I recently asked for your best diet tips and you all did an awesome job!! These tips were so good, they deserve their own post!
BionicWifeandMommy
Time management
Why time management? We usually think of this as something in the work force right? Something being told by our bosses to use our time wisely - they even hold classes on time management!
Most of us wish we took better control of our lives. We want to manage our time, not let our time manage us.
Remember a time that you set a goal to start an exercise program or develop a healthy eating plan. NOW think of the other tasks in life that you allowed becoming more important than that personal goal.
If you don't have enough time or energy to meet your goals, it may be because you are taking on too many other tasks. Often, people aren't effective about saying no when others make demands or requests.
What helps me is this:
Prioritize your tasks. Assign a number to everything that you want to accomplish. Level 1 ask tasks absolutely MUST get done; level 2 tasks are important and SHOULD get done; level 3 tasks might get done only after 1 and 2 tasks are done. Think about how often you let low-priority tasks get in the way of accomplishing your higher priority tasks (exercise, meal planning, food journaling). What changes can you make?
Now for the visual:
I was reading about an expert on subject of time management. One day this expert was speaking to a group of business students and, to drive home a point, used an illustration that those students and I will never forget.
As this man stood in front of the group of high-powered overachievers he said, "Okay, time for a quiz."
Then he pulled out a one-gallon, wide mouthed mason jar and set it on the table in front of him.
Then he produced about a dozen fist-sized rocks and carefully placed them, one at a time in the jar.
When the jar was filled to the top and no more rocks would fit inside, he asked "Is this jar full?"
Everyone in the class said, "YES." Then he said, "Really?" He reached under the table and pulled out a bucket of gravel. Then he dumped some gravel in and shook the jar causing pieces of gravel to work themselves down into the spaces between the big rocks.
Then he asked the group once more, "Is the jar full?"
By this time the class was onto him. "Probably not," one of them answered.
"Good!" he replied. He reached under the table and brought out a bucket of sand. He started dumping the sand in and it went into all of the spaces left between the rocks and the gravel.
Once more he asked the question, “Is this jar full?"
"No!" the class shouted. Once again he said, "GOOD!" Then he grabbed a pitcher of water and began to pour it in until the jar was filled to the brim. Then he looked at the class and asked, "What is the point of this illustration?"
One eager person raised his hand and said "The point is, no matter how full your schedule is, if you try really hard, you can always fit some more things into it!"
"No," the speaker replied, "that's not the point." The truth this illustration teaches us is: If you don't put the big rocks in first, you'll never get them in at all." What are the big rocks in your life when it comes to losing weight? What do you want to accomplish?
Remember to put these BIG ROCKS in first or you'll never get them in at all.
As we go into 2008 and a New Year gives us all a fresh, clean slate, remember to make yourself a top priority! Make yourself and your weight loss a LEVEL 1 task (It MUST absolutely get done!)
Hugs to all - WE CAN do this!
POPPY:
Plan ahead. If I know I'm going to eat out, I make sure to educate myself about the menu ahead of time. That way I know what my choices are, and there are no surprised or temptations once I get to the restaurant!
HEATHER:
My best diet tip would be to never cut out any food group. Every food group is important and has its benefits to weight loss as long as its in healthy portions and moderation. so many fad diets are based upon cutting out something like carbs or no fat, but some fats are good for you and there are many healthy carbs out there that should be eaten to give you energy and sustain you.
MADDDS
Moderation not deprivation - those 3 words keep me satisfied - not feeling deprived - knowing if I plan for it I can indulge on occasion, just not every day and not in huge quantities!! I will never go back to the all or nothing attitude!!
BECKY
make your progress VISIBLE. Either with pictures or charm rewards (for time spent exercising or inches/pounds lost). (As for me I will be doing BOTH!) If you can keep track of where you started it's easier when the tough times hit to know you have worked too hard to get where you are now and not willing to go backwards to get where we were.
Another tip - BUDDY SYSTEM! Keep positive and committed people around you to help encourage you in your progress. It so helps not being alone in this battle!
CHUBBY CHICK
don’t bring trigger foods into the house. If you know that a particular food is going to tempt you to overeat or is unhealthy... simply don't buy it.
KRISS - ZOOKINS
Don't forget to do something nice for yourself along the way.
If you feel a binge coming on, promise to reward yourself with something small for not giving in. A little bouquet of carnations, or a new lip gloss, just for staying strong.
HEALTHY HONI
follow a plan that works for you... make sure it is balanced and does not leave out any food group. ( ICE CREAM is not a food group by the way :-) (darn) ) Watch your portions too.. That is a huge component of eating healthy portion control.
LORI
One of the things that help me at work is keeping a tube of toothpaste and a toothbrush there. It's really good if there's something sweet but not terribly wonderful.
EXFATGIRL
Never go too long without having something to eat... I eat every 3 hours. That way I get something in my stomach before it starts growling and going nuts... if I wait until I'm really hungry, I tend to overeat!
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I LOVE this list of tips so much I thought they deserved their own post! I plan on making this my person guide and reference during this battle against obesity.
Great list isn’t it? Now it’s your turn, go ahead and leave a comment with your favorite tip!
Christmas is just around the corner and I’ve been out there shopping and fighting the crowds looking for a few gifts for Ken and of course Sadie and Max. Being the good puppy Mommy that I am, I wanted to get a few things for Sadie and Max’s Christmas stocking. Yes, they are good Doggies and they have their own Christmas stockings. Here is a photo of their stockings. They have one each and their photos have since been added to the little white circle. Cute aren’t they? Well, let me tell you something that just might shock you…I wasn’t the one who bought these! Last year was Sadie and Max’s first Christmas with us, as some of you have read on their blog the story of how they came to live with us, you may know that it was the month of January. Last year Ken and I had been out running errands all day and he wanted to make ONE more stop at the local home improvement store and I was just exhausted. He wanted to run in for one little thing to fix a drip in our bathtub. He said “just wait right here and I’ll be right out” So I did….30 minutes later he came out of Lowes with these Top Doggie Stockings!
These are by far Sadie and Max’s favorite toy. They have an awesome squeak and while I’ll admit some of them no longer squeak, they still love them. In this picture of Max you can see just a bit of green from his precious Cuz sticking out. While I realize the pet stores are filled with toys for Top Doggies. My Top Doggies will get what they love the most, a new Cuz each! 
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