Boxing Day Weigh In & Goals

My weigh in yesterday had me maintaining 148.5lbs.....that is awesome considering other years over the holidays would have meant a BIG gain!!!!

The recap on my goals from this past week.....

• To continue to eat NO SUGAR!!!! (this is for health reason and not really my choice!).......Sort of did this....I did not eat sugar except for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
• To not have a gain on the scale next week!.....YES!!!! No gain this week.
• To make healthy choices in my food intake and serving size....even though Christmas holidays only come once a year I want to enjoy them by not overeating and then having to deal with the emotional roller coaster that follows that indulgence!....YES!!! I am overjoyed at my decisions this past week!
• Exercise 4 days this week!....YES!!! Did some weight training and some cardio. I actually started a weight training program from Tosca Reno's book Best Body Now.

Today is my one year anniversary from the start of this weigh loss journey.....

I have gained loads of energy.

I have lost a total of 60.5lbs.

Lost a total of 6" off my waist, 10.5" off my waist, 7.5" off my hips, 5" off my upper legs, 1.5" off my lower legs, .75" off my ankle, 1.75" off my neck and 3" off my upper arm...that is a grand total of 30" less of ME!

I am rejoicing today for my new life!!!!!

A Christmas to Remember

I love that this Christmas was different!

I was able to enjoy celebration meals on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without over eating! No guilt, self loathing or regrets either!!!

I will admit that on Christmas Eve I did eat a couple more sweets than my body really needed or even wanted but still I was not in pain and feeling nauseous like most every Christmas that I can remember from the past....because of the couple extra sweets on Christmas Eve I went into tonight's dinner with a plan.

My plan was to eat a good serving of main course, then to enjoy a piece of ice cream cake that my mom makes at Christmas only.

I wanted to avoid the candies, cookies and squares that were going to be out all the time.....

What did I do???.....I had sweet potatoes (mashed), turkey, ham, boiled carrots, corn, lots of salad (no dressing on the salad) and about 1/4 cup stuffing.....then a piece of the ice cream cake....and a nibble of my sons peanut butter ball!!!

No gravy, white potatoes, buns/bread or seconds for this lady!!!!

And the best part is, I was SATISFIED!

Hmmm, Who knew?!?!?!

I call this a success!!!!

It is back to NO SUGAR again in the morning though!

Up until yesterday it had been 8 days without sugar and I felt great...so back at it again!!

I also started weight training more intensely at the beginning of the week...WOW!!!

I am loving the feeling of that kind of workout, it is so different than cardio workouts.

I have enjoyed a ice skating and great outside walk this week too though. Nothing beats getting outside in the cold air to clear my head at the end of the day!

It was a Good One

I did not lose the entire 8lbs that I gained but I did lose 5.5lbs of it this week....for a weigh in of 148.5lbs!!!

Back in the 14o's!!!

YEAH ME!!!!

My goals this week are;

• To continue to eat NO SUGAR!!!! (this is for health reason and not really my choice!)
• To not have a gain on the scale next week!
• To make healthy choices in my food intake and serving size....even though Christmas holidays only come once a year I want to enjoy them by not overeating and then having to deal with the emotional roller coaster that follows that indulgence!
• Exercise 4 days this week!

Much blessings to you all as we celebrate the birth of Christ the Saviour!

Tis the Season

I am just as busy as the rest of the world right now but I wanted to share that my eating has been healthy this week with the exception of a couple of indulgences while I was away but nothing over board or anything!!!

When I was at my friends I heard a Natural Path Doctor talking on a radio program about yeast infections and how to treat them. I have been battling a yeast infection of the skin for months now so this was very interesting to me! I always try to treat any medical condition in the most natural form possible but I have not been with this condition, I have been using anti-fungal creams ....So his treatment includes Probiotic, Oil of Oregano and NO SUGAR!!!!

So today is day 2 of no sugar for me....I don't eat a lot but what I did still have in my diet has been removed for the time being and Probiotic...I can't take the Oil of Oregano because I am still nursing...hopefully the other two do the job!!!!

My weigh in is tomorrow and I know the scale is going to be down...how far down, time will tell!

As It Should Be

Yesterday was an awesome day of eating healthy, life giving food and exercise!

I completed my December Challenge Exercises from Kelly and then did Zumba Fitness Flat Abs workout...that was an intense combo!!!

I ate completely clean all day and drank lots and lots of water!!!

And the scale says today.....151lbs!!! That is down 3 pounds overnight!

I knew that the 8lbs was not all real weight but it was nice to see that the scale was going to show me that too!

Day two of healthy eating and exercise is today....I am then off to visit a wonderful friend and family for a couple of days where I plan to eat moderately and do some walking/shopping.

Which Version Will You Read

The short version of the story is................

I have been off track with my eating ! With a result of an 8 pound gain...154lbs this morning!

Now for those who want to know more details..... it is simple.....I wasn't committed and it is showing!

For the last three plus weeks I have been struggling with staying on my healthy eating course!

I have allowed myself to fall into the pit of lies that kept me in the bondage to food for so many years of "I will start again tomorrow!" and then I would overeat all day long in preparation of the 'start' time of the 'diet'!!!!

When tomorrow would come.... I would start off good, eating the way I have been for the previous 11 months which has resulted in a my weight loss but by 2 in the afternoon I would be dreaming of sugar and then soon after consuming sugar.

I even resorted back to sneaking food!!! CRAZY!!!!

For the first 2 weeks of this 3 week binge I had some good and some bad days of eating but I managed to not see a gain on the scale....I got a bit cocky... and with two birthdays this past week plus my normal hormonal gain at this time of the month I am up 8lbs from last Sunday!!!! Yikes!!!!

Time to get back to my water, workouts and eating life giving food!!!!

Challenges

I need to share with you all about the November Challenge Results!

I started the past month out strong doing the exercises everyday but then failed to keep up with all of my challenge exercises. I still did some on most days but not everyday!

That being said I still had some changes in measurements and built some more muscle.

On my waist I lost .5 of an inch and biceps I lost .25 of an inch....these are not great but they are movement in the direction I want to see.

So to keep up with these changes I decided to join Kelly in her December Challenge!

Some of these exercises look like killers....yeah for a great core!!!

That is what I will need to say as I work these exercises. lol

I am going to take now pictures and then again at the end of December along with my new measurements.

Reflections

Last year at this time......

I was recovering from a C-section...the birth of our sixth child!

Nursing a new born every 2-3 hours.

Getting very little sleep.

Teaching my older children.

Helping my husband with household tasks. (When he let me!)

Eating anything and everything with no control!

A whole can of Poppycock was my favorite snack about 2-3 times a week, if I could not get it then Crunch & Munch would have to do!

Going up stairs to shower daily was the most exercise I did or even wanted to do.

I weighed over 210lbs.

Things have sure changed since last year!!!!!

Counting Calories

Yesterday I decided to start tracking how many calories I eat to make sure I am not eating over my 1800 calories daily.

Since I have not had major weight loss since the summer I was sure my calories must be going over my physical need and this would explain the slow loss.

I am shocked to find out just the opposite must be happening!!!!

I probably have been consuming WAY to little of calories and therefore my body is holding on to very last bit of energy I have been giving it to prepare for a famine!

Why do I think this?????

Since starting to track; just yesterday (I know my prediction may be premature), I have been having to eat a lot more than I usually do in order to reach my calorie intake number.

I feel STUFFED like a turkey eating all I need to!!!! (that is for my American friends!)

So far today I have consumed just over 900 calories and I only have supper and maybe a snack left to have.....right now I am so full that I can't imagine that I will want a snack.

This is what I have had to eat....

Breakfast

1 cup Steel Cut Oats 150 cal.

1/2 Banana 63 cal.

1 tbsp. Almond Butter 101 cal.

1/4 cup 2% milk 31 cal.

2 tsp. maple syrup flakes 10 cal.

Morning Boost

Honey crisp Apple 125 cal.

1 oz. Havarti Cheese 106 cal.

6 Mary's Organic Crackers 66 cal.

Lunch

1 whole egg 75 cal.

3 egg whites 51 cal.

9 Tater Tots 150 cal.

Supper is going to be Vegetarian Pizza on Gluten Free Crust...I like to load my pizza with every veggie in the fridge and very little cheese...so this meal is not going to take me to 1800 calories...according to Sparks Nutrition Tracker my pizza will be approximately 550 calories (this is being generous) leaving me with about 400 more calories to get in after that.....I really don't know how I am going to do that!!!

This is really not a terrible thing to have to face but is very interesting!!!

I have said all this just to say that I am going to continue to track my calories and make sure I am eating enough.....and hopefully the scale will continue to move down and even more quickly!!!

Just so you know....1800 calories may sound like a lot of calories to some and it does to me too but I have to remind myself that I am still nursing a baby at least 6 times a day if not more often....so I can not lower my intake.

November 18th - 23rd, 2010

Well, well, well! It has been 6 days since my last post...the time goes so fast!

There has been a lot going on so I will just start at Thursday....I went to Zumba again and totally loved it! I invited a few ladies out so I got to see some friends and workout with them....it was awesome and I am looking forward to it again this week!

On Saturday I went away with my mom and the baby to Sudbury which is the closest city to us where all the big name stores are.

The plan was to shop until we dropped or the baby could not handle it anymore, and we did just that !

I was able to find a great number of items that I was looking for and can not get here on the Island...gluten free wraps, bread and pancake mix were my most exciting buys.

So far I have tried the wraps and they are great tasting.

I did find the famous Ezekiel Bread & english muffins but was disappointed to find out that they were not glutton free...at least the ones I found were not glutton free.

Boo! I was so looking forward to trying it!

My mom bought me new workout pants and 2 new workout shirts, I was in need of both of these things...the best news is they were both size medium.

I treated myself to a new winter hat, scarf and mittens....in a beautiful blue....I love feeling free enough to buy colours and not be content to try and blend in to the background. Freedom!!!

I also had a drink from Starbucks for the FIRST time ever and I was NOT disappointed....Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha....I so enjoyed it and I did not even care what the calories were in it. It was a treat!!

I had an absolutely wonderful weekend away.

Sunday evening began the great battle of the thoughts and eating binge that I seem to be going through every three or so weeks.... It was different this time because I just had the 'I don't care' attitude...I ate what ever and when ever from Sunday evening through to Monday night at about 9pm....I have no idea how many calories I consumed and I don't even want to know...I ate just plain junk and I felt like crap the whole time. Blah!

By 9pm last night I was not in a good place but than I had a great talk with my husband who brought things into perspective... I was feeling like all my work was undone over the last 2 days and I must weigh 200 pounds again and would need my size 18 jeans back.

I love and thank God that he gave me this wonderful man that is truly my helpmate in all things. He can speak just the right words at the right time and it all comes together for me.

I was sharing with my hubby that I was thinking of just eating fruits and vegetables until Christmas to get rid of this weight and get over this terrible cycle I have been going through...not a logical thought process!

So hubby says to me...."What life is there in that? That just sounds like torture!"

He then proceeded to say "Just eat your calories each day and live life!"....then it clicked for me.

I just need to be consistent...have more good eating days than bad ones....this isn't new to me but for some reason I had lost this fact in my struggle lately. I started to come above water and could feel life in me again.

I woke up this morning in a fighting mood.....fighting against the enemy of my mind that is.

Today has been a great day for eating and I feel on top of things again.

To make things even better I stopped at a second hand store in a community close to us this afternoon and picked up a pair of jeans and a pair of dress pants...both in size 8...my thinking at the time was I will soon be wearing them.

I came home and tried them on....they both fit perfectly, right now!

I think I need to go through my closet and drawers and get rid of the size 12 pants that are in there.

So basically, life is busy, good and I am still in the game and fighting this battle against obesity for my sake and the sake of my family!!

New Do

Yesterday I didn't have much time to exercise so I went out for a fast 3km run....I pushed myself to a faster pace and I sure felt it when I got home...my lungs had that burning feeling!

LOVE THAT!

Today has been busy too but I plan on getting in a strength training

workout when I am done posting.

I spent this morning cleaning furniture and carpets with the Rug Doctor vacuum.

I was completely amazed at the water...so dirty!! Yuck!

After all that cleaning I went to get my hair cut.....some thing new and I like it!!

Not Much to Say...HA!

There is so much going on in my life right now but nothing exciting enough to share with you all!

Okay I do have a couple of things I should talk about.....

#1 I have been getting in consistent workouts and doing the November 30 Day challenge most days, I am really feeling the muscles develop and I LOVE that!!! I can see definition again in the places where it had seemed to disappear over the last 4-6 weeks. I enjoy feeling strong!

#2 My eating has been on plan but I am really struggling with not being able to eat wheat....I didn't realize just how many foods I eat that contain wheat.

Did I mention already that the doctor confirmed my suspicion that I am definitely showing signs of a wheat allergy and recommended that I refrain from eating it?!?!?

The biggest issue I have had is when I want a sandwich!!!...but this weekend I am going away with my mom for a night in the 'big city' near us and I plan on making a stop at a health food store I have been told about and getting a loaf of bread and wraps that are made with brown rice flour.

Sometimes a lady just NEEDS a slice of bread!!!

#3 Not weighing myself is a huge deal....why???? I wish I had all the answers but I don't.... maybe someone has some insight they can share with me!?!?!?!

I scale is actually gone out of sight and I am not sure where it is which is good because I SO want to get on it to reassure myself that I am doing okay.

But after the issue with my daughter last week I asked my husband to put the scale away so she can not use it and I don't need it until December 5th when I will weigh in again with my group so he got rid of it from its usual location.... so until my next scheduled WI I must resist the urge to hunt down the scale!

That turned out to be quite a long post for someone that didn't have much to say!!

Zumba Class

I am enjoying the opportunity to get in some physical exercise the last couple of days!

Oh how I have missed my exercise!!!

This seems funny for me to be saying because I have NEVER been one to be active until this year.....God is sure changing my WHOLE being. Praise God!!!

Yesterday I did my November Challenge exercises and went for a 6km run in the afternoon while the children had their quiet time with Daddy...I had not been out for a run in about a month and it felt great to be running again.

I did some sprints between hydro poles which was new to me too...I have been reading that doing the bursts of more intense activity helps boost your metabolism.

Then after supper I went to my first ever Zumba class....it was so much fun!!!

I can't wait until next Thursday to go again!

I thought I was in pretty good shape...HA... but today I am feeling some muscles in my arms and back that were not sore yesterday...I am not sure if it was the running or Zumba but I am just happy to be feeling them...I know I worked!

Thank You & He is Back

First things first............a HUGE Thank You to all that offered up prayers, words of encouragement and support for me from my post yesterday!

I sure needed it and felt the love.

I am still working through some things but I am on the way up to the top!!!

My heart is lighter and I know God is walking this out with me....I feel a new sense of freedom coming!

Thanks again!!!!!

Today my husband finished the the job he was doing and was laid off!

The company he was working for is suppose to be back in the spring next year to do more road construction and he will be recalled they told him yesterday...until then or if something else comes along I have him home!!!

I am super excited about that!!!!

My stress level drops dramatically when he is around because he shares all the work around the house with me except the teaching of the children plus now I will have time to exercise daily again!!!!

It does mean though that I will not be posting as much anymore (I will miss this), when I take a break during the day and he is home I usually sit with him and chat ....my time with my hubby is so precious to me.....I will still post probably at least 2 times a week!

So don't forget about me and I will be checking in on you all as often as I can.

I am still doing my November Challenge exercises and I will share that I already have a difference in my measurements in both upper arm and waist.

WOO HOO!!!! I am super excited to see the difference after the whole 30 days.

We can do this ladies!!!!!

The View from the Valley

How is it that I can go from being on top of mountain proclaiming life and freedom one day and overnight be falling head first into the valley?!?!?!?

This is where I am at today......looking at the mountain above me and wondering if and how I am going to climb out of this low place.

I am just going to write how this comes to my mind and it may not make much sense to you all but....Sorry!

Feel free to skip reading if you want!

No offense will be taken!

I just need to get this off my heart!

It all began yesterday when my 11 almost 12 year old daughter came downstairs in the morning and announced to me that she was only eating fruits and vegetables for the day!

I questioned her as to why she would want to do this....with some creative conversation on my part it was revealed that she did not want to get 'fat'.................I wanted to just cry and I still do want to right now!

What kind of an example have I been to her????

I have never hidden the fact from my family that I have a problem with eating and I talk freely with my husband about eating, bondage to food, about my dislike for my body.

I need to talk through the process of walking out my freedom from this addiction...but it is now time to start picking and choosing when I discuss the things I am going through with my husband...I never had gave thought to the fact that the children all hear about it too because I talk whenever I feel like it.

Seriously when I think about it...if my addiction was to something else like drugs, pornography etc........

I WOULD HAVE NEVER DISCUSS IT IN FRONT OF THE CHILDREN.......so why did I think it would not effect my children if I discussed my food addiction and how I hate the way I look????

Crazy!!!

So from today on I am going to be much more aware of what I am discussing and when...I know I can change and I am hoping that it is not to late for my daughter to 'forget' about how I have talked....I do not want her to struggle with the same issues I fight.

I am feeling actually very down about how my stupidity may have lasting negative effects on my children...I would never do anything to hurt them on purpose and I am SO mad at my self for not realizing this before now.

I heart is grieving today and I need to draw closer to God right now with all of this because my natural instinct is to eat my self sick...I have already spoke to Him about it but I still feel so burdened by it all!!!

Day 6, 7 & 8

What a wonderful weekend I had!

To start the weekend off my husband was home early on Friday afternoon and then off for the ENTIRE weekend!!!

That was nice!

I took a quick trip to the city near us (2 hour drive one way!) on Saturday to look for some wheat free food for me and other items that I just can not get here where I live.

I came away from the Bulk Barn with so many neat ingredients to make some yummy stuff!

My some of my finds included....chia seeds, gluten free pizza mix, brown rice spiral pasta, Larabars (3 different kinds), coconut oil, agave nectar, red quinoa and pine nuts.

I will go going again soon to get some more stuff!

I plan on trying some new recipes this week and will let you all know how they turn out as I make them....the first thing I am going to make is Gluten Free Blueberry Muffins.

They sound yummy!

I had my weigh in on Sunday....down one pound to 146lbs!

My original goal was to be 155lbs by November 7th, 2010..... I blew that one out of the water.

Why did I pick November 7th you ask?!?!? because......

On November 7th, 2009 I gave birth to my little sweet Amanda!

and I wanted to be 155lbs when we celebrated her first birthday!

Back in December when I made that goal it seemed almost unreasonable in the way of not attainable in less than a year!!! but I did it!!!

It has been a really, really quick year for me!

My little Amanda came into this world 5 weeks premature and sooo tiny....look at her NOW!

Here she is eating her sugar laden cake....I was going to be a 'good' Mama and make her a sugar and egg free cake but going to Sudbury shopping on Saturday won and something had to give from the schedule and it ended up being her homemade cake!

I must say she did love her cake ALOT!!! It was her first experience with sugar.

I took Saturday off from the challenge exercises but did get them in both Sunday and today.

I am definitely feeling the strength that I am building from these exercises!!

Hopefully by the end of the month I will not be grunting during some of them!!!

The abdominal twists are a killer for me!

Blessings all!!

Day 5 and New Tabs

I don't have much time to post tonight....it has been a DAY!!!

I had to take my little girl to the hospital to have her thumb examined to make sure she had not broken it and the time spent there took a big chunk out of my afternoon.

Time well spent though because Mama can rest knowing her thumb is badly bruised but NOT broken!

Anyway I need to go and do my challenge exercises as soon as I am done here but I wanted to point out a few tabs at the top of the blog that I just added.

I will work on them more when time permits!!

Blessings to you all!

Day 4

I had a wonderful morning visiting with a fellow Christian and clean eating Mama of two this morning!!!

She brought along with her a few treats for me to try...so as I sit here typing I am enjoying 2 of the treats..... a 'Freakin Good' cup of coffee from this company and some Chocolate Coconut Snowballs.

So Yummy!!! and clean, what more could you ask for???

Maybe a foot or shoulder massage!?!?!?

I truly am a blessed woman!

I got in my challenge exercises this morning before all of the children were awake.

I love it when that happens!!

My arms are not hurting ALL the time anymore so I increased my weight for the tricep kickbacks to 10 pounds and got to feel the burn again.....I will continue to use the 10 pounds for the hammer curls also.

I think I can feel some muscle development already...is this my imagination?

Is it possible so soon?!?!?

No!! please don't burst my bubble....let me think what I will.

I want to welcome Lanie Painie to the challenge also.

For all you ladies doing the challenge please feel free to change or modify any one of the exercises to meet your challenge level...this challenge is only to spur us on into a deeper level of strength and I would not want anyone to think just because they can't do one of the exercises exactly how the demo shows then they should not do the challenge.

Personally I struggle with the push ups....part of mine are the regular ones and the other part are the push ups on the knees...as long as we are building muscle/ strength then we are doing this challenge...hopefully by the end I will be able to do all the exercises the proper way in both sets. I am hoping anyway!!!

Eating is right on and I am scheduled to weigh in on Sunday before my meeting with the ladies!

I am trying to have a right attitude with the weigh in....I want to see a loss but a maintain will be totally acceptable right now.

I know what is really important and that is that my eating has been healthy and I am moving my body more! This is where I am at and I need to keep this focus!!!

A totally different mind set to get a hold of!!! but I am working on it.

I am a Winner!

Not much time to post today but I had to share the news that I won this book from Mrs. Shelia!

I got in Day Three of the 30 Day Challenge!

I would love to hear from you ladies that are doing this challenge with me on how your muscles are feeling and what, if any, weight size are you using for the arm exercises.

My arms on the inside of the elbow are really feeling it!!! I mean pain and not just during the push ups but at all times right now. Ouchy!!!

The bicycle crunches and abdominal twists are really hard for me to do, that should translate into some muscle...I hope!

Got to run...have a great day!!!

Day 2 and Craving Protein

Today did not start out like I would want it to but that's okay!!!!

Everything is working out!

I had my 2.5 year old son sleep with me last night because he had a sore tummy so he was up at 6:05 this morning which meant I could not exercise as soon as my hubby left for work.

I decided I would not let that bug me (it usually would) and I just cuddled with my boy and drank some coffee.

The morning went on...breakfast, clean up, some laundry and then it was time for the baby's nap. As soon as she went down I hit the living room and did all of the challenge exercises.

So Day 2 of the challenge...COMPLETE!!!

Here is a list of bloggers that have joined the 30 Day Challenge with me...if you get a chance pop over and encourage them!

Amy, Margene, Sarah, Witnbeauty, Casey, Juli Journey and Kelly.

If I missed you on the list and you are doing this challenge it was not on purpose and please do let me know.

Then it was time for some school lessons, more clean up and then lunch! The day was slipping away and if I was going to earn another $5 then I needed to find time to get in 20 minutes of exercise.

Nap time for 2 of the little people was going to have to be it....this is usually a time that I just mellow out but I want to make $$$$$. I got the little ones down and the other 5 watching a movie and I got on my running clothes laced up my shoes!!!

The children all questioned me...are you going for a run????

I assured them that I was going out but just in the yard to workout and I needed them to tell me when 20 minutes was up.

I started out thinking I will just run around the house but I soon became bored with that so I decided to do step ups on the deck stairs and then finished off with a couple more laps around the house.

I completed 500 Step Ups, WOW my legs are burning right now!

This was the challenge that some of the Biggest Loser contestants had to do to get on the show this season so once I started doing the step ups I decided if those people can do them in the state of fitness they were at the time and considering their weight then I will push myself to do that many too!

Long story I know just to say I managed to get my 20 minutes of exercise in today! but I was proud of myself for making it happen when recently it has seemed so easy to just not make exercise a priority. So, yeah me!

A very interesting thing has been going on with me today...I have been craving protein.

I never crave protein so this is crazy to me but I have been listening to my body and eating lots of it and not much of anything else.

I decided to google reasons why people crave protein.....I learned that one of the top reasons why is to repair muscle tissue...so when you are building muscle as in you have shredded muscle by either increasing weigh or introduce the muscle to new activity the body needs extra protein to repair those muscles.

Interesting huh?!?!?!

Maybe I am actually doing more to my muscles then I originally thought and it is only November 2nd!

Day 1 and Clean Baby Food

Today is the first of November and the first day of the 30 Day Challenge.

I got my exercises in this morning first thing...I am feeling those muscles a bit right now.

In a good way! I love it when my body sends those signals to say "Thanks for moving me!".

I did the 30 Day Shred yesterday and after no exercise for so long I was already feeling some soreness before starting today's workout.

On top of the challenge exercises today I did 30 Dead man Lifts with 5 lb weights, 30 Jumping Jacks, 30 leg lifts on each side, 30 push ups and 30 of another ab exercise but I am not sure of the name of it.

All of these plus the challenge ones got me over the 20 minutes of exercise and so I 'earned' my next $5.oo!

It has been a bit of a battle to not step on the scale to see how I am doing....I know that I have been eating great and now 2 days of exercising but the old me wants the scale to tell me I am doing great!!! but I will continue to ignore the desire to go there and will give myself the affirmation I need!

I started last week researching some 'clean' and real food ideas to feed to my baby...she will be one on Sunday!! and she does not want baby food.....only table food so I am trying to find some new ideas to make for her instead of the what I would have fed my little ones at this stage before going off of processed food.

I found one great site with tons of ideas that I wanted to share!

It is called Homemade Baby Food Recipes.

Have a blessed day to you, my blogging friends!!

It Starts Tomorrow

The 30 Day Challenge to myself and for those that are going to join me will start tomorrow (Monday).

To refresh your memory the challenge is to for the month of November to do 30 of each of these exercises....crunches, reverse crunches, bicycle crunch, abdominal twist, tricep kick back, hammer curls and tricep dips using whatever size of weights you are comfortable using.

Each of these exercises will tone and strengthen either the tummy or arms.

Who doesn't want rock hard abs and lean, toned arms??? I know I want them!!!

I placed links on this post for proper form for each of these exercises if you want to check them out.

On another note my husband and I were discussing my lack of motivation to exercise lately and we came up with a great idea that I know will make me want to get in a workout daily.

My husband is also going to 'pay' me $5.00 for each day that I do at least a 20 minute workout starting today until he is done work!! That could translate into about $50.00. I will then use that money to buy a couple of new books or a subscription to a magazine.

Guess who got a workout in this morning?!?!? lol

Its all about the pay off!

Heart Issue

I am going to attempt to explain to some of what has been going on in my heart the last number of days!!!!

I do not promise to be able to explain it well but I have to try.

For so many years I have dealt with the issue of being overweight and I have always depended on the scale to tell me when trying to lose weight if I was doing a GOOD job or not .

The scale can either make or break my day!!!

I know there are a lot of people like this and I am not alone in this struggle.

What may make me different is that I am no longer going to be looking to the scale for my affirmation!!

I need to build the confidence in my self that I am worthy!!

Worthy of....

affection,

success,

adoration,

affirmation

and ALL good things under the sun including loving myself.

I do not need to be a certain number to be worthy of these things!!

I need to love myself for who I am and not wait until I get to a certain place in this journey to really feel like I have arrived.

I need to enjoy each step along the path instead of waiting for the final destination to really be content with my body.

This is the BIG thing that I need to get a handle on right now.

I am not in any way saying that using the scale is wrong....I think it can be a real motivator as it has been for me for so long...it is just time for me to take this lifestyle change and healing of my thoughts and emotions to a new deeper level and the scale isn't invited to that place.

I am excited and scared at the same time because the scale has been my measurement of success for so long and now I am going to have to rely on ME!!!!

I do not have a lot of trust in myself...Yet!!...but I know it will come and that is part of what this is all about.

How will I measure if I am still losing weight or at least maintaining the 147.....I will continue to nourish my body with clean food and commit to exercising more often.

My clothes I wear now will tell me if I am gaining or losing too.

I will jump on the scale once a month so I can keep my commitment to the group of ladies that I am a part of for weight loss support...we have all come so for in changing our lives and I want to be a part of that group still so I will weigh in with them once a month if they are open to me changing this part of my commitment. I am sure they will be fine with a monthly rather than weekly WI and I will pass the idea by them on Sunday.

When I do weigh myself than I will let you all know what my weight is.

I feel like it is time to start enjoying my life and to stop obsessing about my weight...God is bringing more healing and I am excited to see it manifest in me!!!

I will leave you all with a fun picture my daughter took of me this week!!

Friday, October 29th

This has been a busy but productive week!

My eating has been on track even with the tummy troubles of earlier in the week.

I HAVE NOT exercised in probably 2 two weeks and I am missing it so much.....I don't feel the strong lean muscles like I use to and I miss that...I am craving to get moving in a more intense way then doing my everyday cooking, cleaning stuff and I soon will be able to.

My hubby will be done work in probably no more than 2 weeks from now and then I will be back to daily workouts. Hooray!!!!

Some may criticize the fact that I have not made time to exercise while my husband is working but I know my limits.

I am up at 5:45am with my hubby and spend until 6:30am with him when he leaves. I then take 30 minutes (if I get that) to spend quietly with a coffee and God. Then the day begins with the children and doesn't end until 8:30pm.....by then all I want to do is go to bed or relax on the couch. So this translates to not a lot of exercise in the last 2 months.

I am still working on how to explain all that is going on in my heart right now.....I am not a great person to express deep heart issues very well!!! It will come though.

We are having company for the weekend very soon so I must go and finish preparing for him.

What would be a Good Title?

Maybe you can think of a good title but I could not!!!

There is so much going on in My Life right now....heart issues mostly and still dealing with tummy stuff too!

I need to work through these things before I can share it with anyone so I will not be posting about it right now!

I want to thank everyone who left comments on the whole issue around spelt and I will take them all into consideration when I go shopping again and see what I can find....or I may just not do baking for me and stick with my usual oats, brown rice and barley, this seems like the smart thing to do right now because if I find a flour to bake with that I can eat I may be tempted to overeat it.

We have four ladies in on the30 Day challenge that will start on Monday....I think there will be great results from these exercises after 30 days. If you still want to join in that would be GREAT....the more the better so we can encourage and support each other in this!

I went shopping yesterday for some new to me clothes, the local church had another rummage sale and I came away with 6 new winter shirts, 2 vests and a pajama shirt. I was able to get a few things for the children too and it cost me $5.00!!! I love second hand shopping!!! I hope to go back maybe tonight after my hubby gets home from work to take a closer look.

Until later....Thanks for being a part of this journey with me ladies....

I would not want to do it without you all!!!!

Online Resource & Tummy Troubles

I wanted to share with you about an online resource I found a while back and I am now just learning a bit more about it.

It is called The Kitchen Table and it is an Eat Clean site.

This site is designed as a Eat Clean community for people to share stories, recipes, photos and just all round support each other.

If you are clean eating and are looking for some new ideas or a bigger support group this is the place for you....if you just want to learn more about Eating Clean it will definitely give you that.

It is worth the time you will spend there!

As for how things are going for me....yesterday was a rough, tough day!!

I made some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread with spelt flour in the morning because the research I had done said that SOME PEOPLE that have a wheat sensitivity can eat spelt without any effects.

I am guessing after I tried some yesterday that I don't fall into the SOME PEOPLE category.

I did have 2 good sized pieces for lunch...because it was so yummy... my upset and pain in the tummy began within 2 hours of having the bread. By 6pm I was almost doubled over in the pain and my stomach was rock hard and I vomited once...sorry if that is to much information...without any relief!

I went to bed at 9pm in so much pain I didn't think I would sleep but thanks to some prayer on my husbands part I dozed off until the baby woke me at 10:45pm and by then my pain was gone.

The tummy issues (bloating, firmness) are still here today plus some other nasty side effects of which I will not go into details about but I am drinking lots of water today and hopefully this will clean me out quicker and give me complete relief!!!

I guess it is no wheat or any kind of flour....unless with some more research I come up with another alternative to try.

November Challenge

This weekend was so nice.....I had my husband home for 2 full days!!!!

Baby was still sick all weekend so we took turns cuddling with her and I spent the one morning at the hospital but I am happy to report she is doing much better today!

For the month of November...so 30 days.... I am challenging myself and anyone of my blogging friends that want to join me to target stomach and arm muscles.

My tummy is a definite problem area for me...after six pregnancies I am stretched in every direction it seems. That lovely little pooch I want to see decrease so I am taking a month of targeted exercises to work on it and see what happens and since I am doing that I figure why not increase the lean muscle in my arms too?!?!?

This is what my challenge exercises are;

30 Crunches (or sit ups)

30 Reverse Crunches

30 Bicycle Crunches

30 Abdominal Twists

30 Push ups

30 Tricep Kickbacks

30 Hammer Curls

30 Tricep Dips

I will be doing each of these in 2 sets of 15 repetitions for the 30 days.

If we stick with these I think there will be some definite definition after 30 days!

So who is with me???

Let me know if you are going to join me...the more the merrier..and it will help keep me motivated too.

I included a link to show proper form if you are not sure how to do one of the exercises.

Week 43 Weigh In

Just a quick update to report my weigh in......down 1 pound to 147lbs!!!

I am busy taking care of a sick baby so that is it folks!!!

Have a blessed Sunday!

Fall Themed Granola Bars

I got the idea to make these yummy bars from Amy at Choosing Freedom and the recipe is adapted from the Two Peas and Their Pods website.

I changed the original recipe to be more Clean Eating friendly!!!

Here is my version for......

Pumpkin Chocolate Granola Bars

3 1/4 cups old fashioned oats

1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

½ cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup apple

sauce

1/3cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup dark chocolate

2/3 cup sliced Almonds

· Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease an 8 by 8 baking pan and set aside.

· Chop your dark chocolate into small pieces.

· In a large bowl, combine oats, spices, and salt together. Set aside.

· In a medium bowl, whisk pumpkin, applesauce, honey, and vanilla extract until smooth. Pour over oats and stir well, until all of the oats are moist. Stir in the dark chocolate and almonds.

· Evenly press oat mixture into prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. The pumpkin keeps the bars moist, so make sure they are golden and set-you don’t want them to be under baked. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes.

· Using a sharp knife, cut into bars. Remove from pan and let cool completely.

Makes 10-12 granola bars

*I tripled this recipe and froze the bars in packages of 6 for another time.

I enjoyed a bar with a cut up apple and a chia tea for lunch one day......Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm!

Thursdays Eats

Yesterday was a snugly day with my baby!!!

She was running a low grade fever and just not feeling well in general...so we snuggled.

I am thinking that her ear was aching because she pulled at it a few times during the day...whatever it was it was nice to slow down and cuddle.

I looks like today is going to be much of the same because she was still fevered at 4am when I got up to nurse her so here is my post of yesterdays food.

This was breakfast;

Handfuls of spinach, a banana, 1+ tbsp. natural crunchy peanut butter,

1 cup Almond Breeze and 2 tbsp. flax meal.

Mid-morning Snack consisted of a honey crisp apple and a handful of almonds.

For lunch...

7 of Mary's Cracker's with peanut butter, a sliced banana and a spot of honey on each.

I had a peppermint/cocoa tea also! A new favorite!

These crackers are great for me and I will pick up some more when I am at the 'big city' again...no wheat or gluten...they are made with brown rice, quinoa, flax seeds and sesame seeds. I must admit that it is hard to remember to look at labels for wheat but I will get use to it and my next shopping trip will be a long one while I read labels of many different foods trying to find wheat free products.

Afternoon snack was 4 Medjool Dates.

Supper....more leftover Lasagna and salad with salt & pepper.

I got a 30 Day Shred workout in this morning and I think I will put on a fresh pot of coffee so when the baby wakes I can cuddle and drink it.

I am working on a 30 Day challenge to put out to my blog friends and I will post it in the next couple of days but just to let you know in will be for the month of November and it will target 'trouble zone' on the body...I have never ran a challenge before but I need this one and if I have some people doing it with me then I will stick to it...more details another day.

Who ate cake?

Yesterday was my little sparkles 5th birthday!

She is so sweet...a true blessing in my life!

For her birthday I made this....

and I did NOT have any!!!! Not a lick of it even!!!!

Did I miss it or feel deprived???

Nope!!!

I felt free!!!

Before the guests arrived I had a piece of leftover homemade Lasagna (made with brown rice pasta) so I would not be tempted, by being too hungry, to eat the chicken nuggets and fries that the party guests were eating.

After the party was over, the house tidied and the children in bed I treated myself to a cup of peppermint tea and a scoop of cocoa....Yummy!!!

Never tried it until tonight but it is a definite do over.

Being my Own Doctor

I don't know what people or for that fact what I did before Internet!!!

I have mentioned before that I thought I possible had a wheat intolerance and was going to research more on it.

I have been doing a lot of reading on the Internet about this and the more I read the more convinced I am that I am indeed intolerant to wheat.

To see if I am I did a little experiment over the last week....it was highly scientific....

I totally went off of wheat for 4 days the results......

I felt great after the second day of being off of wheat.

Then yesterday I reintroduced bread again at lunch time.

Guess what happened!?!?!

Within an hour of eating the bread I started to experience some lovely and familiar symptoms... gas, pain in the upper stomache area, bloating, cravings for more, more, more and a drippy nose.

Coincidence???

Maybe.... but I don't think so!!!

I am going to the Nurse Practitioner in a couple of weeks and I plan on discussing this along with other things with her but regardless of what the outcome of that appointment is I think I will be staying away from wheat because it is just not worth the nagging symptoms I have when I do eat it.

As for eating in general...I have been on track 100%! Yeah me!!!

I have a challenge on myself for this week. It is to eat clean completely and so far so good.

It is made easier by the amazing ideas and inspiration that I am gaining from the Eat Clean Diet Recharged book by Tosca Reno that I received from the Sweet's Free September Contest.

I love this way of life and would recommend the books to anyone that is trying to improve their health.

This week begins the party season for our house.... we have a birthday each month from now until March; a couple of birthdays in 2 of the months...then throw in Christmas and New Years and I have a whole lot of opportunities to show myself that I am worth the effort it takes to eat right!!! I am looking forward to the challenge!

Control

I am a perfectionist as you all know and along with that I also like to be in control.

Not a great combo!!!!

I was reminded today after reading a fellow bloggers

post that there are SOME things that are in my control and other things that ARE NOT!

I decided to make a list of things in my life that I can control and post it in a place that I look at often to really bring this fact home.

Here is the list I came up with;

I CAN CONTROL......

• if I will draw on the strength of God during a rough moment.
• how much water I drink in a day.
• what food goes in my mouth.
• if I will exercise at some point in a day.
• how much time I will waste on the computer.
• how I will handle my children when they misbehave.
• what I will wear.
• how I will feel about myself.
• how I treat others.

Making this list reminded me of the Serenity Prayer!

I Could Hardly Believe My Eyes

This morning I stepped on to the beloved piece of metal and looking up at me was a number I have not seen in years!

Really it was a number I have not even dared to dream about.....I would think maybe it is possible but I would quickly turn that thought off because the sensible part of me said 'No way!"......

But it was not a dream what I seen this morning but rather the result of 42 weeks of making the choice to get back up and dust myself off every time I stumbled and fell......and there have been many stumbles.....each time I reached for the hand that supports me and continued on my path!

Sometimes that hand was in the form of my Heavenly Father, other times it was my blog friends or weight loss support group and still more often than not it was my biggest earthly cheerleader....my Husband!

Each part of my support team is SO special in different ways and I can't imagine having got here without all of them.

This is what I seen this morning.........148........that is a 2 pound loss this week!

I can finally say I am out of the 150's, I had been there since July.

I have a feeling the next few weeks are going to be blur.

My husband is working with a road construction crew on the highway near our house and he has been doing this for the last month and a half or so.

Long hours during the week but then weekends off.

On Tuesday he came home to tell me that they will be working everyday until the job is complete...it may be 2.5 to 4 weeks straight they really don't know for sure.

Yikes!!! Okay, breathe Christine....you can handle this! Deep breath in......

and let it go!

I actually am handling it okay but I am having to prioritize what is most important and what is going to add to the stress on the family and then eliminate those factors.

The first thing to go was my race on Sunday, this race was something I wanted to do but because my hubby had started this job I was not able to keep up with the training schedule.

Now, I know I could have walked part of the course if I needed to but I know myself well enough that I know I would have stressed all week about having not prepared for the race in the way I had planned.

So to help myself and in turn my family I made the decision to let it go...besides I need to have a sitter to go to a funeral and grocery/birthday shopping this weekend and the children can't be with someone else all weekend.

Life is good and eating is ON!

I received a compliment last night while at the library from the town Nurse Practitioner who apparently has not seen me in a while.

She did the old double take, look you up and down stare and said in a very surprised voice...."You have lost weight....look at you Ms. Skinny Minnie!"

It felt great hearing that from her...I am not sure why it meant so much but it did.