by Lucy | Nov 2, 2017 | Transformation Tuesday
I joined Well Balanced Nutrition because I had gained weight and my clothes were not fitting. I wanted to lose weight and get back to my weight from a year ago. I am a very self-conscious person and always compared my body to other people and was not happy with who I was.
I started doing one-on-one appointments with Lucy and she is amazing. Lucy listens to you and the goals you want to accomplish and helps you get on track. She explained to me how the well-balanced plate works and helped me eat more healthy foods, while still enjoying the foods I love.
I have a dog and he loves to go on walks and I always found an excuse to not be able to go on walks and Lucy told me about the 5-4-3-2-1 (The 5-second rule). Since implementing the 5-Second Rule, I take my dog on walks – he loves it – and it keeps me active and moving as well.
It has been an amazing journey for me, I have made progress since meeting Lucy. I eat more vegetables too. Before, I didn’t eat many vegetables and wasn’t up for trying new things either. Now, I portion my food and I am trying new things, such as recipes from Skinny Taste Cookbook. I am still a picky eater but much less than before. I go on walks with my dog and I have joined the gym and go 3 days per week, which that is a big milestone for me.
I have also learned to love myself and my body more. I’ve stopped comparing my body to others. We are all different, we do not know what other people are doing to maintain how they look or how long it has taken them.
We each have a different journey we embark on to get where we want to be.
For me, I found that I want to be and feel comfortable with the clothes I wear. Compared to where I was a year ago, I feel comfortable where I am right now, I feel confident. Also, I found something that I like to do which is donate blood and platelets and you must maintain a certain weight to donate.
Thanks to Lucy, I have been able to stay on track and know what to do if I get sidetracked from my goals. She has been amazing in helping me find what works for me and what doesn’t. She also helps me figure out what to change when I feel stuck and want to give up. I have learned how to eat the things I love while still maintaining a well-balanced style. For me keeping a routine works best and helps me stay on track with my weight. Well-Balanced Nutrition is just the best.
Let us know how we can help get you unstuck! Click here to get started today.
by Lucy | Oct 25, 2017 | Motivational Mondays
You know that empty feeling after you eat? The times you think, “that was so unsatisfying.” What if there is a different way to get the most nutrition and enjoyment from your food.
A client, who we will call Eric, was recently diagnosed with melanoma stage III. Eric is a young and otherwise healthy guy who typically eats a plant-based diet. He admitted to regularly eating a bowl of sugary cereal and milk at the end of the day for many years but with the diagnosis he a made the decision to cut out those foods. Eric is especially sensitive to sugar and has become choosier about what sweets he will eat. In the beginning, after the diagnosis, Eric was very fearful of food. He questioned what foods prevent a recurrence of cancer and what he should avoid.
It’s not what you’re eating, it’s how you’re eating it
Eric told me he was visiting a retired gentleman who offered him a Hershey kiss. Eric politely accepted this treat with the intention of getting rid of it later, at which point the gentleman said, “while you’re having one, I’ll eat one too.” In order not to offend his friend, he decided to join him in eating the chocolate.
I asked Eric what he’s learned since easing up on his sugar and carbohydrate restriction over the past two months. Eric thought for a moment and said he realized he needs to put less emphasis on what he is eating and more emphasis on how he is eating. This literally stopped me in my tracks. In a previous conversation, I had briefly mentioned mindful eating to Eric, but didn’t go into much detail. That’s why I was so impressed at how he came to this decision. Eric noticed after eating a meal while being distracted with computer work or in a meeting it did not feel as nourishing as those he savored and enjoyed more mindfully. For him, that means taking time to eat without distractions. Slowing down to savor the look, taste, smell, and textures of the foods.
The food and cancer conversation is highly controversial and there is a lot of conflicting science-based evidence out there. At Well-balanced Nutrition, we encourage people to embrace natural food, such as those items that are clearly coming from the farm, orchard or mother nature. I still have not come across an Oreo bush or pizza tree. When reading a food label, I don’t often look at the numbers. I want to know the ingredients. What is in the food?
Eric recognizes when he eats more slowly and enjoys the meal mindfully it feels more satisfying and enjoyable. He decided to take this a step further and plan for future meals. For instance, when thinking about Thanksgiving, he plans to take more time during that meal to savor the smell, taste, and appearance of the special holiday dishes. He plans on taking regular breaks throughout the meal – putting the fork down and enjoy the moment.
Here are 4 ways to start practicing
- Spend time considering the foods that are #WorthIt beforehand to make a mindful decision each time you eat
- Before shared meals and holidays imagine the event and sitting at the table
- Spend time savoring the meal (the look, taste, textures, smell, etc.)
- Stop during the meal – perhaps consciously putting the fork down in between bites – to slow the pace of how you eat
Food for thought:
We know making healthy food choices is important for reaching our health and wellness goals. When I’m being mindful and tuning in with what I really need, I tend to avoid the less nourishing options because I know they won’t make me feel better. How can you include a mindful technique to get more from your meals?
Let us know how we can help you on the journey! Contact us to get started today.
by Lucy | Oct 22, 2017 | Well Balanced Wisdom
What stresses you out? Is it traffic? Your to-do list that seems to be never-ending? Your kid’s messy room?
Your project deadlines at work? Money concerns? Whatever it is, the American Heart Association has a brilliant tool for letting go of your stress.
The scream booth is a stress reliever tool that first made an appearance on the streets of Austin, Texas and is now in the exhibition hall of the 100th Food and Nutrition Conference and Expo (FNCE) in Chicago, IL. The video below was posted on the American Heart Association – Austin facebook page and gives you a preview of what it’s like inside. Once you press start the screen asks you what stresses you out. It hears what you say, and the words appear on the screen. The words will only go away once you scream. Take it from me, it was very therapeutic – and at the time I didn’t have any real stress.
Excessive stress can contribute to hypertension, irritable bowel syndrome, and more. This activity reminds us all that we need to work out our frustrations in a harmless way, so the weight of our stress does not start to impact our health and well-being negatively. When you don’t have a scream booth out your backyard, what are you to do? Here are some other healthy ways of coping with stress.
- Screaming into a pillow
- Taking a nature walk
- Attending your favorite group exercise class
- Talking with a trusted friend or family member
- Journaling
- Coloring or creating art
- Meditation or deep breathing exercises
What are your favorite ways to cope with stress?
by Lucy | Oct 15, 2017 | Uncategorized
Imagine getting a call and learning that you have the opportunity to sit down with Oprah for an interview. Would you be nervous and awestruck? Would you try to play it cool? When Brene Brown, author and researcher, had this very experience she went through all those emotions. Before she went on the show, she found a pen and a post-it note, then jotted down a permission slip for herself that allowed her to be present in the moment, to enjoy it no matter how uncool she might look when she got excited and giddy. Brene apparently uses this technique often. I think it’s brilliant!
The other weekend I had an opportunity to either spend time with my family just relaxing, or get caught up on laundry and all the other chores. I felt the pull to get things on the to-do list checked off as usual, but I also knew the importance of unwinding with my family on a Sunday. Inspired by Brene’s written permission slip method, I got out a scrap piece of paper. On it, I wrote, “You have permission to relax and enjoy the day. Your to-do list can wait.”
That was powerful. The act of writing it down helped me let go of the ambivalence I was experiencing in my head. I went on to enjoy my Sunday as I should… relaxing with my family.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
Lucy and I give you permission to take good care of yourselves or to keep it simple, but sometimes only you will know what you need. So for what can you write yourself a permission slip? To enjoy a food you’ve been craving without guilt? To politely pass on a social opportunity that would make you fall off your current eating plan? Or maybe it’s permission to rest because your body is begging for a day off from your workouts.
Permission slips aren’t excuses; they are a way of silencing that inner critic who is always telling you that you aren’t enough and they are great for those moments when feel a battle going on inside your head. Permission slips help you honor your needs, be your own best friend, and solve the doubts in your mind.
by Lucy | Sep 18, 2017 | Motivational Mondays
Monday, Sept 18, 2017
I just don’t do this often but I’m putting my foot down. There will be no more self-afflicted food shaming.
As Kristen eloquently states in her blog post, Why Well-Balanced Eating is NOT fail proof,
“Well-balanced eating (and well-balanced living for that matter) is not fail-proof because at the end of the day no matter what plan we decide to follow we are only human and this is real life.
Too often we expect the journey to be picture perfect and we don’t plan for the struggles. It doesn’t matter the number of mistakes, slips, failures – no matter what you call them – that you have, it’s how you embrace them and what you do next that matters the most. Lucy and I like to call them LESSONS because there is always something you can learn or a way you can grow from something not going the way you hoped. We can get a lot further if we embrace the struggle, have compassion for ourselves and never let our setbacks define us.”
Here to help (not judge)
Last week, I got to see a client who decided to enjoy free queso day at Moe’s Southwest Grill. She returned to her office just before our meeting and promptly said, “don’t judge me!”
I want to let everyone know, Kristen and I are not judging you. In fact, our goal is to support and encourage you, which we could not do if we were busy judging the people we want to help. Eat the queso! Just try do it mindfully.
On other occasions, people say “I shouldn’t have eaten…” which is personal food shaming for the decision made in the moment. We know from the article on, HALT that people tend to make the least healthy decisions when they are hungry, angry/frustrated, lonely, tired, or sometimes bored. If that’s the case, doesn’t it make sense to set ourselves up for success? Instead of spending time and energy thinking about what I “shouldn’t have done,” it will serve us better to learn the lesson and think about how to set up for success in the future.
For example, if I find myself eating the free food in the breakroom all morning because I didn’t eat breakfast, now I know I need to prioritize finding quick, convenient, and well-balanced breakfast options. Or if you notice you feel bad each time you eat out for lunch, it’s time to focus on bringing homemade meals to eat at lunch.
Food for thought:
Eating is supposed to feel good! Not only is it yummy, there is also a dopamine release creating a pleasurable experience to encourage us to keep eating regular meals and snacks. When eating is combined with shame, instead of feeling good we feel terrible.
This week take a moment to notice that little voice that says “shouldn’t.” How can you rephrase that into what you want or what will feel good? What lessons have you learned to help you make better choices?
