How many got their giggles in last week? I sure did. Even though it was mid-terms (which were not fun by any stretch of the meaning), I made sure that I slowed down and enjoyed life with my girls. And if you have ever seen the Oliver girls in action, you know exactly why I had some good laughs. I had Holly tell me some jokes, which she is HORRIBLE at telling jokes, so it's even funnier. I had a tickle fight with Sarah, who has one of the best giggles around. I had a Bunco night with some new friends on Friday. And we spent the entire day on Saturday at the fair. Yep, I had a pretty good week last week just enjoying life (except for those midterms *shudder*).
Looking at week 17, our focus is back on food and the consumption of food. First, let's look back at what the challenges have been surrounding food thus far: remember we had a challenge where we needed to journal our food, get in lots of fruits and veggies, eat a balanced breakfast, and focus on whole grains. This week's challenge will draw on what you learned from those challenges.
The focus this week: Eat 5-6 squares per day. The main idea here is that you should never allow your body to be ravenously hungry, as this will cause your metabolism to slow down, your blood sugar to plunge, and may lead to overeating. We've all been there -- about to gnaw our left arm off because we didn't plan a snack or ate a "light lunch." Try to push yourself to keeping to a schedule. Breakfast in the morning, light snack mid-morning, lunch, light snack in the afternoon, then dinner. Simple right? No it's easier said than done if you already are not on this type of pattern.
Luckily, I am... I typically eat breakfast by 8:30 am. Normally I am at the gym 3 days a week (about to be 5), so I plan a small snack for right after my workout (string cheese, almonds, a banana). I eat lunch around 12:30. Have another small snack around 3:30-4 pm (typically fruit or cut veggies). Then we eat dinner at 6 pm. Of course, I also have a little something sweet around 8:30/9 pm, unless I had a beer or glass of wine. I find that if I stick with this type of schedule, my calorie intake per day is lower and I am less likely to be picking at dinner while I'm cooking.
Now, this type of eating doesn't work for everyone and how their metabolism works. Ronnie cannot do it - he's a 3-squares kind of guy. But, he sees how not having the snacks in between turns the kids in to cranky monsters (yes, just the kids, not me). So my idea for all of you this week is to listen to your body... try out the snack and see if it works for you. Maybe it's you hold on to the apple you packed to eat with lunch for a little later in the afternoon (or pack another one). But if you can't snack (like Ronnie can't), then don't - keeping a 5-6 eating pattern can lead to overeating and increased calorie intake.
Other resources:
The book we're following: http://www.amazon.com/52-Small-Changes-Healthier-ebook/dp/B0056J4ER0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1325722556&sr=1-1
Jenn's blog: http://thewoogies.blogspot.com/search/label/52%20Small%20Changes
