Four Months of Not Smoking

I’ve now hit the four-month non-smoking mark. I am astounded. It has been far easier than I ever imagined. The only bumps in the road have been intense cravings for chocolate and sweets and my extreme irritability. I thought I’d be a sleepy, ditzy, non-smoking shrew and that hasn’t happened yet. Well, at least not the sleepy and ditzy parts.

Control Emotional Eating And Cravings

This technique for controlling emotional eating and reducing cravings is based on the tapping technique created by Dr. Roger Callaghan as part of his Thought Field Therapy (TFT) techniques. It is demonstrated in the video below by master hypnotist and weight loss coach Rosa Smith-Montanaro of Mind Over Platter.

Grilled Corn

Directions

1. Soak the corn, with husks on, in water for at least 10 minutes
2. Grill the corn over high indirect heat for 30 minutes, or until tender
3. Peel back the husk and either use as a way to hold the corn while eating, or discard
4. Serve with plenty of melted butter!

I Heart Wakulla Springs State Park II

On our Saturday morning cruise, Luke kept backing up the boat so we could get a better look at some bird or snake. And his commentary was this truly unique, repetitive patter like nothing I’ve ever heard before. As we were approaching the dock, he sang us happy birthday. The wildlife we saw was incredible. I guess since the only boat traffic since the 30s has been the park boats, the wild creatures take the boats in stride. The number and variety of birds were incredible.

Can Paul McKenna Make Me Thin?

If I had to say what my two biggest enemies to losing weight are I would probably say emotional eating and carbohydrate cravings. Now that my attempt to lose 100 pounds in 1 year appears to have stalled I have decided it’s time to do something about it — the question is what?

As I am originally from England, Paul McKenna is a familiar face on television to me. I remember watching his hypnosis show during my formative years. So when I saw that his award winning series, “I Can Make You Thin” had made it over here, I decided I had to watch. As part of the series he demonstrates a technique for controlling cravings and a technique for controlling emotional eating.

I Heart Wakulla Springs State Park

While I’m not a big fan of cell phones, I wish someone would invent one that let you call the driver in front of you while sitting in traffic. Sometimes I would use it for evil but driving home recently, to my delight I was behind a car that had an “I (heart) Wakulla Springs State” park bumper sticker. I yelped Hey, me too! I wanted to call the guy and talk about Wakulla Springs.

In September, I spent one night at the lodge at Wakulla Springs. It was fabulous. Mom and I were celebrating our mutual birthday. Edward Ball Wakulla Springs State Park is classic, old-school Florida.

Working to Not Work Out

Some days I wonder how much bigger a pain in the ass I’d be if I didn’t blow off steam by getting regular exercise. I pretty much work out seven days a week. Taking a day off is hard for me. I am afraid that one day of rest will lead to a lifetime of laziness. By now you’d think I’d have gotten over my fear of becoming an exercise slacker. I’ve been walking 3-4 miles regularly for many years. I played volleyball for 20+ years like I was getting paid to and had a closetful of trophies to prove it. But still, I’m afraid that letting my guard down and giving myself that prescribed day off will lead to sloth and delivery pizzas and ultimately, trips to Lane Bryant for brightly colored tunic tops and pants with elastic waists.

Week 15 Weigh In

Well it’s been a while, but I’ve got myself back on track to achieve losing 100 pounds in a year. Last week I had a check up with my doctor, and got a nice surprise – I had lost exactly 30 pounds since I last saw him. I had a lengthy talk with him about how I was doing. He seemed happy with my progress and the fact that I was following the inverted food pyramid instead of following some crazy diet!

One Approach to Quitting Smoking

The most basic key to successfully giving up cigarettes is to quit with a plan and with a good reason. Trying to quit because a loved one wants you or because you’re flying to Europe and will have to endure several hours of not smoking is just not good enough. It’s trite but true: you have to want to quit. And having a plan is essential so you’re prepared when you come across those inevitable bumps in the road. Don’t give yourself an out for failure. There are no valid excuses for giving up on quitting. Life being what it is, there will never be the perfect time to quit. Shit happens and you have to be prepared to deal with it without cigarettes.

Herbes de Provence

Ingredients

3 tbsps dried rosemary
3 bay leaves
3 tbsps dried basil
3 tbsps dried marjoram
3 tbsps dried summer savory
3 tbsps dried oregano
2 tbsps dried thyme
1 tspn fennel seeds
1 tspn dried lavender
1 tspn freshly ground white pepper
1 tspn ground coriander

Directions

1. Crumble the rosemary and bay leaves into a small bowl
2. Mix in the remaining ingredients
3. Store in an airtight jar away from heat and light up to 6 months

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