December 2, 2013 - Cause and Effect

I pray your New Year's Day festivities were exactly what you wanted them to be! What a great way to start the year with the Dawgs pulling off a big win. :) I was smiling and yelling and my throat is sore this morning. Oh well, it was worth it. Now, it's time for a serious refocus. During the holidays there were a multitude of eat-out opportunities and parties. And while I love them so much, I do better with a routine. I have gained a couple of pounds over the holidays and was sooo excited when I went to bed last night to be back in the routine. While going out, or going to parties and taking something yummy to share, is great fun it often adds the extra portions and calories that definitely have an effect. So, while I never ate off plan, I ate too much of "on plan" stuff and exercised very little as there was no time. Do you remember when we were in school and we studied cause and effect. I always taught my children, to examine the sentence and determine which HAD TO HAPPEN FIRST. That was the cause and the second part of the sentence is the effect (it was always about chronology and not placement in the sentence). For us, we don't gain weight first and then we over eat - we eat more calories than we need and the scale officially notifies us. That's simple cause and effect. My problem was having so many fun things scheduled in a 6 week period that I never returned to protocol and then I just finally caved in and said, "three more parties, and then back to the routine." That's where I find myself today. YEA! Now while too many pieces of cheesecake with fruit and sugar free whipped cream is the cause of a few pounds on the scales (effect)......I now work backwards. Going back to the planned meals and regular times of day refueling will be the cause and the scales running right back to normal will be the effect. Great principle. AND, let's always remember, grabbing 5-6 pounds is SO much easier than 50. And while I can say I cleared the holidays with no unhealthy foods, I cannot say I cleared the holidays in a pure state - too many eating out ventures and too much processed foods. But you know what, I enjoyed every party, every family, every function. I laughed a lot this holiday season, used my new Kitchen Aid (a LOT) and cooked more than ever. Loved it all! But it is the cause of the 6 pounds. Gotta be honest. So today, back to routine, back to cooking and eating at home, and back to the basics. One of my health goals this year is to REALLY work on deleting processed foods. I have been reading a lot about inflammation, diseases, and causes. Need to fight harder for whole foods. Have a great day and let me know if you're coming to our Life Group at 6pm at my house. I am making a pot of low carb chili. Yum. All are welcomed, and friends too - please advise.