Naturally Thin - 4

I haven't written about my progress on the project to become naturally thin for a couple of weeks because I have struggled a little. HMMMM maybe if I had continued to track the progress MAYBE just maybe I wouldn't be struggling.

 

I have lost another 1 lb on the scale but I know it could have been more if I had been as motivated as much as I was on week one. So back to plan and on to Step #4.

 

This step is another one we ALL know to do, but in this technology age we forget.

 

PAY ATTENTION

 

That's right, pay attention.....to what you eat, how you (or someone else) makes it,  when you eat and where you eat.

 

This means to stop multitasking while eating - so no more TV watching, computer surfing or talking on the phone. (UMMMM I am struggling with this one). Sit down while eating. If you skip the multitasking, it sure would be easier to be more calm and enjoy the meal more.

 

Chew slowly and enjoy each and every bite instead of wolfing in down and not paying attention to whether you are full. Make sure you are actually tasting the food before it is gone and you can't remember if it was good or not.

 

On to a big part of Step 4 - don't eat it if it isn't that good. What a waste of calories, energy and just plain common sense. I can deal with something that doesn't look good if it tastes YUMMY but if it isn't tasty, why eat it?

 

So what do you think of this step? Like I say, I struggle with not multitasking while eating. I just wanna slump into the couch, watch TV and eat. BUT I then realize that I finished off a whole plate of something that I don't even know if I liked, or if I was full or without even caring if it was healthy.

 

I would love to hear if you are also on a weight loss journey and how you are doing. Maybe we can motivate each other a little.

 

Until next time....keep on creating.

How's it going????

Did you pick a word to describe your passion or your goal for 2012?

 

Back in January, I picked the word Believe. I wanted to stop being in my 'self-pity' mode and start believing in myself and my abilities again.

 

So how am I doing? UMMMM OK, but first let me remind you of the goals I wanted to accomplish or the way I planned to live out my word this year.  

First by spending more time with God. That is MY strongest belief so that part of my life deserves more time. More time in the Word, more time in prayer, more time sharing my beliefs.
Also, by meditating on the positives, on the blessings I have in my life and stop focusing on the losses.
Doing what I believe to be right, even if others mock or criticize me for it.
Being willing to take risks and go the extra mile to achieve better things.
Accepting compliments graciously. “Thanks, I really worked hard on that prospectus. I’m pleased you recognize my efforts.”

Here are my updates:

1. I have been reading 1-3 Psalms a day as well as adding Christian books into my reading list so I would say I give myself an A- on this goal.
2. I am still working on this one. I try to start each day with a positive attitude know that each day can be a GREAT and happy day. I am giving myself a C+ on this one.
3. I am not really sure why I put this one on here. I must have REALLY been feeling down on myself at that time.
4. Risks are still tough for me, but I am putting myself out there again. At work and in my personal life. So far, so good and I haven't fell flat on my face yet. Another C+ on this one.
5. This is still a tough one for me. I am working on forming the words 'thank you' instead of contracting whatever compliment I get. That goes for compliments on my cakes, my clothes, my hair whatever. I am going to be positive on this one and say that I am doing about B work on this.

So how is your year going? We are in the home stretch, almost in the last quarter of the year. My plan is to continue on this path of believing and I know great things are sure to come. Are you with me?

 

Until next time....keep on creating.

Baby Shower...

for a special baby.

 

A special little girl arrived in this world 6 months ago way before her due date weighing 1.2 pounds. She is definitely a fighter and spent each day for the last few months getting stronger and getting to know her parents as well as hundreds of health care workers... Doctors, nurses, aides and whoever she needed to help her grow and stay healthy.

 

This miracle baby came home recently and our office threw a small baby shower for the daddy, who is a coworker.

 

I am not showing pictures of the dad or mentioning the baby's name to protect their anonymity and privacy. I did want to share the pictures of the cake and decor tho. It was a pretty quickly thrown together and decorated because in the corporate world, conference rooms are at a premium and we had a minimal amount of time to decorate.

 

 

I am still working on getting the buttercream smooth when cakes are ordered without fondant but with fondant decoration. Since this cake was made, I have been trying some new techniques to smoothing the icing and currently I am working on the bench scraper method and have gotten a LITTLE better since this cake was done a while back. Next will be the crusting buttercream with Viva towel method. Wish me luck on this because I really am having a tough time.

 

Do any of you have the problems with smoothing buttercream like I do? Or have you perfected a method? If you have any hints or tips for me, I would LOVE to hear them.

 

Until next time.....keep on creating.

The Naturally Thin Project - Part 3

On to the next step on my journey with the Naturally Thin plan by Bethenny Frankel.

 

The second 'rule' in this plan is "You Can Have It All, Just Not All at Once".

DANG and I thought I could just eat and eat and eat and not see any consequences.

 

Join me on this next step on may way to changing my thinking about eating and dieting.

 

Bethenny's point with the Naturally Thin plan and with this rule is that 'dieting' is not helping us.

Most diet plans ban certain foods so we feel deprived. I WANT that cupcake, or Twinkie or chocolate bar but my 'diet' says NO WAY.

Enter anger, hunger, feelings of deprivation. No wonder most of us can't follow a restrictive plan.

 

Bethenny says we CAN have chocolate, or cake or mashed potatoes. BUT we can't eat a pound of chocolate, half a cake or a pan full of potatoes.

 Moderation is the key here people.

First think about what you want. Do you want some potatoes with your dinner AND dessert?

Then you will have to cut both of the portions on those two treats way back.

How about you eat the taters but then only have a bite or two of someone else's dessert. (Ask first or you may get a fork stabbed into your hand).

Or reverse this and just take a bite or two of someone else's cheese filled potato dish and then eat a scrumptious dessert.

 

Are you seeing the point of this rule?

It was hard for me to grasp as I am definitely of the "I want it all" mindset and thought I would feel deprived looking at food thru the eyes of Rule # 2.

 

 On the contrary, I know I can taste whatever I want and determine where I want to use my "bank account" points for the day on.

 Today, I may want that Salted Caramel Cupcake from the local cupcakery and tomorrow I may want a nice piece of bread with a nice helping of butter.

Or, if I am making a cake or cupcakes for a client, I can taste the icing as needed to ensure I am giving them the best I can give.

No guilt, no kicking myself the rest of the day. A taste or two and move on.

 

There is LOADS more involved in this rule, but this is my take on it. I know that I have to think about what I want to eat, whether is it worth using my daily expenditures from my food bank account, and whether I  really hungry or just bored, sad or lonely.

 

Sounds easy right? Well, I can report that it has been easy for me.

I lost another 1.1 lbs this week which is a BIG thing for me since the older I get, the harder it is to lose. So this little engine that can is still chugging along.

 

Next week I will take a look at the Rule # 3, so I hope you will be back to check in then.

 

Until next time.....keep on creating.

 

If you want to check out previous posts in this series:

 

A new way to eat...

Eating Naturally Thin - Part 2

 

 

Photography Skills

A few months ago I let you all in on a secret - I took an online photography class to learn more about my digital camera. Check out the original post here.

I have been an avid amateur photographer since I was a kid back in the dark ages - when little instamatic cameras and Polaroids were all the rage. In college I took a photography class and splurged on a Canon AE 1 and really learned how to shoot great pictures. I used that camera for years taking pictures of my babies, who turned into toddlers, and all the way up until about the time they graduated from high school.

AHHHH those were the days of rolls (and rolls) of film piled up in a drawer just waiting for someone to send them away to be developed. Then enter the digital age, when I received a little Sony digital camera as a gift to use to take pictures of my grandkids. That made me happy for a few years because it took great pictures without having to do much more than push the little button. SNAP, CLICK and DONE.

I wasn't satisfied tho and I bought a better camera to take on a mission trip to Alaska. I mean I NEEDED a better camera for there right? I had always loved my Canon AE 1 so I decided to get another Canon and went with a DSLR (HMMMM can't remember which one right now). No more little tiny digital for me. Oh no I looked sharp with my big camera and it did take good pictures. GOOD not great. But why was that?

HMMMM could it be that I was stuck on Auto mode on my camera? I gave up trying to figure out all the settings a nice Canon offered when my kids were little and I thought it was much easier to just leave it on Auto and continue the SNAP, CLICK and DONE way of shooting pics that I was used to. But now, ALL these years later I decided to relearn what I knew back in the 80's. How to think about the settings on my camera and change them up to get the BEST pictures possible.

Since my original post, I did go out and get myself the Canon 3ti and I LOVE it. I rarely put it on auto, and intead use the M (manual) setting most of the time. I have taken some GREAT shots and then some NOT SO GREAT shots. But that is where my newest obsession comes in. Photoshop. I LOVE IT. When I don't quite get the settings right on my camera, I upload them to Photoshop and do a little creative editing.

Is Photoshop cheating? Doctoring up the original shot to fake it being a GREAT right out of the camera shot?  I don't think so, but then I was really lousy at figuring it out and wasn't doing much changing anyway. So I once again turned to the guys at ShootFlyShoot for some help. They have a great Photoshop Elements 10 class that starts with the very basic functions and takes you through some pretty amazing tutorials on creating wonderful photos. I am having such fun turning my so-so pictures into something I am proud to share with others. The classes are quick and easy to understand and if a 'not so tech savvy' gal like me can do it so can you.

I will be sharing some of my before and afters on here soon, but in the meantime, if you want to know more about how to shoot great pictures or how to clean them up a little, just click on the button to the right to find out more. I think you will be amazed at what you can learn in just a few short lessons.

If you pop on over and take the ShootFlyShoot classes, let me know what you think.

Until next time....keep on creating.