Keeping A Grip On Myself Through The Holidays ( December 2014)

Oct 30, 2015

“Halloween can easily be an early catalyst for the annual six week Thanksgiving to New Years “Tornado Season” of weight management, each holiday potentially cutting a swath of destruction of our healthy habits in its wake.

With that concern no doubt in mind, my friend Camille from the gym asked me if I could offer her a single lifesaving holiday diet tip since she was entering her very first holiday season a full seventy-five pounds lighter than she had been in the last 20 years.”…Food Addiction For The Non-Addictive?…Thanksgiving Self Makeover…

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Exercise As A Catalyst For Change (Summer 2014)

Oct 30, 2015

Exercise as a Catalyst for Change: “I recently reconnected with my college freshman year best friend through Facebook. She was absolutely shocked to hear from me. So totally out of control was my lifestyle back in 1972 that she naturally assumed I was dead. Surpri-ise!”…..More Sugar Than A Krispy Creme?…..Salad For Breakfast?

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No Plan Is Still A Plan (End of School Year 2014)

Oct 29, 2015

“Ah June, the month for serial celebrations. I have finally learned never to try to make any plans or even try to speak with my friends with children for the entire month of June. Back in the day (oh, here we go, right?) the end of the school year was just that – the end of the school year. We all went home. Summer vacation. See ya in September.

Now though, June is a jam packed whirl wind of graduations from kindergarten, sixth grade, middle school, after care, Lord knows what, plus all those traditional June weddings! And all heralded in with multiple Memorial Day weekend BBQs (see: Blogs>Surviving Myself>Strategies for the BBQ Challenged)! How on earth does one manage all that celebratory eating? One thing is clear: if I don’t have plans for how to manage all these challenging June environments, then all these challenging June environments have plans for managing me.”…Volume Eaters Take Heart…BudgetBytes.com…

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After This Is Now (Spring 2014)

Oct 29, 2015

“Ah Spring…at last. Birds chirping, sun shining, peeling off all these layers. Uh oh…that means “the big reveal”!

Now, I wish I had buckled down over the winter so that would sound like good news rather than the dreaded de-camouflaging of this extra body fat I promised myself I absolutely would not carry into 2014.

So this year, rather than the short-lived guilt relief of a strict diet, what if I lived within the budget and habits of my goal weight self right now and just waited for my body to catch up, since that is what I have to do eventually anyway – sort of like adapting my life to my retirement income in advance of retiring?

“OK, but after the holiday,” my overweight self screams, once again vainly hoping that I can skip over learning how to manage some challenging circumstance now and will, at some future date, apparently magically be willing and capable of doing this without any prior practice. Sooner or later, “after this” is now.”…Blue Apron – Adventures in Gourmet Cooking – Delivered!…Saturated Fat Vindicated?!

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Cabin Fever – Day Two! (February 2014)

Oct 29, 2015

“Man oh man, I don’t know about you but do snow days ever bring out my inner foodie. For a thousand different reasons…my history, my associations, boredom, procrastination, lack of structure, simply being locked in the same building as the kitchen. Am I the only one who ends up being preoccupied with when the next legitimate mealtime is? I am a fairly seasoned veteran of weight management and I can still find it challenging.

Here is when I truly discover that my freezer is not Siberia, the place where I banish all tempting foods as if I will never take them back out, as if my microwave doesn’t cancel out the benefit of freezing anything. Plus, turns out I like frozen cookies!”…Ordering In?…A Hedonist’s Guide To Healthy Vacations…

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My Last New Years Weight Loss Resolution…Ever! (January 2014)

Oct 29, 2015

“Much like the plant in the show Little Shop of Horrors, my internal cookie monster is ignited, not tamed, by holiday goodies. As my internal voice of moderation is overwhelmed by its evil twin who whispers, “feeeed me”, I make one more promise to myself that on New Year’s Day I will start a diet program that will magically fix me. A program that will take over all responsibility for my eating habits…and my waistline. I entertain happy visions of being within the benevolent aura of this magical program, believing that once it works its miracle, the sheer joy of being skinny will keep me skinny forever!”…Fabulous Paleo Recipe Website…

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