Why the Cycles?

For the last few months I have been struggling with losing weight...the last couple of weeks have been mostly on track but still a mental struggle.

I want to be at goal, like NOW!!!

The daily fight goes something like this.....

I have a number of bad eating days in a row even though my day typically started out awesome, with a healthy breakfast and lunch but sometime between lunch and supper the old bad habits would take over!

I would consume a ridiculous amount of calories until bedtime at which point I would go to bed feeling shameful and begin planning in my head how I would correct this detrimental behaviour.

The modes of correction that I would commonly come up with are extreme and thankfully by morning I would have rid those thoughts from my plan and sensibility would set back in...but the cycles continue.

I know how to lose weight for me!!!!

It involves eating clean, whole and mostly raw foods...

So my question to my self and you all today is why is it that when I/we deviate from what we know works why do we think the plan has failed and go looking for quick fixes??? When obviously it is us who has failed the plan and not vice versa!

I hope someone has an answer to this scenario because I have yet to figure it out!

I look forward to hearing some peoples ideas on this.

My eating has been mostly on track since my weigh in on Friday but I must admit that some SAD, sad food I have also eaten....boo!!!

So much for 84 days of clean eating in a row!!!

I have also got 3 good workouts in since Friday and I am hoping for another run and strength training later this week.

Week 2 Day 1

The humidity has finally broke and even though the temperature is still high (28 degrees) I feel like I am alive again. Hooray!

This morning I starting cleaning at 7am to make up for the week of just doing what I had to to get by. On the list was sweeping and mopping the floors on the main level, dusting in the living room and main floor bedroom, organized the toy/book shelves and then cut the grass.

It was a busy morning but it felt good to get it all done before lunch.

This past week had a few challenging days of eating but on the whole it has been wonderful.

My weight this morning was 159lbs....down 4lbs this week!!!

So happy about that!!! I feel like I am on a roll for weight loss again.

Food for today;

Breakfast~ 1 cup Corn Flakes, 1/2 cup All Bran, 1 cup 2% milk and 1 cup Cantaloupe.

Snack~ Ezekiel English Muffin with 1 tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter and 1 cup Red Grapes.

Lunch~ Smoothie (120ml Coconut Milk, 15g Shredded Coconut, 1 cup pineapple and 1 tbsp. frozen Orange Juice)

Snack~ Apple

Supper~ Raw Vegetables and a slice of Pizza

Total Calories~ 1,382

Week 1 Day 7 SWSC

Today is a killer hot one!

My plan today was to take the children to Espanola so my eldest daughter could pick out new eye glasses frames because her youngest brother broke her current pair.

So I packed a picnic lunch and off we went!

This turned out to be a great way to spend a VERY hot day...an hour drive both ways and then air conditioning in the doctors office and mall. Lunch on the beach sitting in the shade with a lovely breeze. NICE!!!

We returned home to unpack groceries and then pack the cooler again for another picnic at the local beach for supper and swimming lessons.

I hate to cook when it is hot out so the children have been eating a lot of cold sandwiches and cereal this week. Oh well, they will survive!

My eats for today have been;

Breakfast~ Banana, peanut butter, spinach and milk smoothie.

Snack~ Apple and almonds.

Lunch~ Ezekiel Wrap with Natural Selections Honey Ham, lettuce, onions, red pepper, cucumber and mustard. Cantaloupe for dessert!

Supper~ Smoothie made of Coconut milk, shredded coconut, pineapple and orange juice. Yummy and refreshing!!!

Total Calories~1,244

If I am hungry after our time at the beach I will have a some grapes and Greek yogurt.

I weigh-in in the morning....excited to see what the scale says....I really have no idea what it is going to be because I have not had a sneak peek but I do know that I feel great and that is most important!

Week 1 Day 6 Summer Weight Shedding Challenge

The weather here in Ontario, Canada has been so hot and humid.

I DO NOT like hot and humid...it makes me grumpy! and really who wants to exercise in the heat??? Not me! I sweat just sitting!

We have been spending hours in the afternoon and evening at the beach cooling off. There is one advantage of living on the largest fresh water island in the world....I can see the water from my deck!

I spite of feeling grumpy, sweaty and sticky I had another great day of eating!!!

Breakfast~ 4 cups Watermelon & 1 oz. Raw Almonds

Snack~ Spinach, Banana, 1/2 cup 2% milk and 2 tbsp. Natural Peanut Butter Smoothie

Lunch~ 3 Wasa Bread with 2 tbsp. Garden Vegetable Cream Cheese, stalk of celery and 1 cup Baby Carrots

Snack~ Apple

Supper~ 1 oz. Marble Cheese and a Ezekiel Wrap with Hummus, spinach, lettuce, zucchini, cucumber, red pepper, onions and carrot.

Total Calories~ 1,398

Week 1 Day 5 of Summer Weight Shedding Challenge

It is so awesome when my eating and attitude fall into place at the same time! and I never want these days to end...when you feel on top of it all!

I long for more easy days in a row....I know it takes one day at a time but I want to look back and see a big long streak of good eating days in a row....it

makes it easier to get through a tough day!

I love reading blogs that encourage and inspire me, the ones that push me to be a better person.

I have 'meet' so many amazing people over the last year and half...I treasure you all so much!

I have been tracking my food on My Fitness Pal since Friday, this tool is so easy to use...I have used many different online tools before but this one has by far been the easiest I have found to date.

Just for Fun!!!

This is Amanda, she is 20 months old now!

Summer Weight Shedding Challenge

Today is the beginning of the Summer Weight Shedding Challenge that is being hosted on The Homeschool Lounge.

For this challenge we will weigh in on Friday mornings until October 7th, which is 12 weeks!

My weight this morning was 163lbs and my goal is to lose 1-2 pounds per week...hopefully closer to the 139 mark.

I also did my measurements today....Bust 43.5, rib cage 37, waist 36 and hips 39.

Those numbers spoke loudly to me about being an apple shape and I know so well the dangers associated with being an apple shape. I lost both my Grandmother and Dad to heart attacks when they were only in their early 5o's.

My focus has been on track for the last week and a bit, except for yesterday when I did the "oh, my I am going to eat lots today because starting tomorrow I will not be allowing myself the treats!" attitude and ate a whole, yes a whole bag of chips, bagel with strawberry cream cheese and banana bread with Nutella. YUCK! and I felt it all night long.

My goals for the next 12 weeks are............

• Exercise at least 3 times per week.
• No snacking after supper.
• Journal my food intake for the first 3 weeks to make sure my calories are on track.
• Eat clean, whole foods 100% of the time. (That will be 84 days of no treats!)

I have went 100 days before with no treats and felt so good while doing that. This is what made me want to add this goal to my list.

I am ready for this challenge.

Got My Groove On

Life is so very busy but so very good!

I have found my groove again...it took a couple of weeks and a few more pounds but I am back at it and feeling GREAT!!!!

At the beginning of last week I weighed myself, even though I did NOT want to.

I had been pigging out and just not caring enough.

My roll was hanging over my pants like it has not for a long while so I knew the number was going to be not good.

170! Yikes!!!

The short of it all is I, at that moment decided that I was SO worth this fight with food that I was not going to bow before its control any longer!!!! I have the strength and victory but I need to remember that and walk in it...I am the boss not the addiction!

The scale yesterday morning had me back to the 161lb I had been back on the 24th of June.

I am happy with that....9lbs of junk gone from my body in just a few short days, the roll is disappearing again and my mind is in the fight. Prayer is key to keeping this stride going.

With the exception of having a ooey, gooey dessert with my husband while on a date last night, I have been eating wonderful, healthy and whole foods! and my body loves it!

There is nothing like the feeling when your body is fuelled with the best food possible. I have so much more energy, I think clearer, my patience with the children is great and I find so much more time to do all I need to get done in a day.

Everything just seems to fall into place when I keep my eating in check! Go figure!!!

I will weigh in on Friday because I joined a 12 Week Challenge over on a home school forum and our weigh in day will be Fridays. My goal is to lose 1-2 lbs per week.

So by October 7th I will be down 12 - 24 lbs...woohoo!

To see a number between 149 and 137 on October 7th will be cause for a celebration.

Hmm, what should I do to celebrate?