Hi fit peeps! Hopefully you have the day off for the Labor Day holiday! Mondays are great when you don’t have to head in to the office, right? 
So my Sunday was delightful. It was a planned rest day from exercise so I was pretty much a ‘lump on a log’ most of the day. I did a little painting project and then finished a book I’d been reading on the Kindle. (Hey speaking of Kindle, if you happen to own one: Amazon seems to regularly offer a few books for free to drum up some buzz for authors. The one I just finished was called “Raising Jake” which I originally got for free and is now out there for $9.60. They also have a lot of classics for free download as well, like “Pride & Prejudice”. Thought I’d share, since we all love to save some money!)
Sunday started much like every other day, with my favorite liquid, this time presented for your viewing pleasure in my DENVER mug (from Starbucks, of course!):
And then (drum roll please……) my chocolate chip MUFFIN!
(with a cup of almond milk in my “thumb mug”) Oh wow has it been a long time since I’ve had one of these. It was DEEE-LISH! I ate about 2/3 and then realized I’d had my fill. At that point, I noticed that I was eating it just because it tasted so good and no longer because I was hungry, so I stopped and the rest went to MSP, who gladly finished it off for me!
Throughout the morning I had a few leftover chickpeanuts, but the muffin was so filling I didn’t need anything substantial again until lunch. When I finally did get hungry I had some of my leftover tofu chili with a side of veggies and hummus (there’s one of those wonky carrots again!):
Shortly after I felt mostly full but could use a bite of something ‘desserty’ to change the taste some, so I broke off a piece of a Chocolate Coconut Larabar (about a third of the bar):
Later we had a few errands to run and MSP treated me to one of my favorite ‘fast food’ places ever, Tokyo Joe’s! I use fast food lightly because it’s really a great place to get a quick healthy meal. I chose the Hookipa Salad which has grilled salmon, ginger, greens, edamame, dried cranberries, pecans and a side of soy ginger dressing. It comes stuffed to the brim in a huge bowl:
So I cut the salmon in half and dished out half the salad onto a plate so that I have some for another time:
Oh this salad is SOOOO good. I just love it. Tokyo Joe’s rocks. If you have one nearby, you should go there today 
MSP was craving rice krispy treats while we’d been out and about so we picked him up the goods to get it made in the evening. He also wanted them to have chocolate topping, so he also bought a bag of chocolate chips to melt down and smear on top of his creation. After they cooled he enjoyed his evening snack, while I munched on a few of the leftover chocolate chips. Here’s something I was was surprised to learn: Can you believe that Rice Krispies have high fructose corn syrup in them??? I mean really – it’s puffed rice for crying out loud! What’s the point of ruining it with HFCS? I don’t know why it surprised me so, but it did in this particular cereal.
Right at bedtime at 9:30 (yes, 9:30 on a weekend night – and that’s LATE for me! I tell ya, my sleep is important to me!) I got really hungry, so I stirred a quick scoop of Amazing Grass “Amazing Meal” since I hadn’t had my green smoothie for the day. This would have to suffice. This is one of the few powdered green drinks I actually like. It’s meant to be a meal replacement shake, as it’s balanced with protein, carbs and fat. I like it because it’s easily portable – it doesn’t require a blender and it mixes really well with water.
Image from amazinggrass.com
So the FitFeature that I’d like to touch on today, especially as many of you may be heading to Labor Day BBQs and parties: as I mentioned above, while I was enjoying my ‘planned cheat treat’ chocolate chip muffin, once I’d had my fill it was time to stop eating it. If you are trying to lose weight or be fitter/healthier, this is a healthy habit to learn! One of my personal training clients who then became one of my closest friends was great at this and I always admired her resolve. When we’d meet for drinks or dinner, she would always order dessert. She would have a few bites and then she was DONE. She tasted it and had enough to enjoy it, which kept her from feeling deprived of great foods and kept her from feeling like she was dieting. So many foods taste GREAT in the first few bites, but then the ‘magic’ disappears. Bethenny Frankel calls it “The Point of Diminishing Return”.
Don’t just continue to eat something because it tastes good – when you are full, STOP EATING IT. With high calorie decadent food, don’t finish what you start!
Alrighty friends, I’m off to start my day! Have a sunny and safe Labor Day! See ya next time!
– Shari B. =)
