No eating after 4 PM - Is it feasible?

For the past few days I've been trying out a new eating schedule so that I don't eat after 4 PM. Previously I was trying to limit my calories to 1500 daily, but was finding that mid-mornings and mid-afternoons I was getting sluggish and shaky.


Since ending my eating at 4, I have been eating more earlier in the day.  The plus has been a spike in energy during the day, no more sluggishness and shakiness, and (amazingly) more energy in the evening.  The negative has been that I am no longer able to eat when my family eats at dinner.


Has anyone else tried this kind of eating schedule? Has it worked on a long-term basis? What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear ideas! 

Goal Met

After one year of blogging, I am exciting to announce that I met my goal at the end of November. I want to thank everyone who read and subscribed. Having an audience is what kept me going. The comments and emails were so encouraging. I appreciate all of you! 


I am not currently writing blog entries for My Daily Avocado, but I may repost or write new ones in the future. So what am I doing? I am starting a new goal, this one not as public. I am in the midst of writing a young adult novel. It is going well so far, and I hope to finish by the end of 2011.


Again thank you all so much for your support! You'll hear from me again in the future. Meanwhile, stay healthy!


Kimberly

Shop Till You Eat

I recently went to the mall with my mom and my two kids. Have I ever mentioned that I hate to shop? (Almost unnatural for a woman, I know.) What’s there not to like about crowded parking lots, congested walkways, long lines, fussy kids, and loud store music? Maybe I am not normal to avoid these things, but after spending the day at the mall I found that I really enjoyed myself. Surprisingly.

The kids had fun, which results in me having fun too. Among the talking dogs, Christmas decorations (yes, they’re up!), escalators, and carousel ride, my kids enjoyed themselves.

But they did get hungry. Have you ever tried to find nutritious food in a mall? We ended up at Jamba Juice and a pretzel shop. Not the best and not the worst, I suppose. The pretzel shop had no whole grain options, sadly. You would think nobody is interested in being healthy at a mall. Is that true? Do other people besides myself long to find nutritious food while they shop?

We’re nearing a very busy season for shopping. How many trips to the mall will we make over the next several weeks? Will we be able to avoid the fat, salt, and sugar of a food court menu?

The holidays present enough opportunities to over-indulge. We don’t need more opportunities for goodness’ sake! Next time I go the mall I think I’ll bring a granola bar and apples for my kids. Or maybe avoid the mall altogether!

Multi-tasking

I must be the world’s worst multi-tasker. Give me a job, I’ll do it. Give me another job while I’m doing my first job, and I’ll fluster about and fail miserably at both.

Dinner was supposed to be easy after my busy day, and it would have been if I hadn’t set myself up for failure by multi-tasking. Instead of waiting in the kitchen for the food to get hot enough to turn down to a simmer, I used the waiting time to put some laundry away. You probably can guess what happened—I burned the food.

Life as mom would be impossible if I didn’t multi-task some of the time, but when it comes to my children’s safety, I have to make sure I have no distractions. But distractions can come easily when you’re doing a mindless task.

So I have developed strategies to help keep me focused and pull me back to details I forget when I’m multi-tasking. For instance, one strategy is using a kitchen timer on even extremely basic tasks. If I had set the timer for 60 seconds while I was cooking the other night I would not have left it on high heat to be burned. Timers are a great help for those of us who are lousy at tackling two things at once.

Sticky notes is another help. Little reminders written and placed where they’re most needed can help stop me from making a mistake.

I don’t know if anyone else suffers from a one-track mind, but if you’re like me, you need these kinds of tips.

Visiting Temptations

My mom has been in town the past couple of weeks. She lives over 2000 miles away, so it’s a real treat for us all. The kids love having Nana around, especially because she’s apt to hand out gum rather liberally. I enjoy walking into the kitchen to find the dishes have been washed. The best, of course, is the long talks and the unparalleled attention for the kids.

There is, however, a drawback. Do you know how hard it is to maintain 1500 calories a day when your mom is in town? She wants to cook for you, take you out for coffee, and make cookies for your kids. Meanwhile you want to impress her with your fabulous cooking, which I might add isn’t always the low-fat kind. Ice cream is purchased because you can’t have a guest staying without some desserts around. And there is the must for any visitor to California—a trip to In-N-Out Burger.

The past few days have not been my best health-wise, but not my worst either. I am still trying, in spite of not making the 1500 mark. I suppose with Thanksgiving right around the corner that I am setting myself up for some weeks of no weightloss progress. But if there is one concept that I have tried to share this past year of blog-writing, it’s that you should try even when you fail. Keep trying. Going over the allotted calories will happen, especially at this time of year. Still, keep trying. It always pays in the end.

Garbage Day

Garbage Day at our house comes every Monday.  It’s not always easy to gather up all the trash late on a Sunday night.  Sometimes we forget, and other times we just don’t feel like it.  But one way or another, we manage to get it out there for the early morning pick-up.

It’s a good thing that garbage is collected mechanically these days because no doubt ours is nastiest smelling bin on the block.  From the dirty diapers to the old floor scraps dropped by sticky little fingers, it just plain stinks.  No wonder we manage to get the bin out there even when we don’t feel like it.

The recycle bin is much nicer.  It’s filled with things like rinsed-out jars and glossy junk mail.  Even the outward appearance is better.  Instead of the mucky-green color of the garbage bin, it’s a cool clean blue.  It stands with dignity and pride next to the less desirable garbage bin.  I can only imagine what kind taunts it would be making if it could talk.

I think my body is kind of like one of the bins.  Week after week I toss stuff inside, and what I eat manifests itself into a very desirable or very undesirable body accordingly.  Even the outward appearance is affected by what is inside.  Healthy and wholesome foods and drinking plenty of pure water produces a body of healthy dignity.  You can probably imagine what kinds of foods result in a stinky garbage bin for a body.

So the next time a triple-fried something-rather appeals, think garbage bin.  Do you really want a body like that?

Hiding the Exercise

The gym isn’t exactly the favorite place to go when you’re overweight and out of shape.  More likely you want to work out alone in a very dark room.  While that’s not a bad idea, a little courage might be in order too.

Going to a gym has many benefits.  Being around active people makes you work harder.  Exercise machinery is available that would usually be too expensive to own.  You can vary your workout with cardio and circuit, which helps to make a healthy heart, burns fat, and builds muscle.

Gyms also usually have classes you can take that will make exercise fun.  When you become a regular goer, it’s harder to miss because of the support of friends who check in on you.  Working out with others usually motivates us to intensify our moves and go for longer.

However.  Going to a gym or class can require courage.  It’s not easy to walk into a room full of fit people and approach a machine you have no idea how to use.  Learning the moves of an aerobics class can feel intimidating. 

The first time is always the hardest.  If you keep at it though, pretty soon you will be the gym expert and might have a chance to show someone else the ropes.  You might feel like you look funny or that you stand out, but what better place is there to be than where you can change all that? 

Whenever I see someone who looks out of shape working out at a gym, I feel a tremendous amount of admiration for that person.  I recognize the guts it takes to be there and the effort required to exercise.  Chances are that most of the fit people are thinking the same thing.  So don’t hide.  Only good things can come if you face your fear head-on.