Intuitive Eating - Make Peace with Food

Make Peace with Food

Call a truce, stop the food fight! Give yourself unconditional permission to eat. If you tell yourself that you can't or shouldn't have a particular food, it can lead to intense feelings of deprivation that build into uncontrollable cravings and, often, bingeing When you finally “give-in” to your forbidden food, eating will be experienced with such intensity, it usually results in Last Supper overeating, and overwhelming guilt.

Intuitive Eating - Honor your Hunger

Honor Your Hunger

Keep your body biologically fed with adequate energy and carbohydrates.
Otherwise you can trigger a primal drive to overeat. Once you reach the moment of excessive hunger, all intentions of moderate, conscious eating are fleeting and irrelevant. Learning to honor this first biological signal sets the stage for re-building trust with  yourself and food.

Use the Hunger & Fullness Scale to listen to your body and pay better attention to when you are hunger and when you are full.

Intuitive Eating - Reject the Diet Mentality

Intuitive eating is an approach that teaches you how to create a healthy relationship with your food, mind, and body. Over the next week or so we will focus each day on 1 of the 10 guiding principles of Intuitive Eating. 

Reject the Diet Mentality. Throw out the diet books and magazine articles that offer you false hope of losing weight  quickly, easily, and permanently. Get angry at the lies that have led you to feel as if you were a failure every time a new diet stopped working and you gained back the weight. If you allow even one small hope to linger that a new and better diet might be lurking around the corner, it will prevent you from being free to rediscover Intuitive Eating.

Edamame, Tomato, Corn Salad with Lemony Dressing

Click HERE for original recipe: 

Vegan, gluten-free, oil-free
Serves about 5-6 as a side

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups shelled edamame, cooked
1 cup grape/cherry tomatoes
1 cup corn, cooked
1/4 cup red onion (or green onion)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro (or parsley, basil)
Juice of 1 lemon (or lime)
Salt to taste

Directions
Quarter tomatoes, and finely dice onion. Roughly chop cilantro, stems removed.
In a bowl, combine all ingredients and squeeze fresh lemon juice over top.
Toss to combine and salt to taste.
Can serve immediately, or refrigerate first to let flavors develop.

Variations: (Have fun!)
Add a splash of red wine vinegar for extra tang - I love this!
Top with some creamy avocado chunks before serving
Garlic lovers - add a clove of finely minced garlic
My husband likes to add some sweetness to his (touch of sugar)

Spicy Tuna Wraps

Recipe By: Mary originally posted at Goodie Godmother

Try this Spicy Tuna Wrap recipe as an alternative to a spicy tuna roll. 

Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

• 1 4oz can Wild Selections Solid White Albacore in Water®
• 1 1/2 - 2 tbsp mayonnaise (adjust based on your preferred level of creaminess)
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• 2 tsp siracha
• 2 wraps
• 2/3 cup matchstick carrots
• 1/2 hass avocado, sliced
• 1/2 cucumber, peeled and sliced into long sticks

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, mix together the tuna, mayonnaise, soy sauce, and sriracha.
2. Divide the tuna salad between the two wraps.
3. Divide the vegetables between the two wraps.
4. Wrap and enjoy!

Serving Sizes and Reading Food Labels

Dimensions of Health and Wellness

Health is not just a physical aspect. Consider the other aspects of health and think of ways you can improve your health by focusing on something beyond the physical.

Hunger & Fullness Scale

One way to get back in touch with your body and to live a healthier life is to pay attention and be mindful when you are eating. Start by paying attention to your hunger and fullness. Use the scale below to help you get more in tune with your eating habits and develop a healthier relationship with food.

Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup

Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken Potato Soup

Choose My Plate

Measuring Success

During the first week of the contest we will highlight and explore the information found in your participant packet. We hope that you will take the time to read through all the information that is provided to you. The information is intended to help you determine a healthy approach to living a healthier life. We hope this contest will help you establish LIFESTYLE changes that will improve your health.

Living a healthier lifestyle is not just about weight loss. Another measurement of success you could consider is through inches lost or muscle gained. As you become more active you may lose inches and maybe not necessarily pounds. Maybe your goal is to increase your bicep size...whatever your goal is hopefully this tool will help you measure a different kind of success.

This chart is a way to keep track of your measurements at the beginning of the contest and compare the difference at the end of the contest. A copy of this chart can be found in your participant packet on page 13.

Daily Caloric Intake

Whether your goal is weight loss or not it is important to understand and know how much fuel your body needs in order for you to be healthy and function properly. Look at page 14-16 in your participant packet to find out what your energy needs might be for you to accomplish your health goals.

Nutrition Challenge Starts TODAY!

This is a great opportunity to focus on improving your diet. The Nutrition Challenge is designed to encourage you to incorporate a more balanced diet into your daily life. Use the tracker sheet on page 7 of your participant packet to mark off the boxes as you complete the weekly challenges. Each challenge is worth 10 points with a max of 70 points per week. Points earned will go toward contest point totals.

Understanding Body Composition

During the pre-assessments you should have had your body composition measured. It is important to understand what the information means so you can evaluate your improvement throughout the contest. A copy of this sheet is available on page 12 of your participant packet. If you have further questions about understanding your body composition talk to us at the weekly weigh-in or send us an email.

2019 Way to a Better Life Contest KICK OFF TONIGHT!

TONIGHT IS THE NIGHT!!! The beginning of the 2019 Way to a Better Life Contest!

The kickoff will be held at the Gene Fullmer Recreation Center (8015 S. 2200 W.) from 5:30pm-7:30pm. You can come by anytime during the kickoff to complete your pre-assessment testing and pick up all the contest materials.

What to expect: 
*Anticipate the pre-assessments to take about 30-45 min. to complete.
When you arrive at Gene Fullmer you will go through six stations:
1- Check-in / Registration - Pick up contest packet
2- Weight - Weigh in for the your official starting weight
3- Body Composition - Body Fat percentage measured
4- Waist Circumference Measurement
5- Before Photo
6- Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Testing - *This station will most likely take the longest so please be patient. 

2019 Way To a Better Life Kickoff TOMORROW!

The 2019 Way to a Better Life Contest kickoff 
is TOMORROW evening. 
It is not too late to sign up. 
Fill out the paper form and bring it to the kickoff tomorrow evening.

Kickoff: 5:30pm-7:30pm at Gene Fullmer Recreation

Center.

Online Registration is Closed...But, It's Not Too LATE!

Fill out the paper form and bring it to the kickoff on Tuesday evening along with your payment!

Last Day to REGISTER!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

ONE MORE DAY! Way to a Better Life Contest

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

2 Days Left to Register!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

3 Days Left to Register!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

4 Days Left to Register!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

2019 Way to a Better Life Contest - Online Registration Closes Sunday at Midnight!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

Way to a Better Life Contest! Join Today!!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

Join Today! 2019 Way to a Better Life Contest

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form

Two Weeks Left to Register!

Two ways to register: 

Online

Paper Form