Do something Friday

In the last couple days, I have talked with a number of clients about the Eating Scale.  It seems to me, when as a person moves away from their ME training, their use of the scale drops off -- It is worth taking some time right now (and this weekend) to think about your use of the scale.

The reason Mindful Eating is different than a diet is that ME facilitates your eating the amount that is appropriate for you each day.  If you were highly active yesterday, you will feel more physical hunger today.  And conversely, if you laid on the beach all yesterday and only moved when you needed to roll over, you will be less hungry today because your energy expenditure yesterday was less.  If you are eating strictly from a "diet" plan -- there is no way to take into account these day to day changes.

Likewise, if you are working out several days a week and maintaining your weight but then life happens and you can't get to the gym, your weight may creep up because you have no frame of reference to change your eating habits because you are used to eating an amount appropriate for you when you work out.

One thing for sure:  Life will happen.  Even the most  dedicated exerciser will have something happen (kid stuff, vacation, illness, injury....) that will sideline them from their weight management technique of exercise.

If you have a second technique of being well versed in the Eating Scale -- you don't need to worry about your weight creeping up during those times life has you running.

If your activity level is down for a couple days (you've spent several afternoons sitting on the bleachers at Little League All Stars and sure you clapped and cheered but that was the greatest extent of your activity for the day), you may notice that it takes much more time to get to a level 3 than normal -- so you don't eat as much and are matching your caloric needs to your body's activity level.

And on the other end, if you realise that you are eating the same amount of food that you always do but are getting to a level 9 or 10 instead of your usual 8, you have the opportunity to cut back on your portion size to match your activity level.  Calorie balance restored -- voila!

The point is -- we all have limited time and there is no getting around that!  Sometimes increasing your calorie expenditure through movement is not an option.  Your weight does not have to suffer during those time if you have a good practice of using the Eating Scale to help you determine what your body is trying to tell you.