I confess...

I have to confess that I did not do my workout last night. I ended up with a headache yesterday afternoon, which was still hanging on by the end of the day. I knew I didn't feel up to the C25K session, but I thought I would at least get in a walk on the treadmill...But there I was, sitting on the couch, cuddled up with both cats...And I stayed there.

Confession #2 - I had dessert last night. I grilled some pineapple slices in the grill pan, topped with a little bit of Nutella and some frozen yogurt. So I really should have exercised.

I'm a little disappointed in myself, but I just didn't seem to have it in me last night to get up and do it. But, missing one workout shouldn't be a disaster. I think I've done pretty well at sticking to my exercise schedule over the past few months. I'll just have to make up for it tonight.

I had recorded Paul McKenna's I Can Make You Thin on Sunday night, so I watched it last night while snuggled up with the cats. So far, it's not anything ground-breaking as far as I can see. Very common sense advice. There were four golden rules:

1. When you're hungry, eat.
2. Eat what you want, not what you think you should.
3. Eat consciously.
4. When you think you're full, stop eating.

So, let's road test all of this in JavaChick-land.

When you're hungry, eat
The idea here is not to starve yourself. Starving yourself does not accomplish anything. It can cause you to binge, it can slow down your metabolism, and let's face it - you won't be happy if you're starving.

I think I do pretty much follow this rule. I bring lunch and snacks with me to work so that I will have good, healthy options available to me. I know that if I get too hungry, I am likely to make poor choices.

The caveat with this one is that you need to recognize whether what you are feeling is true hunger, or something else.


Eat what you want, not what you think you should
I'm sort of iffy on this one...I do agree, but I think some boundaries are needed here.

The idea is that you should eat the foods that you enjoy, in proper amounts. Again, you're not going to be happy if you're eating foods you don't enjoy, denying yourself the things that you really want. I do agree with this, however, I do think a person needs to think about eating healthfully.

For me, this means that I try to build meals around healthy foods that I enjoy. Let's face it, no matter how much I might like brownies, they don't make a healthy meal, even if I am exercising portion control. There needs to be some awareness, some education about what it means to eat a healthy diet. It doesn't have to mean eating food you don't like, but it will probably take effort and planning.

I also find there are some foods I just have to stay away from, because if those foods are there in my kitchen I can't seem to exercise any kind of control. And let's face it - those foods are usually things that are not good for me.


Eat consciously
The idea here is to pay attention to your food. Focus on what you are eating. Don't watch TV, read, work while you are eating. Experience and enjoy what you are eating. Put your fork and knife down in between each bite and chew slowly.

This is something that I have to admit I don't really do. I tend to eat in front of the TV, while reading, while working. But. I don't really think that eating too fast is my problem. I've always been a slow eater, and I'm usually still finishing off my meal long after everyone else is finished. I've always been that way. I remember when I started high school, we were supposed to be able to finish our lunch in 15 minutes, and then go outside. That was really hard for me.

Still, I suppose I could give it a try and see if it makes any difference.


When you think you're full, stop eating
I think I do okay with this one as well. When we eat out at a restaurant, I rarely finish everything on my plate. I am pretty good at knowing when I've had enough food. At home, I usually do eat everything on my plate, but then, at home, I've usually served myself. We refer to JavaChick-sized servings and Moon-sized servings, because there tends to be quite a difference in our serving sizes.

Honestly, for me I don't really think meals are the issue. I think it's more the grazing and snacking that happens in between meals. And my chocolate addiction.

Anyway, I will be interested to see what Mr. McKenna has to say in upcoming shows about emotional eating and how to deal with cravings.

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Daily Record
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Weight: 143.9

BF: Kashi Seven Whole Grain & Almond Granola Bar, coffee w/cream, grapes
Lunch: raw cauliflower, ww pita, hummus
Snack: yogurt & berries
Supper: Chili