Accountability

 So, this is embarrassing.  I had hoped to not need this blog anymore.

Unfortunately, I do.

I had a hard winter.  I got sick, all the kids got sick, Keith is no longer in preschool, so going to the gym became a habit of old.

And holiday foods were just so good.

And so, I am needing accountability again.

To start off with, I am going to try going off of sugar.

Again.

I am like an alcoholic who just can't say no.  I read once that sugar is more addictive than crack, though, and I have to say, I agree with it.

My focus, however, is not weight loss.  First, I am going to focus on developing healthy habits and hope to kick those old cravings.  By doing this, I figure the chips will fall into place.

And so, as obligatory, my goals:

Exercise:
Walk for at least 30 minutes a day
Weight training M,W, F.
8 cups water a day
Track the foods I eat
No candy
Stretch every day

I will be accountable once a week on this blog, stating how I am doing, and hoping that this will help me develop those habits that I had once upon a time.  I may also add a few little goals.  Such as, this week I want to work on posture.

Here we go again.

Bless you accountability!

Mission Accomplished, Re-assess.

I have been doing a happy dance.  For the past few weeks.

Remember how unhappy I was with all the extra chub I was carrying around?  You would think all that extra weight would make me so much stronger!  

At any rate, I have reached my first goal weight.  Which was get down to what I weighed when I got married.

Check!

Now, it is get down to my ideal weight.  Which was my high school weight.  

But even more than that, it is to get rid of all the baby chub in the tummy that was never there before.  I don't know how to explain it, but though I am what I was when I got married, though I fit into those clothes, I do not look the same.  I used to have a flat stomach.  Now, when I stand it looks flat, but when I sit there is a donut of jiggly all around my center.  I never had that before!  And when I say never and before, I am referring (of course) to the time before babies were a reality in my life.  So, when I get down to that ideal weight, it will also be without the added ring of goo.

I am going to do this by focusing half my work out time on weight training.  I am also going to do 5 minutes of plank to strengthen my core.  Not all at once, mind you.  Especially not at first.  I am doing one minute increments right now.  Hoping to be able to build by thirty seconds each week.  I plan to be fit, and have my old body back. 

It can be done.  Though it took me four years, I did get my weight and size back.  I just have to be patient and can have my body back.

Sugar, Dairy and Decrease

Where to start, where to start...

I just listened to a podcast called Sugar: The Bitter Truth which really opened my eyes.

It went into how the body chemically breaks up fructose and sucrose and process it.  And upon watching and learning, it has made me ever more wary of sugar.  The White Death as some people call it.  If you don't have an hour and a half to sit and watch it (nor did I) find it on iTunes University.  Listen to it as you go about your day and hear how it will change your life.  Seriously.  Eye opening.

And even with knowledge, old habits and addictions are hard to give up.  I am doing better, but still having a hard time giving up the sugar.  Sigh.



Faye is allergic to dairy.  I am happy about it.  And so annoyed with all the people who say "Conveniently, she is allergic.  Conveniently because you don't like dairy."  It is convenient.  And wonderful.  We have begun to eliminate dairy from our diets.  I feel a lot better without it.  I don't really miss it.  Though I do still sometimes indulge in cheese or butter.  But not often.



And now, on to the big news.  I have lost 19 pounds since October.  I have been going to the gym, and eating smaller portions.  I have been seeing a steady weight decrease.  I now weigh less than I have in four years!  One pound less, it is true.  But one pound is one pound.  And I plan to continue with these habits and hopefully get back to my ideal weight.  What I weighed from eighth grade through college.  And then I got pregnant.  And then the weight decided to take root.  Until now!  Oh happy day!

Back on the Wagon.

Ha.

Usually when I post it is an apology.  An explanation as to why I hadn't been doing well.

But this time, be prepared to be amazed.

I have gone to the gym every day but Sunday for the past two weeks.

I have been losing body fat.

But no weight yet.

Not to worry, though.

I have been doing cardio for an hour, and weight training for an hour.

That is two hours of working out.

Every day.

And I love it!

Jeffrey gave me a gym membership for my birthday.  Best. gift. ever.

X-biking is my favorite.  I mean, it seriously kicks my trash, but I am feeling the results, and that is making me happy.

For fun factor, Zumba seriously beats all.  Dancing, sweating, and feeling whiter than I have ever felt in my life.

Kickboxing is awfully fun.  And amazing for getting frustration out.  Man alive, when there is something bothering me, kickboxing is my cure.

I am seriously loving this.  To the extent that I am losing my sugar cravings.

Sundays are hard days for sugar, though.  No exercise.  Sad.

At any rate, I just wanted to update this.

Next week (starting tomorrow), I get to up my reps.  It is going to be harder, and oh so worth it.  Yay!  Can't wait.

My List

Have you ever seen My Name Is Earl?

Jeffrey kept telling me how awesome it is, and since I ran out of things to watch on Netflix, I decided I would give it a try.

The jury is still out as to whether or not I like it.

But the guy is obsessed with his list.

It got me thinking about lists.

Keith loves lists.  It is the way I get him to clean, or do anything!

Each morning, we sit down, write up a list of what we are going to do, and then do it.

As the day goes on, he carries the list with him, asking to do things, just so he can have the joy of crossing it off.

I think it is absolutely adorable.

Then one day, I realized I am the same way.

I love lists.

I love making them, and then the sense of accomplishment I get when crossing something off.

Even more so, looking at the list, and seeing things crossed off makes me feel like I got a lot done.

And so, since I am having such a hard time staying focused, I decided to make a list.

A list with baby steps.

This way, I can cross lots of things off my list and get that sense of accomplishments.

I can take baby steps, and then the insurmountable feat of weight loss wont be so insurmountable.

Yay!  I have a list!  I can cross things off the list!  Right over there on the side bar.

Let the list crossing begin.

Rejoicings

I am a little bit thrilled right now.

I weighed myself this morning and have lost 5 pounds since Monday.  It is most likely water weight, but I am happy nonetheless.  I was 178 Monday morning, and now I am 173.  Yay!

But that is not the most important thing.  The most important thing is this motivation to eat better.  Not eat better as in foods (though that is there as well), but to have better quality of food, and less quantity.  I am very aware of what I am putting into my body lately.  And I feel great.  I feel a little thinner, I feel happier, and I have noticed my self esteem is over the roof right now.

This is the way I rejoice!

I can do this.  I can keep it up.  It isn't so hard, and it feels good to be picky about what I am eating.  It feels very good.  I love this.  Sigh.

Food Beware

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I have had a bunch of nutrition shows in my Netflix queue.  I finally decided to tackle them and watched one today.  It is called Food Beware: The French Organic Revolution.  I am in love.  I am thinking in a completely new and more aware way.  I highly recommend it.  Admittedly, it is rather one sided, and I know it is always a good idea to get both sides of an argument but, as they say, the proof is in the pudding.  

At any rate, I wanted to share just a little of what I learned with you.  But this post would be far too extensive.  So I am just going to share the things that I can remember right now.

Cancer, diabetes, infertility, and many other deadly sickness are more prominent today than they were even ten years ago.  More and more children are dying from cancers than should be possible.  

A small village in France got tired of all their children having malformations, and dying, and so decided to change all the primary schools over to organic meals.  The children also had a garden to tend, and harvest.  I learned that most of the disease was from pesticides.  All of the foreign chemicals put on (and seeping into) the food is what was causing that.

I want to start buying organic.  This Earth, which we as the human race have stewardship over, is being destroyed by all the chemicals we use for our food.  When we pay for "cheaper" food, we pay for fossil fuels to transport the food, the ozone layer to be depleted.  We pay for all the disease and sickness caused by the pollutants in the air.  It makes me sad.  And really, can you put a price on health?  Will paying for chemo be cheaper than buying uncontimanited foods?  Just a few questions to ask yourself.

Sigh.  And now I am tired of being on a soap box.  Suffice it to say, I am going to try hard to change our style of living.  I have big plans.

Jeffrey has wanted me to start baking all our bread for a while now.  Since there is a heavy duty wheat grinder here, we will grind our wheat, bake our bread, use my mother in law's pasta maker and make our own pasta.  Also, I am going to try my hardest to buy locally.  Organic, obviously.  I don't really want to add to the greenhouse gasses.  

My long team goal is to nearly eliminate processed foods from our diet.  And to eliminate pesticides and gmos.  Sigh.  I have a long way to go, I know.  So, this is my bucket list:

Have my own organic garden from which to gather the majority of my seasonal produce.

Buy local organic when I need to buy.

Have a fully functional beehive.

Make home made bread and pasta.

Have chickens (for the eggs).

Start a charter school (that is for another post).

Treasure and save water.

I am excited to start.  Baby steps, obviously.  But the best news of all, learning this has inspired me to be healthier.  I don't know if it was watching the French eating their meals, or if it is the fear for my children's health.  Either way, I have noticed I have begun to eat smaller portions, and more produce.  Which is awesome!  I am excited about it.