Diet Woes

This article about glycemic index got me thinking about about my life long battle of the bulge and how it sometimes seems like a battle not worth fighting.  Maintaining weight loss has been hard for me.  I have watched the scale slowly creep back up by tenths of a pound.  I tell myself every day that I will plan my meals the next day and stick to it!  But alas, it's so much more fun to eat boneless fried chicken chunks slathered in buffalo sauce.

I met a young guy this weekend from Italy.  I mentioned that I had done a spinning class that morning, and he asked how many times a week I go to the gym.  I told him I aim for 5, and he seemed surprised.  "Why do you go so much?"  "Because I love to eat," I said.  "Why don't you just eat less?"  Exactly.

I think part of my issue is that I eat when I'm overwhelmed.  I don't know how to start my to-do list, so I just eat instead.  I also hoard calories--as if I don't know where my next meal is going to happen, so I am pre-programmed to eat until I'm full.  Sounds nuts, right?

I don't want to examine how or why I developed an abusive relationship with food.  All I know is that I want to change it.  Tomorrow's meals are planned; let's see if I can stick to it just for tomorrow.  When tomorrow is over, I can worry about Wednesday.  I need to start taking one bite at a time, living in the present and having faith that I will get the nourishment I need when I need it.

Time Management for the Student Clinician

Hello again, my long lost blog!  What have I been doing?  I've been working, exercising, enjoying the last of the warm weather, nourishing my long-distance relationship, and preparing for my first semester of Clinical Practicum.

I'm anxious and excited to meet my client.  I'm also interested in seeing how my time management skills hold up with this new kind of schedule.  Perhaps I should dust off my copy of Time Management for the Creative Person to refresh and reevaluate some of my priorities.  I've already started keeping a to-do list on the front of my binder to keep everything I need to do in one place.  

Saying no has historically been the hardest part of time management for me, but I've been getting better.  I worry a lot about what I'll be missing out on if I say no to a last-minute dinner with friends or to a family gathering.  I also worry that people will hear "No" once and think I don't want to hang out ever again.  Then I remind myself that, frankly, I'm not that important.  My loved ones will not give up on me after one "no".  And trusting that choosing to follow through on something I committed to doing, such as homework or exercise, will result in good things.  I won't be missing out on life when I'm making a mature, responsible choice.  Rather, I'll be investing in my own livelihood.  I still have to make time for myself and for my loved ones, but it doesn't have to get in the way of my goals. 

I love the start of a new semester.  It's a new beginning.  

You know what else I love?  Flower deliveries!