Tidbits

Me,Myself & I

I haven't really talked about my progress much lately. Mostly because there hasn't been much to report. I'm still struggling with those holiday/moving/stress/I'm-an-idiot pounds that I gained over the last few months.

I'm trying to watch things a bit more carefully, which should really help my efforts a lot. I get overwhelmed with things and tend to cut corners in places I shouldn't, like counting my carbs. I just eyeball it and assume I know what is in there. NOT a good method. I've recently purchased a new food scale that so far has been helping me really see how much I'm taking in. I'm planning a big post about the scale later, as well as a youtube demo on it. "Why? It's just a food scale?" Ahh... but it's more than that, hence my excitement about it. More to come on this soon.

I'm still struggling with my emotional eating demons. I find myself wanting to eat when I'm really not hungry. It's frustrating. I've been doing some research on emotional/stress eating and have found a few things that help. Most of the advice is the same. The following is a quote from the Mayo Clinic site:

* Learn to recognize true hunger. Is your hunger physical or emotional? If you ate just a few hours ago and don't have a rumbling stomach, you're probably not really hungry. Give the craving a few minutes to pass.

* Know your triggers. For the next several days, write down what you eat, how much you eat, when you eat, how you're feeling when you eat and how hungry you are. Over time, you may see patterns emerge that reveal negative eating patterns and triggers to avoid.

* Look elsewhere for comfort. Instead of unwrapping a candy bar, take a walk, treat yourself to a movie, listen to music, read or call a friend. If you think that stress relating to a particular event is nudging you toward the refrigerator, try talking to someone about it to distract yourself. Plan enjoyable events for yourself.

* Don't keep unhealthy foods around. Avoid having an abundance of high-calorie comfort foods in the house. If you feel hungry or blue, postpone the shopping trip for a few hours so that these feelings don't influence your decisions at the store.

* Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie food, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip or unbuttered popcorn. Or test low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.

* Eat a balanced diet. If you're not getting enough calories to meet your energy needs, you may be more likely to give in to emotional eating. Try to eat at fairly regular times and don't skip breakfast. Include foods from the basic groups in your meals. Emphasize whole grains, vegetables and fruits, as well as low-fat dairy products and lean protein sources. When you fill up on the basics, you're more likely to feel fuller, longer.

* Exercise regularly and get adequate rest. Your mood is more manageable and your body can more effectively fight stress when it's fit and well rested.

If you give in to emotional eating, forgive yourself and start fresh the next day. Try to learn from the experience, and make a plan for how you can prevent it in the future. Focus on the positive changes you're making in your eating habits and give yourself credit for making changes that ensure better health.

Uh.. I'm ignoring all the low-fat baloney, but the rest sounds doable. Time will tell.

Kitten Report

Our new little furball is adorable and annoying all at the same time. I think she has a stash of drugs somewhere and takes them first thing in the morning. She seems to move at a speed the rest of us cannot fathom. And she attacks everything in her path. My thighs are finally healing from her many attempts at getting in my lap while sitting at the computer. I had the most perfect kitten shaped claw marks on them for the longest time. They would have been cute had they not been painful. Thankfully we found a product called SoftPaws. Now our little darling looks like she's had a manicure and she can no longer injure us with her needle sharp talons. This arrangement would be perfect if they stayed on - but they don't. No matter how I apply them they manage to come back off, and I've bought the smallest size they have. It could just be because she so young yet. Another website that sells the same product, oddly enough named SoftClaws, claims they should fit most kittens 12 weeks and up. She's only 10 weeks so maybe she's just not big enough yet. Here's a pic of her stylish pedicure:




Finally!!!

Some of you may remember the whole dental fiasco I blogged about some time back. I'm happy to say we found a local dentist on our discount plan who is absolutely fantastic. I was starting to believe all dentists were evil.. but this guy is starting to make me think otherwise. We've also been fortunate enough to find a great vet for all the fuzzies in our household. We took Sadie the ferret to a check-up for her Insulinoma and I'm happy to report she's doing well. I really thought she would have passed on by now, so we must be doing something right. :0)

DaVinci Sale

I am a huge fan of DaVinci sugar-free syrups. I have a minimum of 8 bottles (all different flavors) around the house most of the time. I just got an email telling me that they are currently having a sale, so now is a good time to stock up! You can order or get more info here.


Wisdom

I've recently realized I've been remiss in sharing daily, or even weekly, words of wisdom. So I'll try to start that up once again. Here's one for today:

Hard work never killed anyone, but why risk it?

Ok, I'm off to see the Wizard. I'm asking for a new body, new brains and lots of cash. Any requests you want me to take? ;)