Managing Mealtime

I have learned that if you do not eat until you are hungry, you might just eat your kitchen.  That uncontrollable urge to eat can come when you have NO time to make anything.  It was one of the pit falls of my summer costuming project.  I was consumed with making over 100 costumes for Alice in Wonderland, and I had approximately 4 weeks to make them all.  The summer before, it was Beauty and the Beast, making over 110 pieces for that production.  There was NO time for me at all.  I sewed around the clock, making sure I had 5 hours of sleep, then back to sew I went.  I remember munching on whatever I could find when I was hungry.  I had that mentality of "treating myself" because I was so exhausted and overworked.

"Treating myself" is the mentality I was raised with.  And as I said 2011 is the year I get in my head and clean out the closet.  I WILL treat myself again, only this year I understand what that really means.  The treat is being prepared to eat the right foods during crunch time.  This summer will be the first year with my own community theatre company that me and my youngest daughter are starting.  We are co-owners and are planning 2 shows back to back this summer.  I will be a different person this summer when it comes to crunch time.


With Cinch I learned a lot about cooking foods, and pasta was a big part of it.  I am now cooking a pound of wheat pasta and storing them in sandwich baggies of 1/2 cup cooked in my freezer.  It takes me just a few minutes to whip up a great pasta dish using my pre-measured pasta bags.  I have done the same with grilled chicken, measuring 3 ounces in separate bags then freezing them.   I always have organic pasta sauce in the house and know exactly how much needs to go on my pasta.  I throw it in a pan along with my veggies and meat or cheese and within minutes I am eating a great meal.  Lunches are easy with salads and the right breads and I enjoy nuts and cheeses with greens in a pita.  (minutes to make)

Morning is the most important meal of the day, it gets you going.  I think the best thing is to eat right before you find yourself with little time.  Frozen berries have become the staple of my diet, high in antioxidants and an entire cup is about 60 calories.  A cup of berries on a high fiber french toast! yummy.  Smoothies are a great way to start your day or have at anytime during the day.  If you can buy a magic bullet, it is my best friend.  I can mix berries with milk or yogurt along with a few other things even chocolate and have a great breakfast or snack. 

I know I keep going back to Cinch, I guess I have concluded that for me it was an education on great eating that I will now be able to work in my daily life.  I do not live off any plan, more like just getting the right amount of necessary foods in my body.  I am more educated because of what I have learned in the book and use it along with the other knowledge I have received both from my nutritionist daughter, Michelle and also what I learned at Fitness Ridge.  Books about eating right and NOT using the word "diet" in their title are good because they help to educate me.  Obviously I needed the education if I have struggled my entire life with my weight.

So I will stay prepared by having the right foods available to me, and quickly so I can make it in a rush, because life stops for no one, regardless of how busy you are.