My Best Friend

I know we all have that best friend that isn't the best influencer in our lives. These friends are always there for us when we need them, and for the most part they over look our faults while we over look theirs. Well, when it comes to my eating habits, carbs seem to be my best friend. Now, healthy living has at least two-parts: eating healthy and exercise. Balance between the two is an art that, for me will always be a work-in-progress. I find that when I work out, my best friend, carbs wants to hang out a lot more than usual! I am burning calories and my body is saying, 'Man, this is great! I feel great and I want to share this with my best friend!' But what I really need is protein, not such a great friend, but reliable and a little more stable than carbs.

Word to the wise: develop balance in work-out efforts and eating habits. Make friends with fruits, vegetables and proteins, otherwise you will struggle with carbs like I do!

Portion Size

Who says you can't eat a Smashburger with avocados and cheese? Or Smashfries (French fries with rosemary and olive oil)? I enjoyed the food slowly, ate what I needed and tossed the rest. Wasteful? Maybe, but I decided that it's better to train myself to let food go, then to keep this crazy idea that I have to finish what is on my plate, alive. That was a trick my parents used to make sure I was eating enough when I was younger and needed the calories. I am now a grown woman with a different activity level and metabolism, I can't just eat everything on my plate all the time because my parents are not feeding me anymore!  Eat slow, enjoy your craving and toss the rest. Get over this 'I have to eat it all' mentality and take a little more control over your eating habits.

Sweet Tooth

Why is it when I sit down to eat I have to remind myself that dessert comes after dinner? Lately I find myself second guessing what I'd rather eat: a home-made fresh chicken salad, or Chili's chocolate molten cake! I remind myself that wanting dessert for dinner and forgoing dinner altogether isn’t healthy, but do more normal people still struggle with the same kind of meal juxtaposition?

To help my sweet cravings I went to Costco and stocked up on Fuji apples, bananas and this frozen tropical blend of fruit for my breakfast shakes. The directed attention to my cravings has helped, but I still dream in cup cakes and lollipops sometimes...

Model-what?

Wouldn't it be nice to just have a model's body? Even just for a day? Today, as I was cleaning up my office I found my old VS magazine and decided as a motivational tactic for myself I would pin a few pictures up on my fridge. I'm hoping this will help me make better eating choices when I go out, so the next time I go for a swim, I can feel like I'm modeling my bathing suit...and not the last meal I ate.

Family BBQs

There is just something magical at family BBQs that makes the food taste even better. Is it the tried and true way mom makes her baked beans? The rectangle-hand-sliced cheese that dad puts on the burgers? Maybe because it's the one place I can be as picky as I want to be, and not feel bad. Well, whatever the appeal is, I am so thankful that I have my family around so we can do these get-togethers every once in a while.