Want to know my secret?

March 31, 2015March 31, 2015 | Robynn Coates

Today I’m letting you be a fly on the wall for a typical nightly routine in our household. The obvious is the nagging of the kids to clean up the living room, get ready for bed, and brush their teeth. This usually drags out for 30 minutes to an hour. Need I say, I am usually not very intentional about my time at this time of day? 😉

But after they are snug in their bed, books are read, and kisses are given, I head down the hallway to the kitchen. At this moment my holiday begins…

One frozen cookie dough ball from the freezer and one glass of milk. I carry them to the living room and set the stage.
First things first–low lighting. I turn off the lights and turn on my white Christmas lights (yes…I have them up all year round…)
I put all of my favorite pillows on the couch, grab a quilt, and I get snuggled in.
Shoot! I forgot the t.v. remote so I have to get up and do this all over again. Grr…
Ah…finally. The house is quiet, the kids are sleeping, I can feel the tingling of my legs after a hard day of work. So…relaxing…
I turn on the t.v. and take my first bite of my cookie dough. Y-U-M.
I savor every bite.

I kid you not, this event is like a broken record because I do this pretty much EVERY day. I savor this time so much because it is me time. During the day I am tempted to turn to food when I am stressed, but I remember that my event is later that night and I hold off eating because I know how much I will be able to appreciate and enjoy the food and relaxation I will give myself.

I know it sounds crazy, but if I am going to spend my calories on an indulgence, I want everything about it to be perfect. For example, I don’t want to be standing, have a full bladder, or hear a kid screaming the entire time I am eating. If so, I will be distracted, causing me to quickly or mindlessly eat! If I have to eat out of necessity in those moments, I might as well be eating something healthy because I can’t fully enjoy and savor the taste anyway.

Do you have a love-it food that you eat every day? What are your thoughts about making it an event? What would that event look like? For some, it is eating in the car while driving. For others it is enjoying popcorn at the movies. What is yours???

Be Awkward So You Can Get Good

March 26, 2015 | Robynn Coates

Live in the Moment

March 16, 2015 | Robynn Coates

The future starts today, not tomorrow.
~Pope John Paul II

It was story time at the local library. That is where our friendship began. It all started when Robynn came up to Lara and introduced herself…we spoke of things that many acquaintances would: our hobbies, kids, life, etc…

Fast forward two years. Our friendship had grown and, although it was more than surface level, not once had we shared our secret struggle with food.

Whether it was dieting, weight gain, feeling controlled by food, or ambivalence in knowing what to eat, for years we both experienced the same vicious cycle.

Although the degree to which we struggled was different, we shared the same battle. We certainly were not living in peace and we were tired of this scenario. We knew there had to be a better way. Bottom line we wanted to Live It: Live each day to the fullest, at peace, not obsessed with food, our bodies, or the scale. We wanted to savor life with all its highs, lows, and everything in-between.

One key component of peace with food and our Live It concept is contentment. Gaining contentment will finally allow you to make the best of your circumstances. Instead of always wanting to change them, you can use your circumstances to your advantage. With a Live It mindset you can at last enjoy your current place in life even if it’s not where you want to stay.

Where do you need to Live It? Is it buying clothes that fit and flatter? Is it being comfortable in your bathing suit because your kids want to hit the pool? Or maybe you have been postponing fun activities until you reach your goal weight. Whatever it is, don’t waste away the now. Instead, Live It today. After all, looking perfect in a bathing suit isn’t what’s most important. Reaching your goal will come, but there is no reason to put your life on hold in the meantime.

Are you tired of these insignificant factors controlling your life? Are they stealing the precious, limited time with those dearest to you? What are you waiting for? Waste no more. Peace with food is about embracing the present moment. Start investing in what matters most and begin Living It today!

Let Wisdom Do the Heavy Lifting

March 5, 2015March 6, 2015 | Robynn Coates

There’s a saying we have in Peace with Food regarding wisdom and it is this: Let wisdom do the heavy lifting.

Let’s face it. There are times we don’t think too clearly. We make rash decisions that we later regret. It’s as if, for a few fleeting seconds, we lose our minds and when we finally come to, it’s too late.

Like the time I was so close to reaching a goal weight. I was so close I could taste it and yet I blew it by going through the Krispy Kreme drive thru and buying a bunch of donuts. (I’m not even going to tell you how many “a bunch” is!) Why did I do that?!

Have you ever experienced that? If you’re like me, too many times to count.

That is, until I learned to let wisdom do the heavy lifting.

What exactly do I mean when I say, “Let wisdom do the heavy lifting”? Basically this: Do for yourself when you are strong what you cannot do for yourself when you are weak.

It is knowing myself, my point of weakness and temptation and then planning ahead to ensure I will come out victorious when faced with that situation.

For example, if I know that my weakness is buying chips and cookies when walking past those aisles in the grocery store, I use wisdom by making sure I avoid those aisles as much as possible. I map out ahead of time what I am going to do in those times of temptation. The advantage of doing this is that I use wisdom when I am strong rather than relying on my fickle willpower in the heat of the moment. It is in these non-tempting moments that I can best plan out my escape route in moments of temptation.

So if I get tripped up by some temptation or circumstance, it is best to plan ahead when my head is clear and I feel strong. Because like it or not, temptation is coming, but I can be prepared if I let wisdom do the heavy lifting.