The Delights of Tea

Tomorrow I will be speaking at a Women's Summer Tea at our church. The flyer for the tea says in a very pretty font:
Flavorful teas, seasonal fruit, finger sandwiches, and delightful sweets will be served.
Believe it or not, there's actually something to be learned about losing weight from a tea menu:

1. Tea is a great drink when you're trying to lose weight, especially green tea. Keep in mind I'm not referring to sweet iced tea with a ton of sugar!
2. Seasonal fruit is a wonderful way to satisfy your sweet tooth while eating nutritiously. Watermelon is a great example of a summer power food that's super healthy.
3. Finger sandwiches are small. If you eat small portions (instead of super sizing everything), you will lose weight.
4. Delightful sweets...well, these won't help you lose weight but they will bring a smile to your face. Just remember to eat in moderation. Don't have dessert everyday.

When you're at a tea, the servings are small. You're kind of forced to eat slowly because if you scarf down your sandwich in one bite, you won't have anything else to eat! This is a great secret for losing baby weight: when you eat things you enjoy, eat very slowly and savor each bite!

Oh taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
Psalm 34:8

-Arlene

What Carrot is Dangling in Front of You?

My son turns 4 at the end of the summer, and he just got a new computer educational program called "Jump Start." When he plays games and answers questions correctly, he earns carrots. When he earns 10 carrots, he gets to pick a car and have a race on the computer. You better believe my racecar-loving son is into that! So he worked for over an hour, doing subtraction and putting together words like "CAP" to get those blessed carrots!

I had to laugh at the genius of the "Jump Start" creator! Without those carrots dangling in front of my toddler, I think he would have said, "Mommy, I can't do this" at his first math problem. But with incentive of the carrots, he says, "Mommy, I can do it. I have to get 10 carrots."

What carrots are in front of you? How will you reward yourself when you reach your weight loss goals? I think we're a lot like my son. We're motivated by rewards too! After my first baby, my husband said I could go on a shopping spree when I lost all my baby weight. That sounded pretty good since I was so tired of my big tops and elastic waistbands! What reward would motivate you?

Whether it's a mini-vacation, time alone, a nap, a manicure, a date night with your husband - plan something to reward yourself when you reach a weight loss goal. For instance, if you want to lose one pound every week, reward yourself with a hot bath at the end of the week if you do it.

You can do it mom! Time to collect those carrots and endure a little hardship for a greater prize!

Surely you will reward each person according to what he has done. Psalm
62:12

-Arlene