I started writing this blog in 2007 and continue today, hoping it will make its way to anyone who feels stuck while trying to make lifestyle changes to live at a healthy weight. Changing behaviors can be tricky if we don’t evaluate our perspective and adjust our expectations and mindset. I believe the foundation of lasting behavior change starts with four key elements:
1.) Self-compassion 2.) A growth mindset 3.) Joy in the journey 4.) Gratitude
Self-compassion is recognizing our humanity. It’s realizing and accepting that no human can be perfect 100% of the time. Therefore, when we make choices that aren’t in line with our goals, it’s an opportunity to learn, modify and move forward. This is called a Growth Mindset, and it leads to lasting success and facilitates joy in the journey! The fourth foundation of lasting behavior change is the practice of gratitude for today and using the good feeling energy of appreciation to propel us forward into the actions we want to take.
Cheesy Green Beans
With the cold weather and the long nights, I crave "comfort foods". These Cheesy Green Beans are one of my recent favorites!!! It works best with frozen green beans and you can adjust the number of Laughing Cow wedges to fit your taste, but here's what I do, -Cook 4...
Share a kind word
"Thousands of candles can be lit from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened. Happiness never decreases by being shared." -- Buddha During this season of giving, don't under estimate the power of GIVING a complement. Yes, ultimately managing...
Home Sweet Home!!!
Yahoo...TrICity Chargers!!! As most of you know, I've spent the last week in Tampa, Florida watching my youngest son, Chase's TriCity Pee Wee level travel football team participate in their national competitions. Today was their last game and they defeated GC Buffalo,...
Imagine
"Imagination is everything. It is the preview of life's coming attractions." -Albert Einstein. Imagination is a powerful part of making our dreams a reality. It's critical that you can see, in your mind's eye, yourself getting to your reasonable* weight goal. If you...
Ocean Spray Diet Sparkling Cranberry Juice
Hi All! It's Tuesday and I'm down in sunny, warm Tampa, Florida watching Chase play for his travel football league's national championship. I have fabulous substitute leaders lined up to cover my Weight Watchers meetings (so DO NOT skip your meeting!) but I also...
Rounding Out 2012
Good morning December 1st!!! It's here!!! The very last month of the year!! Only thirty one days left in 2012......What do you want to have happen? What do YOU want YOUR holiday season to be about? Growing up, every year at Christmas time, my parents would take my...
Apple Cider
I'm a couple days behind on my Tasty Tuesday food idea, but better late than never, as they say!!! I got these sugar free apple cider packets at Jewel and they are delicious!!!! Evenings are even more of a challenge for me now that it's dark SO early! Don't the nights...
Are You Ready For The Holiday Season?
Clearly our little dog Oakley (above) is prepared for the holidays, but are YOU??? This week at Weight Watchers we are taking the time to make an action plan for the remaining few weeks of 2012 in regard to our health and weight loss/weight maintenance. Taking the...
What We Do For Our Kids….
The good news around my house is that Chase's TriCity Chargers Travel Football team has qualified to compete at the national level in Tampa, Florida. Yay, Chase!!!! For those of you who don't know, Chase Carlson is my youngest son, pictured above, who is 12 years old....
How You Choose To Go Forward Today Is Critical
"The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitude." - William James Oh what a Thanksgiving! I had such a nice, long holiday weekend with my family and I hope you did too! Hopefully you enjoyed every single bite...
Thanksgiving!
Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our...
Each Baby Step Is More Powerful Than The One Before It
"All great masters are chiefly distinguished by the power of adding a second, a third, and perhaps a fourth step in a continuous line. Many a man had taken the first step. With every additional step you enhance immensely the value of your first." -Ralph Waldo Emerson...
Melted Chocolate Carmel In An Apple
Melted Chocolate Carmel in an Apple It's simple, fast, sweet and filling....What's not to love??? Core an apple Sprinkle with cinnamon and sweetener to taste* Warm cored apple in the microwave-times will vary but approx. 2 min Open a Weight Watchers Chocolate Carmel...
Fear Erased
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do." -Eleanor Roosevelt FEAR. Many of us harbor a lot more of it than we realize when it comes to eating...
FEEL AND ACT AS IF YOU ARE ALREADY AT YOUR GOAL WEIGHT!
Without leaps of imagination or dreaming, we lose the excitement of possibilities. Dreaming, after all is a form of planning.” ~Gloria Steinem After you have determined a realistic weight goal (one that allows you to feel your best AND maintain it comfortably),...