realistic goals

I have been wanting to post about this issue for a while now. Then, a friend brought it up on Facebook. I'm glad. This needs to be discussed. 

I love pinterest. It's a new addiction of mine. I love to get ideas, though I'm not too crafty. I also think it's a fabulous way to store new recipes (healthy or not) to try. I also like to pin things for my kids...clothes, ideas, etc. One thing I've been noticing A LOT of are fitness boards. I'm all for taking care of yourself...obviously. But, some of the pins cause me to shake my head and want to gag. This one for example...

First, if you are doing it (whatever "it" is...starving yourself, avoiding carbs, exercising excessively) for "the stares" or "the whispers" that's not really for yourself. Also, the collarbone, the hipbone, the light as a feather feeling. How disturbing is that! This just makes me cringe, does it make you cringe? 

Yes, we NEED to eat healthy. Yes, we NEED to exercise. Yes, we should be at a healthy weight. There is nothing wrong with wanting to look good, but there is no reason to do it through self-loathing. You can still look good, be healthy AND not have a gap between your thighs. Plus, who wears belly shirts?

I'm at a healthy weight. I feel pretty good about myself. Sure, I wish I didn't have a bit of "cottage cheese" on my bum. I wish I didn't have an extra tummy roll or little love handles. But, I've had two kids!! The amount of effort that goes into getting a six pack after I've had two kids (and gained 90 pounds...not at once) is a lot. I'm sure it is possible, but Im ok with not having one. There are more important things in life. 

There are some great and motivating quotes that I read. 

"Never underestimate the power to change yourself."

"Abs are made in the kitchen"

"Run faster. Eat better. Sleep longer. Try harder. Aim higher. Love more"

These are good quotes.

The ones that sound absurd to me:

"Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels"

"You will regret eating that cookie. You won't regret running that mile."

I also read some bizarre facts ideas about drinking apple cider vinegar daily. Weird. 

Furthermore, it takes A LOT of work to look like many of the models in the pictures. They eat very specific meals to look that way. Fitness models "lean out" before a photo shoot or competition. They work with trainers and nutritionists to meet their goals. Then, they gain weight back and continue the cycle. I'm convinced it's not the healthiest way to live. But, it works for them. And, if that's really what you want to do who am I to say otherwise. Just be smart. 

Bottom line:

Some people pin a bunch of Tory Burch gear on their fashion boards.

 Is it possible that they will get it all? Sure. It's it realistic? No.

It's great to have realistic, healthy goals. Go for it, do your best. But, do it for health and treat your body right. Love yourself. Let's stop with the self-loathing pins so I can scroll through pinterest without gagging. 

I must say, I do like this one...

Thoughts???

special times and special treats

I just returned from our annual family vacation to Lake Powell. We love it there...swimming, boating, jumping, wake boarding, surfing, lounging, and EATING! Never do I eat more in my life than Lake Powell. My mom and her sisters are IN CHARGE of the food {you don't want to mess with them}. The dinners are pretty healthy {lemon chicken and spinach and shrimp salad or marinated flank steak and mixed berry salad}. The snacks...not. We do bring healthy snacks like fruits, veggies, string cheese, etc but... that's not what we go to. We eat muddy buddies, indoor s'mores, cookie dough, and candy. The only time I ever feel hunger pangs are in the morning before breakfast. I let my kids eat what they want and most of the time it's whatever entertains them on the boat. My 14-month-old had fruit snacks, fruit-by-the-foot, and capri suns. My almost four-year-old had a few swigs of black cherry soda. The only time we eat like this is during this trip and I am OK with it. It is OK to eat pure "crap" on limited occasions. It is OK to expose your children to sugar. I am trying my best to provide them with a healthy balance, teaching them that these are special treats that we eat during special times.

What do you think?

How do you teach your kids about balance?

The winner and a little Normal Eating

I hope you had a fabulous Independance Day! Mine was great, but I did eat one or two too many brownies! That's OK because it's all apart of Normal Eating. Right? I did pass on hamburgers though : )

Thanks to Random.org our lucky winner is #8 (Lynette) who said...

Love your Blog! I am just getting back into running(finally 6 weeks post-baby!!) I usually have to run around 4:30am because my husband leaves early so I don't usually take the time to eat anything. If I run later, I have a quick protein shake and then I have some sort of protein after along with my omega and vitamin supplements!

Thanks for your comment. Please email me at devpettit@gmail.com with your address to claim your prize.

Be More Mindful

I came across this article a few weeks ago while working on a project at work. I thought it was simply brilliant. We all lead crazy lives and nutrition is not number one on many peoples lists as evidenced by the fact that obesity rates are on the rise. Yet, we are also a country obsessed with dieting - aiming for unhealthy weights. I honestly believe with all of my heart that if we worked a little harder on these 11 rules, our waistlines would shrink (or get to their appropriate size) and we would develop a normal relationship with food.

11 Rules For Mindful Eating:

1. Only eat. Don't do other things like play on the computer, watch TV, drive, etc.

2. Pay attention to what triggers you to eat.

3. Eat slowly. Taste your food, savor it, and enjoy it.

4. Set the table. Make mealtime special.

5. Be a food snob. Only eat food that you truly love to eat.

6. Don't eat "diet food". It can fool you into eating more and it doesn't taste good.

7. Read Labels. Educate yourself with what is really in your food.

8. Feel hungry. Let hunger trigger you to eat, not other things.

9. Defect from the clean plate club. It's OK to throw away food, stop when you have had enough.

10. Listen to music when you dine. It may not be possible all the time, but it can be relaxing.

11. Don't Judge. You aren't a bad person if you have a cookie, just like you aren't perfect if you choose the veggie tray.

It may not be possible to eat like this everyday of your life, but working on one at a time is a great goal to have.

Oh, and Happy Registered Dietitian Day. I of course had to post something today!!

So what is "normal" eating anyway?

This is my absolute favorite quote about nutrition...

"Normal eating is being able to eat when you are hungry and continue eating until you are satisfied. It is being able to choose food you like and eat it and truly get enough of it-not just stop eating because you think you should. Normal eating is being able to use some moderate constraint in your food selection to get the right food, but not being so restrictive that you miss out on pleasurable foods. Normal eating is giving yourself permission to eat sometimes because you are happy, sad or bored, or just because it feels good. Normal eating is [at least] three meals a day, most of the time, but it can also be choosing to munch along. It is leaving some cookies on the plate because you know you can have some again tomorrow, or it is eating more now because they taste so wonderful when they are fresh. Normal eating is overeating at times: feeling stuffed and uncomfortable. It is also under eating at times and wishing you had more. Normal eating is trusting your body to make up for your mistakes in eating. Normal eating takes up some of your time and attention, but keeps its place as only one important area of your life.
In short, normal eating is flexible. It varies in response to your emotions, your schedule, your hunger, and your proximity to food."

Ellyn Satter, RD, ACSW
Author of - Child of Mine: Feeding with Love and Good Sense
How to Get Your Kid to Eat, but not too Much

By eating normally, you can reach a healthy weight for yourself. Now, you may not be able to handle that state when you are first starting out, but with practice and patience you will get there. Everyone has their own state of normal, what a body builder thinks is normal eating is plain crazy to me. Additionally, sometimes it's ok to go outside of this normal eating realm if you have a specific goal in mind. Just keep in mind this is where you will want to come back to.

A healthy weight:

Many use BMI - I like to use IBW, (Ideal Body Weight) which is defined as...

100 pounds for the first 5 feet and 5 pounds for every inch after that if you are a woman

OR

106 pounds for the first 5 feet and 6 pounds for every inch after that if you are a man

Then, plus or minus 10% depending on your frame size.

Wrap your hand around your opposite wrist if your middle finger and thumb...

overlap, you are a small frame (minus 10%)

just touch, you are a medium frame (right in the middle)

don't touch, you are a large frame (plus 10%)

Examples:

If you are a woman who is medium framed and 5'6'' your IBW is 130 pounds

If you are a woman who is large framed and 5'9'' your IBW is 159 pounds

If you are a man who is small framed and 6'5'' your IBW is 188 pounds

What do you think?

Love your Food

I saw the movie Julie & Julia this weekend and I took a message away from it that perhaps wasn’t meant to be a message at all. That message was having a love for food and the relationship to weight. After the movie, I came home and watched some You Tube videos of Julia Child. Sure she had a little “more to love” by American (Hollywood) standards, but she wasn’t a heavy woman despite her deep affection for butter. She cooked and ate like the French, savoring each bite without any guilt. Compare her to our modern butter lover, Paula Deen. I love watching this woman in the kitchen, but some (I mean all) of her recipes elucidate her clothing size. She doesn’t hold back anything. Of course there is a place for her food, I have made a few of her recipes for various events – moderation is key. I remember watching her on Oprah when she was asked to share her opinion of her health critics. She replied, “I’m your cook, not your doctor.” The one aspect of “normal eating” (defined later on) that Paula is lacking is moderate constraint. Additionally, her recipes often contain “American” ingredients like marshmallow puff, an ingredient that Julie Child knew nothing of.

The French are known for their food and it is quite perplexing to us Americans why they have lower rates of obesity. Mireille Guiliano, author of Why French Women Don’t Get Fat, shed some light as to why. “The French have a sense and appreciation of what is good and satisfying to eat, and of what is a proper portion.” She also stated, “To distinguish true pleasures from idle calories, people must eat as diversely as possible and avoid too much of any one-thing (contra diet-think.)”

Isn’t that so true and perfectly put? There is a deep confusion about proper nutrition in our country. We tell ourselves that carbohydrates are bad, but HcG and Acai are miraculous. Its no wonder we have both skinny and chubby extremes here. If you are seeking to find a quick fix to lose a lot of weight quickly, you my friend will be overweight forever. We need to enjoy all foods, maintaining the theme of moderation, variety, and balance.

This subject of “normal eating” is a passion of mine. That’s the type of eater I am, that’s how I slowly lost the 50 pounds of pregnancy weight I gained, and that’s the type of eaters I want my clients to become because I believe that when you truly reach a state of “normal eating” you will be at a healthy weight.

I will share the definition of normal eating in my next post as well as what a healthy weight is.