Grant and Ginger

Of all the small public parks that polka dot Pasadena, Grant Park has always been one of my favorites.  Myself, with a handful of other CPK have been frequenting this spot for years. 

(CPK?  I guess I should explain that...  While the acronym is most known for California Pizza Kitchen, it is also a term I've coined for Cool Parents with Kids)

OK, now that we've clarified the terminology... Let me continue.

My kids and I had dropped by Grant Park recently when I noticed all the new changes happening over at Eddie's Market.  Eddie's had forever been the typical neighborhood corner store that in the past, you would go with your friends to buy Pop Rocks, and the likely place where your Uncle Bill would buy smokes against Auntie Annie's wishes...

Through the years, I had always longed for Eddie's Market to be something more.

Eddie's location next to the park was ideal.  The building itself had "great bones" in a classic hometown styling that instantly made you feel welcome, but there was still something about the place that was lacking.  A missing ingredient if you will.

Enter "Ginger" Corner Market.

With my affection for the park well established, I'm predisposed to like Ginger right away. Nowhere in Pasadena does such a "Perfect Storm" exist.  Here, in this one spot, you will find a friendly/small/manageable park with play area, easy street parking, and a corner store across the street providing drinks, food, and goodies for kids and parents alike.

Where else can you let your little rugrats run and fun in the park while you sip on your freshly brewed macchiatto or home-made lemonade? 

Where else can you eat this well and this healthy while still managing to keep an eye on the already running, already funning rugrats?

To put it simply... Such a place didn't exist.  Until now...

While I will not do a complete review, I will hit upon some highlights as to why you should be here yesterday, and why other CPK in the know, are already here...

Let's take a stroll in pictures shall we?

Upon entering Ginger, the "Welcome-ness" that the exterior building exudes has been brought inside.  Marble counter tops and period fixtures bring a nostalgic familiarity to the place that was lacking in the previous space.

 

These baked goodies are the first things that greet you as you walk in.  I didn't have any, but they looked lovely. My daughter, who did have some, assured me of their lovely-ness.

 

 

Did I mention, they also have ice cream?

 

 

And not just any ice cream... Mother Moo's Creamery!  My absolute favorite ice cream in So Cal that nobody knows about yet.  If you haven't visited their location in Sierra Madre, you don't know ice cream.

 

Did I also mention that they feature Jones Coffee?  Good Job Larry!  (OK, disclaimer here, I went to school with Mr. Jones, so I'm biased, but this is darn good coffee.  Trust me.)

 

 

 

 

Let's get to what I had for lunch...  My kale salad was very nice with a light orange vinaigrette covering kale, roasted carrots and toasted almonds. The dressing which comes on the side, is just enough to dress the salad without drowning the kale. The problem often times with kale is that it can be dry or can get soggy very quickly.  So the tip here is to thoroughly toss the salad before eating so the kale is covered and flavored evenly.

 

 

Here's what the kids had for lunch... Grilled Cheese.  In the menu, it's described as "cheddar cheese on fruit nut bread."  It certainly passed the eyeball test and was quickly devoured by my ravenous rugrats.

 

 

Here are the other offerings for your perusal...

 

 

I would be remiss if I didn't at least post one picture of the park...  Here is the main play area.  In the background you will see the big climbing "Spiderweb" thingy.  This is the main draw to the park and why my kids love it so much.  In fact, my kids don't even refer to it as Grant Park.  When they want to come here, they ask to be taken to "Spiderweb Park."

 

 

 

So, if you're a CPK like I am and live in the Pasadena area, don't forget your friends, Grant and Ginger...

 

Grant and Ginger?

 

Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers perhaps? 

 

I've never met the owners of this establishment, so I haven't a clue as to where the name derives from, but with Google being your friend...  Cary Grant and Ginger Rogers starred in 2 prominent movies, one of them being "Monkey Business" which I find oddly fitting. 

 

"Monkey Business" is certainly the star attraction at the park with Grant, but don't you forget about Ginger...

 

Ginger is simply the kind of place where good food and good fun never go out of style...

 

Ginger Corner Market

217 S Michigan Ave

Pasadena, CA 91106

Tel: (626) 795-2447

 

Ginger is a bit difficult to find.  It's 3 blocks West of Hill on Michigan Ave.  North of Del Mar Ave, but just South of Cordova St.  Grant Park is on Cordova.

Hours: Mon-Fri 7:30 am - 6:30 pm

             Sat-Sun 10:30 am - 6:30 pm 

 

 

 

 

100

Just so we're clear...  I hate talking about Me.  I hate writing about Me.  Oh sure, I can espouse random thoughts and opinions with the best of them, but when that spotlight shines on Me and My Life, I'm usually the first cockroach to dart for cover.

Today, fate finally came for me.

And in that moment, I was at a loss.

Instead of feeling elation or jubilance, all I felt was self doubt as the questions started to mount in my head. "Shouldn't I be happy?" "What the heck do I do now?" "Do I celebrate?" "Should I celebrate?"  And how exactly do you mark an achievement of which you are fiercely proud, yet ultimately, are too embarrassed to mention to anybody?  How do you say something of consequence knowing full well that you would rather just let this moment pass quietly into yesterday?

Come on Kyle... Like always.  Like every post you've written on this blog. Just start writing.  Just start.

Reminding myself that "You don't have to be Great to start, but you have to start if you want to be Great," I start typing...

My story begins on June 10, 2009.  Like so many of these stories, this too starts with a doctor's appointment and an annual checkup.

I show up at the office and check in at the front desk.  After filling out the necessary paperwork, they finally call me in.  Even as I make my way toward my doctor's office, the nurse beckons me to follow her. She eventually leads me down a stark white hallway. Awaiting me at the end, is the very machine that will ultimately decide my fate. The scale.

I step on. 

After much fiddling, the nurse who was completely devoid of expression, quietly writes down the number...  She writes 278.

The curtain falls.  Intermission. 

Act II

Today is Saturday, January 28, 2012.  I woke up at 6 AM this morning, knowing that there was a very good chance that this could be the day.  I lie in bed thinking about the possibility, somehow willing that number to appear.  I continue to lay in bed for another thirty minutes lest I seem too eager.  The house is quiet as if in reverence for the occasion that was about to happen.  I walk up to the scale who has been my friend and many times my enemy.  I push down and wait for the readout to show 0.00.  Heart in throat, I step up to the plate. The zeros flicker for a minute as if the scale was trying to make up its mind on whether to make or break me.  The flicker stops, and the scale reads 178.8.

I had made it. I had lost 100 pounds...

Finale and Reality Check.

Now when I look in the mirror, I don't see six pack abs.  I don't see any person even closely resembling an "After" picture like the ones on TV.  But the numbers don't lie. 100 pounds is a big deal and I've done it primarily on my own without a gym, trainer, expensive equipment, or special weight loss program. 

I'm proud of that.

I know that I'll never be on the cover of Men's Health, but because of what I've accomplished, I now have the confidence knowing that I will be there when my kids graduate.  I can sleep peacefully at night knowing that I will be there to walk McKenna down the aisle when that day comes.

If I can impress upon you one lesson I've learned from my challenges along this journey, it's this:

If you are unhappy with something in your life, more often than not,

YOU have the power to change it. 

I'm proof of that...

I still have many areas in my life that need attention and downright change, but I've learned through experience that change IS possible, and that I CAN change.

On June 10, 2009,  I sat quietly in my car just after having seen my doctor.  Right then, I made a silent commitment to myself. 

That commitment was to be a better person today than I was yesterday. 

That mission continues...with earnest.

Koreatown

Today I took my mom to see the dentist in Koreatown.  Why Koreatown?  Well, as you may know, older folks are often creatures of habit.  So accordingly, my mom has been going to see this same dentist since teeth were invented... 

The office of this aforementioned dentist is located right around Wilshire and Western, deep in the heart of Koreatown proper.   After parking the minivan, I walk my mom up to the office and tell her that I'm going to get my car washed while she's getting her teeth looked at.  She smiles and says "OK sonny," and I'm off like a rocket. 

My trusty GPS puts the nearest car wash at 4th and Western.  I pull into the car wash and say to the nice man at the counter, "I am Chinese and I would like your cheapest, most basic car wash!"  Suddenly said "Nice" man isn't smiling anymore...  He immediately starts grumbling and scribbling, or is that scribbling and grumbling???  Well, whatever... I just know that the "Nice" man I had been talking to, is now gone and has been replaced by a very angry ogre that looks quite a lot like Shrek.  Not knowing whether he was going to shoo me away or eat me, Shrek eventually handed me a ticket and said, in his best Ogre-ish accent, "You pay inside!"

Shrek's wife, "Fiona", rings me up and I go outside to wait for my car.  After twiddling my thumbs for 30 seconds, I notice a poster accross the street adverstising some pretty awesome "Man Suits".  This strikes me as funny, so with my trusty cellphone camera in hand, I go and snap a photo.  Pleased with myself and knowing that I had time to kill, I continued around the block looking for other gems of comedic value to be found in Koreatown. So this is a picture log of my finds along this 40 minute walking tour of Koreatown.  Enjoy...

"Here is the first shot that got me started...  Man Suits made in Korea!  99 bucks!  Get out of town!  I would very much like to look like a man and I think a Man Suit would be perfect.  I better hurry though, I only have until Sept. 19th."

"Hey, Y'all have a Chicken Day ya hear!"

"Are you unhappy?  Do you like to read?  Well, I have the place for you!"

"Now be honest... Do you wake up scratching every morning?  Do you think you might have a  Bed Bug problem?  Now you know where to go!"

"There it is!  Soju Town!  Don't we all want to live in Soju Town?"

"That's right!  In Soju Town, you can eat as much BBQ as you want for as long as you want until 2 AM!  Don't you always find yourself hankering to eat as much as humanly possible at 1:59 AM?  Yep, me too!  Meet ya there at Soju Town!

"Time for lunch at Crunchy Sea, ironically located on the same property at where I'm getting my car washed!  I am so gonna get my car washed here more often."

"Fish Tacos!  These tacos lived up to the name and were the crunchiest fish tacos I've ever had.  Crunchy Sea has been on my Yelp "To Do" list for a while now, so getting my car washed and putting another notch on the foodie belt is a double bonus"

"Twas the night before tacos and all through the hut, not a creature was stirring, not even your butt..."

"What is that sound?  Why yes... I believe... Well, I'm not sure, but I do think that is the Sound of Scissors..."

"Darn those kids at Soju Town!  Up all night eating all they can eat!  I just want to sleep and hear the soothing sound of scissors.  Is that too much to ask?"

"Yes, can you tell the REMOTE and the ROOM to talk louder?  Or at least, can you tell them to slow down and speak more clearly.  Thank you, I would appreciate it."

"Yeah, I've been to St. Andrews and let me tell you that this ain't it..."

"Even in Koreatown, all drains lead to the ocean..."

"I"m a little tired after my walk. A little rest and a little prayer sounds  mighty nice right now"

So I've come to the end of my journey and now I'm asking myself, "Have we learned anything today?"  I'm not sure there is a life lesson in this post anwhere, but it does speak to the fact that there are interesting things all around you.  If you stop, slow your roll, and take notice, there really are a lot of funny and interesting things in your world.  Like my childhood idol, Ferris Bueller once said,

• Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.

Kyle's First Note

So I haven't blogged or written anything in a while.  Yesterday, when I was writing an overly long status, Facebook prompted me to write a note.  I didn't even know you could do that and what the purpose of a Facebook Note was.  Either way, I needed to start writing again and this was a good enough reason to force myself to do it.  So, I sat down and this is what came out.

Kyle's First Note

I heard a great new phrase on the radio today...  The phrase was "Paralysis By Over Analysis."  Do you ever feel like that?  I sure do.  When faced with certain situations, I will often over think things to the point of standing utterly still. (i.e. paralaysis)  In the past, I've always been a big proponent of preparedness, sound reasoning, and of anticipating possible outcomes before taking any action.  But I must say, there is also  a lot to be said for just taking the plunge and diving headfirst into that pool of uncertainty.

This topic brings to mind another phrase or quote I've often used in my life, and that is  "There is no right or wrong decision, there is only making a decision and then making it the right one."

I just love that line.  It lessens the pressure of making that first initial decision, yet puts the onus on you to follow through and back up your decision with action.  Everyone including myself, will come upon a time when decisions regarding our respective futures will have to be made.  When that time comes, will paralysis set in?  Or will careful consideration turn into cold refrigeration?

I'm at a point in my life where I'm trying to be the best version of myself everyday. While that sounds admirable, more often than not, I fall miserably short.  Yet, failures aside, I and we must continue to take steps forward and move in a positive direction.  Analysis is good, but not when it results in the kind of paralysis that leads to stagnation and a life of missed opportunities.

The title for this little piece is called Kyle's First Note.  Initially, the meaning of that title couldn't have been more innocuous.  This was simply my first Facebook Note.  Soon though, the words kept coming and the volume in my head got louder and louder.  It got me to thinking about this one little thought, that Every Symphony starts with just One Note.  Just one...

My friends,

Wherever we are in our lives, our symphony awaits...  but we must first choose to play that first note.  What note will you play?

Wizarding World of Harry Potter

It was a wet and drizzly Sunday morning.  I shout "Five more minutes Mom!" to no one in particular and go back to sleep.  Is that a train whistle I hear?  Muttering angrily to myself, I hop out of bed and rub the sleep from my eyes only to find that I am certainly not in Kansas anymore...  A cheery, round faced train conductor beckons me forward past a large red steam train.  "Welcome to Hogmeade!" he says.  "Hogsmeade?" I ask.  "Why of course, now pick up your things and head on up to the castle, Dumbledore is waiting for you..."  With a rush of realization, I take a look around with new fresh eyes.  All around me are slanted chimneys and tiny shoppes crammed together.  A hooting owl comes out of a belfry to ring the time...  I have arrived.  Falling in line with the rest of the eager wide-eyed muggles, I enter a fantastical place of wizards and witches, magical creatures, and of course, Butterbeer.  Yes, today I was in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and there is no place I'd rather be.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is truly a wonderful place of magic and mystery.  That is not prose, that is objective fact.  The Wizarding World is simply a marvel...  While it isn't large, it does have a true sense of place and a transcendent quality that allows you to suspend reality if just for a little bit.  When I think back to all of my favorite destinations I have been over my lifetime, Loch Lomond in Scotland, Chiang Mai in Thailand, Bruges in Belgium, all of those places were true destinations of distinction. However, after this trip, I will reserve a spot for the Wizarding World of Harry Potter alongside those other destinations on the list of my most favorite places.  Am I a biased Harry Potter fanboy?  Maybe...  Am I a theme park geek?  Guilty on that count as well, but when you first step foot into Hogwarts and Hogsmeade, you will literally step right onto the pages of the books and walk right into the scenes of the Harry Potter movies.  Wonderment will be all you feel living inside of a story that has so captivated a generation.  What Universal has done to transport you to the World of Harry Potter is simply astonishing...

So instead of the normal banter and longwindedness of my normal blogging, What I have for you today  is a collection of photos of the Wizarding World taken with just my cellphone camera.  Enjoy the magic.

Here are my lovely companions for this trip.  Kelsey on the left is a Hufflepuff, Katelyn in the middle is a Gryffindor as evidenced by the red and gold scarf, and Kayla on the right is sporting her snazzy Ravenclaw robe.

It is the end of our visit and we must leave Hogsmeade and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  My companions and I make the long walk home, all the while looking over our shoulders at a place we'd rather be.  I turn to my fellow muggles and say "The park is open for another 5 minutes, wanna go back up and take a last look at the castle?"  After an enthusiastic thumbs up from the mini-muggles under umbrellas, we had back up to Hogwarts for one last look...

"Great"

The Webster's Dictionary defines the word "Great" as something or someone who is remarkable or exceptionally outstanding.  The dictionary also defines "Great" as someone who is highly significant or consequential.  Yesterday, my father passed away...  and as I look back, there is no doubt in my mind that my father was indeed a "Great" man. 

We so often associate greatness with words like "Power" or "Fame", but my dad had neither of these things. Was he truly remarkable?  Yes.  Was he exceptionally outstanding?  Yes.  Was he highly significant and consequential to the people who loved him most?  Most definitely, yes...  But do accolades really make the man?  Must I mention that he arrived into this country speaking not a lick of English, but ended up valedictorian of his class?  Must I mention that he had his pick of colleges with full scholarships being handed out like candy bars?  Should I even mention his service to this country or the important part he played in exploring the far reaches of space?  I do not think I need to mention these things, most certainly not to his family, and not to his closest friends.  Take away the awards, plaques, and distinctions that litter his office.  My dad was highly significant and consequential to me...  not as a man of distinction, but as the one person in my life who taught me right from wrong, who taught me how to be a man, and most importantly, how to be a father to my children. 

Last night, we went through my dad's wallet.  Hidden inside were the usual suspects, a Triple A Card, the ubiquitous Costco card and the like, but underneath it all were a dozen pictures of his grandchildren.  These weren't pictures he kept as keepsakes, these were his calling cards.  These wallet-sized snapshots of  "his kids" were the cards he would pass out to anyone who would take them.  People in business and certainly the Japanese know that you can tell a lot about a person from their business card.  When you hand out your personal card, you are sharing with that person what best represents you... what you are most proud of.  Instead of passing out cards that showed off his accolades or accomplishments, he handed out pictures of his grandkids...  the one thing that he was most proud of.  This sense of pride in one's family was thankfully and gratefully passed to me and also my brothers.  This is a gift that knows no greater value.  It is indeed priceless.

The term "Great" is overused and under appreciated.  We live in a society where things like a burrito can be considered "Great".  A new term is needed...   As I reflect upon my dad's life and try to come up with an appropriate term to describe my dad's legacy, two words quickly come to me.  Those two words are "Understated Excellence".  This "Understated Excellence" means achieving great things without having to call attention to yourself.  Striving for excellence, but always putting others first.  I believe these two words describe my father's life beautifully...

Dad...  I will miss you, but your legacy of "Understated Excellence" will live on in me and in turn, my children.  This is my promise to you.

As I raise Nash, McKenna and Evan to adulthood, I promise to not get caught up in their trophies, talents, or grades.  Instead, I will teach them to love others and put others first.  I will encourage my kids to achieve great things, but to always do so with a sense of grace and humility.  Dad, these are the legacies you have entrusted to me.  I will safeguard them and when the time is right, I will go out and continue your mission to plant seeds of "Greatness" in all of us...

New Directions (Or the post not about Glee)

One of my favorite lines that we as plus size people use from time to time is this one... When confronted with the question "Are you eating again?"  We reply "No, still..."  I think it's ingrained into every person who struggles with their weight to use humor to deflect scrutiny.  I'm not only a member of this club, I'm also the president.  That being said, I'm trying to get out of this mindset.  I'm a firm believer in "You get what you put out there."   If you are putting out negativity, you are certainly bound to attract it.  On the flip side, if you're walking like Marky Mark and putting out "Good Vibrations", positivity and great abs are surely headed your way.  Right now in my life, I'm working on not just losing weight, but being positive and staying positive.  That means I'm coming after you Mr. Wahlberg.  Do you hear me coming?  You and your Funky Bunch don't stand a chance...

Since my earlier posts regarding my thoughts on health and weight loss, a few things have changed.  If you would allow me, I would like to share with you some of the new processes and attitudes I have toward my health, wellness, and journey forward.  Let's take a look...

EXERCISE  ******************

"Do What You Can Do"

 In regards to weight loss and life in general, I still believe in the notion of  "Just do what you can do."  However, over time and hard work, your body does get stronger and you gain the ability to do more.  I now work out everyday and usually twice a day on weekends.  I know this flies in the face from what I've said in previous posts regarding that odious chore we call "working out".  My disdain for this cursed activity is well documented, but as I've said earlier, your body does and will progress.  So with my new found ability, I was now looking for an activity to push my body further.  While that might sound pro-active on my part, it really wasn't.  The True Hollywood Story is that my weight loss stalled, actually, it came to a grinding halt.   My existing weight loss plan had taken me up to this point, but seemingly no further.  I needed to change things up if I wanted to continue on my journey.  I needed a New Direction...

Previously, my only exercise regimen was walking for an hour each day. That has served me well thus far, but now I was at the point where something else was needed.  What to do?  When searching for wisdom on a wide variety of topics, the obvious place to look is... of course, late night television.   I had seen the infomercials for P90X on TV, and while they looked intriguing, I came to the conclusion that it wasn't for me.  But that was then and this is now...  Now, I was looking for something new, and like that Sizzler commercial from years past, "I don't have a lot of time and I don't have a lot of money."  It was then that I decided to look into this P90X thing.   Using the information super-highway, I did a little research, and garnering from the reviews on Amazon, the program does seem to work.  However, many of the reviewers cautioned newbies like me that this program is indeed EXTREME.  For us newbies, the reviewers recommended the earlier version of P90X called Power 90.  Deciding that it was worth a try, I bought a set from Ebay and I'm now on day 46. 

This program has been very good for me so far.  I haven't yet seen a super dramatic amount of weight loss, but I do know that I'm getting more exercise in a shorter amount of time than I was spending walking the neighborhood.  Plus, with it being a DVD based video, it was super easy to incorporate into my schedule.  Transitioning to Power 90 has been a cinch.  The workouts are 45 minutes long and the beginning levels are hard but not overwhelming.  I used Level 1-2 for the first 30 days and at first the scale wouldn't budge, but slowly it started to move in the right direction.  I transitioned to level 3-4 about 10 days ago and I think I'm starting to see some of those results I was looking for.  So far I'm happy with the switch and I feel like the train is finally back on the track and moving quite nicely down the road.

"Soundtrack to our lives"

Everyone knows that music is always with me, and it's been a very important piece in my workout regimen as well.  I have some 10 different workout playlists that I use daily and they help me push through the wall that is certainly coming.  Burning calories is much easier when you are pumping your fist in the air and imitating Billy Idol while listening to "White Wedding".  You have to purse your lips and sneer as well to get the full effect.


EATING  ***********************

I am still eating the way I've outlined in earlier posts, but I've made a few changes and I have a few different thoughts regarding food and the way I eat.    I will try to keep this as brief as possible.

"Eat every 3"

I now eat something every 3 hours.  All the research I've read tells me that this method is the best way to eat.  It's basically grazing.  Whether I'm hungry or not, I have a little to eat every 3 hours.  This prevents the body from entering Starvation Mode and keeps the body in Optimum Calorie Burning Efficiency Mode.  It also keeps your blood sugar levels at an even keel.

"Zone Bars to Full Bars"

 For snacks, I still use my Slim Fast shakes, but cost became an issue so I switched to the Costco version of Slim Fast.  I've also switched from Zone Bars to Full Bars which are also available at the aforementioned warehouse store.  Full Bars are bigger, less calories, and seem to curb your hunger better than Zone Bars.  A big plus for Full Bars is that they are more portable.  Zone Bars are often chocolate or creme coated so they'll melt if left in the car, Full Bars don't have that problem.  I keep a box of them in the van so I always have something healthy to eat whenever I want it.  To be honest here, Zone Bars taste better than Full Bars, but I'm not looking for taste here, I'm looking for effectiveness.  I'm not a Costco-aholic like my friend Annie, but another product I use there is called "EcoDrink"  It's basically a calorie free, vitamin infused drink mix that I add to water and drink all day.  It ain't cheap, but it's certainly cheaper than buying Vitamin Waters or Gatorades and it has decreased my daily Diet Coke tally by a significant amount.

"Eat in the morning.  Don't worry about eating at night"

 I read an interesting article the other day regarding whether it was better to eat a Jelly donut or to not eat anything at all during breakfast time.  So Family Feud fans, do you know what the research said?  The research said to go ahead and eat the Jelly Donut.  Isn't that interesting?  When you sleep, your body's metabolism slows down and you are basically fasting.  That's what Breakfast means.  By eating in the morning, you are breaking your fast.  Eating in the morning tells the body to start burning more calories and wake up from the "fast" or "sleep" mode it was currently in.  On the flip side, I eat past 9 PM all the time.  The research I've read simply doesn't support that eating after 9 is bad.  Your total calorie allotment should be your only concern.  If I eat dinner at 7, I often eat again at 10 to keep up my "Every 3" concept.  Your body heals and regenerates during sleep.  Having fuel for these processes is not a bad thing.

"Eating a big lunch so you can eat a small dinner is a fallacy"

I've proven this concept over and over with my own body.  It simply doesn't work.  From what I've seen, Food begets Food.  When I eat a big meal either for breakfast or for lunch, I'm basically telling my body to expect that same amount or more for the next meal.  By the time dinner rolls around, I'm just as hungry or probably more so than what I would have been if I had eaten a light lunch.  Women sometimes tell me that they aren't hungry for dinner cuz they had a big lunch.  I believe their statement to some degree, but I feel it has more to do with the amount of time elapsing between meals than their actual hunger. When you eat a big meal, yes, you will feel full for a while, but beware...  The Reaper awaits, usually around dinnertime.   I'm not saying you can't go out and enjoy yourself.  By all means, go ahead.  Falling off the wagon and hitting the Kogi truck is OK and even encouraged, but don't have the mindset of binging, then eating like a bird the next meal.  It doesn't work.

"Just Breathe"

If you watch enough workout videos like I have in the past 46 days, you will keep hearing the instructor harping on you to keep breathing. I get it. Your muscles and your brain need oxygen, especially during exercise.  However, I believe this concept can also work well with how you approach eating your meals.  When I eat, I often stop and take 2-3 cleansing breaths in between bites.  This accomplishes a few things.  It slows you down.  It appeases your hunger.  It feeds your brain the oxygen it needs.  By "just breathing" it makes every bite seem like more than it is.  Consequently, you get fuller quicker and with less.  There is a reason the term for eating your food quickly is called "Inhaling".  When you are shoveling double doubles down your throat, you barely have time to stop and breathe at all.  By taking these breaths, you're feeding your brain with oxygen at the same time you are feeding your face.  This works, it's just up to you if you want to use it.  I like to use this method at home, friends sometimes make fun of me when I do it out in public.

"Before you determine if you are hungry, first make sure you are not thirsty"

One of the items I always cross off my checklist before I sit down to eat is making sure I take care of my thirst before I take care of my hunger.  So before any meal, I drink enough water to satisfy my thirst until I'm good and satiated.  Once that is done, then I can go ahead and address my hunger.   By using this method, I will guarantee you this, you will not eat as much as you would have if you had not satiated your thirst first.  The body often times confuses thirst with hunger.  By tackling your thirst first, the confusion is removed.

"Outro"

So that's the new stuff I've recently implemented into my life.  Is it working?  Maybe not as fast as I would like, but since my last post, I've lost another 10 pounds.  I'm still very much "Pooh" sized,  (That's what plus size Disney Fans refer to themselves as) but I'm moving along.  OK, it's time for my last and best weight loss tip I can give you.  This tip is super awesome and completely foolproof... 

Whenever you are weighing yourself and before you get on that scale, make sure to... Pee first.

Be well my friends, hope this helps somebody...

K