Posts Tagged ‘food’
Tips for Healthy Eating Eating During The Holiday Season
Do you tell yourself, “I am not going to diet this holiday season and enjoy myself?” You are into the food and as time goes on the guilt starts to fade away. Then you realize your sister’s party is in a couple of days, start trying on clothes and nothing fits. You rush to the store with tears in your eyes to buy a new outfit. Does this story sound familiar?
Let’s take a step back and see what you could do differently starting today. You still have time to change your behaviors it is only December 13, 2007 and there are 18 days before New Years Eve. Following are some steps you can take to help you feel good about yourself before the holiday season is over:
1. Plan a healthy eating menu for the rest of today and make no substitutions.
2. Plan your day’s healthy eating menu before eating breakfast. Remember no substitutions.
3. Buy yourself a new comfortable outfit that makes you feel good.
4. Everyday take time for You and do something you enjoy. Examples: quilting, putting music on and dancing around the house or just sitting in a chair and relaxing.
5. Make some childhood holiday decorations.
6. Plan something special with either your friends or family members. Examples: see a fun movie, go ice skating, take a drive around the neighborhood looking at the decorations.
7. Donate a gift to one of your local charities.
8. Buy yourself a special holiday present.
9. Make a grateful list and read it everyday.
10.Look in the mirror everyday and say, “Thank you.”
As always I would love to hear from you. Please let me know what other steps you are taking to make this holiday season different and enjoyable. I can be reached by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
Life is an adventure,
look for golden opportunities
as you open the shade
and look out the window.
Helen Burton, Coach
Do you ever feel alone in your struggle with food? Research has proven that in order to lose weight and keep it off you cannot do it alone. The answer to this battle is “Support.”
Support means encouragement, assistance and others being there for you. There are many different ways you can find the support you need. Some of them are as follows:
Family and Friends:
• Requesting they support you by not eating certain foods in front of you that will trigger your wanting to eat them.
• Requesting they respect your new way of taking care of yourself.
• Acknowledging each other for your accomplishments.
Professionals
• Nutritionist
• Coaches
• Therapists
• Exercise Trainers
Overeaters Anonymous
• Group setting of individuals who are sharing their experiences and strengths while recovering from compulsive overeating.
Professional Organizations
• Diet Clubs
o Support groups with a facilitator, weigh-ins, eating and exercise programs and products.
o Counseling, prepared foods, exercise programs and products
o Gyms
The most important support you can receive is from yourself. Some of the small steps you can take are as follows:
• Acknowledging yourself for the beautiful person YOU are.
• Eating one healthy meal at a time.
• Taking a mini-vacation everyday. Taking at least 10 minutes a day to do something you enjoy. Example: Making a cup of tea and listening to your favorite music while you are relaxing.
• Reaching out to others for support.
As you can see there are many different ways you can receive support while on your journey of losing weight. Please let us know the different support opportunities you have taken advantage of that are helping you live a healthy lifestyle. Also, I can help you find the perfect support opportunity that will work best for you. You can contact me by leaving a comment on this blog or sending me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
‘We never have more than we can bear.
The present hour we are always able to endure.
As is our day, so is our strength.
If the trials of many years were gathered into one,
they would overwhelm us…
but all is so wisely measured to our strength
that the bruised reed is never broken.’
H.E. Manning
What great advice H. E. Manning’s quote illustrates, to only focus on the present moment instead of thinking about what happened in our lives and what the future brings.
Jan (name has been changed) was at her wits end, trying to control her binge eating at night. Every day she would skip breakfast, eat a salad for lunch and a bagel for dinner. Then around 7:00pm every night she would become very hungry and promise herself that she would only eat half of another bagel. Guess what happened, once eating the bagel she would start eating ice cream, cookies and anything else she could get her hands on. After finishing eating she would get into bed and hate herself. The next morning she would exercise for 2 hours and promise herself today would be different. Jan continued this routine for three years.
One day deciding to find another way of living she called me. We started working together and she took very small steps to change her behavior. Today Jan follows a healthy eating plan and is committed to her new lifestyle. Following are some of the small steps Jan takes everyday to ensure she maintains her recovery from binge eating.
1. Getting out of bed each morning Jan writes down a menu of all the foods and beverages she will eat during the day.
2. Eating only the food on her planned menu.
3. Drinking a cup of tea while preparing her meals.
4. Eating meals sitting down either in her kitchen or in a restaurant.
5. Cleaning-up after she is done eating and never eating anything while she is cleaning.
6. Taking a 10 minute mini-vacation everyday. Doing something for herself she really enjoys.
7. Writing in her beautiful Happiness Journal what made her happy during the day and a short sentence describing the event.
By following this Loving Yourself Plan and only focusing on the present moment Jan is able to maintain her goal weight and live a live filled with self-respect, happiness and the knowledge she is taking care of herself.
As usual, I would love to hear from you. Please let me know how you are doing on your journey of life or if you need any support. You can either leave a message on my blog or send me an email at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
Do you feel alone on your journey as you are struggling with food? This is a very common feeling among us riding the roller coaster of weight control. There is a very easy solution, get support. Easier said than done!
At 3:30am this morning I was sleeping peacefully when a thought popped into my head and woke me up. Start a Monday morning group call supporting each other to make life easier. What a great idea and I jumped out of bed and started typing. I felt this was a message from the Universe.
Every Monday, 7:00am to 7:30am EST
Monday Morning Intention Setting Calls
Share time with other successful people while announcing your intentions for the week and what small step you are going to take. You also have a choice of simply listening and just writing down your intention and small step.
The calls start by taking a few moments to silently think about what you want to focus on during the week. Then as a group we can share our intention and the step we are going to take during the week. An example: My intention this week is not to binge when I come home from work. The small step I am going to take: Every day at 5:30 pm I will light a candle, make myself a cup of tea, and listen to music for just 10 minutes. Then prepare dinner.
Come join and receive support from others. Monday Morning Intention Setting calls are ongoing ~ join every Monday morning. Mark your calendar to be with us on the calls. The calls are starting Monday, August 13, 2007 at 7:00am.
Please email me at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net for details regarding the call.
Do you ever think, “I will never lose this weight no matter how hard I try?” This is a reoccurring thought that may surface many, many times a day. We have a choice, either we can focus on this thought or acknowledge it and let it pass. This is easier said than done.
Sometimes it is easier to ride the wave of throwing in the towel and enjoy the ride. We are all human and every day is not a perfect day. The most important thing to remember is that feeling sorry for yourself is a luxury for only a short period of time. Once you fully engage in your unhappiness for awhile it is time to move on and think of other solutions. I find that by taking action I feel better and start to live in the solution.
I love the following quote it always gives me inspiration and hope:
“… knowing that, in the grand scheme of things, we live in a world where rainy days eventually give way to sunnier skies.” R. L. Keith
Once your time allotted for enjoying your unhappiness is over; it is time to be very kind to yourself and take some of the following steps:
1. Take your child or grandchild or niece or nephew to the movies. This morning I was in my feeling sorry for myself mood and invited my grandson, Jeffrey to go to the farm with me. We had a fun time together and my mood changed to happiness.
2. Make yourself your favorite low calorie drink and sit outside enjoying the cool breeze. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate.
3. Read a fun novel. My favorite authors are James Patterson and Mary Jane Clark.
This a special invitation requesting that you join me in writing a blog together where we can share our special gifts and concerns with each other. Today, take one little step by leaving a comment or sending me an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Remember: You are the Director of Your Day and Can Change It Any Time You Want!<em>
Do you ever think, “The only thing that will make my life better would be losing weight?” Join the club; this is a constant thought that hundreds or maybe millions of people have during the day.
Working with my clients, talking to friends and from my own experiences it has become pretty evident this thought will not solve the problem. What works is being kind to yourself! If you take time during the day to compliment yourself and relax, not only will you reduce your stress levels, you may want to start taking care of yourself.
A few years ago I started taking daily mini-vacations. This daily vacation is taking 10 minutes a day to do something nice for myself. Some mini-vacations my clients and I take during the day are as follows:
1. Sitting on your porch reading a fiction novel and drinking a glass of ice tea. My favorite author is James Patterson.
2. Taking a leisurely walk. I like to take leisurely walks with my husband and we have an agreement not to discuss anything upsetting.
3. Going to a coffee shop for coffee and talking to some of the friendly customers.
4. Just close your eyes and think about a time you felt relaxed and content.
5. Drinking a cup of tea, a candle glowing and music playing in the background. My favorite artist is Josh Groban.
You are the CEO of your life so give yourself permission to enjoy it. What mini-vacation are you going to take today?
As always, this a special invitation requesting that you join me in writing a blog together where we can share our special gifts and concerns with each other. Today, take one little step by leaving a comment or sending me an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net. I am looking forward to hearing from you.
Have a Beautiful Day on Your New Journey!
MIRACLES HAPPEN BY PUTTING ONE STEP IN FRONT OF THE OTHER
TODAY IS MONDAY AND I AM GOING TO START MY DIET TODAY!!! Does this thought sound familiar? Don’t worry you are not the only one who thinks this way, we all do. What can you do today that is different from every other Monday? One thought is to start living in the solution instead of the problem.
Ok let’s look at the idea of living in the solution not the problem. One practice my clients and I use to live in the solution is to focus on other areas of our lives instead of the food.
Yesterday was a very special time for my grandsons,their parents and grandparents. Both Jeffrey (6 years old) and Dillon (13 years old) participated in their second triathlon. We arrived at the Swim Club at 8:00am in time for registration. The event is organized and managed by a young girl whose sister had cancer. All the proceeds are donated to cancer research. There were about 60 people there and everyone was excited especially the young kids. The event started around 9:00am.
The first group was the 5 to 7 year olds. The bell rang and the kids jumped into the water and swam across the pool, onto their bikes and finished with a run. My heart was beating so fast and I was yelling while Jeffrey was participating. He finally finished with the top participants.
Dillon participated in the last group. The bell rang and he jumped into the water and had to swim 8 laps. We were all screaming and cheering him along. Dillon finally finished the swim towards the end of the group. He jumped onto his bike and made up time while riding and running. He also finished with the top participants.
Jeffrey and Dillon’s participation in the event demonstrates the willingness to finish no matter what happens. They trained before the event and during it put one step in front of the other until they finished.
Living in the solution is the same thing. The willingness and commitment to continue taking the next step until you reach your goal. What is your dream and let’s make it happen.
As always, I would love to hear from you. Leave a comment on my blog or send an email to helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net.
Today’s Affirmation: “I am living in the solution and taking small steps towards my goal.”
It is no secret that the word commitment is the key to our success. This is especially true when it comes to respecting ourselves. We have a tendency to always put others, places and things before ourselves. It has been proven over and over again that when we take time for ourselves it enables us to feel content and motivated.
Why is it that we always come last? Is it due to guilt, low self-esteem, self-sabotaging or just plain laziness? I was having a conversation with a friend yesterday about canceling her gym membership and just taking a walk at the mall after work three times a week. She was not going to the gym and wasting money. Her friends were telling her that as long as she had the gym membership she would exercise. What was missing is the commitment to herself that by exercising she was taking care of herself.
Discussing this challenge with everyone gave her the fuel she needed to live in the problem instead of the solution. After discussing this dilemma for awhile she decided to put on her sneakers and walk around the shopping mall. Seeing her later that night I inquired how she made out. She walked around the mall and the only trouble was that she did some shopping while she was there. Another dilemma; shopping. A suggestion was made to leave her wallet in the car while taking her walk. The question is, “Continue making excuses for not exercising or make a commitment that nothing will stop you from taking care of yourself.”
What I am learning through life experiences that by making a commitment to be kind to myself at all times improves my attitude and enables me to feel contentment, happiness and self-respect. What beautiful gifts I am receiving. I love the following inspirational message and think about it whenever I start living in the problem instead of the solution.
“Every small positive change
we make in ourselves
repays us in confidence
in the future.”
Alice Walker
As always, I would love to hear how you are making positive changes in your life.
Do you sometimes feel that confusion is your middle name? Everyone is saying the answer to all our problems is to focus on our passion and everything else will take care of itself. You will start feeling fulfilled, make more money and even eat healthy. The BIG Question is “What is my passion and how do I find it?”
Coach Helen to the rescue! I know how it is to feel confused about what makes you happy and not to continue worrying about your weight, making money and achieving happiness. Let’s tear apart this dilemma and see what ideas materialize.
I have been working with a client we will name Linda, who was bored at work and felt confused about what really made her happy. Following are the step we took in uncovering her passion:
Step 1
Completed a written exercises to discover what really made her happy and satisfied her thirst for learning. After completing the exercise and brainstorming ideas during her coaching sessions, she realized that reading stories to small children made her feel like she was on Cloud 9.
Step 2
Explored what options were available in that field which she could take advantage of. Linda realized that working in a library would enable her to read stories to children several different times during the day.
Step 3
Performed informational interviews. She interviewed various Librarians at different libraries to learn what programs were available, if there was a need for her services and what credentials were required.
Step 4
Live your passion. While talking to the Librarian at the her local library, Linda was offered a volunteer position, to read stories to 2 and 3 year olds on Saturday morning. She jumped at the job and started reading stories to toddlers.
Linda now reads stories to children during the week and Saturdays. She says, I have never felt so happy in my life.” She has also gone back to college at night and is working towards her degree in Library Science.
Now is Your Chance to discover what really makes you happy! Together we will explore different pportunities in order to make your dream a reality.
As always, I would love to hear how you are growing and progressing on your journey. I am also available, if you need support in dissecting your conflicting thoughts so you can live a vibrant life. Write to me at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net and I will email you questions to ponder.
Getting out of bed this morning were you thinking, “I am so tired of eating healthy and all I want are pancakes with chocolate chips, whipped cream and fresh strawberries?” Then your other voice yells, “STOP THINKING LIKE THAT, you will be the only one to suffer.” Which voice is the winner? They both can be!! Following is a recipe I use to make myself pancakes that are absolutely delicious:
Ingredients
2 packages of Quaker Instant Grits, Original Recipe.
1 egg
¼ cup of non-fat ricotta cheese
1 cup of plain, non-fat yogurt
1 cup of strawberries
Cooking Instructions
Mix cereal, egg and ricotta cheese together.
Spray frying pan with a small amount of oil
Cook pancakes until brown on both sides
Topping
Mix yogurt and strawberries together.
Place on top of pancakes
Enjoy your breakfast!!!
What I am learning is that I don’t have to suffer to eat healthy and take care of myself. There are many different healthy recipes that are low in fat and calories. Take an excursion today to the nearest bookstore and browse through the cookbooks to see which one illustrates recipes that are healthy and look delicious. Then give yourself a gift and buy it!
As always, I would love to hear about your special recipes and which cookbooks you thought were exciting. Write to me through my blog at www.theloveyourselfcoach.blogspot.com
Today is a new day on your journey of life. We have a choice either feeling sorry for ourselves for not losing weight or trying a new eating behavior. Our thoughts of losing weight can be like an old friend. The thought is always with us and never challenges us to try something different. Until you are ready to make a commitment that things will be different and have the courage to move in a new direction nothing changes.
The following quote from the book, “Time for Joy”, By Ruth Fishel and Bonny Van de Kamp, illustrates how walking through your fears enables you to live a vibrant life.
It takes great courage to go in new directions.
It takes great courage to try things that others around us have not tried.
One can have courage while one has fear.
Courage does not mean the absence of fear.
To open new doors, to take new steps while walking through our fear
takes the greatest courage of all.
Each new door opened gives us confidence to open the next door.
By trusting the goodness within us and going beyond the fear,
Life is an exciting, satisfying and fulfilling place to be.
As your coach I support you in taking small steps that will make you very strong while making changes in your life. I have found that working with my clients in identifying what is more important in their life than food and reconnecting with what really makes them happy enables them to lose weight and live a vibrant life.
I have a client, lets call her Terri, who originally hired me as a coach so she could lose weight. Instead of only focusing on the food we started exploring what really made her happy and fulfilled. During the coaching sessions, we created the following game she could play:
1. Explored different tools and techniques she felt comfortable implementing while changing her eating behavior.
2. Asked friends and family members what they thought her perfect job would be.
2. Explored the list of professions and narrowed them down to two or three.
3. Performed informational interviews with people in the different fields.
4. Decided she would like to pursue the field of travel.
5. Worked for a Travel Agent on Saturdays as a tour guide in the historic area of her town.
As Terri was pursuing her dream job she stopped focusing on the food, started eating healthy with quantity control, exercising and losing weight at the same time. Today Terri, is at goal weight, founder of a business that plans tours for different groups.
If your deepest desire is to get off the diet merry-go-round and into a vibrant life, I am here to support you. How vibrant do you want your life to be? I can be reached at helen@loveyourselfcoaching.net
SOLUTIONS FOR ENJOYING THE SUMMER
Are you thinking, “Summer is officially here and I will not put on a bathing suit and go to the beach this year.” Welcome to the human race! Most of us with weight issues have this thought and blame ourselves for not losing the weight over the winter so we could wear a bathing suit this summer.
Having this thought is living in the problem instead of the solution. You might be thinking there is NO solution to this problem. Let’s spend some time brainstorming ways of enjoying this summer and the beach.
1. Buy a bathing suit that feels comfortable and a pretty cover-up to go over the bathing suit.
2. Start today taking a small step to change your eating behavior. What small step can you take? An example: just for today light a candle and have a cup of tea or coffee instead of grabbing something from the refrigerator. Tomorrow repeat the same lovely experience.
3. Go to the beach early in the morning when it is less crowded. Early in the morning, I love having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper on the beach.
4. Take a walk on the beach at sundown.
5. Sit in your backyard sun bathing using a heavy sun blocker.
6. Take a long walk early in the morning; this is my favorite time of day.
7. Schedule time with a good friend to have lunch in an outside café.
8. Invite family and friends over for a picnic and invite everyone to bring a healthy dish. An example: Salad, vegetable sticks with flavored yogurt for dipping, grilled skinless chicken, baked potatoes, fruit and other low calorie dishes. Please let me know what dishes you served at the picnic.
9. Take your children or grandchildren, or nieces or nephews to a water park.
10. Set-up a birdbath and watch the birds and squirrels take a bath.
I would love to hear your ideas for living in the solution for enjoying this summer and spending time on the beach.
This morning as I watch my friends the birds and squirrels, I realized how lucky I am to have such a beautiful view from my office window. The sun is shinning and the leaves and backs of the squirrels are shimmering from the sun light.
Thinking about the beauty surrounding me, I started to think of all the miracles in my life. Some of the miracles I have in my life are as follows:
• Today I am in recovery from my food addiction.
• Great friends who support me.
• Alfie, my cat, is sitting next to me as I work on the computer.
• Exercised this morning.
• Beautiful day planned with many unsuspected golden moments.
As I read my miracles, I realized that being in recovery from my food addiction enables me to live a vibrant life. Thinking back over eight years ago, weighing close to 200 lbs. the only thing on my mind was how am I going to lose the weight. If I was thin everything would be different and I could start enjoying my life.
One day I made a decision that I was going to stop taking diet supplements, reading all diet books and get the support I needed. I found a nutritionist, therapist that specialized in addictions and went to an OA meeting. These first steps on my new journey supported me in designing and living a new healthy lifestyle free from food obsession. Eight years later I am still on the same journey and weighing 70 lbs. less. Some of the small steps I take are as follows:
• Eating Healthy using quantity control.
• Exercising
• Receiving and giving support to my friends
• Working with a coach so that I continue living a vibrant life.
If your deepest desire is to get off the diet merry-go-round and into a vibrant life, I am here to support you. How vibrant do you want your life to be?
‘Relax and have fun over the next couple of weeks. Remember, you’re making memories at every moment. Make sure that yours are worth remembering.’
Cheryl Richardson
I was looking for a quote for my Life’s Little Journey Ezine and came across Cheryl Richardson’s quote above. How easy to forget that we are constantly making memories that inspired us and made our lives more enjoyable.
Sometimes I receive a wake-up call to STOP and smell the flowers. The last few weeks I have been working long hours and not taking time to appreciate the special moments in my life. Last night after making final revisions on the Ezine my phone rang and it was my sister. She was telling me about the special moments she shared with her two year old grandson. We had a great time laughing and telling each other how great it was being a grandmother.
When I got off the phone I realized that I was not taking time to enjoy my life; I was always working. This morning one of my intentions was to enjoy the special moments in my day. Following are the special moments that happened to me this morning:
• As I am writing this blog, Alfie my black cat, is sitting next to the computer watching me with such love in his eyes.
• While talking to a Coach this morning, we both realized that we had so much in common and now I have a new friend.
What special moments are occurring in your life right now?
A few weeks ago, I was thinking about my life. Some days I woke up and thought about how am I going to get thru the day. Other days I woke up and was excited about my day. What makes each day different?
After thinking about this phenomenon, I realized that my fears are controlling my thoughts. If I feel overwhelmed with all I have to do, my fears come out in full force to help me. On the other hand, if I am feeling confident about myself and my fears are on vacation, I am excited about experiencing the new day.
WOW!! That was easy.
Last week, I was working with a client who was concerned because some days she was excited about her life and others were a struggle. Sounds familiar? We discussed what was happening and brainstormed different ideas. She came up with the conclusion that when she accomplished a small step towards her goal she felt confident. Going to bed feeling confident enabled her to wake up the next morning excited about her life.
Even though her day took on a life of its own, she was determined to accomplish one small step towards reaching her goal each day. The small step she planned on taking was to eat one healthy meal a day. A week past and I was working with this client again today. She was so excited about how her life had shifted and now every morning she woke up with a smile on her face and looked forward to her day. She told me the only difference was that she ate a healthy breakfast each day and acknowledged herself when she got into bed at night. Now she has planned to eat yogurt and cereal instead of ice cream before going to bed. Stay tuned and I will let you know how she is progressing.
Special Opportunities
If you like, chose one of the activities below and see how your life shifts. The only request I have is to continue the same small step for 21 days and let me know what happens.
When you get up in the morning give yourself a big hug and say, “I love you and I am going to have a great day.”
Each day plan on taking one little step towards reaching your goal. Make sure you can accomplish this small step within 15 minutes. Then before going to bed acknowledge yourself for accomplishing your goal.
Before getting out of bed, thank God for the day before and ask him/her to grant you a beautiful day.
I am looking forward to hearing from you.
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