I remember a time in college when my roommates made cookies with egg substitute, artificial sweetener and butter substitute. The cookies shared the texture of hockey pucks…and the taste, too. Even though these cookies had fewer calories than their more traditional counterparts, they also lacked one important ingredient – enjoyment. We are all different and share different tastes and interests.…
In a previous blog I wrote about motivation and I have to admit that I’ve been thinking about this topic a lot lately. In particular, I feel like we tend to be too hard on ourselves when we aren’t feeling motivated. As I was cleaning up after dinner last night and doing dishes I started thinking, do I ever feel…
One of the top questions we receive as a weight-loss organization is, “How do I get motivated?” This is difficult to answer because the definition of motivation is different for everyone. One person may be pushed by numbers such as scale readings, blood pressure or cholesterol. Others may be more encouraged by praise from friends and family. Inevitably, the follow…
So many times I find myself saying, “I can’t believe it’s already (enter current month name here).” Time flies, and it seems to go especially fast in the summer months as we try to balance work, summer activities and making time for healthy habits. We’re more than halfway through the year and it’s a great time to check in with…
Have you ever said or thought either of the following? “I was bad this weekend—I ate way too much chocolate.” “I’ve been really good—I haven’t touched any bread in three days.” We’re familiar with asking a waiter to hold the dressing. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could ask him or her to hold the guilt, too? After all, when…
Stop and think about the word “if” for a second. What may seem like two harmless little letters can lead to infinite possibility…or endless self-doubt. As we navigate our weight-loss journey, it can be easy to let “if” perpetuate the latter. “What if I can’t do it?” “What if everyone looks at me?” “What if I fail?” We can essentially…
The other day, when I was walking out the door for a workout class, my brain decided to try and trip me. “We haven’t gone in forever—it’s going to hurt so bad!” “Eh, we can go tomorrow.” “You know, there are a lot of shows we could be catching up with on TV.” The same thing happened a few days…
Do you remember what it was like when you were a child and someone told you that you couldn’t do something? If you were anything like me as a kid, this made you want to do whatever that thing may have been ten times more. This is how I feel about putting certain foods off limits; the minute I tell…
Change of shoes for the gym – check. Extra layer of gym clothes – check. Ice scraper for car – check. Extra driving time to account for slippery road conditions – check. Motivation to actually go to the gym – check (sort of). Who knew working out in the winter could be so much…well, work? Here in Wisconsin, winter can…