious what foods to eat that are high in potassium, omega 3's or whichever vitamin or mineral you are curious about check out this helpful tool at realage.com

Try this for breakfast

Need a new idea for breakfast? Grab some sweet potatos, maple syrup and cinnamon. I like to bake a few sweet potatos and then put them in the fridge. In the morning grab yourself one scoop out the inside and place in a bowl. Add cinnamon(and whatever spices you like-think pumpkin pie) and maple syrup to taste. Mash it up with a fork and heat it up in the microwave. Feel free to add some pecans, dried cranberries, or whatever sounds fabulous to you.

So after moving into our house and having fun decorating the upstair(which is not finished yet) it's time to tackle the basement. Why? Because I am going to turn it into my pilates/yoga/personal training studio. I have been acquiring pilates equipment, and the first room I painted when we moved in was the room the reformer went into. I'd love to get up and running with my own business, but since the walls are panel board and the floor will eventually need replaced I haven't done much to decorate. The room has also been the favorite place for boxes that need unpacked. I have now realized that it is going to be a long time before we sheetrock the walls and pick out new flooring. So I am going to paint the panel board for now. I want it to feel warm and relaxing. I found a small can of Laura Ashley paint in the garage that was left from the previous owners. It is a dark sage green and I tested it out on one of the smaller walls. I absolutely loved it! Hopefully I can take it in and get the color matched because I'm sure it was pretty old. I also need to purchase new window treatments. That alone should make it look tons better. Well I'm off to clear some boxes out of there and make way for yoga mats.

Did you know?

Did you know that a pound of fat has about 3500 calories and a pound of muscle has about 2500 calories. So whether you are trying to lose fat or gain muscle you may want to analyze your numbers if you aren't achieving your goals. Remember slow and steady is better than extreme.
If you are trying to lose you want to make sure you are burning more than you are taking in. Of course you have heard that before, but one key thing to make sure is that you aren't taking in too little. Then your body may going into starvation mode and hold on to everything you eat. Which could lead to gaining or feeling like you have hit a plateau.
If you are trying to gain it is important to consume more, but make sure that the extra food you are taking in is nutritious so your body has what it needs to repair and build muscle. If you go so extreme that you are eating way more than you need, you do run the risk of storing the excess in your fat cells rather than utilizing it to build muscle.

Think positively!

Take a minute right now to think of one or two nice things to tell yourself. Then I want you to repeat them a couple of times so you remember them all day. Next every time you look in a mirror today tell yourself those things and don't let any negative thoughts creep in!

If you need a good laugh

I'm still laughing at this video. Why are cats so funny? Check out the cat and the box at the Butterfinger Comedy Network.