Yesterday I did
NOTHING, today my calendar was
fullfullfull.
That's the way it goes sometimes. I don't have a nine-to-five job, so my work is at my OWN schedule. That said, there are many things that are beyond my control, time-wise.....like the exercise class this morning AND the doctor's appointment I had this afternoon.
It required that I eat my MF mid-morning snack in the car on the way to the gym (because for the next 2 hours from 9-11:30 approximately, I was in two back-to-back exercise classes) and then I came home, fed the cats, and got dressed and drove 1 hour one way to my FMS specialist at 1:30. Consequently I had to eat lunch in the car and since I didn't get home till 4:30...that necessitated another MF meal - my late afternoon snack - again eaten in the car.
But it CAN.BE.DONE.
I read blogs from people who swear they're 'too busy'.
But that's why they make the MF pretzels, cheese pizza bites, puffs, and bars!
AND don't forget the premixed shakes. (I love the chocolate one).
Keep these on hand. AT ALL TIMES. In your car's console. In your purse. Whatever. Keep them handy so you'll NEVER have to be without your MF meals at a MF mealtime.
Keeping hunger at bay....and eating on the regular schedule of every 2-3 hours, 6x a day, is KEY on this program. It sounds weird but its true! It's SO important.
I can't TELL you how many times I've gotten busy (usually this happens to be over the weekends, when I'm outside gardening or housecleaning or whatever) and I look up and it's been 3-1/2 hours and I'm HUNGRY and I realize, 'DUH....I haven't had my MF meal!'
If you miss it, and then decide not to 'bother', guess what will happen at your NEXT meal? You'll be overhungry and may very well OVEReat.
The way I look at it, our bodies are like one of those old-fashioned steam engines on a locomotive. The engineer has to keep loading firewood into them to keep them stoked and running smoothly, or they'd stop. Too much fuel and they'd sputter (not enough airflow); too little fuel and the engine would slow down and eventually stop.
Our bodies are the same way! We need to keep them properly 'stoked'....the right amount of food, every 2-3 hours....and yet not OVERLY fed....in order to function at our best.
Eating regularly like this keeps your blood sugar levels at a more even keel. Ask anyone who's a diabetic and they'll tell you, the first thing the doctor tells them is, EAT AT REGULAR INTERVALS. It doesn't necessarily matter that you're eating a LARGE meal, in fact the smaller the better (especially for us!) and the meal should contain PROTEIN (super important)....but it's most important to GET IT IN.
The MF meals are perfectly balanced for this. IMO their nutrition just can't be beat. And I'm on maintenance now, so I 'can' (theoretically) eat 'whatever I want' (don't you BELIEVE it though LOL).....bottom line? I still need the protein and the good nutrition that the MF meals provide. So, 9 times out of 10, an MF meal is STILL my #1 'go to' choice when I'm on the run.
I love the pretzels. Love love love them. Just wish the bag were bigger (LOL). I like the cheese pizza bites, too...and we get MORE of those for some reason...the bag IS slightly bigger. The shakes are good to fill you up QUICK, nothing like liquid (and you ARE drinking all your water, right?)
WATER is so important, too! People make fun of me now...my friends and relatives..."Linda doesn't go anywhere without her water"...but I could care LESS. Because water keeps me hydrated and my tummy fuller and I'm happy. It also, by the way, helps my skin stay clear! And helps with elimination, too.
Water is what God intended us to drink. I really believe that. MAN has created all this sugary-sweet cola caffeinated carbonated garbage that rots your teeth out and causes your blood sugar levels to skyrocket. But GOD gave us water. So that's what I go back to now, time and time again.
When I'm busy, I PLAN. Always. My #1 goal is to make sure I'll get my meals in, ON TIME or as close to it at possible. And with a little planning and pre-preparation, it's possible to get your meals in REGARDLESS of what/where you're going or doing.
I've packed PS ricotta cheese and MF cereal for weekend trips. I've packed chicken strips and bags of LETTUCE, that's how anal I am! LOL....but you know what? IT WORKS.
I've talked before about menu planning, too. It's really not that big a deal once you get into the habit of doing it. I just grab a sheet of notebook paper, write 'Menu' on the top, and then list the days on the left, and what I intend to make next to each.
I also make two meals a lot...since DH does NOT do MF and won't eat half the L&Gs I enjoy...so no problem, I make him something he likes. I don't spend oodles of time, I have a selection of favorites of his, and a selection of favorites of mine, and I just pick and choose depending on my mood and the amount of time I have and what's on sale at the grocery store. And every once in awhile I'll try a new L&G....which may become a new favorite, or it may get discarded. Depending on how I like it.
So the rest of this week I have:
Thurs: ME: Turkey with asparagus and whole wheat penne (MAINTENANCE only recipe due to the pasta; but it only uses like 2 ozs and makes two complete servings so it really stretches it, it's mostly pre-cooked turkey breast strips, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic) DH: A burger (I premake out of lean ground beef), mac&cheese (his alltime fav, in the blue box UGH LOL) and corn....
Fri: ME: Double-breaded chicken tenders (recipe is in the LIBRARY here), with mashed cauliflower and a big salad, DH: Spaghetti
Sat: ME: MF Turkey meatballs over zucchini noodles (Flavors of home recipe with added veggies, again I'm in maintenance and I'll do MORE veggies before I do more of anything else!), DH: Lean meatloaf, packaged mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
Just to give you an example of a couple days. I reserve the right to change my mind at any point in time....but this works for me because it gives me an idea, a 'plan'....and I'm ready at 5:30 instead of facing a refrigerator and not 'feeling like' cooking.
The dreaded period from 4-6:30 pm is my WORST period. At least, it used to be. I would HATE having to think about cooking (and I LOVE to cook, generally!) and be tired and cranky and not 'feel like it'. And that led to too many nights of pizza or chinese....and too many excess calories and gained weight. NOT GOOD.
I don't do that anymore. I don't live that way anymore. It's weird, but DH doesn't even miss it! (if he does he doesn't say so LOL). We eat a healthy meal every single night of the week, now, and my takeout menus are way old....stuffed in the back of a drawer someplace.
It IS possible to change your lifestyle and your eating habits PERMANENTLY.
I won't lie to you and tell you it's 'easy'. It's NOT. It takes time. LOTS of time. Probably a lot longer than you're thinking it will take...because there WILL be missteps along the way, and sometimes you'll feel like you're going 'one step forward, 3 steps back'....but you're always learning, even (especially!) from your mistakes. And your brain REMEMBERS.
Your brain is the most complicated computer there is. Scientists still haven't even BEGUN to figure it out. And it can remember what 'felt good'....it can remember the rewards you give it for eating right...it can remember all the times you just said 'NO' to fat brain and eventually, over a long period of time, just saying 'NO' becomes the HABIT instead of the exception! Really! You start to think in terms of "I don't eat that way anymore".
And THOSE are days to look forward to. Because by that point your body will have responded with a resounding YES YES YES by getting slim and healthy and feeling amazing. Your energy will spike, your flexibility will go through the roof, and suddenly you'll feel YEARS younger. At least I did!
I swear to you, I'm in better shape NOW....and I weigh about 15-20 lbs MORE than I weighed back then....then when I was 28 years old. Then, I struggled and dieted and STARVED myself to get down to 145 lbs. And I was MISERABLE. I was hungry ALL THE TIME. One look at a chocolate bar and I'd probably FAINT from the fumes of chocolate and sugar (LOL). Really...it was awful what I did to myself.
It's no wonder when I got married and finally found a man who loved me 'just the way I was' that I ballooned up to nearly 300 lbs at one point! I was starving myself ... just to stay thin.
Now I've learned how to FEED myself nutritionally BALANCED meals on a timely basis and how to exercise properly...not just for the sake of exercise but with specific goals (stamina, endurance, strength, building muscle etc.) in mind. Versus the old 'Jane Fonda' days when I put on the leg warmers (remember these?) and headbands and just DID IT to DO IT.
To 'burn calories'. I had no clue, really.
What a long long way I've come.
Those of you just starting, TAKE HEART. The journey is WORTH IT. Again, I won't lie to you and tell you it's easy. But once you build it into your LIFE, make it part of your ROUTINE, it becomes easier. And the more you DO it, the easier it gets!
Keep on keepin on!
< /font>
That's the way it goes sometimes. I don't have a nine-to-five job, so my work is at my OWN schedule. That said, there are many things that are beyond my control, time-wise.....like the exercise class this morning AND the doctor's appointment I had this afternoon.
It required that I eat my MF mid-morning snack in the car on the way to the gym (because for the next 2 hours from 9-11:30 approximately, I was in two back-to-back exercise classes) and then I came home, fed the cats, and got dressed and drove 1 hour one way to my FMS specialist at 1:30. Consequently I had to eat lunch in the car and since I didn't get home till 4:30...that necessitated another MF meal - my late afternoon snack - again eaten in the car.
But it CAN.BE.DONE.
I read blogs from people who swear they're 'too busy'.
But that's why they make the MF pretzels, cheese pizza bites, puffs, and bars!
AND don't forget the premixed shakes. (I love the chocolate one).
Keep these on hand. AT ALL TIMES. In your car's console. In your purse. Whatever. Keep them handy so you'll NEVER have to be without your MF meals at a MF mealtime.
Keeping hunger at bay....and eating on the regular schedule of every 2-3 hours, 6x a day, is KEY on this program. It sounds weird but its true! It's SO important.
I can't TELL you how many times I've gotten busy (usually this happens to be over the weekends, when I'm outside gardening or housecleaning or whatever) and I look up and it's been 3-1/2 hours and I'm HUNGRY and I realize, 'DUH....I haven't had my MF meal!'
If you miss it, and then decide not to 'bother', guess what will happen at your NEXT meal? You'll be overhungry and may very well OVEReat.
The way I look at it, our bodies are like one of those old-fashioned steam engines on a locomotive. The engineer has to keep loading firewood into them to keep them stoked and running smoothly, or they'd stop. Too much fuel and they'd sputter (not enough airflow); too little fuel and the engine would slow down and eventually stop.
Our bodies are the same way! We need to keep them properly 'stoked'....the right amount of food, every 2-3 hours....and yet not OVERLY fed....in order to function at our best.
Eating regularly like this keeps your blood sugar levels at a more even keel. Ask anyone who's a diabetic and they'll tell you, the first thing the doctor tells them is, EAT AT REGULAR INTERVALS. It doesn't necessarily matter that you're eating a LARGE meal, in fact the smaller the better (especially for us!) and the meal should contain PROTEIN (super important)....but it's most important to GET IT IN.
The MF meals are perfectly balanced for this. IMO their nutrition just can't be beat. And I'm on maintenance now, so I 'can' (theoretically) eat 'whatever I want' (don't you BELIEVE it though LOL).....bottom line? I still need the protein and the good nutrition that the MF meals provide. So, 9 times out of 10, an MF meal is STILL my #1 'go to' choice when I'm on the run.
I love the pretzels. Love love love them. Just wish the bag were bigger (LOL). I like the cheese pizza bites, too...and we get MORE of those for some reason...the bag IS slightly bigger. The shakes are good to fill you up QUICK, nothing like liquid (and you ARE drinking all your water, right?)
WATER is so important, too! People make fun of me now...my friends and relatives..."Linda doesn't go anywhere without her water"...but I could care LESS. Because water keeps me hydrated and my tummy fuller and I'm happy. It also, by the way, helps my skin stay clear! And helps with elimination, too.
Water is what God intended us to drink. I really believe that. MAN has created all this sugary-sweet cola caffeinated carbonated garbage that rots your teeth out and causes your blood sugar levels to skyrocket. But GOD gave us water. So that's what I go back to now, time and time again.
When I'm busy, I PLAN. Always. My #1 goal is to make sure I'll get my meals in, ON TIME or as close to it at possible. And with a little planning and pre-preparation, it's possible to get your meals in REGARDLESS of what/where you're going or doing.
I've packed PS ricotta cheese and MF cereal for weekend trips. I've packed chicken strips and bags of LETTUCE, that's how anal I am! LOL....but you know what? IT WORKS.
I've talked before about menu planning, too. It's really not that big a deal once you get into the habit of doing it. I just grab a sheet of notebook paper, write 'Menu' on the top, and then list the days on the left, and what I intend to make next to each.
I also make two meals a lot...since DH does NOT do MF and won't eat half the L&Gs I enjoy...so no problem, I make him something he likes. I don't spend oodles of time, I have a selection of favorites of his, and a selection of favorites of mine, and I just pick and choose depending on my mood and the amount of time I have and what's on sale at the grocery store. And every once in awhile I'll try a new L&G....which may become a new favorite, or it may get discarded. Depending on how I like it.
So the rest of this week I have:
Thurs: ME: Turkey with asparagus and whole wheat penne (MAINTENANCE only recipe due to the pasta; but it only uses like 2 ozs and makes two complete servings so it really stretches it, it's mostly pre-cooked turkey breast strips, asparagus, zucchini, mushrooms and garlic) DH: A burger (I premake out of lean ground beef), mac&cheese (his alltime fav, in the blue box UGH LOL) and corn....
Fri: ME: Double-breaded chicken tenders (recipe is in the LIBRARY here), with mashed cauliflower and a big salad, DH: Spaghetti
Sat: ME: MF Turkey meatballs over zucchini noodles (Flavors of home recipe with added veggies, again I'm in maintenance and I'll do MORE veggies before I do more of anything else!), DH: Lean meatloaf, packaged mashed potatoes, peas and carrots
Just to give you an example of a couple days. I reserve the right to change my mind at any point in time....but this works for me because it gives me an idea, a 'plan'....and I'm ready at 5:30 instead of facing a refrigerator and not 'feeling like' cooking.
The dreaded period from 4-6:30 pm is my WORST period. At least, it used to be. I would HATE having to think about cooking (and I LOVE to cook, generally!) and be tired and cranky and not 'feel like it'. And that led to too many nights of pizza or chinese....and too many excess calories and gained weight. NOT GOOD.
I don't do that anymore. I don't live that way anymore. It's weird, but DH doesn't even miss it! (if he does he doesn't say so LOL). We eat a healthy meal every single night of the week, now, and my takeout menus are way old....stuffed in the back of a drawer someplace.
It IS possible to change your lifestyle and your eating habits PERMANENTLY.
I won't lie to you and tell you it's 'easy'. It's NOT. It takes time. LOTS of time. Probably a lot longer than you're thinking it will take...because there WILL be missteps along the way, and sometimes you'll feel like you're going 'one step forward, 3 steps back'....but you're always learning, even (especially!) from your mistakes. And your brain REMEMBERS.
Your brain is the most complicated computer there is. Scientists still haven't even BEGUN to figure it out. And it can remember what 'felt good'....it can remember the rewards you give it for eating right...it can remember all the times you just said 'NO' to fat brain and eventually, over a long period of time, just saying 'NO' becomes the HABIT instead of the exception! Really! You start to think in terms of "I don't eat that way anymore".
And THOSE are days to look forward to. Because by that point your body will have responded with a resounding YES YES YES by getting slim and healthy and feeling amazing. Your energy will spike, your flexibility will go through the roof, and suddenly you'll feel YEARS younger. At least I did!
I swear to you, I'm in better shape NOW....and I weigh about 15-20 lbs MORE than I weighed back then....then when I was 28 years old. Then, I struggled and dieted and STARVED myself to get down to 145 lbs. And I was MISERABLE. I was hungry ALL THE TIME. One look at a chocolate bar and I'd probably FAINT from the fumes of chocolate and sugar (LOL). Really...it was awful what I did to myself.
It's no wonder when I got married and finally found a man who loved me 'just the way I was' that I ballooned up to nearly 300 lbs at one point! I was starving myself ... just to stay thin.
Now I've learned how to FEED myself nutritionally BALANCED meals on a timely basis and how to exercise properly...not just for the sake of exercise but with specific goals (stamina, endurance, strength, building muscle etc.) in mind. Versus the old 'Jane Fonda' days when I put on the leg warmers (remember these?) and headbands and just DID IT to DO IT.
To 'burn calories'. I had no clue, really.
What a long long way I've come.
Those of you just starting, TAKE HEART. The journey is WORTH IT. Again, I won't lie to you and tell you it's easy. But once you build it into your LIFE, make it part of your ROUTINE, it becomes easier. And the more you DO it, the easier it gets!
Keep on keepin on!
< /font>
--
Linda
Linda Leiby
Take Shape For Life Certified Health Coach
"Keep on keepin' on!"
For Orders: www.Catlover77.tsfl.com
My blogs: www.lincoach.blogspot.com
Linda
Linda Leiby
Take Shape For Life Certified Health Coach
"Keep on keepin' on!"
For Orders: www.Catlover77.tsfl.com
My blogs: www.lincoach.blogspot.com
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