Day 4: Persistence Not Perfection

Even though I've only been eating healthier for a few days, I feel as though I'm already leraning that its not about depriving yourself of the things you really love, it's about fullfilling your cravings in moderation. For example, I LOVE peanut butter. Sometimes for lunch a PB and J sandwich just tastes amazing. So yesterday I had a PB and J for lunch. I didn't obsess over it or beat myself up. I mean for god sakes its a sandwich! But I did cut out my evening snack. This morning I had a piece of toast with PB and sliced banana and 3/4c of cereal. So how is that any different from the way I used to eat? Because before I would have had two slices of PB toast and an entire bowl of cereal, not a measured amount. So these small changes are what I'm relying on to help me lose weight. They may not be huge changes but i've learned it's all the small changes that add up in the end. I'm not looking to be a swim suit model, I just want to be healthy! I'm 34 years old with 2 kids and I want more than anything for them to adapt good eating habits. My daughter, who is 13, has always loved veggies. She loves edamame, salads, and most fruit. But lately she has adopted some really poor eating habits that I am hoping I'm not to late to change. She is a convenience eater. So she is very quick to grab chips if they are avialble. So, I am trying to replace those convenience foods with healtheir ones. I got kashi granola bars, triscuits and cheese (which she LOVES), yogurt, and fruit. My son, who just turned one, LOVES broccoli, string cheese, and any fruit I put in front of him. However, he won't touch peanut butter and jelly! So strange, but we'll keep trying.

The point I'm trying to make, (although I digress), is that whatever goals you set for yourself can be achieved wether you start slowly or all at once. For me, its easier to icorporate these changes overtime and commit to sticking to them. Pictures are still not uploading :(

Day 3 a day late!

Yesterday was so crazy busy with Gavin now walking. He is into everything! I mean EVERYTHING. I will literally put him down in front of his toys, walk to the kitchen which is about 10 steps and by the time I get there and turn around he is no where to be seen. So my exercise these days is chasing him around ALL DAY! By 8pm I'm exhausted. Yesterday was one of those days. And since I try to do my blog update in the evening, I was just too tired after dinner.

Yesterday I went over my calorie goal by about 30 calories or so, which is nothin! Pictures aren't working so no photos :(

Day 2 of 365

I LOVE eating healthy. I love the vibrant colors of the produce, the fresh smells blending together as they cook, and the way it makes me feel. I'm not bloated or feel sick because I've OD'd on processed junk. So, I thought I would take a picture of my breakfast cooking this morning. I have committed myself to not focusing on my weight, therefore I wont be weighing myself daily or weekly for that matter; only monthly. Not depending on the scale or on any particular diet to lose weight is an area on the map I've never explored before. It's never been done (by me atleast). I am excited to lose weight and not focus on what i'm eating or more importantly what I can't eat. Because we all know if it's forbidden, it becomes an instant craving. Here is what I ate today. 

 

 

Breakfast: 1 scrambled egg w/ broccoli, 2 small slices of canadian bacon, mushrooms, a sprinkly of cheese, ketchup and a piece of whole wheat toast.

 

Am snack was a banana, which I ate before I snapped a picture.....Lunch was a grilled tomato, mushroom, and mozzarella "pannini" (ok, actually it was in a whole wheat tortilla), a few slices of yellow bell pepper and 3 mini carrots.

Afternoon snack: 28 almonds (my new favorite go-to snack)

 

Dinner: Chicken taco's and homemade brown spanish rice. I actually didn't end up eating the rice and I have a pretty funny story about it that I will save for another post. The taco's had grilled chicken, 2 corn tortillas, romaine lettuce, tomato's, and salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese.

 

For dessert I had another Jamba Frozen pop....YUM!

Total calories for day two approx. 1500.

Empty Canvas: Day 1

Well, Here it is. The first day of 2013. The holidays are over and I am ready and focused on making changes, not a resolution. So, I started the day off with 1 egg scrambled with green peppers, mushrooms, green onions, and two small slices of Canadian bacon, oh and a teeny sprinkle of cheese. I also had some fresh mango (which I shared with my little man), and one piece of whole wheat toast. Don't forget the glass of water!! I am really going to focus on drinking more water. I figure a great way to keep me honest is to post a picture of my meals. If it's not something I feel I want to post a picture of, then it's not something I should be eating! HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Here are my goals this week;
-Drink more water
-NO soda
-Count calories

Breakfast:

Snack: String cheese and 28 Almonds

Quick/Late Lunch: Mixed Greens w/ 1/2 chicken breast, a sprinkle of bleu cheese and 1/4 of a sliced orange and a cup of hot tea.

 

Dinner: Green beans, Chicken ceasar wrap with yogurt ceasar dressing, romain lettuce, whole what tortilla a tblsp parm, and of course grilled chicken.

 

Don't forget dessert! Tried these and they were very yummy! Only 70 calories. (sorry it's sideways!)

 

Total calories for Day 1- approx. 1500

 

 

 

365 changes

So I've had this idea for a while now and I always thought it would be a great new years resolution, although i don't particularly care for resolutions, per say. My idea involves making a list (cuz I'm a list maker) of all the things you would like to change. It could be your weight, eating healthier, exercising more, drinking more water/less soda, watching less TV, anything really. Starting on the first day of the year you choose 1 small change that you choose to make for that day. For instance my goal is to lose weight and cut out sugar. So, one day I could choose to pass on soda for dinner and go with iced tea (no sugar of course)! Day two I could choose to do 35 minutes of exercise instead of just 30. It's small changes that could really add up over the course of 365 days! Baby steps people.

This challenge also keeps you conscious and responsible for your choices. I think it is a great way to change bad habits because instead of trying to climb mount Everest in a day, you are simply putting one foot in front of the other toward your actual goal. They say it takes 30 days to change a habit, so really, what can you change in 12 months?!

Live with no regrets

For my entire life I have always made an effort to maintain a positive outlook on everything. It is actually a constant occurrence of mine to remind my husband that he needs to concentrate of seeing the glass half full instead of half empty. It doesn't matter the situation, I always say "we'll figure it out". And generally I'm right! More often than not we figure things out and make it work. I'm talking finances, general life occurrences, time conflicts, everything. But there is always that one thing I haven't yet figured out....my weight. I can't figure out why I can eat a limited amount of calories and still gain weight. Sure, I can blame it on the fact that I have PCOS, which makes it hard to lose weight. I could always blame it on my genes. But, the truth of the matter is I don't know! It's the one thing I have yet to conquer. I have found several "diets" that temporarily works, but I am not one of those die-hard gym rats that can dedicate hours a day to working out, I'm just not! And I have done that, and I have lost weight from doing that. Yes, it works, but now that I have a baby, it's not realistic for my lifestyle. Counting calories certainly works in combination with exercise, but I for one, do not want to be forced to calculate my daily caloric intake for the rest of my life, PERIOD!

So, with that being said, I must find a way to balance the two. I am willing to dedicate 3-4 days per week doing a fun exercise, such as zumba. And I am willing to incorporate as many vegetables as possible with each meal to make it full of nutritional value. Now this is going to be a challenge because my husband doesn't like many veggies and my daughter, although she does eat a wide variety of veggies, she is still fairly picky. For instance, she hates onions, mushrooms, green peppers (or any peppers really), cooked broccoli (but she'll eat it raw! Yeah, figure that one out!) I feel that I can slip more veggies in her meals than I can her dad's. So, with all of that being considered, I will say "we'll figure it out".

Today I am making my grocery list full of healthy options. I have noticed if I have chips in the house, my daughter will only eat those. So if I eliminate buying that stuff, she will have to eat healthier snacks. That's my plan, Stan!

The Start of Something New

Tonight I started thinking about accomplishments and how much they really do mean to us throughout out lives. So far I have accomplished many things in my 33 years; I have a marriage that, despite up's, down's, irritations, annoyance's, oh ya, and my husband's OCD, we will be celebrating our 14th wedding anniversary this August. 14 freakin' years!! Now that is an accomplishment! We have an amazing daughter who is bright, loving, and she has a pretty good sense of morals. We have our own home, we welcomed our miracle child into our lives at the end of last year. And, I'll be honest, I didn't think it would ever happen. I mean, after 10 years of waiting and waiting, and losing one baby in 2009, I feel extremely fortunate to have him in our lives.

Another huge accomplishment for me this year has been graduating college, of course I've still got another year to go, but I walked across the stage, they said my name out loud, and that was an accomplishment I did ON MY OWN. In fact, all of these accomplishments I have done ON MY OWN. Okay, well I guess a marriage take two people and so does having two children, but my point is that I have accomplished many great things and even though my life hasn't turned out exactly the way I had imagined it, but, it's mine. And it's happening. And the next 14 year will go on whether or not I make the most of it. The only thing I haven't managed to accomplish is losing weight and managing it effectively.

I look at all of my accomplishments, and to some people they may be small, but to me they are huge. I look at them and I think, 'I can do all this but I can't lose weight!' What is wrong with me?! I have dealt with many arguments, financial issues, and lived through the roller coaster of marriage. I have spent 12 hours in labor and two of those were spent pushing out a 7lb 12 oz baby and I spent another 18 hours in labor only to end up being cut open during an emergency C-section! I have lived through the pain of losing a baby I waited so long to have. I have spent the last 3 years doing homework on a daily basis, 2 years of which I did while working a full time job and maintaining a family.

Yet, I can't lose weight.

Well, today is the start of something new. Something amazing, challenging, motivating, inspiring, and just plain fucking awesome! Something I am doing for me. I'm making the commitment to myself to show my inner doubtful self that I CAN do this and after everything I have accomplished, weight loss will soon be a part of my list of things that I have conquered. I have lived through hell and back during some of the worst times of my life; depression, pain, sorrow, and regret. But today I win. I win because I know I can make myself healthier, happier, and even more accomplished.