Shrink'n Violets TIP 'O THE DAY!!

[Teachlady 3]

When I buy Cookies I eat just four and throw the rest away. But first I spray them with Raid so I won't dig them out of the garbage later. Be careful, though, because that Raid really doesn't taste that bad. ~Janette Barber

[TerriDoodle 6]

Someone once told me that people who change can tolerate anxiety better than those who stay stuck. I take that to mean that they are able to stand being awkward. That awkward feeling is actually a good thing—it's a sign you're learning. . We at Professional Thinking Partners teach our clients that there are three zones of existence: comfort, stretch, and stress. Stretch is where change occurs. It's where you feel awkward, but not so stressed out that learning is impossible. Imagine you decide to learn to ski. The comfort zone would be sitting at home. The stretch zone might be the bunny slope. And the stress zone would be a black diamond run. These zones are moving targets. The more you practice on the bunny slope, it then becomes your comfort zone. Eventually the black diamond run becomes your stretch zone. So remember, if what you're doing doesn't feel at least somewhat weird to you, you haven't yet gone far enough out of your comfort zone for change to happen.

--M.J. Ryan, MJ Ryan - Author - Speaker - Thinking Partner

[TerriDoodle 6]

When I buy Cookies I eat just four and throw the rest away. But first I spray them with Raid so I won't dig them out of the garbage later. Be careful, though, because that Raid really doesn't taste that bad. ~Janette Barber

:wub:

[TerriDoodle 6]

A recent study showed that thinking about what you ate at lunch before eating an afternoon snack resulted in an average 14-pound weight loss. That's how powerful simple awareness is. Such awareness is the best friend we can have in creating a new habit. It's like the pause button on the TV. With awareness, the impulse to behave in the old way arises and we get to decide what course of action we're going to take. What would be the outcome of yelling at my child? Am I going to be happy later if I drink this now? Will it help me to be more organized if I just throw this on the floor of my closet? This pause doesn't even take very long. Someone once told me it only takes a half second. It's all about pushing the pause button long enough to create freedom of choice.

--M.J. Ryan, www.mj-ryan.com

nb: This is the same principle that makes '100 calorie packs' so successful. Reaching the bottom of the bag forces you to pause then decide if you want more. 90% of the time (hopefully) you'll decide against opening another bag. Interesting, eh?

[Teachlady 3]

Cellulite: Is There a Solution?

Cellulite is caused by the fat lumps under the skin creating the "orange peal" or "cottage cheese" look. It's a very common problem: 85% to 98% of women have it at some degree. It's unfair and it is rarely seen in men.

No matter what's common belief, cellulite is not related to being overweight. Thus, liposuction is not effective for cellulite reduction, neither are lotions unless they contain methylxanthines, one form of which is caffeine.

"That's because cellulite is not a fat problem, it's a skin problem. It has nothing to do with what you weigh," says Hollywood dermatologist Howard Murad, MD, author of The Cellulite Solution book.

A diet that "feeds" skin can help, claims Dr. Murad. Foods that are rich in lecithin, essential fatty acids, and antioxidants reduce fluids and increase circulation inside skin cells. To get these nutrients, it is advised to eat enough eggs, organ meats, Omega-3 oils like flaxseed or canola, fresh dark green leafy vegetables, tomatoes, berries of all kinds, and dark chocolate.

There is anecdotal evidence that the dry brush massage can help, too, and roughly for the same reason: it improve circulation and help removing excessive Water from the under-skin tissues.

Finnish Dr. Paavo Airola recommended it for his patients 30 years ago and it's still popular in Europe. Here's how you do this.

Very important to choose a natural bristle brush and use it always on dry skin. Gently press the brush upon your skin and make circular movements starting with your feet and toward your heart for example, work on your neck and shoulders downward, and brush arms and legs upward.

Take a shower afterward. The best is so called contrast shower or blood vessel gymnastics - when you use alternatively very hot and very cold Water. It tones the skin and train your immune system

[janiebug 0]

The Weight Loss Expectations Quiz

To find out whether your expectations about weight loss may be increasing your stress levels, take the following brief quiz. Indicate whether you think the following statements are true or false. To benefit from this exercise, your answer should reflect how you honestly feel most of the time, NOT what you think the “correct” response might be.

1. I have taken a careful look at my eating and exercise habits, and I have a good idea of what I need to change and how I want to do it.

2. I have accepted the idea that I need to make permanent changes in my lifestyle to lose weight and keep it off permanently.

3. I will feel successful only if reach my weight loss goal.

4. I know that it took time to gain weight, and I believe it is best to try to lose the weight slowly.

5. I am working on weight loss now because I really want to, not because someone else thinks I should.

6. If I can manage to lose the weight, I think many other problems in my life will be solved.

7. I am willing and able to do a significant amount of physical activity on a daily basis, including planned exercise.

8. I can lose weight successfully with no slip-ups.

9. I am ready, willing, and able to spend enough time each day planning and tracking my food intake and exercise activities.

10. If my weight loss slows down or stalls out, I usually lose my motivation and stop my program.

11. When I am having problems sticking to my plan, I usually get on the message boards or the phone and talk about it with other people.

12. I have many stressful situations in my life right now, but I’m determined to be successful at weight loss.

Scoring the Quiz

Look at your answers to questions 1,2,4,5,7, 9 and 11, and give yourself 1 point for every True answer, and 0 for every False. For questions 3,6,8,10 and 12, give yourself 1 point for every False answer, and 0 for every True. Add your total points up to get your score.

A high score (7-12 points) shows that your expectations about weight loss are more realistic, and you are more likely to reach your goal.

Each question you scored a zero for represents a misconception or unrealistic expectation that might be adding unnecessary stress to your weight loss efforts.

For example, a zero on Question 11 (you don’t talk to others when you have trouble sticking to your plan) may indicate that you tend to keep problems to yourself, which can add even more stress to the difficulties you are already having.

Scoring zero on Question 8 (believing you can lose weight successfully without slipping up) may mean that you are unrealistically expecting perfection. Slip-ups are inevitable, but they also help you learn from your experience. Expecting to be perfect creates more stress when things don’t turn out as desired. Plus, you will learn less about what does and does not work for you in different circumstances.

Likewise, a zero on Question 12 (determination for weight loss despite high stress in other areas of your life) may indicate that you don’t fully appreciate the difficulties of trying to lose weight, or the importance of modifying your weight loss expectations when other aspects of life become difficult. Sometimes, just holding your own and not gaining (or regaining) weight is a very significant accomplishment!

Finally, the most important concept—if you scored a 0 on Question 6 (believing that weight loss will solve many other problems in your life), you may be expecting more than weight loss can deliver, setting yourself up for problems both now and after you reach your goal.

At least two negative things can happen when you start looking at weight loss as the “magic” solution to everything. First, this puts an awful lot of pressure on the daily ups and downs of your weight loss journey. Every slip-up or bad day, every weight plateau, becomes magnified in importance because, in your head, it is linked to so many other important things. You can imagine how much extra stress you generate if going over your calorie budget or skipping an exercise session has come to mean that the career or the relationship you want is that much further away.

Second, the belief that you have to lose weight before you can start living the life you want only keeps you from creating that life right now.

When healthy eating and exercise are just a small part of what you do to care for yourself, you’ll likely decrease stress and progress towards your weight loss goal. A big part of making a successful lifestyle change is putting your weight in meaningful perspective—and you can start doing that right now!

Edited April 2, 2008 by janiebug

[Teachlady 3]

Broccoli slims you down!

And so do other fiber-rich foods like berries, apples, green Beans and stone-ground whole wheat. They make you feel full, so you take in fewer calories. And Fiber may even prevent some of the fat you eat from being absorbed by your body.

Lean Protein ignites your metabolism!

Every time you eat 4 oz. of salmon, chicken, turkey--even lean red meat--you ignite your metabolism, causing your body to melt fat faster.

Low-fat dairy whittles your middle!

Swapping two glasses of whole milk for low or non-fat milk will save you 135 calories a day. You can cut 13 pounds a year just by doing that! Lose even more by switching to low-fat yogurt and cheese for full-fat versions.

Tea gives you a boost!

Drinking green tea can raise your metabolism by up to 4%, making your body burn extra calories.

[janiebug 0]

I thought this was kind of interesting! Sorry I was late!!

Don’t Be Left in the Dark

When you go out to dinner, sit in a well-lit part of the restaurant. That’s because when you’re eating in a well-lit area, you’re more likely to consume fewer calories. You are more self conscious and feel others can see what you’re eating, so you’re likely to curb your appetite accordingly. In a dim corner of the room… well, anything goes.

[Teachlady 3]

The Rules of chocolate

1. If you've got melted chocolate all over your hands, you're eating it too slowly.

2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices and strawberries all count as fruit, so eat as many as you want.

3. The problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car. The solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

4. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before each meal. It'll take the edge off your appetite and you'll eat less.

5. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights, and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

6. If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate, is that a balanced diet? Don't they actually counteract each other?

7. Money talks. Chocolate sings.

8. Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger.

9. Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your list of things to do today. That way, at least you'll get one thing done.

10. A nice box of chocolates can provide your total daily intake of calories in one place. Isn't that handy?

11. If you can't eat all your chocolate, it will keep in the freezer. But if you can't eat all your chocolate, what's wrong with you?

[janiebug 0]

LOVE LOVE LOVE THE CHOCOLATE TIPS JUDY!!!!!!

[Teachlady 3]

BATHROOM scale DIET TRICKS

1. Weigh yourself fully clothed after dinner and again the next morning without clothes and before Breakfast, because it's nice to see how much weight you've lost overnight!

2. Never weigh yourself with wet hair.

3. When weighing, remove everything, including eyeglasses. In this case, blurred vision is an asset. Don't forget to remove jewelry as it could weigh as much as a pound!

4. Buy only cheap scales, never the medical kind. Accuracy is the enemy and high quality scales are very accurate.

5. Always go to the bathroom first.

6. Weigh yourself after a haircut, this is good for up to half a pound of hair (hopefully).

7. Exhale with all your might BEFORE stepping onto the scale. (Air has weight, right?)

8. Start out with just one foot on the scale, then holding onto a towel rod slowly edge your other foot onto the scale while slowly releasing the towel rod. Admittedly, this takes time, but it's worth it. You will weigh at least two pounds less than if you'd stepped onto the scale normally.

:tongue_smilie::tt2:

[TerriDoodle 6]

Hey #8 is a new one!! I'll have to try that!! Thanks, Judy!! I'll be solidly in the 170's then!!

[TerriDoodle 6]

Our systems all want to adapt and grow, and want to stay the same. That's why, when we try to make too aggressive changes, our system tries to maintain the status quo by swinging in the opposite direction. This is one of the reasons, for instance, why strict diets don't work. Telling yourself never to let chocolate pass your lips brings on an instantaneous intense desire for ten pounds of chocolate as your system struggles to keep the comfort of the way it's always been. That's where "one day at a time" comes in. It's gentle enough not to kick in the "man the battle stations, something big is trying to force us into being different" part of ourselves. But it does move us into action. We're not just sitting around doing nothing. We're doing it—today. However, one day at a time is not an excuse to do it once and then forget it. It requires us signing on again the next day. And then the next.

-- M.J. Ryan

Professional Thinking Partners

www.mj-ryan.com

[Teachlady 3]

Calories that Don't Count

The following food and situations have no calories to speak of ...

OTHER PEOPLE'S FOOD: A chocolate mousse that you did not order has no calories. Therefore, have your companion order dessert and you taste half of it.

INGREDIENTS IN COOKING: chocolate chips are fattening, about 50 calories a tablespoon. So are chocolate chip cookies! However, chocolate chips eaten while making chocolate chip Cookies have no calories whatsoever. Therefore make chocolate chip Cookies often but don't eat them.

FOOD ON FOOT: All food eaten while standing has no calories. Exactly why is not clear, but the current theory relates to gravity. The calories apparently bypass the stomach flowing directly down the legs and through the soles of the feet into the floor, like electricity. Walking seems to accelerate this process, so that a frozen custard or hot dog eaten at a carnival actually has a calorie deficit.

CHILDREN'S FOOD: Anything produced, purchased or intended for minors is calorie-free when eaten by adults. This category covers a wide range, beginning with a spoonful of baby tapioca -- consumed for demonstration purposes -- up to and including cookies baked and sent to college.

UNEVEN EDGES: Pies and cakes should be cut neatly, in even wedges or slices. If not, the responsibility falls on the person putting them away to "straighten up the edges" by slicing away the offending irregularities, which have no calories when eaten. If pie or cake is neatly cut, but the remainder is not easily divisible into equal servings, it's also permissible to even things up ... without calorie consequence.

TV FOOD: Anything eaten in front of the TV has no calories. This may have something to do with radiation leakage, which negates not only the calories in the food but also all recollection of having eaten it. Entire no-calorie dinners are now manufactured and frozen for this purpose.

FOOD THAT DOESN'T TASTE GOOD: doesn't count. This is an enormous category covering a diverse range including airline food, cafeteria meals, and dinner at your sister-in-law's. Also dinners manufactured to be eaten in front of the TV.

ANYTHING SMALLER THAN ONE INCH: contains no calories to speak of. For example: chocolate kisses, maraschino cherries, cubes of cheese.

LEFT-HANDED FOOD: If you have a drink in your right hand, anything eaten with the other hand has no calories. Several principles are at work here. First of all, you're probably standing up at a cocktail party (see "Food on Foot"). Then there's the electronic field: a wet glass in one hand forms a negative charge to reverse the polarity of the calories attracted to the other hand. I'm not exactly sure how it works, but it's reversible if you're left-handed.

CHARITABLE FOODS: Girl Guide cookies, bake sale cookies, ice cream socials and church strawberry festivals all have a religious dispensation from calories. It's in the Bible.

CAKES WITH WRITING ON THEM: Primarily fat, starch and sugar, all cakes are horrendously fattening. However, the calories can be eliminated simply by inscribing "Happy Birthday, Charlie" or "Good Luck, Alice" in colored icing. Not only is it unnecessary to decline, it's impolite.

FOOD ON TOOTHPICKS: Sausages, cocktail franks, cheese and the like are all fattening unless impaled on frilled toothpicks. The insertion of a sharp object allows the calories to leak out the bottom.

LEFTOVERS: An extra pork chop, the crust of bread, half a Twinkie, anything intended for the garbage has no calories regardless of what happens to it in the kitchen.

FOOD EATEN QUICKLY: If you are rushed through a meal, the entire meal doesn't count. Conversely, if you have ordered something fattening and now regret it, you can minimize its calories by gulping it down.

CUSTOM MADE FOOD: Anything somebody made "just for you" must be eaten regardless of the calories because to do otherwise would be uncaring and insensitive. Your kind intentions will not go unrewarded. (See "Charitable Foods.")

[Teachlady 3]

It's Sunday again... Am I the only one doing these tips?? Does anyone still read them????

A Great Diet Tip

A great way to lose weight is to eat while you are naked and standing in front of a mirror. Restaurants will almost always throw you out before you can eat too much.