Good morning! I’ve been waking up naturally around 7:15 a.m. on the weekends and it feels so nice to get a little extra sleep but still be up early enough to enjoy some quiet morning hours. So far this morning I have started laundry, done dishes, vacuumed, picked up and made breakfast and now I’m settling in with coffee and my laptop. It sounds boring but makes me feel content.
I’ve got another installment of my new “Sunday Morning Coffee Chat” series for you today but this time it’s going to be all about YOU instead of me. I’m answering some reader questions I’ve received over the past few weeks.
I have been wondering if there are any blogs or websites that you follow on a regular basis and that inspire you?
Here are a few blogs and websites you’ll find in my reader…
Tiny Buddha for feel good/personal development/simple wisdom/relationship stuff/mindfulness/yoga/etc.
Joy the Baker for her baller recipes (she is even a go-to source for my dad) as well as her lovely/quirky personality.
Danielle LaPorte because…Danielle Laporte. She is a wonderful source of inspiration for me and keeps it really real without getting too personal.
A Healthy Slice of Life for her beautiful family life, balanced approach to food and fitness and because she’s a friend and fellow Dawg.
Pinch of Yum for great, easy recipes but mostly insights on professional blogging. I am also a member of their Food Blogger Pro community.
The Fitnessista for another career personal trainer/fitness instructor/blogger living on an opposite coast with a military spouse and two gorgeous girls.
There are many more and I’ll do a complete list of them sometime soon!
My problem is when I start eating my lunch or dinner I always want to end it with something sweet like a hard candy while reading or watching TV. I feel they’re lighter on the belly than fruits…How do I correct this?
I have two opposite thoughts here. The first is that there’s nothing wrong with having a little fruit or a piece of chocolate or a hard candy as a daily post-dinner treat. The second is that if you want to break the “something sweet” habit, it works best to go cold turkey on the post-meal treats for a set period of time and reassess after.
Oftentimes, I don’t find it necessary to completely eliminate sweets from my diet. Rather, it sometimes can “creep” until it’s out of control and I’m wanting something sweet all the time. At that point, it works best for me to cut out candy, cakes, cookies, etc. for a period of time and then slowly reintroduce. I honestly don’t think there’s anything wrong with a piece of chocolate at night or a cup of fruit after lunch. You just don’t want to be in the habit of wanting sweets all the time and after every meal.
We could go on and on about the addictive qualities of sugar and the health issues that come with it but I think all things in moderation are the way to go. When you feel out of moderation, it’s time for a change and only you know at what point that is. Some people might enjoy a nightly bowl of ice cream for their whole life while others do better on one bowl a week. You draw the line based on how you feel.
I will say that a lot of the wanting something sweet after meals is also directly tied to habit. I would suggest taking a break from it and trying to replace it with another habit like going for a walk or making a cup of herbal tea (maybe one that is naturally a little sweet). Or do something with your hands while you watch TV like knitting or a crossword puzzle to distract yourself.
I meant to ask you about the dinner plates you feature. Silly, but I’m all about presentation and of course yummy food and those plates make me happy.
You would laugh if you opened the cabinets in my kitchen because it’s a big mix of mismatched dishes. I’ve accumulated quite the collection of random dishes, dish towels and placemats over the years for food photography. My #1 tip for pretty presentation is white plates with clean, modern lines.
My go-to stores for affordable white dishes are Ikea, Crate and Barrel, Home Goods and World Market.
I do also have a set of everyday dishes from Vietri but while they are lovely, they chip terribly (and were expensive). We actually just discussed tossing them and actually buying a new complete set of white dishes.
I wish I had time to answer more but I am off to yoga teacher training. I hope you guys have a great day and please feel free to drop me any questions you may have via email, the contact form or comments below. I’m happy to answer! 🙂
Any recommendations for blogs or websites you enjoy following? And why?
How do you tame the “wanting something sweet” after meals habit? Or do you roll with it?
I totally have that battle of is eating something sweet post-meal really that bad for me! I actually started on a Whole30 challenge a few weeks ago and that really helped me identify and try to kick my cravings, and help distinguish between what I want to eat, versus what I really need to eat.
But really, I’d love to have a piece of dark chocolate everyday!
Happy Sunday, Jen! Something that I read regularly is the “Things You Need to Know Today” articles posted every weekday on mindbodygreen. It’s a great selection of news and stories in a quick format.
I love the links you shared, thanks for sharing! I think especially I will like tiny Buddha.
I’m going to add some of those blogs to my reading list, thanks!
I rarely feel the need for something sweet after a meal. I’m someone who would rather have a starter than a dessert when eating out. At home there’s never anything sweet around, because I just don’t crave it. My fiancé sometimes buys a pack of chocolate bars but it’s very rare that I touch them.
thank you for the shout out, lovely! now if only we could drink coffee together 🙂 (ok, and wine.)
xoxo
I definitely need to reign in my sweet tooth a bit too 😉 . Personally, I like to save “nicer” desserts like ice cream or cake for the weekend (haven’t been doing this too well lately, oops). I know the day I eat them really makes no difference, but I find that these “nicer” desserts are much more satisfying when I look forward to them and don’t have them as frequently. They feel like more of a treat, you know? Personally, I don’t like eating dessert during the day at all! I’m a “save the best for last” kinda girl, so the idea of curling up with some TV and a bowl of ice cream after a long day is much more satisfying to me. However, I do usually eat sweet foods as part of my meals (fruit, sweet potato with nut butter, etc.).
When it comes to cutting back on sweets, I think it is best to just go cold turkey! Like you said it is not a bad thing to treat yourself once in a while, but when it becomes a regular habit and it is causing you not to feel good, etc. I always think just cut back and stop cold. But everyone is different and has different needs and knows what works best for them. This is what I would do personally! 🙂