Summertime makes this impossible!

It sure feels like that. It really feels like that right now. As I reluctantly type this from my bedroom that is really hot and I could just get up and move to not feel as hot, but I haven’t gotten there yet because there’s also different noises in the house when it used to be quiet.

I may complain about school time wake up and the routine of it all buuuuuuuuuuut I am craving routine right now. This life right now is so up in the air and unpredictable. I do not do well with unpredictable. I literally walk around asking why people thought it was a good idea for me to be unsupervised. But jokes on me. I am the supervision. I’m also the referee. I’m also the fix-it person. I’m also the driver. I’m also the cook.

Holy crap. I was never prepared for this.

Annnnnd before I spiral any further….

Ways to make it through a teeny tiny bit better when the routine you crave might feel absolutely impossible ♥️

Jumping right in with food environment…

There’s an apple pie sitting on my kitchen island. It looks delicious.

My food environment is not the same and it is by my own doing.

Luckily though, apple pie is one of those foods that I can easily walk past day and day out and not take a bite of. That is also by my own doing. Over the years, I have realized that having separate interest and taste as my children are the way that I can make it through summertime, winter break, and spring break as well as holidays. I strategically place the things that I know. I have a little bit better control with.

Now, if that was a plate of brownies that was sitting on my kitchen island, let’s just say it wouldn’t be sitting on my kitchen island. It would be empty. Just an empty plate.

You can definitely read more about this in some of these previous blogs, but for the short context of it, I have found knowing what I can moderate and what I need to abstain from as one of the most powerful pieces of information to surviving abundant food moments.

It is challenging for me on an emotional eating level (and yes, that does include boredom) to have things that I know bring me joy around in abundance so why even put it in front of myself?

It is not that the food has power over me. This is me making a choice that is in alignment with what I want for my body and sculpting my environment to go along with that.

Isn’t it all about creating the life you wanna live? Well, doesn’t that include what’s on my kitchen island too?

Family Fun Time!

By the end of the school year, I definitely have the thought process that I am about to have less in my life when it comes to my schedule, but who am I freaking kidding?

Now I have to occupy them or so I feel. And I have words for the woman who posted that reel who made me think about how many summers my kids have left with me and suddenly gave me immense mom guilt that I have to fill their summers with all the things so they will remember every single one of them and have the happiest of childhood and not need therapy.

But guess what? They’re gonna need therapy. Therapy is actually really good. Everybody should have therapy. I have had four therapists along my weight loss and weight management journey since 2012. And you better believe that that is part of the reason that I have been able to hold tight to things. That’s a total different topic though.

We have a horrible habit of overplanning and filling our summers almost as much as our school year was filled. Or at least a lot of us do. First, you do you. Second, you don’t have to. Third, the kids won’t remember more about little moments than they will about entire summers. Think about it… these are the same kids that were more amazed with the Amazon box than the $40 toy that was in it. Take on your summer with all of that in mind.

And, if you are going to start planning… keep in mind that this is no different than trying to hold tight during the holiday season with Christmas. In fact, a lot of people feel like they had gained the weight across October, November and December, but when we tracked it back, it actually started in the summertime. It’s like we have this half a year thought. For the first half of the year, we push with weight loss and for the second half of the year, we become overly indulgent and we blame it on holidays and vacations. We can get off of that crazy ride and just learn to pick and choose.

I won’t go too much more with this because the resources below are pretty in depth. But you can do anything that you want to do and at any level of intensity that you want to do it. I’ll go into this a little bit more with the next topic.

BUUUUUUT before we move on…. I will also just kind of throw out one that I want to be known just because you’re already here…

Road trips. Nobody actually needs food for like 2-3… maybe 4 hours. You don’t need snacks in the car. And if it’s longer than that, figure out exactly what snacks you need. Only bring that. Set yourself up in your environment, which is then the car for what best aligns with you being successful. And if you would rather stop at Arby’s because you don’t normally stop there and it’s on the way…. don’t bring car snacks. Just enjoy the Arby’s and be done with it.

I said what I said.

Good, Better & Best

And this is my last one at least for this week… then I will get down off of my soapbox.

What works on your best of days will probably not work on your most chaotic day. Try not to set yourself up for failure. If you are here, you probably have a bunch of things in your schedule and you probably have a bunch of kids or grandkids or nieces and nephews or who knows… sticky little finger people with goldfish crumb stuck to them. You don’t have to force yourself into what you can do on the best of days all the time.

You are allowed to be flexible here. That is not a slight on your discipline. It’s being honest with yourself and you’re capability. It’s remaining connected with where you are mentally and where you are in reality.

This was something that I put together for a client this week who is trying to build structure in the midst of daily who knows what chaos a.k.a. a mother of a toddler who is pregnant as well.

This is giving us structure that’s flexible. This is like giving yourself a range instead of a set number. You can assess the day ahead of time and the weather and the moods… and you can apply which day is going to work the best for you. The nicest part about this… if you implement one of these three, you are always going by your plan. You are never off plan. Instead, you are building the skill of flexibility that you are going to need when it comes to maintenance. And the test of a good diet… is a good maintenance. After you lose it, do you have the skills and then know how to maintain it. This is one of the ways that we can build that.

Good Day Example

✔️ Grab a protein bar for breakfast
✔️ Food journaling or photos to be mindful of consumption.
✔️ 10 minute walk in the morning
✔️ Quick reminder to yourself: Imperfect days still count

Better Day Example

✔️ Protein breakfast and veggies at lunch
✔️ Breakfast and lunch tracked numerically & dinner food journaled or photographed
✔️ 20 minute walk in the morning
✔️ Reframe your thinking: Progress isn’t lost because today was hard

Best Day Example

✔️ High protein breakfast and lunch
✔️ All meals tracked (numerically)
✔️ 30 minute walk plus stretching
✔️ Reflect on wins, gratitude, and adjust weekly goals

And here are some quick reads to help with creating your own good, better, best… or even just a good enough LOL

ANNND that’s all I got for now… As I stand here typing this in my bathroom as I’m getting ready to leave in 45 minutes and I’m definitely not doing what I should be for the schedule that I have created.

I hope this helps!

With love, Coach Nik

Summertime makes this impossible!

Jumping right in with food environment…

Family Fun Time!