5 Month Update- Christmas Break

I know you haven't heard from me in a while, but I'm still here and haven't given up the fight! 

Over the last 2 months I’ve taken a mental break from eating healthy. My mind was filled with planning and executing the perfect Christmas for our family. I also found myself bored with eating the same foods over and over. I wasn’t inspired to research new recipes or plan weekly meals. I’m telling you, I struggle so much with this stuff! So I decided to give myself a complete break and refocus on healthy eating once all the Christmas stress was gone.

And here I am keeping that promise! I’m ready to go again and feel totally refreshed. Unfortunately, we put on some weight during our break, but I’m ready to tackle that too. As long as we’re making progress, I’m happy.   

When I weighed this morning I’m at a net loss of 19lbs. That’s scary. That means in 2 more months I could easily be back at my starting point. Not going to happen!

One good thing that happened during the break was that I found an intro to running plan that I really like. TT7 and I are doing it together. I’ll tell you all about it soon. Thanks for staying with me even when the scale is going the wrong way.

4 Month Update

 So after checking the scale once, then twice, okay three times…I accepted that during this month I gained 1 pound. I even tried all the weird tricks that usually make it go back down like standing only on one side, tapping it repeatedly with my foot, and going to turn the shower on and coming back. But nothing worked!

So I have to report the truth. Honestly, it wasn’t really a surprise. I’ve had lots going on this month.

1. Family trip to the mountains.
2. Planned a camping trip for 20 girls and moms.
3. Money was tight.
4. Started up with the exercise. (Photo above is TT7 on a walk in the mountains.)

So my preference is to blame the one pound on muscle from all the walking. But that’s probably not the case.

The trip to the mountains was awesome. My mom really helped me stay focused on healthy eating. We cooked meals in our room together instead of eating out. She even stopped me the few times I was tempted to eat junk to celebrate being on vacation. Thanks, Nana!

The camping trip was extremely stressful. We were going to a place we’ve never been so I didn’t know what all to expect. We made it through with some pretty healthy food choices thanks to Ms. Jenny. (She vetoed my homemade donut suggestion, can you believe it?!?!)

But while planning and after the trip I was so stressed out that I couldn’t think about menu planning. All I wanted to do was relax. That coupled with money being tight (saving for Christmas gifts!) didn’t fare well for my food choices. I went with whatever was easy. Some days of fast food, some nights of pasta with sauce.

So going into this next month I really have to refocus on MEAL PLANNING. But the catch is I have to research new ideas because we’re all tired of eating the same foods. This means investing real time and energy before even heading to the store to shop. And my meals have to be super easy, fast, and cheap so we can enjoy Christmas shopping and activities. What am I, a miracle worker?!

So here’s my strategy:

Pretending I’m back at my highest weight and absolutely FIGHTING to save my life. When you have no choice, you make time and focus on taking care of yourself.

How FFM Handled Halloween

Halloween is the one night I just can’t hate sugar. The kids have so much fun, and it makes great memories!

Here’s how FFM handled the candy situation last night: 

1. We collected all the kids wanted.

2. They ate however much they wanted last night. It ended up being about 5 pieces.

3. They put their hard candy in a bag to send to soldiers in Afghanistan.

4. THEY CHOSE how many pieces to keep and how many to leave for the Great Pumpkin. (The more they give, the better the prize.)

5. They ended up keeping about 6 pieces (which they are allowed to eat at any time without asking).

6. All the rest of the candy we had around as decorations was sent to work with GBD.

So the kids had a blast, I let them eat all they wanted, and THEY limited THEMSELVES to ~11 pieces total!

We’re right back on track this morning! I hope your family had a Happy Halloween!

Halloween-Christmas Exercise Challenge

I know between Halloween and Christmas is the busiest time of the year. And as a Mom, we always get caught up in taking care of everyone besides ourselves.

So today I’m making a commitment to exercise for 30 minutes everyday between Halloween and Christmas. No requirements on what type of exercise, as long as it’s INTENTIONAL movement for 30 minutes every day. It can be biking, running, an exercise dvd or video game, playing with the kids, or even slow walking. One thing- shopping doesn’t count, dang it!

This challenge will let me enjoy a few treats come Thanksgiving and Christmas with no guilt. When you think about it, that totally makes it worth it!

Let me know if you’re going to take the Fat Fighting Mom Halloween to Christmas Exercise Challenge!

Plan It Panic

Remember when I promised to keep it real? Well, after 3 months the excitement and novelty of meal planning has worn off. I still want to do it and think about it all day long, but can’t keep myself focused enough to make a set list. I have like 3 partial lists around here somewhere. It’s driving me crazy because everything could fall apart quickly without our meal plans. I just get so distracted when I try to make them...like to stop and write this blog post. Hahahahaha!

Please send me advice on how you handle your meal planning time. When do you plan? What’s your system? How do you keep the kids occupied so you can stay focused? Do you plan each week or month? Any advice is appreciated.

Cotton Candy at the Fair

We went to the fair last night. TT7 asked for chicken on a stick, cheese fries, and cotton candy. I told her the chicken was okay, but she needed to choose between the cheese fries and cotton candy. Of course, she chose the cotton candy.

We went to buy a bag of the fluffy stuff. So they wouldn’t feel restricted instead of buying 1 large bag and making her and SB4 share it, I allowed each of them to get their own medium-sized bag. They were super excited! I was having a minor panic attack inside, but hopefully hid it pretty well. I’m really trying my best not to give my kids any lasting “food issues.”

So they left the fair each carrying and chowing down on their cotton candy. They each ate about 1/3 of their bags. When we got home I told TT7 she would have to save the rest of her bag for Friday night when we have sweets. Her response, “I don’t want it.”

WHAT?!?! DID SHE JUST SAY THAT?!!! I’m still in shock. My sweet-toothed little angel just turned down cotton candy. I thought I was going to fall over dead.

I don’t know the reason she turned it down. I didn’t want to press the issue, but I’m so incredibly proud of my little princess. She has come a long way in this fight right along with me. I pray I’m teaching her good habits instead of scaring her for life. It really is such a fine line when dealing with a daughter and food.

I just keep praying for guidance and leading by example. Did I WANT a funnel cake last night? OMGOODNESS, I’ve been thinking about a fair funnel cake for MONTHS now. Did I eat one? Nope. I can’t ask my family to do anything I’m not willing to myself.

Hot Fudge Brownie Sundae

I found this photo yesterday. A hot fudge brownie sundae from Ghirardelli is no longer the best thing in the world to me. 

Oh the things that are better:

1. My health

2. Running with my family

3. Not eating all day long

4. Not being hungry all the time

5. Closer, tighter hugs

6. Comfortably fitting into clothes

7. Watching my kids participate in sports unashamed

8. Not having to constantly rest

9. Knowing my family is proud of me

10. Hopefully, inspiring others!

3 Month Update! Curious?

So it’s been 3-months, are you curious how things are going? Think we’ve given up?

NO WAY! We are doing fantastic with our new relationship with food. I feel like a slave set free. Sugar/carbs/processed foods no longer control my life. It’s such an amazing feeling!

Top 10 developments in the past month:

1. TT7 asked to go out walking/running twice!

2. People are starting to notice and comment on our weight loss.

3. The kids’ energy levels have tripled.

4. I have memorized my list of healthy snack foods and I make sure we always have in the 

pantry.

5. We have NO junk food in our house.

6. Fast food meals are not everyday. They are a special event.

7. I’m still struggling with the crock pot. I have mastered bbq chicken, roast, and my taco soup needs tweaking but it’s pretty good.

8. GBD has tightened his belt to a place it’s never been before.

9. I had to toss a pair of my pants in the donate pile because they’re too big!

10. I made an Emergency Meals List. When we are super busy or when I’m sick GBD can use it to shop and prepare our meals. Super busy or sick no longer = fast food.

 

My total weight loss in just 3 months = 26 pounds!!!

It’s so hard for me to believe. I keep thinking I’m going to wake up one morning and it will all be back or that 1 bad meal will put me back at the beginning. It’s weird how it takes the mind a while to catch up to the new body.

 And best of all it’s been completely free, hasn’t included taking pills, and I haven’t counted the first calorie! 

Thank you all for reading and for your support during the past 3 months. Honestly, it's been tough and I wouldn't have made it without the encouragement and support of my readers. I'm so thankful for each of you. 

Finding the Right Balance

It has taken a little while, but I think our whole family has settled into a new and healthier “normal for us” eating pattern. We eat super healthy Mon - Fri afternoon. Then we eat out/allow treats Fri night - Sun night.  

During the week, we stick with whole grains, protein, fruit, veggies, reduced fat dairy, and nuts for all meals. Or as we call it “foods that make us feel full.”

We also make sure all of our carb rich foods have at least half as much protein in them. If a cereal bar has 10 grams of carbs, it has to have 5 grams of protein. This is an awesome little trick to use when grocery shopping!

Then on weekends I take a break from cooking and we eat out for most lunches and dinners. We usually continue to make healthy choices like fruit instead of fries, but if we really want an ice cream cone (or fries, candy, a snow cone, etc.) we go ahead and have it.

I’m totally in love with this schedule!

During the week, I look forward to taking the weekend off from cooking. I’m naturally spontaneous and having weekends free balances that restricted feeling that comes with healthy eating. Weekends off also allows us to eat something more than a salad when out with friends. Plus, since I grocery shop on weekends I can swing by grab a bite to eat and head to the grocery store. So I never shop hungry and can make rational, healthy food choices.

It’s also nice being able to tell the kids that we don’t eat chips on Monday, but wait until Friday night and you can some if you still want them. It keeps unhealthy food from being an all day every day thing.

The only thing I need to warn you about is guiding your kids and yourself back into Monday-mode takes some willpower. You may even get some tears (gracious, try to control yourself!), but overall this plan just makes sense to me as a good balance for our family.

Note: Weekends off doesn’t mean we allow ourselves to eat all the donuts we want/can. It means if we want a donut, we have ONE really good one. We still embrace our healthy eating lifestyle, but allow a few treats. Don’t go all carb-loading on me!

Am I Killing My Kid with Food?

I just love Dr. Phil. Like a dork, I sat down with pen and paper and made notes from his show "Am I Killing My Kid with Food?" I edited some of the lines below and rearranged them. I hope these words help you as much as they have me. I love that I can hear his voice repeating in my head when I'm faced with a moment of weakness.

He doesn’t have a weight problem. He has a parent problem.

Being overweight is unhealthy mentally, emotionally, socially, and physically.

You are sabotaging your son’s health, well being, and future.

You couldn’t be sabotaging him more than if you snuck in his room at night, set up an IV and pumped him full of toxins.

Who brings the food home? The parents do. He can’t eat what isn’t there.

Regarding giving in to a child who cries for junk food:

“So in other words you know this is the same as giving this child poison, but if it keeps YOU from being emotionally uncomfortable to h*ll with him…Keep yourself comfortable. It’s unpleasant to hear so you go first, he goes last. What kind of mothering theory is that?”

For you to say I’d rather do what makes me feel good than what makes him healthy- that’s very selfish.

You’ve taught this kid to be completely hedonistic. Kids want what they want when they want it. And they want it right now. It’s immediate gratification. There’s no delayed gratification for kids. That’s the reason they have adults in their lives. Because you’re the ones that are supposed to provide the maturity which recognizes the choices you make in the moment can have consequences that last forever.

I don’t want him to be the fat kid in school. When he says ‘kids don’t like me because I’m fat’ it breaks my heart.

If I could change, I would change my weight. Kids at school call me chubby. That makes me sad. I wish I was skinny instead of fat. If I was skinny, I could run without getting out of breath.

Eating habits are learned. Anything that is learned can be unlearned. But it takes maturity on your part. It takes the two of you being a unified front. It takes you being good role models. You need to get yourself in shape. You got to change what you eat. You’ve got to break a sweat. You’ve got to start doing some things to get yourself under control.

You CAN get this under control. Are you ready to do the work?

You have to be CONSISTENT!

 

My favorite line from a past guest (who eventually had her child removed from her home) :

And yes, I gave him a darn cookie, okay?!

Dr. Phil: No, not okay!

Preach it PBS!

Last week I spent time with SB4 snuggling and watching his tv shows. I was pleasantly surprised that all 3 of the shows we watched (Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid, and World World) taught kids that eating a lot of sugar is unhealthy. And the shows weren’t just saying to eat less of it. They actually taught that processed foods with sugar are bad and fruit is a better choice. Sometimes I feel like a mean mom with my anti- cookies, cupcakes, and candy stance so it was nice hearing them get the message from someone besides me!

Little Dancer

A couple of months ago TT7 started going back to Dance classes. When we walked into her first practice I was shocked at how toothpick thin all the other girls were. I kept questioning if I was doing the right thing or if it would lead to bigger issues I didn’t want her to face. But she LOVES to dance. She tries her absolute hardest for every move at every practice. There was no denying she has the heart of a dancer so I let her dance.

Today, I stayed to watch the first 15 minutes of her practice. She was doing everything the teacher asked with such excitement. Then all of a sudden it hit me…she is starting to look like the other girls. She is much more fit and flexible than when she started. I just stood there crying. I realized that her size isn’t going to hold her back from anything she dreams of doing. That is priceless. It’s worth way more than all the time, energy, and money we’ve invested into healthy eating. 

What an amazing moment to look back on when I'm tired and ready to give up...

Keeping Treats Special

We were at church the other day and they had some little cinnamon rolls sitting around. TT7 saw them and as usual got really excited. I asked her, “What if when we realized we wanted a cinnamon roll we went and got one that was REALLY yummy instead of just eating those because they’re here?” She thought for a minute and said, “Yeah, I think I’d rather wait and get one from Cici’s Pizza instead.” Wow!

Before, if we saw a sweet we’d eat it just because it was there. Now we are paying more attention to the quality of what we eat. If we’re going to have a treat (which is totally okay on occasion), let’s make it 1 or 2 really good ones instead of a whole bunch of the ones we just happen to come across each day.   

P.S. A true test of your willpower is to search "cinnamon roll" on Google Images. Holy Cowwww! Not approved or recommended by FFM. 

2 Month Update

Okay so we’ve been working at this for 2 full months now.

I’ve developed a set method for meal planning. But it still takes way too long so I’m still trying to tweak it to take less time. I’ll share the method once I’m happy with it.

Let’s talk weight loss…I know you’re wondering. :) I’m down 16 pounds. So that’s a good average of 2lbs per week. Honestly, for all the focus and work this takes it feels like it should be more, but I’m trying to remain calm and focused on the future.

We have fallen into a natural balance of eating out vs. eating at home. We eat at home M-F afternoon. Then eat out Fri night, Sat lunch and dinner, and Sun lunch and dinner. I know that probably sounds like a lot, but this an unbelievable improvement from our previous fast food twice a day habit.

TT7 is so full of energy it’s like we have a new kid.

I’m still amazed that I feel full before I reach the end of my meals.

Still no 5-star healthy Crockpot meals…my poor family.

I’m totally frustrated by little kids who eat ridiculous amounts of candy and are still thin. And by thin moms pushing carts of snack cakes, chips, and donuts around the grocery store. Yes, I am watching you! I’ve totally turned into a grocery store creeper! I just don’t understand why our family is so different?!?!

The kids are allowed unhealthy snacks on weekends only. I’m not sure if I’m happy with this arrangement yet. It seems like it’s teaching them weird habits. But I know I can’t have the stuff in my house so we’ll see what I decide later.

It feels like I may get bored with choosing the same healthy foods over and over. I’m trying to figure out ways to mix it up so everything I’ve worked for doesn’t come crashing back down. I need suggestions on ways to keep it from getting boring. I need my food to be exciting and something I can’t wait to eat! GBD thinks I’m weird. And I agree.

Thanks for your support over these past 2 months. If you have questions or want to request blog topics please let me know.

Pitiful Parfait

I woke up with the greatest of intentions. I had purchased plain fat-free no sugar yogurt, blueberries, and Kashi cereal. My goal was to turn these 3 items into a delicious, healthy, protein-filled breakfast parfait. I got out the fancy glasses and carefully made beautiful layers. I was so proud of the finished product.

TT7 took one bite and said “This tastes terrible!” What?!? After all the effort I went through to plan and prepare it she had the audacity to not want to eat it?!?!?! Talk about annoyed and frustrated. OMGosh, I was pretty ticked.

So later I tasted it for myself and it was…GROSS. Completely bitter tasting. So I learned one more thing on this journey- plain yogurt needs some sort of sweetener. (Yes, it’s okay to laugh at me!)

I added Splenda and it was delicious. I took a sample of the new and improved version to TT7 for lunch and apologized. She loved it.

I’m telling you this road to healthy eating isn’t easy, but totally worth making it through all these mistakes. I’m thinking of writing a book to keep track of all the craziness that happens when a fast food family learns to eat and prepare real food. There’s funny stuff going on at our house these days…

3 Pantry Secrets

1. I’ve started keeping the boring food like cans of beans and veggies at the kids’ eye level. That way they don’t just run by and grab something and mindlessly eat it. I don’t EVER tell them no if they’re hungry, but I don’t want to make it so that food is always on their minds and within reach.

2. I take most of the starchy foods like goldfish, crackers, and cookies out of their boxes and put them in plain Ziploc bags. Companies spend millions of dollars making their products enticing to children. I refuse to let their colorful boxes and cute characters influence my kids’ eating habits. I’ve been AMAZED at how the same cookies they used to beg for can now last months in the pantry. Without the packaging, it’s just not as exciting anymore. I’m sure there’s a much better way to store/organize this than Ziplocs, but I’m new to this. Anyone have suggestions?

3. I do not leave food out on the counters. It has to be closed up inside the refrigerator or pantry. Instead, we have a fruit bowl on the counter that is always accessible for the kids. They are welcome to grab a piece at any time. I’m all about keeping the less healthy foods out of sight, out of mind.

These tricks seem to be working well for us. Do you have any neat pantry tips to share?

Pants on the Ground

We’ve turned into the droopy drawers family. We’re all tugging at our waistbands to keep our pants up. Goofball Dad, our resident runner, is ready to go down a pant size. I find myself constantly pulling my pants back up, but not ready for a new size yet. When dressing TT7 for school, we found that 2 pairs of her shorts just fell right off. I’m excited to see some serious progress!

Crock Pot Killer

When I decided to change the way we eat in our house I knew I would have to start cooking real food. Before, my idea of home cooking was hamburger helper, boxed scalloped potatoes, frozen pizza, or dough from one of those fun cans that POPS! open. But I decided that if I’m going through the trouble of planning meals, grocery shopping, then cooking dinner it HAD to be healthy. After all, the foods listed above are no better for you than fast food.

Let me tell you, it takes a lot of courage to get in the kitchen with a pile of ingredients you’re not comfortable with and try to mix them together into something tasty. Cooking raw meat and vegetables is certainly not one of my God-given talents so every night we run the risk of having dinner ruined. There have been many times I’ve stood at the counter with piles of cut up veggies thinking “Oh good grief, what’s the point? I might as well throw it in the trash now.” But I keep going because I know my husband is willing to eat anything I cook. Bless his heart.

In a month and a half, I haven’t made a single dish I’d rate 5-stars. We’ve had a few 3’s and a couple of 4’s. But there hasn't been anything that I really want to eat again. I guess that’s what happens when you strip away all the sugar, white carbs, and processed foods. It’s taking a while for our tastes to adjust.

Oh and the crock pot recipe I made last night for 13 bean soup…my hubs rated it -1 star. Yeah, it was that bad. But I’m going to keep on trying. At least tonight’s dinner can’t be as bad…I hope!

1 Month Update

August 19th marked 1 month since I began South Beach. I thought I would write an update to let everyone know how it’s going.

The number 1 difference is that I NOW FEEL FULL after eating!!! It still amazes me that I can eat ¾ of a meal and push the rest away (not out of willpower or guilt) but because I truly don’t care to eat another bite. AMAZING!

What I’m eating has drastically changed. All sugar, potatoes, corn, crackers, chips, white flour, and white bread are gone.

I now eat more meat, beans, reduced fat cheese and milk, nuts, whole wheat bread/crackers, whole wheat pasta, splenda, and vegetables. Gosh, that sounds so healthy!!!

I just added the first piece of fruit back yesterday. I have to be careful because even the natural sugar fructose messes with my system. I’m adding fruit back very slowly and monitoring to see if it causes sweet cravings.

As far as exercise goes, I haven’t done any intentionally this month. My mind and energy is focused on our eating plan, and I’m waiting until my body lets me know it’s ready to go out and exercise. I know it will come.

Weight: I’ve lost 10lbs total. My clothes aren’t as tight! I’m happy with these results.

Thanks for reading! I’ll be sharing new tips and ideas soon.

Wasa!

Today was the first time I added bread back into my diet. I made wasa pizzas! They are my favorite SBD lunch. Wasa tastes a bit like cardboard, but a quick base for pizza at only 35 calories is a winner to me. 

So here’s how the wasa pizza goes:

1.    Top a piece of wasa bread with (no sugar added) pizza sauce.

2.    Sprinkle with reduced fat mozzarella cheese

3.    Top with 3 turkey pepperonis.

4.    Microwave for 15 seconds and it’s ready to eat!

Super easy and fast!

You can find other wasa recipes here.

I Quit My Job

I don’t know if it works the same in your family, but around here everyone seems to do whatever Mom is doing. If I’m resting everyone will pile on the couch. If I go outside before long everyone has followed me out. It’s nice to feel so loved, but it comes with great responsibility. If I’m neglecting exercise then the rest of the family does too. If I’m eating junk food everyone else does too.

We recently took a drastic step in the fight to get our family healthy. I quit my part-time job so that I can focus on planning and cooking healthy meals. I know that sounds ridiculous, but meal planning doesn’t come naturally to GBD or myself. We REALLY struggle in this area. It’s so much easier to eat out than it is to plan, shop, prepare, serve, and clean up afterwards. And most of the time eating out is cheaper too. But I do not want my children to grow up thinking that eating out 3 meals a day is normal. I want them to have warm memories of their Mom providing great tasting (and secretly healthy) meals for them. So we bit the bullet and let go of the extra income. It was a tough decision, but I know we made the right choice.

I’ve also changed my priorities when it comes to daily activities. In the past if someone needed something I would push myself and my family to the backburner while I handled their situation. I would obsess about finishing whatever it was to the point my family didn’t get fed and my children had to entertain themselves all day. Oh what was I thinking? NOTHING is THAT important!

Now, my first priority is to take care of myself- physically, mentally, and spiritually. Second, I focus on making sure my family has healthy meals to eat. Third, I make sure I sincerely pay attention to my children and husband when they talk to me or need something. THEN comes taking care of and dealing with everyone else. Life is so much more enjoyable now that I have my thinking straightened out.

And you better bet I’m on the defense for when people ask me to volunteer for something. Umm…No, thanks. It’s really hard to say no, but until I can get an efficient system for meal planning and preparation down there’s no way I’m compromising. You live and learn. Live and learn.

South Beach Diet Phase 1 = Done!

We made it through Phase 1, and we’re still alive! For those who’ve never tried the SBD that means no bread products, potatoes, corn, or fruit for 2 weeks. It was tough on some days, but overall pretty easy. It broke the sugar rollercoaster I was on so now I’m not nearly as hungry all the time. Hooray!

The scale has been difficult. Usually, people report losing 7-10lbs during Phase 1. My scale keeps saying between 3-5 lbs. It’s frustrating, but I know any loss is a victory. And breaking the sugar cycle was the goal I was really after. So I’m counting it a success!

As far as exercise goes, I told myself I was going to wait for my body to let me know when it was ready. Finally, last night I got the itch to go walking. It felt good. I don’t know why, but I feel most alive when eating the SBD way and then walking (and eventually running) late at night. That combo makes my body feel healthy and completely at peace.

Mentally, I’m still not where I need to be to stick with the SBD and an exercise routine. The last time I lost the weight I felt much more determined and serious about it. This time I’m having a hard time believing I can do it. I don’t know why since I have all the tools and I know they work. I guess it’s just some weird mental game of self doubt. I know in my head I can do this, but don’t believe it in my heart yet.

I picked up a few new strategies during Phase 1. I’ll be sharing them with you in the posts to come. I hope you have a super blessed day.

What's for Breakfast? Solved.

When I was TT7’s age it made me feel secure to have a daily routine. I knew what to expect and what would be expected of me. That was comforting. So instead of making new things every day I’m going to try setting a repeating breakfast routine. I also made it easy to remember by rhyming it with the day of the week (in most cases.)

Introducing the new breakfast system for our house:

Muffin Monday

Toast Tuesday- cheese, cinnamon, pbutter, jelly, butter

Waffle Wednesday- or pancakes

Thirsty Thursday- smoothie

Eggciting Friday- fried, scrambled, boiled

Cereal Saturday- or oatmeal

Cereal Sunday- or grits

Add: bacon, sausage, or ham if no protein in meal.

I ran the idea by the kids, and they love it! I'm sure we'll find other breakfast items we want to add, but for now this is our basic plan.

Thanks to Bru Crew Mom for the idea of repeating meals!

Exercise Goal for the Week

Goal: Figure out how long it takes to walk 1 mile at my best speed.

We always walk with our kids so of course we have to stop at every bug and flower along the way. Then if they’re riding bikes we can walk faster, but we still have to pull over for cars to pass. So right now we have no idea how long it takes us to walk a mile without interruptions. We are very excited to walk a 5k with our friends but we have to be able to match their time. So my goal for the week is to accurately determine our starting point. Stay tuned!

Day 4 South Beach = Feeling Weak

Oh my gracious, it’s Day 4 and my body is feeling so weak. I can’t work at anything longer than 5 minutes without sitting down. I feel quite dizzy too. So far I haven’t had cravings for sweets after the first 2 days, and I feel much more in control of my food choices. Thank the Lord! I’m glad to see some progress since I feel so stinkin’ exhausted.

First Healthy Craving

I'm freaked out! I'm craving SPINACH. It's amazing what your body asks for once you start getting all the sugar out. Just had to share because it feels so weird....

Back to the Beach

So we’re making changes around here, huh? Well, the first one is going back to the beach…The South Beach Diet. I’ve found there is no way I can eat bread, cake, sweets, pasta, etc. in moderation. My body has EXTREMELY STRONG cravings for them all day long which means I’m always hungry. I’m sure it has something to do with insulin, but what do I know about Biology? (haha! My degree is in Biology.)

So I’ve finally given up and accepted that my only option to live a “normal” life is to get the sugar out of my system. I keep thinking of how much better I felt when I wasn’t hungry all the time and didn’t think about food 24/7. I’m not an emotional eater- I just NEVER feel full. Anyone else with me on this?

So I started Phase 1 of South Beach yesterday. I’ve decided to keep a log of what I eat during the next 2 weeks because on South Beach anytime you eat a significant amount of food that is “off plan” you return to Phase 1 to get the sugar back out of your system. So I want to have a set menu that I can return to easily. Btw, did I mention how much I love that you don’t have to count portion sizes or calories on SBD? And if you are hungry at night you are encouraged to have a snack! That makes me happy.

Disclaimer: I am NOT doing SBD exactly by the book. I’m doing what works for me. So don’t follow along with me thinking this is what the diet says. Read the book for yourself and find what works for you. No need to tell me what I’m doing “wrong” either. I already know, thanks. J

Breakfast- 2 eggs scrambled with smoked ham and reduced fat cheese. Cup of milk.

Snack- pickles
Lunch- hamburger patties with reduced fat blue cheese, flavored water
Snack- carrot
Dinner- Sonny’s salad with pulled pork, unsweet tea
Snack- peanuts, reduced fat Swiss cheese, cocoa almonds

Oh the cravings! I had to tell myself no at least 10 times yesterday when I would randomly crave something sweet. Wendy’s commercials were especially hard for some reason. THEN not 30 minutes after telling GBD I was back on SBD he suggested to TT7 “Why don’t we go to the store and get everything to make homemade sundaes?” Agggh! Dude, work with me. It was so funny we both laughed for a while on that one. I adore that goofy dude.

But I survived Day 1 and the entire family even walked for 30 minutes! I’d say we’re off to a pretty good start.

Changing Focus

There’s been some wrestling going on in my mind over this blog. I created it to be a fun little place for people to stop by and get healthy tips for their family. But at this point, I need to change focus for a while. I need it to be a place of release for my emotional ups and downs on my journey back to a healthy me. I’ve done this before so I know what a long road it’s going to be. And I know there will be many days where it certainly isn’t going to be pretty.

But there’s one thing I promise you, and that’s to be real. I will give you an honest inside peek into my journey if you choose to follow along with me. If you simply visit for fun tips, I invite you to visit periodically. I’m sure I’ll stumble over some along the way. For the others that are choosing to stay with me, literally through the fight for MY LIFE, let’s do this!

Not A Planner

I realized a few days ago that my life would be SO much easier if I was a “planner.” Unfortunately, my personality is naturally very spontaneous and planning things ahead of time seems very…well…restrictive and boring.

A huge factor in my weight struggle is that I can’t bear the thought of sitting down to plan meals each week. I know it would make life much easier (and we’d all eat better) if I knew exactly what we were eating for the day when I woke up, but my brain just doesn’t work that way. I can’t even plan something for dinner if I’m not hungry. It’s terrible. (I have subscribed to dinner planning services, but even then I struggle planning breakfasts, lunches, and snacks.)

I need tips! What do you do to plan meals, events, exercise, etc.? Any advice to make planning fun and something I’ll actually look forward to and might even…enjoy?

DLF > DNF >> DNS

There are few things that scare an overweight person more than the thought of coming in DEAD LAST in a 5k. It seems like it would be totally embarrassing.

I was a member of disboards.com/wish a few years back when GBD and I were doing a 5k per month. Another WISH (We’re Inspired to Stay Healthy) member introduced me to DLF > DNF >> DNS and it changed me.

A dead last finish in a 5k means that you still beat everyone at home on the couch who didn’t have the courage to start training for the race. I’ve been to races where the last place finisher receives more enthusiastic applause than the winner. There is just something incredibly special about that moment to me. They always finish with such…heart.

It’s a dream of mine to organize a 5k that welcomes people of all sizes, speeds, and abilities. One that isn’t so competition focused and intimidating, but one that honors every single person for being out on the course. I want everyone to feel comfortable and excited about being alive and moving their bodies towards a healthier future. To take away the fear of possibly coming in last, I would make sure that I crossed the finish line at the very end behind everyone else. Oh dreams…

“The miracle isn’t that I finished but that I had the courage to start.” –John Bingham

Post in honor of a special friend walking a 5k this weekend. Love you KM!