May 2011 Tips and Recipe

No More "May"bes

This month's ezine is dedicated to two things. The first being no more maybes. Have you ever said “maybe I'll skip my morning workout”, or “maybe I will have one more piece of pie”. Often we convince ourselves that it's okay to change the rules, and sometimes that's okay. But for this month, let's throw out the maybes and replace them with “yes I will” or “no I won't”.

You might be wondering why the ezine came out today instead of on Monday. Well, the second dedication for this ezine is to Mom's in celebration of Mother's Day, so I wanted to get it out to you before this day. Hey, nothing like waiting until the last minute.

I have several recipes I want to share with everyone this month, so instead of listing them here, I've created a page just for Mother's Day recipes. You will find the link below in the recipe section.

Weight Loss Tip

Say NO! And Just Go!

Many times we may overeat just because we are still hanging around the kitchen. Perhaps you are still at the table having a nice conversation or your putting away the dishes. All of this is fine, but if there is food still on the plates or in the kitchen, eating that last little morsel may just be too tempting. If you find yourself thinking, “maybe I'll just finish off that last bite of potatoes”. Or “there is not enough left to put in a container, maybe I'll just eat it so it doesn't go to waste”.

Perhaps it's when you are loading the dish washer that you are tempted. You did great through the dinner and didn't have any of the scrumptious looking dessert. But now your thinking “maybe just one bite will be okay”. Instead of saying maybe and taking that bite, say no and leave the room. The dishes can wait, the conversation can continue in another room and you will leave temptation and the maybes behind.

Here are a few things you can try to remove yourself from that extra bite.

Go for a Walk

I know I have said this many times before, but a walk is such a great way to get up and get going. You can take a brisk walk or just a nice leisure walk to get you out of the kitchen. Ask someone to go with you and continue that nice conversation while enjoying the outdoors.

Work a Puzzle

Perhaps you are just not ready to move about or the weather is not cooperating. Try your hand at a crossword or Sudoku puzzle. This will take your mind off of the tempting food left behind. By the time your done with the puzzle, you will be ready to step back into the kitchen and say no to those last few bites.

Phone a Friend

Take this time after dinner to catch up with some of your friends and family. Give them a call, but take the phone in another room. This is just another idea to divert your attention to the food left behind in the kitchen.

All for One and One for All

Okay, not everyone can leave a messing kitchen. I know that many people have to get it cleaned up right away. So going for a walk, solving a puzzle or talking with a friend may not work for you. If this is the case, then make everyone at the table participate in the clean up. At a minimum, have them rinse their plates and help put away the left overs. That way you are not tempted to have a little extra and be tempted by the maybes.

Temptation or Emotions?

Sometimes those “maybes” are not because temptation is right in front of us. It could be you are feeling some emotion that causes you to crave certain foods. If you are feeling stressed or depressed, happy or sad or even bored and alone, these can make you crave foods that you normally would not be tempted by.

When feeling these emotions, you might find yourself saying “maybe I'll have a chocolate cookie” or “maybe I will eat some of those potato chips”. Understanding which emotions trigger what cravings can help turn those maybes into a no!

Maybe Means Yes!

One of the easiest things to talk ourselves out of is doing our scheduled workouts. Perhaps a school event came up and you have to drop the kids off. Or you woke up late and just don't have time before work. It could be as simple as not having your favorite workout outfit washed or just not being in the mood at the regularly scheduled time.

What ever the reason, we find ourselves saying “maybe I'll only workout for 30 minutes once I get back from dropping off the kids”. Or “maybe I'll go for a walk during lunch instead of working out this morning”. What ever your maybe is, too often they turn into, “I will just skip it today and work out longer tomorrow”.

Well for this month, make those “maybes” into “yeses” by rearranging the schedule when needed. Take that walk during lunch hour, shorten your workout after you drop off the kids and wear a different outfit to workout. Don't let the big or little excuses stop you from getting in your exercise for the day.

You can shorten the workout and change the time to keep to your plan. Skipping too many workouts is a slippery slope, and before you know it, you've lost a workout routine. So keep on moving and change those maybes to yeses.

As stated earlier, I have several recipes I want to share with you this month. I also wanted to share these recipes with all the visitors of Exercise4WeightLoss, so I decided to create a new web page and just post the link here. That way everyone can try these out to celebrate Mom on her special day.

There is a creamy strawberry yogurt parfait to start her morning off right. Then try the seven layered salad for lunch as a side or the main course. Finish off the day with a broiled Parmesan tilapia dinner.

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Best wishes from your diet buddy