Health and Nutrition

Weight Loss is not for Sissies

weight loss Image courtesy of KEK064 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Weight loss is not for sissies is a truth no one wants to admit. My experience has been there is no easy way to lose weight and keep it off, but gaining it is a piece of pie, literally. That’s not to say it can’t be done. I’m here to tell you I have done it and kept it off. I’ve always struggled with 10 to 15 pounds, but two years ago that figure jumped to 20 pounds. My fear is 10 pounds will lead to 20 pounds, then 20 pounds will lead to 40. I had a favorite weight loss program that had always worked for me until 2013 when they… Read More

Savoring Food

Savoring Food

I’ve mentioned in previous posts I’m searching for answers about how to maintain a healthy weight. I need to alter this slightly. I’m searching for answers to maintaining a healthy weight without being obsessed about food.savoring food In my search for answers, I've found a book that speaks to me. It’s not a diet book. It’s about living a healthy lifestyle that includes weight loss and savoring food. Eat What You Love and Love What You Eat, by Dr. Michelle May has given me several ah-ha moments. I’m learning that I can be in charge of what I eat and eat ANY food I love in moderation. The author calls it mindful eating.

Mindful… Read More

You Want me to Shave Where?

Swimsuit shopping is not for sissies.

swimsuit Image courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net Raise your hand if you actually enjoy shopping for a swimsuit. If there’s a churning in the pit of your stomach, then welcome to the sisterhood of ‘You want me to shave where?’ I hate shopping for swimsuits almost as much as I despise pantyhose. Is there any worse reality than standing in a department store dressing room with interrogation room lighting and mirrors that have converted me from a middle-aged woman to a squat troll? I swear if a camera adds ten pounds, these dens of horror add fifteen. swimsuit Image courtesy of… Read More

Trigger Foods & Emotional Eating

Taming Emotional Eating

trigger foods My trigger food—tortilla chips I've just turned into a giant tortilla chip. I started eating a handful of tortilla chips, and the next thing I knew, I’d finished the bag. How did it happen? I didn't want them, but one handful led to another and another. They are the trigger food that sends me spiraling into that dark hole of overeating, and it leaves me feeling bloated, fat and out of control.

Emotional Eating Studies research found these eating triggers:

  • Friends impact how you feel about food
  • Chronic work stress contributes to emotional eating
  • Exhaustion and low energy impact eating habits
  • Suppressing feelings leads to unhealthy eating
Three out of four of these were right on target for… Read More

The Klutzy Athlete Takes on Exercise

I'm the Klutzy Athlete and I'm taking on exercise. I’ve always shied away from exercise and team sports. In fact, I started life with two left feet that became progressively more pronounced the older I got. I always envision myself as  Jennifer Grey in Dirty Dancing when in reality I dance like Elaine in Seinfeld. Exercise Mountain biking The Escalator in Redding, California Not gifted with natural athletic ability for exercise? Welcome to my world. Does this mean I don’t exercise? Absolutely not. Of course, it’s not pretty when I workout. I constantly manage to trip over my own feet, and I’ve made an art… Read More