The Art of Self-Control

I started Halloween weekend with the best of intentions -- I even bought snacks instead of candy to hand out to any potential trick-or-treaters. For some reason, I thought it might be a good idea to have candy as well, just in case we had too many children come knock on our door.

Well, with two bags of candy and no costumed-children, I had a problem. The odd thing is, I'm not even a huge candy or chocolate eater but I over-indulged in a few too many mini chocolate bars anyway.

Also, I attended a friend's Halloween party. I foolishly treated myself to many delicious, high-calorie hor d'ouvres: a little seven-layer graveyard themed dip, witches hats made out of crescent rolls and coffin-shaped brownies. Through my mishaps at the party, I learned a very valuable lesson as we head into holiday-themed parties, which is that I need to stay away from the snack table!

I would have hoped by this point in my journey towards a healthy lifestyle I would have learned the art of self-control. Unfortunately, I still need to work on my ability to say no and resist temptations.

Thankfully, the week started and it is time to shake off Halloween. This week, I am looking forward to putting into practice some of the tips I received from nutritionist Keri Glassman. It is amazing how much perspective you gain from talking to someone who is an expert in food and healthy choices.

Although I have made some changes since my meeting with a dietitian a few weeks ago, after speaking with Keri I realized while I have started to build a good foundation, I still have quite a bit of work ahead of me. One of the most important things I learned from Keri is that I'm not getting enough calories during the day.

While I am making healthier food choices and have and added fruit and vegetables as snacks, I still need to get more fiber and protein into my food choices. When I told Keri that recently I've been good all through the day and have started eating a lot in the evenings she said it was because I need more food throughout the day.

After we talked about food, Keri asked me about my exercise routine. Busted. I felt like I was caught with my hand in the cookie jar! When she asked me about my workouts, I was honest with her that I've been better but that I am still averaging about two workouts a week. Although it is something that is very obvious and I don't like to admit it, you can't avoid the truth when someone else puts it out there for you to digest; Keri pointed out that I'm not getting enough exercise.

While I have been running more and I've been walking, I have not been consistently exercising enough and that must change. Keri asked me if I could commit to four times a week, 45 minutes each workout. What was I going to do, tell her no? Absolutely not!

I have a feeling I will be spending a lot of time at the gym in the next few weeks because I have a challenge to exceed.
Another challenge coming up is my birthday! Why is my birthday a challenge? I like birthday cake. I like ice cream. And I definitely like all of the free dinner coupons that have been showing up in my email inbox over the past few days.

I am trying to convince myself that just because it's my birthday week doesn't mean I can make poor choices. There is a small part of me that is staying strong, while a larger voice is saying that it's my birthday and I'll eat if it I want too! Which one do I listen to?

Here is what Keri Glassman had to say about her consultation with Ashley:



More on Tipping the Scales:
Signing a Contract With Myself
Starting Over on My Halloween Weight Loss Challenge
Running and Random Acts of Kindness

After decades of dieting only to gain it back, two That's Fit readers have decided to finally rethink their relationship with food and exercise over the next year to move toward a lifetime of fulfilling, healthy living. Come by every week as Ashley and Lee share their successes and challenges as they tip the scale.