Save yourself! This holiday season keep your cavewoman snoozing.
Pearl One
We’ve made it through Halloween and are speeding toward Thanksgiving (in the U.S.) We’re headed into the Season of Calories and as I say every year: we don’t want to wake up our cavewoman! Let’s aim to preserve our hard work only. Instead I plan to challenge myself include veggies and fruit in every single meal. To force yourself to try to lose weight with all the merriment happening around us is not being supportive of our ownselves and could possibly create an angry backlash (that would be our cavewoman waking up and going Cookie Monster on the calories).
Instead plan to preserve your hard work. Remember, plateaus are the good guys. Giving our body the time it needs to rest and adjust changes the whole weight loss equation. In November and December keep your cavewoman asleep by doing what I’ll be doing:
- i stay on my eating plan.
- i always eat before I eat.
- I keep my cold-tote packed in healthy bites and by my side when I’m out of the house. I take opportunities to eat a tiny dinner by 6 p.m. and take a wonderful book to bed at 8 p.m.
- If I’m still hungry and know I won’t eat, I have half of a banana and then lights out!
- If I know in advance that at certain times I’ll struggle: I draw up a detailed plan about how I’ll handle each obstacle.
We’re “strengthening and holding.” We’ve so got this. ♥
Pearl Two
New Year’s Day-You
Let’s pretend that it’s New Year’s Day-you. Ask her to write you a letter: how does she feel when she wakes up that morning? What is she thrilled about (like you walked an hour all of Nov. and Dec.)? What helped her the most? She wants to thank you for ________________________. What does she wished you hadn’t worried about? What does she wished you’d focused on more? What does Jan. 1-you most want you to know?
Give a voice to your future self and capture in writing all that she has to say. ♥
Pearl Three
Default Sequence
- Situation (be very concrete): My sister and entire family plus the Grandma are going to Hawaii for two weeks in Dec.
- Thought: But I want to go to Hawaii!! I especially want to visit Honolulu where we spent time as kids and show my sons Pearl Harbor.
- Feeling: Bummed. Disagreeable.
- Action: Huff and puff around for a while.
- Result: Get very little done.
Chosen Sequence
- Situation (be very concrete): My sister and entire family plus the Grandma are going to Hawaii for two weeks in Dec.
- Chosen Thought: Wendy, you go on fancy trips for the articles you write. Be happy that Shelley is doing something wonderful in her life.
- Feeling: Interested that I had such a strong reaction to Shelley’s trip that I hadn’t realized how much I wanted to see Hawaii again. Honolulu especially.
- Action: I start looking up the cheapest times to travel to Honolulu. But then thinking that if our days of “laying out in the sun” are over beyond the first few days what will we do in Honolulu? I guess we should think about Maui or Kauai too. Plus is this really how I to want to spend money?
- Result: I’ll keep the thought on the back-burner, but a trip to any island needs further thought. Ultimate result: I feel less green with envy and am back on track. ♥
Pearl Four
These three funny books come to you recommended via GQ magazine. I’ve dipped into all three and will finish The Idiot by next weekend! It was hard to choose the first one to read because every chapter of each book drew me in immediately with each writer having a wry, strong writer’s voice.
I want as much funny in my life as I can get. I Was Told There’d Be Cake by Sloane Crosley. The second chapter opens, “I’ve never me two people more afraid of the house burning down as my parents.” Highly recommend.
The Idiot by Elif Batuman, The story starts with the advent of email. Great story.
No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July. College kids at Harvard. Named one of “the top ten fiction books of 2007” by Time Magazine. Reviews say that it’s “laugh out loud” funny. I’m in. But it’s no chick-lit.
Throughout the holiday season, I’m aiming for books with humor. These three books deliver.
♥
I started a book gift list two posts back. I know that finding the right gift is tough. I’m hoping my list helps:
This book is a perfect gift for a woman at any age (14+). It’s a true story about an American who spied for England behind enemy lines in France. A Woman of No Importance the Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II by Sonia Purnell left me absolutely floored. This book falls into the historical non-fiction genre and the author knocks it out of the park having researched and written the book in such a way that you can almost feel the Gestapo just steps behind Virginia as she flees France. Review: an incredible read and you’ll never forget Virginia. ♥
Pearl Five
The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.” ♥
Marcus Aurelius
Choose one new supportive thought that you want to embed into your heart and plan how you’ll remind yourself (like keep a note at your desk, tape a note inside your kitchen cupboard, put a sticky on your steering wheel).
I’m still hoping those of you with a scarfing partner will email me! I’m writing about scarfers and how they can all be a little different. I want to address the different types. Wendy@theInspiredEater.com.
Have a great week!
♥, Wendy
You know the scoop: I’m an Amazon affiliate. If you buy from a link in my post, I’ll receive money, but the arrangement won’t cost you a dime.
Are you new to the Inspired Eater? Welcome!! This blog won’t make much sense until you first read the Aunt Bea post (and you’ll find Aunt Bea on this page to the right under my short bio). On your cell you’ll see it immediately following the first post. After you enter your email address, the Aunt Bea article will be sent to your email’s inbox. If it’s not there, you might check the spam folder. And always feel free to email me at Wendy@TheInspiredEater.com and I’ll get Aunt Bea right to you!!
I am not an expert, a doctor, a surgeon, a nurse or a nutritionist: the information within TheInspiredEater.com is based solely on my personal experience and is not intended to be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.
