We've had a lot of "heavy thinking" homework lately, so today's is pretty quick and simple. Your homework is to complete the following statement:

In regard to my (healthy eating/weight loss) journey:
1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is __________.

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is _______________.

My homework:

In regard to my journey:
1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is not only going from exercising twice a week to six times a week over the past year, but establishing the habit of exercising in the morning. It has helped me so much and, while I grumbled a lot about both parts of that behavior while I was establishing the habits, I am so incredibly thankful I did that work!

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is to try at least one or two new meals. I am stuck in my routine too much and keep eating the same foods and dishes. I also tend to be resistant to cooking from recipes. But it's become clear to me that I MUST introduce new meals into my routine to avoid monotony.

One behavior I am proud of accomplishing is being able to take food home from restaurants.

One behavior I'd really like to change is to learn that half portions of certain foods (cough...cheesecake...cough) are just as satisfying and not nearly as detrimental to the diet.

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Originally posted by Angie:
Would it be _too_ baby-step to say my goal is to do 10 crunches every day???
Angie

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Angie,
Congrats on kicking the soda thing...one thing I'm happy to have accomplished too and I know how hard it can be to get done. In terms of 10 crunches being too little, I don't think anyone on this board would argue that every baby step, however small, is a victory so make them as doable as you can and GO FOR IT! Good luck!

Peg

1. OK, a behavior that I'm proud of. I've cut my pop consumption to almost nothing. I used to drink a LOT of pop, and I can't help but think that even diet pop can't be really good for you. I still drink pop occasionally, but it's rare, and when I do, it's more of a conscious decision rather than just grabbing a can and going with it.

Something to work on...man, there are SO many things there I don't know which one to list as the main one! Wait, no, yes I think I do. I REALLY need to work exercise into my day. I can "in a few minutes" or "after while" the day completely into oblivion. Would it be too baby-step to say my goal is to do 10 crunches every day???

Angie

1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is drinking lots of water. While I have never been big into sodas, my beverage of preference now is always water. Some of my friends when they offer me soda, sometimes ask me twice...disbelieving that I could be satisfied with water.

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is to turn to an alternative instead of bingeing when I do binge. I think I'm going to try to listen to some relaxing ocean music. I had some interest in learning to make beaded necklaces a while back I may try that..

My one behavior I am glad about is learning to eat a more varied diet with lots of veggies and fruit. What I am working on now is portion control with higher calorie items.


The one behavior I want to accomplish is not eating everything on my plate at restaurants. I managed to do it tonight! We ate out and I didn't devour all the chips. Also ordered the petite steak instead of the larger one. Had a salad. Did splurge on dessert (had 5 bites and shared with my husband--even left dessert over). Leaving food on my plate is another challange that will fit in with this. I am very proud of what I did. I plan to reward myself with a non food treat ... a manicure/pedicure or massage.

on the right track!

1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is throwing out anything tempting that was in the cupboards and losing 30 pounds because of it.

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is to stop snacking at night.

1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is I conquered stress eating today!!! I knew it was going to be one of those days, I planned one stress meal (breakfast) and then moved on. I stayed on plan the rest of the day. This is a huge step for me.

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is to get moving again. I've been using my injured arm as an excuse, but I've got to sart walking this week.

Laurie

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Originally posted by SheriaVa:
A couple of reasons are primary:
1. First, I am a picky eater.
That's different now to some extent because, while I may still not have as wide a repertoire of dishes or as much cooking experience as most women, what I do cook, I cook quite well.

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I can see why that would be difficult. I think this board would be a great resource for you if you still find yourself stuck with a question like that. I know you've mentioned before that you are now eating things you never used to so I'm sure the more you do that, the easier this gets. I bet your tastes have changed a lot in the last year.

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2. Second, I cook for one, so using a recipe requires math before I can even get started. Being a math hater, that just gave me another reason to hate cooking from a recipe. Sure, I could cook the whole recipe and freeze the rest, but I found that it would usually go to waste because I hated leftovers.

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I'm single too and not a big leftover fan so I can totally relate. You obviously are comfortable on the computer so it might be worth it for you to pick up some recipe software that will help with the conversions. I'm sure mastercook does that but I don't have that package to tell you for sure. Also, some online sites allow you to customize for their recipes(allrecipes.com comes to mind). Also, I think that sometimes people get bogged down a little too much in the math...if you want to just eyeball a half full 1/3 measuring cup that is generally close enough (unless you are baking or being very meticulous about nutrition counts).

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3. Third, I crave simplicity and there is a limited amount of time I'm willing to be on my feet. When I get home after 2 1/2 hours at the gym, running errands and grocery shopping, I'm really not up for standing another 2 hours in kitchen. I want food, and I want it to be quick and easy to prepare.

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I think this is really a matter of planning a new recipe on a day when you have fewer errands or whatever and choosing a recipe that is new but not necessarily long/complicated/etc. Also think about some of the tips KD gives about prepping ahead. Like chopping extra the night before.

Set your timer for 15 min sometime soon, pick up one cookbook you have tagged(this is a mistake I make all the time...I start digging through 15 sources for one meal) and pick a recipe for next week and jot down any other ingredients you might need to add to your grocery list. And have fun with this...I bet if you approach it that way, you can't help but succeed!

Hope there's a nugget in all that for you.

Peg

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Originally posted by p7eggyc:
Do you have an idea of why you are resistant?

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A couple of reasons are primary:
1. First, I am a picky eater. When I was younger, I got sick of trying to use cookbooks because 95% of recipes included foods I didn't like. Having never been taught to cook, it was hard for me to know what was crucial to the recipe and what wasn't (to know whether it was okay to exclude the item) and what I could substitute for what (if the item was too crucial to exclude).

That's different now to some extent because, while I may still not have as wide a repertoire of dishes or as much cooking experience as most women, what I do cook, I cook quite well.

2. Second, I cook for one, so using a recipe requires math before I can even get started. Being a math hater, that just gave me another reason to hate cooking from a recipe. Sure, I could cook the whole recipe and freeze the rest, but I found that it would usually go to waste because I hated leftovers.

3. Third, I crave simplicity and there is a limited amount of time I'm willing to be on my feet. When I get home after 2 1/2 hours at the gym, running errands and grocery shopping, I'm really not up for standing another 2 hours in kitchen. I want food, and I want it to be quick and easy to prepare.

Does this mean I never cook from a recipe? No. But I'm pretty picky about what recipes I will try. For example, if it has more than 8-10 ingredients, it's almost automatically out.

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Of course, KD's recipes are great so if you haven't dug around in those books lately, that would be a good idea too.

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I own a shelf-full of cookbooks, including both of KD's. They all have pretty little tape tags in them, marking the recipes I thought looked good and that were doable for me. How many of them have I actually cooked? Maybe 1%.

I'm a creature of habit. I just don't THINK about using a cookbook because it's not in my routine. Which is why I need to break out of my routine.

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Originally posted by shawnadammit:
2. I would like to get the third bedroom put together so that I can do some excercised videos, in addition to the walking. I love walking, but these abs need help!

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You might want to check out this book: ShapeWalking
It is a walking program with added exercise pieces for abs and other trouble spots including some weight training. No video required and didn't look like it would take much room either. I borrowed it from my library but will probably purchase a copy for myself soon.

Peg

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Originally posted by SheriaVa:


2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is to try at least one or two new meals. I am stuck in my routine too much and keep eating the same foods and dishes. I also tend to be resistant to cooking from recipes. But it's become clear to me that I MUST introduce new meals into my routine to avoid monotony.

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Peg had good suggestions where this was concerned. My other thought is that you could do what I do. Generally, I will follow a recipe verbatum the first time I make it. Then if it is something I really really like, I stick to the recipe. Other times I say "I would like it with more of this, less of that, I can cut fat here, sugar there, etc." That makes me feel more creative, and I can tailor recipes to my family's taste.

Dawn

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Originally posted by SheriaVa:
I also tend to be resistant to cooking from recipes. But it's become clear to me that I MUST introduce new meals into my routine to avoid monotony.

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Sheri,
I have found that most of my friends that haven't learned/don't like/think they can't cook also don't follow recipes. It's always a bit of a mystery to me because even though I consider myself a pretty good cook I do follow a recipe almost always. If you could overcome some of this, I think it would be easier for you to cook in general and as you practice more and more, you'll find you can tell by just reading a recipe whether it seems like you'll like it and if it'll come out. Do you have an idea of why you are resistant?

I encourage you to look at the site I posted yesterday about 20 minute meals and pick one out and give it a whirl. They all seemed very straightforward. Alternately, Reiman Publications does a Light and Healthy magazine (they are the publishers of Quick Cooking and Taste of Home which also have some health concious recipes in every issue but not too many) and I have found their recipes to be very reliable, they don't assume too much about your cooking knowledge and they are usually very easy. You can pick up an individual issue at the newstand usually (like at B&N) or it might even be on your library's shelf. Of course, KD's recipes are great so if you haven't dug around in those books lately, that would be a good idea too. One last suggestion is to go to the library and pick up a couple of cookbooks and browse through them. No investment and you can try a new recipe. I do this alll the time even though I already own a ton of cookbooks.

Oh, ok one more idea. Write a post about some of your favorite ingredients that you are eating all the time and let us all post some of our tried and true recipes for you to try.

Good luck...can't wait to hear what you try out!

Peg

One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is giving up sugared soda completely. I had babystepped this one for a loooong time but seem to have totally kicked the habit.

One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is walking when I don't have anyone else to walk with especially at least a couple mornings a week. My walking buddy is moving and I've found someone else to walk with me 2 mornings per week but I need to be willing to get up and get it done alone too.

Peg

In regard to my (healthy eating/weight loss) journey:
1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is journaling my habits and food and sticking to the plan.
2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is getting to exercise every day that is scheduled.

My home work is to:
1. Keep journaling, I am going to start adding feelings and emotions, as I have noticed that I am craving sweets more when I am stressed or depressed. I am thinking there is a pattern to this trend and want to see if I can find it and make it work for me.

2. I have to make those exercise dates with Cathy for swimming...no more excuses. The kids are out of school, I am up early to get my oldest son from work, I will leave right after I drop him off, rather than coming in a putzing for a half hour, maybe I could get some walking in while I am waiting for the pool to open. Then I am going to make a standing (walking) date with Chip and Cobi and really make sure they get their walk in during the day! Maybe the bike path!

1. I am proud that I have been walking nearly every day, eating more fruits and veggies, and steadily losing a few lbs.

2. I would like to get the third bedroom put together so that I can do some excercised videos, in addition to the walking. I love walking, but these abs need help!

1. In the past year I have cut out the caffine in my diet... (except for those mini daily doses of chocolate)

2. This is a selfish one.. more "me" time. I am going to go walk on the beach (by myself) atleast 3 times a week!!!!! told ya it was selfish.

I am proud of sticking to 20 miles a week and coming back to weights 3 times per week.

I want to improve in the area of snacking. This means to eat my snacks and stay away from extra bites of dd's lunch and snacks. Always an issue...

1. One behavior that I am proud of accomplishing is actually enjoying exercise.

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month is making better choices when we are eating out.

1. One thing I am proud of accomplishing is that I have drastically cut the amount of Sodas I was drinking (down from 1-2 a day to maybe 3 a week.)

2. One behavior that I would like to challenge myself to improve in the next month, is to increase my exercise from a couple of times a week to 4 times a week.

Dawn