Natasha's Pages

I’m on the home stretch of this month’s challenge and may I just say this has been hard! I’m proud to say that for the most part I have stuck to my guns by eating all my meals at the dining table but I will admit to faltering a time or two. After weeks of doing so well and consciously preparing meals and eating at the table I was surprised to realize that one night for dinner I found myself munching on leftovers on the coffee table watching Netflix without even a thought! I just sat down and went to it and it was only after a few minutes that I discovered my blunder. I guess this goes to prove just how mindless we can be in our habits. I, once again, found myself last night in front of my computer eating an orange. Are you kidding me!?! So close!!! As for those dinner “dates” with the husband at our own dinner table, those have gotten more frequent. I’ve recently adopted a more vegan approach to my eating and have been trying to make new things that have gotten the man’s curiosity

With Week 1 of this month’s challenge under my belt, I can honestly say it’s been a little eye opening and not everything has gone as I expected. I did keep to the challenge and ate only at the table sans Television, so I am proud that I kept to my goal, but I’m not so proud of the things I noticed! Like, some days I eat very little and some days I can’t seem to get enough. I was surprised on Thursday by just how many times I found myself at the table with snacks! Sheesh! Whereas today, I’ve had to stop and make myself eat a little something for lunch…around 3:30pm! I’ve also been keeping a journal of what I’m eating. It’s been easier to remember with the table eating I must admit and looking over the past week I can truly say I’m slow going back into the healthy eating routine I had been practicing before the holidays. All is not lost! The Challenge has just begun and I now can see the benefits of purposefully eating---the actual “act” of eating. Now to the surprises. When I

Yesterday I tried something I saw on Pinterest , a website that I’m sure I’ll have to put on the abstain list at some point just to check my willpower. I was staying at my parents’ house for the weekend where the cupboards are often scarce so for breakfast Monday morning I had to be a little creative. Enter the Pinterest posting. I laid the toaster on its side and inserted my two slices of bread and on one slice I laid my cheese slice for a perfect and easy toasted cheese sandwich. However, while said sandwich was in toasting I heard “mother nature” calling and a pit stop toward breakfast was made. When I returned from the powder room the toaster was finished with its handy work but my sandwich was not in it. I proceeded to look down and there was my perfectly toasted sandwich…on the floor with a fluffy puppy standing over it. It seems that while I was away the toaster popped my sandwich out and force plus gravity took hold and down it went! Not to be discouraged I tried again,

Join me on my journey of 12 monthly challenges designed to benefit my health, relationships, and lifestyle! Each month throughout the year I will be abstaining from one habit or item while adding a new beneficial habit or item. Feel free to take the challenges with me and let me know about your progress! January Challenge: Eat every meal at a dining table with no television or computer distractions. Abstaining/Adding: I’m taking away the extra distractions especially television which can lead to mindless eating and adding the dinner table for all meals. Expected Benefits · More deliberate food choices · Less mindless eating because I will be aware of “eating” · Less additional eating because I’ve got to eat at the table. · More conversation with family and friends due to less outside distractions. Expected Difficulties: · Getting others to turn off the TV. · Eating while traveling. · Meetings and events where “grazing” is encouraged. The Rules: · All meals must be eaten