Negative Nelly – Weekly Weigh In

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“Hi!  My name is Jennifer and I am a Negative Nelly.”

“Hi, Jennifer!” the group responds.

“I am a Negative Nelly but YOU will NEVER know that.  You know why?!?  Because I won’t be negative to you.  I am only negative to myself!”

“If you need a friend, I am here for you.”

“If you are struggling, I will lift you up!”

“If you need motivation, I will motivate you and give you words of encouragement!”

“However, if I fail, I will beat myself up and say bad things to myself.”

Does this sound familiar?

Tonight’s meeting topic was all about self talk.

I walked into my Weight Watchers meeting with a pretty negative self talk going on in my head.  I knew I had gained weight this week (I weigh every Monday morning at my scale at home) and I was not happy about it.  I wasn’t surprised but I still wasn’t happy.

Sure enough, I gained 1.4.

The meeting topic was perfect because I have really been struggling with negative self-talk lately.  I am really hard on myself and even got this email from a reader:

I know you give yourself “Gunny” talks, so I’m not going to throw a kleenex box at you and tell you to “man up” haha. You are very tough on yourself. You self talk to yourself the way I do. Can I gently ask you, “Would you give that talk to your Biggest Loser participants at your work? Or to your students about their grades?” 
No. I know you wouldn’t, and I only have your blog posts to know the answer.
I’m pretty sure you are a perfectionist (which is not a bad thing) but it can work as a sabotage. Sometimes the expectations you put on yourself are so high…you are setting yourself up to fail (ask me how I know). 
So..if I may be so bold…what advice would you give to ME if I was yo-yoing and in your position?
I think you are great Jennifer! Thanks!

WOW!  That hurt and resonated truth all at the same time.

I can sum up the meeting in one sentence:

We need to talk to ourselves the same way we talk to others.

Plain and Simple!

When I called my mom to tell her about my weight gain, she had the perfect response.  She said, “Well, you lost 1.6 last week so you are still ahead 0.2 pounds!”  That was the PERFECT response!

Are you a Negative Nelly?  Would you say to someone else struggling the things you say to yourself?  This week, no more negative talk!  If you start to say something negative to yourself, you have to say 5 positive things in its place.

Have a great, positive week!

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Life is So Short

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My heart is heavy tonight after hearing a dear friend and co-worker lost her father today.

Yes, it is the circle of life.  Yes, it is bound to happen.  Yes, people get old and die and leave us here to mourn and feel the loss.

It doesn’t make it any easier!

There is a woman at work who loves E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E!  Every child, adult, and person she meets, she has an instant smile for.  She is an encourager, a helper, a friend, a passionate person, a mother, sister, and daughter.   Most of all, she is loved back from all who she comes in contact with!  She is truly living life to the fullest!

In hearing the loss of her father today, I am reminded that life is so short!  I had to ask myself the following questions:

What am I doing to make a difference in the life of others?

What am I doing to impact others for the good?

What have I done to impact the future through each child I came in contact with today?

What am I doing to better my health so I can live as long as possible for those around me?

Now, I ask you.  What are you doing to make a difference and leave behind a legacy when you go?  Life is so short…live it to the fullest!

To our dear Momma Moran…you are in our hearts and prayers this week as you mourn the loss of your father.  I hope you know how much your EV family loves you!  I hope you know what a difference YOU make each and every day to children and adults alike!  During this loss, feel His arms around you and know He is right there beside you.

One List LifeWhen Life Hands you a Cupcake…GIVE IT AWAY!!!!!

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The Best Ways to Plan Healthy Meals

Maintaining my Feel Great Weight one carrot (and cupcake!) at a timeFebruary 14, 2012 Feel Great Weight

By Tina Haupert

I frequently receive questions about the number of calories I consumed when I was trying to lose weight, and people are usually surprised when they hear my answer. Then (and now) I typically consume 1,800 to 2,200 calories a day. This might sound like a lot of calories compared to some of the 1,200-calorie plans you hear about, but finding my Feel Great Weight wasn’t a short-term diet just to shed pounds. The word diet often means a temporary and restrictive eating plan that helps you to lose weight, but when you stop the diet, you often gain the weight right back. My diet wasn’t temporary, but something I planned to sustain for the rest of my life. Plus, I knew that drastically reducing my daily calorie count would leave me hungry and miserable so I set out to make changes that would stick.

In the past, I just threw together whatever convenient and low-calorie meal I could get my hands on. A lot of the time, it was one of those 300-calorie frozen dinners. In theory, eating them made sense for slashing calories, but it always left me hungry later on, which led me to overeat. I quickly learned that I needed to plan well-rounded meals with a good amount of protein, fiber, and healthy fats to satisfy my hunger and keep me full for hours. Take a look at this slideshow for a few things to keep in mind when you’re planning healthy meals.

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Tips to Avoid Late-Night Snacking

AppId is over the quota
AppId is over the quota
Maintaining my Feel Great Weight one carrot (and cupcake!) at a timeMarch 20, 2012 Feel Great Weight

By Tina Haupert

I attribute my twenty-pound post-college weight gain to large portions, not enough exercise, and too many happy hours that involved way too many pints of beers and plates of nachos.

These were the main culprits that caused me to pack on the pounds, but my frequent evening cereal binges certainly didn’t help either. A few times a week, once I finished eating dinner, I’d find myself heading to the kitchen for a late night snack, especially if I was just lounging around the house watching TV.

I’d end up eating mindlessly and consume hundreds of extra calories even though I wasn’t really hungry. I knew I needed to get control of my nighttime snacking if I wanted to lose weight, so I started to implement some new eating habits—throughout the day—to help me rein in my snacking. Here’s what I did, and what can help you too.

During the day:

Eat often. I used to skip breakfast as a way to cut calories from my diet, but I quickly learned that it would lead me to overeat later in the day, especially at night when I had easy access to my kitchen. Instead of going all day without eating very much, I eat a meal or a snack every three to four hours to keep my energy up and my hunger at bay. By eating breakfast, lunch, and dinner and planning snacks in between, I’m able to maintain better control of what I’m eating throughout the day and night.Add some protein power. For years I thought the “eat tons of protein” trend was all diet hype, so I focused on eating low-calorie and low-fats foods, which, not surprisingly, never satisfied me. Eventually I learned that a healthy mix of protein, fat, and whole grains were key for controlling how much I eat in the evening after dinner. Now I make a real effort to include more protein in my diet—my favorites are chicken, eggs, avocado, beans, nuts, and nut butters. Not surprisingly, I feel a lot more satisfied after meals and less tempted to raid my kitchen.Indulge a little. Before I lost weight, I’d manage to resist various food temptations all day long, like the office donuts or the cupcake shop I walked by on my commute home every day, but this usually ended up backfiring on me because I’d binge on cookies or cereal at night. If I don’t allow myself a small treat during the day, I’ll go crazy with my cravings at night, so I plan for a small sweet snack in the afternoon, usually a flavored Greek yogurt or a banana with almond butter to satisfy my cravings.

At night:

Prepare healthy snacks ahead of time. I usually workout in the evening, which means I often don’t eat dinner until fairly late. After a workout, instead of stopping for greasy take-out or chowing down on whatever I can get my hands on in my kitchen, I make sure it’s stocked with quick and easy, healthy options, like canned tuna and beans, raw veggies with hummus or plain Greek yogurt, so I can just grab something when those nighttime munchies strike.Drink up and slow down. Sometimes, a glass of water, unsweetened coconut milk, or a warm mug of tea stops my evening munchies in their tracks. Instead of rifling through the pantry for snacks, I make myself a beverage and sit down on the couch with it. I slowly sip, and try to relax. It usually does the trick!Pick a “stop eating time”. To avoid those extra, unnecessary nighttime calories, I pick a “stop eating” time about two or three hours before I go to bed.Brush your teeth. If I’m feeling especially snacky in the evening after dinner, I’ll brush my teeth, floss, and use mouth wash to stop my mindless munching. My whole mouth feels clean and fresh, so I wouldn’t want to ruin that (or repeat the hygiene routine again) by eating.Distract yourself. A lot of the time, I find that I snack in the evening out of boredom. To prevent this, I keep myself busy with activities that distract me from mindless eating, such as painting my nails, organizing a junk drawer, creating a board on Pinterest, walking my dog, calling a friend, taking a warm shower, or practicing yoga.Go to sleep. I find that if I stay up really late into the evening, I’ll inevitably want to snack, so instead of burning the midnight oil, I head to bed at a reasonable hour. I also notice that I’m hungrier when I’m sleep-deprived, so it’s a no-brainer that more sleep is the key!Keep it out of the house. When all else fails, I stop buying the foods that I tend to snack on in the evenings. For instance, I used to not be able to keep granola or sugar cereals in the house because I’d eat more than half of the box in one sitting, so I stopped buying it as a way to put a stop to that night eating habit.

More: Read Tina’s daily food and fitness blog, Carrots ‘N’ Cake.

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8 Baking Tips to Health-ify Your Favorite Recipes

Maintaining my Feel Great Weight one carrot (and cupcake!) at a timeMarch 6, 2012 Feel Great Weight

By Tina Haupert

One of my favorite hobbies is baking. I find it relaxing, even calming, and, of course, I love the end result: warm, delicious, gooey baked goods. I know a lot of people associate baking and sweets as something that can’t be incorporated into a healthy diet, especially when you want to lose weight, but I knew that I couldn’t eliminate dessert forever, so I started to “healthify” my baking with lower-calorie and more nutritious ingredients so I could still enjoy these treats.

I used to be intimidated by baking because it’s more of an exact science than cooking, but even with simple swaps and adjustments the recipes still taste delicious. Here’s how I “healthify” my baking:

Start with a previously successful recipe
I’ve had plenty of cooking disasters, but I try to prevent this by using a recipe that I know turned out well before to guide my baking experiment. I then make small changes and substitutions with my measurements and ingredients. I increase my chances of an edible treat, and I don’t end up wasting food!

Reduce sugar by a quarter
An easy way to cut calories from my baked goods without sacrificing taste is reducing the amount of sugar that the recipes calls for by one-fourth. Most of the time, I don’t even notice a difference. Additionally, I’ll substitute in a more nutritious ingredient that has some natural sweetness like flavored yogurt, applesauce, or prune puree.

Replace fats with healthy alternatives
Fat creates moisture and richness in a recipe, but it also adds loads of calories. Omitting all of the high-fat ingredients can yield boring and even inedible results, so I do keep some, but the rest I replace with nutritious and lower-calorie ingredients. For instance, if a recipe calls for a stick of butter, I’ll use half of a stick and replace the other half with a ripe banana, canned pumpkin, or Greek yogurt. I’ve even used canned chick peas! Pretty much anything that adds moisture with a bit of texture works well.

Add fiber and omega’s with flaxseed
In baking, eggs help baked goods rise and become light and fluffy. They’re also needed to prevent the baked goods from crumbling or falling apart. However, if you’re watching your cholesterol or simply want to reduce calories and fat, ground flaxseeds are a great way to add healthy fiber and omega-3 fats to your recipe. When mixed with water, they become great substitution for eggs in baking. Just combine one tablespoon of ground flaxseed with three tablespoons of water for each egg.

Next page: Taste-test the batter

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The Weekend in photos

Peanut butter and jam breakfast.

An orange cake for my aunt baked, but didn't get to give to her due to the weather. This was taken after Josh dived. I had a piece as well and the rest froze.

I made jerk chicken with saffron rice. I rolled over a pound of organic chicken thighs in jerk spices and this sprinkled with honey and olive oil and baked at 375 degrees for about 24 minutes. So, so good!

I would probably wear the outfit anyway, maybe even with my pin John Cusack. This lipstick fushia is perfect. I got it from the Sephora collection color in Mr. Lover. It stayed all night and was totally not like some lipsticks dry tend to be. The dress is from Forever 21, just came in the mail. The jacket from Coldwater Creek. The tights of Kmart. The belt from Old Navy. Modern retro outfit?

Josh playing with my phone settings. And a better picture of the lipstick. I love it, totally wear these again!

  

Hanging out with the kitties.

Lunch at Wildflour in Roanoke. I had the Steak Salad (yup, there's actually a salad under the mountain of sweet potato fries!) with a killer ginger dressing that our waitress recommended. This restaurant is one of my new Favorites. I can't say enough good things about it.

Josh had the shrimp and avocado quesadilla and a salad.

We then shot in the bookstore next door and where I found these gems. I would like to do a Julie and Julia experiment with the chocolate and Zucchini French cookbook. So many good recipes to try! I think I give myself until the end of the year to make them all.

Our last stop was for gelato at Pino Gelato in Roanoke. I had had coffee and hazelnut cheesecake and hazelnut, Josh.

And last but not least, I 2.35 pounds lost this week, to take me to the point 10 pound loss!

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Gorilla Munchies

This morning I woke up hungry! Have mornings you find that? Where you wake up an insane person and want to shout, give ME food! Knowing that I have lunch on the afternoon with my girlfriend, I went for a bowl of Josh's Gorilla Munch and a handful of blueberries on top. I can never eat cereals without blueberries again. Gorilla Munch has only three ingredients and tastes like Captain Crunch.

Blueberries are so photogenic!

Okay, let me tell you something random about me. I'm not a good housekeeper. I never have been and the Lord help me if I ever will be. Don't get me wrong, when I clean, I clean. It takes me hours and I start scrubbing with a toothbrush angles and get really anal retentive and scary about it, but put things back where they belong-so much daily that is completely lost on me.

But yesterday, with a list of running task and emails to return and work to do that pays the Bills, I can think of nothing else to do but clean out this room. This is a form of productive procrastination. Am I alone here?

Anyway, the rabbit room as we call because the home of our little bunny Oliver (who will now be life outside! in a bigger House Rabbit!) is filled top to bottom with stuff for two years. Stuff that we (I!) was not using and just sit. And now we have to wait for the sacks and bags of stuff head off to goodwill today. I can't tell you how good it feels there. I find myself just going and have a sit beside the open Windows, for no reason at all.

We have a whole new room that could be something! First line of business will pick out some paint, curtains, a coffee table and to get a new bulb for the room. Maybe the official reading room?

Here is another sneak peek of my wear it well spring 2012 e-course. I love this denim pencil skirt, I've been at Coldwater Creek about three weeks ago and doesn't seem to be more on their website, but I will post again when it goes on sale. The first and third blouses of Target (they should still be there) are the belt is of Old Navy, and middle blouse is of Avenue. And the bag is of Eitienne Aigner.

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