Too Much on Her Plate

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Happy Holidays from Too Much On Her Plate!

December 21st, 2009, No Comments »

Thank you for being a part of the TooMuchOnHerPlate.com community. I am so grateful for your support, your input, your comments and your readership over the last year. It’s been an amazing twelve months.

In the northern hemisphere, today is the shortest day of 2009 and the start of a new season. We’re also approaching, not just a new year, but a new decade, and as of today, we’ll be seeing the return of longer days (or at least more daylight). I like that idea and the images it conjures up—so many possibilities…

For many, 2009 has been a confusing and sometimes challenging year. The thought of fresh beginnings and bright light sounds refreshing and auspicious.

Wishing you wonderful holidays and an awe-inspiring 2010,

PS: I’ll be taking a break to spend time with family over the holidays and probably won’t be blogging. I’ll see you in 2010!

Me-time is NOT a McDrink (That’s Emotional Eating)

December 21st, 2009, No Comments »

Want tips on how to really get the me-time you need? Join me for a free teleseminar.

And the survey says . . .Where IS the Time For “Me-Time”?

December 15th, 2009, No Comments »

Will you join me for a free teleseminar?

As you may remember, last month, I conducted a survey asking you about what was important to you and what topics you’d like more help with in the coming year (if you missed it and still want to participate, you can do so here. I’d love to hear from you and I’m giving away an audio about taking control of emotional eating just for participating).

It probably won’t surprise you that one of the most troublesome issues I heard about (over and over!) was that you just can’t figure out how to make time for yourself so that you can do the things you need to do to thrive and to enjoy your life and your work the way you want to.

As a result, many of you told me you are struggling with stress and overwhelm and the “side effects” of that missing “me time” and self care:

• Overeating
• Compromised health and/or wellness
• Diminished energy
• Decreased productivity
• Reduced focus (including getting distracted from your own goals and priorities)
• Diminished passion for the things that are truly important to you
• Exhaustion and stress

Basically, life just isn’t nearly as great as it could be.

Thanks to all of you who responded. I’m so glad you brought this up. It’s a subject near and dear to my heart. And yes, of course I struggle with it too. And it would benefit us all to get even a teeny bit better with this “me-time” stuff. All the best intentions won’t get us anywhere (except worn out) if we can’t find the way to put them into effective action so that they work for us.

I’ve decided to start 2010 by tackling this issue head on. After all, when we are struggling with what I’ve described, it’s pretty difficult to move forward in the areas we want to make changes in.

If what I’m talking about strikes a chord for you, you’ll want to be at my upcoming free teleseminar: 2010 Smart Women’s Jumpstart: How To Ditch the Overwhelm and Bad Habits That Drain Your Energy and Hold You Back in Life and Business on January 13th at 5:00 PM EST/ 2:00 PM PST.

You’ll want to be on the call live if at all possible. However, I will be recording the call so that if you can’t make it, you’ll have access to a recording to listen to when you are able.

On this info-packed powerful call you’ll learn:

• Why your personal goals and dreams are crucial to your success in business and the rest of your life.
• The number one mistake that keeps many savvy women stressed and overwhelmed and how to avoid it.
• A trick for leveraging your strengths and increasing your personal effectiveness
• How to get out of overwhelm and move into action.

… and much more

Reserve your spot now and as the date comes closer, I’ll remind you .

Take good care,

7 Ways to Avoid Overeating When the Holiday Treats Are EVERYWHERE

December 14th, 2009, 2 Comments »

Enjoying  the holidays AND feeling in control with holiday treats and choices can be a challenge—‘tis the season. Clients and vendors are sending boxes of chocolates and holiday treats. Everyone and her mother is baking, the lunchroom has a counter full of cookie trays and everyone’s desk seems to have sprouted a candy jar overnight. It’s wonderful—unless you are trying to lose weight or gain control of emotional eating and overeating.

Here are some tips for staying in the driver’s seat with food and weight during the holidays:

1. Have plans. Make decisions ahead of time about what you are truly interested in savoring and indulging in and the portion that you will take.  For instance, there are certain once-a-year homemade foods and artisan chocolates that I only see in December. I do indulge in these, and I make sure that I mindfully enjoy every bite. On the other hand, I don’t really need to taste the candy canes, colored M&Ms, and store bought desserts that aren’t really that special to me. Knowing I’m going to eat the really special stuff means I don’t feel deprived when I don’t eat the other choices. One more thing–when you do indulge–serve yourself a portion. Don’t just keep going back for tiny tastes. By serving yourself and stopping to eat and really taste it, you’ll enjoy it more and probably eat less.
2. Find solidarity. If you work in an office, I can practically guarantee you that you aren’t the only one who’d like to stay on track with your eating and your weight this season. Can you and your coworkers agree on areas where the food will and won’t be? Can you find a partner to keep you motivated and to talk you down when the food is just too compelling? Someone who’d like to spend their break taking a brisk walk instead of smelling the sugary treats?
3. Don’t go hungry. You’ll eat more and have less impulse control. Make sure that you have healthy and filling options around. I know you are busy, but take the time to pack a healthy lunch.
4. Be aware of the times of day when you are more tempted or more susceptible to emotional eating (stress eating, comfort eating, eating as a pick-me-up). Know the occasions when you might be especially tempted and create a strategy ahead of time that you can implement–instead of overeating.
5. If you do overindulge (don’t we all?) forgive yourself and keep moving forward making the best choices you know how to make. Resist any urge to beat yourself up about it. Self blame tends to lead to emotional overeating or bingeing or all-or-nothing eating (“Now I’ve blown it so I might as well go all out!”). Not helpful.
6. Find other ways to socialize, take care of yourself, or reward yourself that don’t involve food so that avoiding the cookie tray isn’t all about deprivation. What nonfood treat can you have instead of eating food you don’t want to indulge in?
7. Join the party. Share a dish that you want to enjoy and that you really love. It doesn’t have to be dessert–in fact, your colleagues will probably appreciate a break from all the sugar. What about a pot of soup or a favorite tea? This is the time of year I love a bowl of satsumas to snack on.

Take good care,

Personal Celebrations: Why You Definitely Should Indulge

December 9th, 2009, 2 Comments »

It’s a common mistake that can take a big toll. I see it over and over again with my friends and clients, and yes, with me too. We may be smart, we may be strong, we may be very comfortable (or think we are) doing a million things at once, but most of us aren’t very good at giving ourselves credit and celebrating our own accomplishments (dare I say, indulging in our just desserts?).

I’ll bet that right now you can easily come up with six things that you need to do or that are bugging you because they are undone. How long does it take you to come up with six recent accomplishments you are proud of? I’ll guarantee you that there are six accomplishments. But it’s likely that that isn’t where you are focusing your attention.

So many of us are great at being tireless, at always being poised to do “one more thing,” that we don’t really absorb the thing we just did and the goal we just accomplished.

We don’t take credit. Often we’ve been taught not to toot our own horn. Many women I know are masters of the “yes-but” that diminishes whatever it is that they just completed and prevents any compliment from really soaking in. Don’t get me wrong. Some of us are great at tooting our horn for anybody else. I know lots of great party throwers. But how many of us really regularly take a bow or reward ourselves for what we’ve done?

Do you know the price that we pay? Not celebrating and not recognizing our milestones diminishes our success. When we skip our own curtain call, we miss out on a great opportunity for rejuvenation. When we don’t give ourselves credit and the celebration we deserve, we are much more likely to burn out or to fall off track. If it’s all work and no play, we’re going to end up feeling deprived and when that happens, we often turn to “vices” (like overeating) because we feel tired and we know we deserve something for all the effort we’ve expended (is that an unjust dessert?). These vices may provide short term relief, but they never really satisfy our craving.

Even the savviest women have trouble with celebrating. Knowing everything I’ve just said, it can still be tempting to skip the step of giving credit, tempting to tell ourselves that the accomplishment is its own reward and that we’ll celebrate next time “because we’re really too busy right now”.  I know.  I’m there too.  But more and more I realize that I’m too busy not to celebrate.

This busy holiday season, don’t forget to celebrate you. Try taking credit for your accomplishments on a daily basis. List them to yourself at the end of the day. Plan rewards and celebrations for the tough or unpleasant stuff you may have to endure—and block out some time so that you can follow through on your plans. Go ahead—indulge!

Take good care,

15 Ways to Socialize That Don’t Involve Food and Overeating

December 7th, 2009, 2 Comments »

After my recent post about how to reward yourself and celebrate your accomplishments without using food, a number of people brought up a related issue that is particularly relevant during the holiday season: how to socialize and not become a hermit when you aren’t interested in a lot of social eating and are trying not to overindulge?

Here are fifteen ways to get together with others that aren’t centered around food or eating. Consider these ideas as you consider alternatives to the holiday cookie exchange or the annual book club holiday dessert night. Remember, if you aren’t spending money on food, you may have resources available for other indulgences.

Fifteen ways to get together with others that aren’t centered around food or eating:

1.    Go to a movie. If you don’t buy popcorn, you can probably afford to go at least twice as often.
2.    Attend a football game, hockey game, or other sporting event.
3.    Get outdoors—walk, hike, cross country ski.
4.    Have a scrapbooking, quilting, or other craft get-together.
5.    Play games—chess, poker, board games. Have a game night.
6.    Go Christmas caroling.
7.    Rent movies and watch them together.
8.    Get together with friends to complete your holiday cards or to wrap gifts.
9.    Go shopping.
10.    Have a spa day—either at a spa or throw your own home spa party. Some massage therapists will come to you.
11.    Get a group together to tour an exhibit at a local museum.
12.    Create an event to support a charitable cause, do something helpful for someone in need, rally around a political cause, or something else you are passionate about.
13.    Go bowling.
14.    Investigate local theater.
15.    Go ice skating.

Many people get stuck when they are trying to have fun and be social without throwing food into the equation. Won’t you leave a comment and add your favorite nonfood activities?

Take good care,

15 Ways to Celebrate and Reward Yourself Without Using Food

December 4th, 2009, No Comments »

Let’s face it. We belong to a culture that encourages us to use food to feel good, to celebrate, and to reward ourselves. One of the biggest challenges for women trying to lose weight and take control of emotional eating is finding new ways to take care of themselves or to indulge.

Many of the participants in my Emotional Eating Toolbox™ Take Action Series, initially come up empty when they try to generate a list of nonfood rewards. While you might feel stuck too, having a list like this is an essential step to taking control of overeating and your weight. When you are making these kind of life changes, it’s simply not enough to know what you DON’T want to do anymore (i.e. overeat). It’s essential to know what you will do INSTEAD.  In case you are feeling rusty, here’s a list of nonfood rewards to get you started.  Please add your own suggestions in a comment to this post—and definitely create a list of your own.

How to reward yourself without food:

1. Announce your accomplishment to others and allow yourself to hear and soak in the congratulations.
2. Buy yourself some new songs for your mp3 player. A few of my clients have created entire inspirational playlists made up of songs that each represent a specific accomplishment or milestone.
3. Get a pedicure or manicure or give yourself one.
4. Buy some incredible smelling lotion.
5. Give yourself the gift of browsing in a store you never feel you have time to visit. One client I know gives herself a tour of her favorite nursery and dreams about her garden. Another client gifts herself with a trip to the scrapbooking store.
6. Take a nap.
7. Stop in the middle of the day, put your feet up and read a book or a magazine.
8. See a movie.
9. Take a day off—really off. Only do things you truly want to do.
10. Subscribe to a magazine you want. You’ll be reminded of your reward at least once a month.
11. Give yourself a free pass to say “no” to something you wouldn’t normally say no to.
12. Keep a list of items you really want and purchase one when you have a win to celebrate.
13. Sleep in.
14. Get a massage
15. Take a bubble bath

Okay, it’s your turn. What can you add to the list? Leave a comment and add your best suggestions.

Take good care,

Holiday Overeating: How Enjoying Your Food Can Limit Overindulging

December 2nd, 2009, No Comments »

A new study from Texas A & M International University says that on average, Americans consume 619 additional calories a day between Thanksgiving and Christmas. That’s a lot of overeating.

What the study doesn’t explore is how much the average American enjoys those extra calories. Here’s a point to ponder this week. As you are facing the holiday treats, the cookie trays, and the calorie-laden celebrations, how much of the food that you eat are you completely savoring?

One of the excuses we give ourselves for indulging this time of year is that these are special, once-a-year treats. Are you tasting them—or are you mindlessly munching while focused on something else, having a conversation, or just-not-paying-attention?

My guess is that many of those 619 extra calories (per day!) are mindless calories that really aren’t enjoyed, relished, or savored. They are calories we eat because they are there.

My advice: if you are going to indulge, allow yourself to soak it up. Stop. Breathe deep. Taste your food.  Enjoy how it feels in your mouth. Stop before your next bite and ask yourself whether you really want it, whether you are hungry, and whether you are still savoring.

Take your time.

When you are done savoring, stop eating. There will be plenty of opportunities to savor again.

My clients who try this tend to discover two things. First, they enjoy their eating experience much more when they give it their full attention. Second, it’s difficult to overindulge when you interpret indulging as giving food your focused attention, savoring it completely, and stopping when the experience isn’t one hundred percent satisfying anymore.  Many are surprised to find how early on in their eating they actually stop savoring and are simply eating or “finishing” what is in front of them.

Care to try it out?  I’d love to hear what you think.

Take good care,

PS: If you could use more help with mindless eating, stress eating, or emotional eating of any type, I highly recommend my Emotional Eating Toolbox™ 28 Day Program.