4 things I learned from logging my food & exercise

At some point along my weight loss journey, I realized that I wasn’t going achieve my goals and have them be life long habits if I was implementing radical and quick fix solutions. I needed to think about sustainable habits. What were those things that I could do and keep doing for years and years, and still be successful? AND if I was going to do something that wasn’t sustainable, I would acknowledge it, but if it could get me to a goal and then I could safely transition off of it, the technique would be worth a try. An example of this is food logging and wearable fitness trackers. In my guide, 7 Mistakes I made in my Fat-Loss Journey, one of the 7 mistakes that I made was being too dependent on the calories in versus calories out approach. And that’s true. I used my fitness trackers and Read More . . .

What would future you eat?

Almost every Mom that I work with, who have young kiddos, struggles to get their kids to make healthier choices. Too often when given the choice between apple slices and french fries, kids will make the decision to get the french fries. And who can blame them? French fries are tasty. Sometimes, we adults do this same thing. We have salad on the menu. We even have all the ingredients. And yet, we choose to get take out for dinner instead. What is that? And what’s it about? Past, Present, and Future There are 3 people who live inside of me (so to speak): Past Elizabeth – that’s me from 1 minute ago all the way back to when I was born. All of Past Elizabeth’s decisions, choices, impulsivity and planning have gotten me here, to where I am right this second. Future Elizabeth – that’s future me. She has Read More . . .

Ever wish you could do a Do-Over?

For our 10th wedding anniversary, Gary & I went to Italy. It was an amazing trip. We started in Venice & then travelled to Tuscany & ended up in Rome. One day, when we were in Venice, we were trying to get to the Rialto Bridge, and it seemed that no matter which direction we headed out, we’d end up in the same square! The first few times, it was funny. But then it became irritating. How often do we find a similar result in our lives? Life is not a straight line. We think it’s going to be, but most often, it’s far from that. Occasionally we’ll realize that we’re headed in the wrong direction in our lives, or not where we expected to be, I was recently listening to a podcast interview with a woman who published a crochet magazine. Although I don’t crochet or knit, and don’t Read More . . .

Should you exercise while you’re on vacation?

I live in a tourist town on the eastern coast of Mexico. We’re near Cancun & Playa del Carmen. We have a high season where we get an influx of visitors, and a low season where, we still get some visitors – just not as many. When I talk to folks who are visiting, or even my clients who will be traveling here on vacation, I hear the same fear all the time –  they think that they’re going to gain weight while they’re here. But I’ve found that while living here, it’s been really easy to maintain my weight without any scales, and feel good about my diet (of course, you can be healthy and unhealthy pretty much anywhere! It’s all about our choices.) What’s the difference? For one, the restaurant portions aren’t nearly the size that they are in the states. And because imported food is more expensive, Read More . . .

Redefining Failure: 3 Steps to Overcoming Fear

I was a young bride. 24 years old. And ‘Everyday Cooking’ by Dr. Dean Ornish was all the rage. I mean, Everyday cooking? That means it’s something that I can do. Right? I don’t recall why – maybe it was because I desired to be healthier, or if I felt like it was my role as a wife to cook – but I chose a recipe from the book, bought all of the ingredients, and started following the recipe. That was 1/2 of my lifetime ago – but I still recall standing in that kitchen, looking in the pot of food, wondering where I went wrong?!? It did not look like the picture. And as the end result started to get more and more away from the picture in the cookbook, I started course correcting, however as a new cook, I ended up with a soupy mess that tasted just Read More . . .

What can Goldilocks teach us?

You know the story of Goldilocks, . Right? A little girl gets lost in the forest, and stumbles upon a house where 3 bears live, but aren’t currently inside. As she wanders through the house, trying out things that belong to the bears, everything that belongs to the Papa Bear is too big; everything that belongs to the Baby Bear is too small; but everything that belongs to the Momma Bear is just right, fits like a glove, and feels good. We can apply the Goldilocks story to our health habits and that can predict whether we’ll have success with the new habits that we decide to adopt. Will they be long term habits that feel like your favorite jeans? or will they soon get discarded like that Snuggie that your cousin gave you for Christmas? See, when we set out to create new habits for ourselves, we want to Read More . . .

We’re on TV!!

This is totally off topic, and personal, but in June 2018 we had the opportunity to be featured on House Hunters International. It was tons of fun, and we’d totally do it again even though the internet trolls came out & told us what horrible people we were because, well, the internet gives everyone a voice – whether we use that voice to spread good or spew hate is up to us. But the truth is that if Gary and I agreed on everything, if we liked everything, it wouldn’t make compelling television now, would it? It would be pretty boring. If you want to follow our treks through Mexico, you can follow us at Tex Mex Expats. Enjoy the show & we’ll see you there! Read More . . .

Weighing yourself: When & How?

Lots of gurus will tell you not to weigh yourself daily, or that you should weigh weekly, monthly, or not weigh at all and just use the mirror as your guide. I think that different people will find success in the different methods. Which one should you do? Read More . . .

How long until your good habits show up

It’s been a week, and you’re excited to jump on the scale – get validation on all of the hard work that you’ve been putting in with your food and exercise. You must have lost 10 lbs by now! Right? Gah! The scale doesn’t reflect what you thought! What’s going on? Here’s what I’ve learned in observing my own body, and what I’ve seen in my clients. Read More . . .