Obsessing Smarter

It's been a month since our first post about ending the weight obsession in exchange for a healthier way of eating and treating our bodies. No more beating up on ourselves or doing crazy things to try to be perfect. I have been implementing my get-healthier habits, and with the exception of this weekend, it's gone pretty well. I am a few pounds down, which doesn't sound too exciting, but it beats being a few pounds up. Ideally, I'd like to lose thirty pounds, so as of today, I am down two, so twenty-eight to go!

Here are some things that have worked for me. They're not fast fixes, but my goal isn't to return to a life of self-abuse and rapid weight loss, but to treat my body like I appreciate all that it does for me.

-Get enough sleep. When I'm tired, I crave sugar like a junkie looking for a hit. That's where I went wrong this weekend. Fatigue pushes the body to look for energy in the form of food, usually high carb quick hits.
-Hydrate. Drink enough water. I've read that your body confuses thirst with hunger- have a glass of water before scarfing a cookie.
-Shoot for 8-10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Thinking of what you should be eating over what you shouldn't eat helps change the brain's food obsession.
-Keep a food journal. Like Jo Wake commented last week- writing down what you eat is helpful. I use an app on my phone that tracks my intake and calories. Doing this keeps me conscious of my snacking. If I'm not logging in what I eat, I tend to do too much mindless grazing, especially when I'm tired, busy, or stressed.
-Move. As a writer, I spend a lot of time in a chair. Time to make exercise a priority. I've been
walking a mile a day, at least.

-Log your success on a calendar. I have been giving myself stars for each day I get in my mile walk. The other day, I was walking on my treadmill and reading and accidentally walked an extra half mile. The more you move, the easier movement gets!
-Avoid fast food. This is the hardest of all the changes. It's so handy to grab dinner from a window rather than cook when I'm busy and tired. I've found keeping healthy lunch meats and soups in the house is a good alternative.
-Get rid of the junk. If there are chips and candy in the house, I'm grabbing handfuls mindlessly.
-Choose healthier snacks. Popcorn, fresh fruit, brownies- without the oil. I quit adding the oil to my cakes and brownies years ago and as long as you don't over bake, you will never miss the oil.

It's also the last post of the month! Time for our entertainment check in. It's a good thing I had a weight obsession post planned because this month's entertainment was slim pickings. My husband and I were on a roll in April choosing one bad movie after another.

I did switch up my satellite line up. I reduced my channels to a much smaller package and joined Hulu. I was able to catch up on all the sitcom episodes I missed. My two favorite for the month?

New Girl 

The series begins with Jess surprising her boyfriend (and his date!) with a striptease. She leaves the cheater behind and moves into an apartment with a group of crazy, lovable guys. New Girl always makes me laugh and the characters are loyal and enchanting.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Jake Peralta is a quirky detective working among the most unique, hilarious staff of co-workers. Unique characters, unlimited shenanigans.

What I'm reading...

The Moral Compass by KA Servian

Set in the 1800's, the heroine, Florence is forced to leave England with her indebted family for the wilds of New Zealand. It's a romance with plenty of twists, turns, and engaging characters.

Entertain Me!

February was not a great month for movies and shows in my house, so I have nothing to recommend. My husband has been doing most  of the picking. I told him I may have to fire him if he doesn't step up his game and make some good picks.

Speaking of games...

My family enjoys board games, so we're always looking for new fun. We came across Secret Hitler, the board game. At first, I thought this was going to be too simplistic to be any fun. The rules are simple. 5-10 players are each dealt a card identifying them as liberal, fascist, or Hitler. At the beginning of the game, all players close their eyes and the players who drew the fascist and Hitler card are allowed to open their eyes and see who is on their evil team.

The object is then for Hitler and his minions to try to take over the government by tricking people into enacting fascist policies.

It sounds complicated, but it's super easy and whole lot of fun.

What's even better is that if you don't want to buy this game, or want to try it for free-- there is a free download on the game's website.

We bought our version for $35. (I didn't realize it was available for free!) But it's so much fun, it's worth it.

Get your free PDF or order your own board game here!

February was a good month for books. Most of my reading is spent on beta reads, or reading rough drafts of yet-to-be published works. for fellow writers, but I do buy books too. This month's favorite read was a book I got whole it was on sale, probably months ago. I often go to Kindle's free reads and download books that look interesting.

This one was a winner. It's a memoir of a young Californian teacher who is hired to teach in Arizona in 1912-- the first year of Arizona's statehood into the union. Historic memoirs are such a great way to take an intimate peek at history!

Free on Kindle Unlimited