Marcia's Blog is a lifestyle change and dieting blog written by a beloved and respected nutritionist/weight loss counselor/lecturer Marcia Bodenstein. She has helped thousands of kosher consumers achieve and maintain weight loss.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

Good morning all! Winter looks like it's here - and along with it less daylight. And, if eating at night is an issue for you, then there is more "night" to contend with. Moreover, because it's getting colder, spending time outdoorsis less of an option. So, this calls for some new thinking and strategic planning. What I have found works for me and some members' suggestions have been the followng:

1- Make that big pot of soup - it's warm and filling. Prepare a big mug for the microwavefor as soon as you come in from wherever you've been. It's warm and it will force you to eat more slowly and give you time to THINK. Sometimes that's all we need - a few seconds to think before we do something destructive.

2- If you have the ability, buy or rent some exercise CD's. They can be viewed right on the computer. Can't walk outside? Can't get to an exercise class? Here's the perfect solution. Either alone, with a daughter, or a friend or two, this can be loads of fun and advantageous to your weight control efforts.

3- Use the time at home to batch cook. A big ratatouille, roasted chicken pieces, turkey or chicken patties or any of your specialties can be cooked in bulk and frozen. Again, either enlist some help or turn on the music and sing while you work.
This can even be done while you make those phone calls you owe....

4- Attack that pile of magazines and newspapers you've been meaning to read. Write the thank you notes, or (gasp!) a letter to someone. Think of some non-food activities - family game night, knitting, needlepoint, art.

5- Take one night every 2 weeks and meet with some friends. Rotate your homes so not one person has all the responsibilities - remember they didnt come to eat - you can serve some nice fruit and a beautiful vegetable platter.

6- One of our members talks about her "spa" evenings - a long bubble bath followed by a loofah scrub and an avocado face mask. Makes her feel like a million...

Can you share your winter stay-at-home strategies for self-care???

Looking forwrd to hearing...and welcome back lovetoeat, it's good to hear from you.
MarciaB

Sunday, November 9, 2008

More parties - BH. They dont seem to end (that's a good thing) and the food challenges seem endless as well. So today there was a party for a 1 year old - extravagant and beautiful. The room, the guests, the gifts, the entertainment and the food. It was a brunch - so you can imagine what kind of food there was - hot dishes and cold salads and fishes, etc. etc (you know the drill). I would like to put in a plug for TIMING. How many times have you skipped breakfast and by the time you eat the first thing of the day you can't stop? Or have you ever waited too long between meals and felt shaky, cranky, out of sorts and irritable? Have you tried leaving hours and hours before eating and then couldnt control the cravings? It has to do with TIMING and BLOOD SUGAR! To keep blood sugar stable you need to eat approximately every 3-4 hours. This does not mean sitting down to a big meal - it means eating SOMETHING. It is also important to eat breakfast within 2 hours of getting up (or else the metabolism slows down 20% and 60% if you dont eat within 2 hours of getting up). So today I got up at 6 AM and didnt have a chance to eat breakfast until the party (11AM). So here I am - hungry and surrounded by all of this food. How can I make an intelligent choice when I am truly hungry and ready to eat anything? This is not good. SO - I quickly got a fruit and some yogurt, SAT DOWN and ate it as slowly as I could. I immediately felt better - not tired, energy returning and guess what? No cravings! Not hungry! Able to walk away from what I would be sorry I ate. Moral: Eat in a timely way. Eat something on program BEFORE you make the wrong choices for yourself. So, here it is 7PM - I ate lunch at 3:30 and am in the middle of cooking dinner and I FEEL SO ACCOMPLISHED and PROUD OF MYSELF. I wish this feeling for you too.....

Sunday, November 2, 2008

Welcome to the winter. I hope it's not as cold where you are as it is here. And no, you dont need more food in the winter to keep warm. We keep warm enough with the fat on our bodies. In fact, have you ever experienced (or met someone who experienced) a significant weight loss and feels colder that first winter? The body isn't used to having less fat BUT it does adjust and by the next cold season your body keeps you warm again.
I hope your "re-entry" from Yom Tov to regular schedule wasn't too painful. Mine was OK. When I see how busy I am and how much I need to do, I begin to miss those days of
Yom Tov when I could relax a bit.
The other day I went to a beautiful Bar Mitzvah. Sometimes when a member tells me about "extraordinary" or "unbelievable" food at an event, I think to myself that I've seen it all. How "fabulous" and different can it be? BUT I never saw the extravagant array of food, in quality, in quantity and in preparation as was served at this simcha.
It was all buffet style and there was nothing overlooked or missing. With determination I took poached salmon, salad and some lightly grilled vegetables and put it at my place at a table at which I knew everyone. Problem was, when I got back to the table everyone was still at the buffet, so i went back to "look". As I was "looking" and deciding that I was hungrier than I thought, I "bumped into" the dessert bar, and I was "looking" there too. All of a sudden it hit me "what am I doing here". I shouldnt be "looking". There wss nothing for me to see, this was not my food, the last place it looks good is on display - it certainly doesnt look good as fat hanging off of different body parts (and that's exactly whre that food ends up). And as it says "the eyes see and the heart desires". I (we) am very influenced by what is around me. In fact, a recent study shows that when you are with people who are overeating, chances are that you will follow suit. And when your table-mates are not overeating, you have a better shot at eating better too.
So, I tore myself away from the "show of food" and went back to my table. Again and again, I realize "we are what we eat". Sometimes there is a disconnect between what we eat and what we weigh BUT WHAT YOU PUT IN IS WHAT YOU PUT ON!! So I looked around and saw what those NT's (natural thins) were eating and I saw what those people who looked the way I want to look and behaved the way I want to behave and those who were in control the way I want to be in control and I ate my meal. I was satisfied and HAPPY! And those people who overate were stuffed and sorry. Now which would you rather be? Don't give up what you want most for what you want at the moment!
What recent challenges have you faced? How'd you deal with them? I'm waiting to hear....