Fitness Friday {motivation}

Motivation is necessary when trying to meet health goals.  I’ve tried many forms of motivation:  rewarding myself with cheap jewelry, a yummy treat on cheat day, new clothes.  But I think the best motivation is seeing results.

Despite the fact that my healthy eating and increased exercise attempts have been rather weak, I am seeing results from the meager attempts that I am doing.  For instance, I bought a dress…and it was a size smaller than I normally buy at this particular store (whose clothes run a tad small so I rarely buy there).  I took the dress into the dressing room thinking that it wouldn’t fit. 

Guess what?

It did fit!  And it’s cute! 

And then there’s the jeans that I haven’t worn in a while because they were too small.  I tried them on the other day.

Guess what?

They fit!  Yay!

That, my friends, is Motivating!

Knowing that even my less than whole-hearted attempts have given results motivates me to work harder towards achieving my goals. Imagine how much actually giving this healthy living thing my full attention could change my life.  If just changing a little has helped, how much more can doing it wholly help?  

Have these results made these changes completely easier?  No…I still dread getting out of bed to exercise but I know that doing so will give me results.  Not to mention, I feel so much better after I’ve gotten started.

So I have a new goal.  In my closet is a bin full of clothes.  There are some really cute sweaters, jeans, and skirts that I haven’t worn in a long time.  They are only the next size down from what I wear today.  My goal is to fit into those clothes by winter time.  Since we are in the deep south, cold weather usually starts in December or late November  {and sometimes even later than that} so I’ve got a few months to reach this goal.  I’ll just go ahead and say that I will fit into these clothes by Thanksgiving.

I’m also going to be joining in on the 42 Days to Fit Challenge over at Marathon Mom.  If you’re looking to get healthy click the link above.  It may be something you’d like to join in on also. 

 

Losing Adriane {the holiday edition}

It’s been a while since a Losing Adriane post.  (That would actually be 5 months since a post!)  Honestly, I kind of put the whole weight loss thing on hold.  I was doing ok – not losing weight but not gaining either.  I figured that after Thanksgiving and Christmas I’d get it in gear and stick with it this time.  (Why, oh why is it so hard to stick with?)  Not to mention I was getting a lot of compliments about my weight loss from others.  So I figured it wasn’t so bad…eh?

Then I noticed that my jeans were getting tight in the waist again.

And I looked and noticed that I was sitting smack dab in the middle of the two holidays where we eat, and eat, and eat, and eat!  

Now, I’m not knocking eating.  I quite enjoy it myself.  {smile} However, I just do not want to gain any more weight during this Christmas season.  So I’m picking up with this Losing Adriane thing again…right now…at possibly the worst time of the year. 

My goal is not to actually lose any weight over the next few weeks but to simply maintain where I am right now.  (Which is now 185 pounds.  Up from 181.)  But if I do lose weight, I’ll be ok with that.  I’m just hoping by doing a few things this holiday season that I’ll be able to realize that every little bite that goes into my mouth affects my body and perhaps keep myself from overeating. 

So what am I doing to keep from gaining weight over the holidays?

• Water, water, water

 

I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Tervis.  She is a little bit on the expensive side but ain’t she pretty? (Yes, I just said ain’t.  And no, I don’t let my kids say it! {smile})   She goes most places with me and some how, she motivates me to empty her of her 24 ounces of water many times a day.  (I think it’s her pretty polka dots!)  I feel fuller and eat less when I’ve been drinking water. 

• My Fitness Pal

I recently had to update my cell phone and was so excited that my new phone had apps on it.  I found an app for My Fitness Pal, which I was all ready doing online.  But since I can’t get to the computer 3+ times a day to update, it wasn’t quite working for me.  However, my phone is close by and it is so easy for me to fill in my food for the day or pull it out and see how many calories are remaining for the day.  This really helps me to decide if I need to eat that extra cookie or {fill in the blank} that can often be found around the holidays.  (My Fitness Pal is very easy to use and free too!)

• Reduce the amount of soda

You may notice in my food diary above that I have not kicked the soda habit.  Oh how I would love to be done with the horribly bad for you but oh so yummy drink of totally empty calories!  For some reason, I lack the will power.  (excuses)  Right now, I am just limiting myself to one a day.  Drinking coffee (fewer calories) and lemon water is helping me to not reach for a soda as often.

 

• Move, move, move

My exercise story goes like this:

start exercising, enjoy exercising, get sick, stop exercising, resist starting again, finally start again, enjoy exercising, get sick…

You can probably see where this is going.  {smile}

Not too long ago I had started exercising, then I twisted my ankle (and not even while exercising) and now I am sick.  I know that I must exercise to lose weight.  For me, it is the only way.  I am setting a goal of 3 times a week for 20 minutes each time…even with this cold.  I’m just going to do it!

There you go!  That’s my plan for the last few weeks of this year.  Hopefully this plan will help me to think about what I am eating before it goes into my mouth.  I will be documenting my weigh-ins on Mondays by updating this page that I’ve created.  You can find it by clicking on the tab at the top of my blog.  Please feel free to check in on me and hold me accountable for what I say I am going to do.  {smile}

To read some of my old Losing Adriane posts, click here.

Losing Adriane do-overs (week 2)

 July 10, 2011

Weight ~ 181 (started at 196)

Well, I did not lose any weight last week but I didn’t really do what I needed to do to lose weight.  I did make some changes but didn’t stick to them consistently, which is the key.  I won’t even offer any of my excuses like getting kids ready for camp, rearranging/organizing house, holiday, or any of those other excuses that I have.  ~smile~

This week has started off much better so I anticipate a better result next week. 

Some things that I did learn this week:

• I love tracking my food through My Fitness Pal.  When you find a food, it tells you the calories and how many grams of carbs, proteins, and fat.  I found out that I eat and drink a lot of carbs.  Tracking your food is an eye-opener, for sure.
• I need to move more.  I have to purposefully make room in my schedule for exercise.  I did not do that last week but did count some of my gardening and swimming with kids in my exercise.
• When you log in your exercise on My Fitness Pal, it calculates the calories you’ve “earned”.  My gardening earns me about 160 extra calories for every 30 minutes of work. 
• I can not have Coke in the house.  If it is here, I will drink it.  I am so weak when it comes to the soda. 

Today is going well though I am a bit hungry right now and have that caffeine withdrawal headache going on…but this too shall pass.

I’m repeating last week’s goals.  I’m going to work at it until I get it right!

To read my weight loss goals, click here.

Thanks for the encouragement in comments and emails.  Your words of support mean so much to me.  I really do appreciate it!

Losing Adriane do-overs (week 1)

The word “do-overs” cracks me up.  It’s a word we use in Bunco when someone needs to “do” their roll again. 

Anyway, on to the real business at hand.  ~smile~

Monday morning starts my Losing Adriane do-overs.  I will check in on Sunday nights and let everyone in cyber world know if I’m sticking to my guns this time.  Yep, you are my accountability. 

So here are the details of the Losing Adriane do-overs:

• Big Goal

Ultimately, I need to lose 43+ pounds to be in my healthy weight range.  

• Monthly Goal

To fit into these white cropped pants that I got at Goodwill.  I would like to be able to wear them on my 40th birthday.  They are my size but a mite snug.  I’d love to wear them with this green top that I got at Goodwill also but it might take a bit longer to fit into it. 

 Please excuse the picture background.  The girl’s room was the only room with really good light when I took the picture. 

• Food Tracking Goal

The plan is to track my food daily on My Fitness Pal.  My Fitness Pal is a free site so I encourage you to check it out if you need to track your food. 

• Eating Goals

My Fitness Pal calculated that I need to eat 1510 calories a day.  I also plan to reduce my carb intake.  Most of my carbs will come from veggies, fruits, and a few whole grains.

• Exercise Goals

Besides resuming Jillian Micheals’ 30 Day Shred, I plan on following the Couch25K plan for 3 days a week.   Total days of exercise for the week:  at least five. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A few months back, I bought the book Fit for My King.  The author suggests a 30 day fast from the following things:

• White sugar
• All artificial sweeteners (such as Splenda, Sweet N Low, Aspartame…)
• Fake food (eating real food and avoiding processed foods)
• White flour
• White rice, potatoes, and corn
• Buying foods you can’t eat (thus opening yourself to temptation to eat it) 
• Eating after 7:00 pm 

There is even a covenant letter in the book to sign between oneself and God.  And I just couldn’t sign it.  I couldn’t.  I was sure that I would break the covenant.  It’s not that I’m planning on not losing this weight.  It’s just that I take the word “covenant” very seriously.  That sounds like a cop-out but I promise it’s not.  ~smile~

But I do know why I should avoid each of the things above.  So I’ve decided to do them one at a time.  Some are all ready accomplished.  For instance, I don’t do artificial sweeteners.  I use stevia but try to avoid these others.  (I may talk more on that later but if you’d like to know about the dangers of artificial sweeteners, a quick internet search will give you a good starting point.)  However, the no white sugar goal…that’s going to be a hard one.  So I’m starting with that one.

You have to start somewhere, right?  ~smile~

I don’t know if the sugar will be totally eliminated.  Even though I use stevia for sweetening sweet tea, I do not like it in my coffee.  Honey in my coffee does not sound appealing at all.  And I don’t do black coffee so sugar will be used sparingly to sweeten my coffee. 

 

This week’s picture:

July 4, 2011

weight ~ 181 pounds (started at 196)

Hopefully next week, we’ll see me busting out of the 180’s! 

38 days

In 38 days, I will be…

I just can’t say it, yet.

But it’s going to be my birthday in 38 days.

And it’s going to be a big one. 

The one that starts with “4” and ends with “0”.

And I am very thankful that if, Lord willing, I celebrate my birthday on that day that He has granted me every day of those “4” “0” years on earth to commune with Him and receive blessings that I truly don’t even begin to deserve.  So please understand, I am not complaining about being granted life and living.

But those digits, you know, the “4” and the “0”, they scare me a little bit…especially when they are together.

This just seems to be where one crosses from “not so young” into the “really not so young” category.  I guess I could just say that I’m getting wiser.  ~smile~

Now that I’ve expressed my vain concerns, let me talk a little bit more about some deeper concerns. 

About a year ago, I talked of my weight loss concerns and how I wanted to lose 40 pounds before my 40th birthday.  Well, I am close to that goal date now and I have not met my goal.  I have lost 16 pounds but have gained about three pounds back.  Part of me had just resigned myself to being a plus size and I was going to live my life at this size.  I mean, I am active and I eat ok…not great but ok. 

But then I had a wake up call. 

First, it was the back pain.  It’s all sciatic nerve pain but my weight does not help at all.

And then, I found out that my mom has some concerns with her heart.  She’s going to have surgery soon.  (prayers appreciated, please) 

I see myself and my loved ones getting older and I am seeing our bodies age. 

I know that I will continue in a downward spiral with my health that could possibly lead to worse problems.  It is time to change.  I want to be healthy and able-bodied to be an active part of my kids' lives until God calls me home. 

So changes are being made.  Changes that will hopefully repair any damage I’ve done to the body.  Changes that will carry on with me and help me to be an active mom to my babies. 

I will document on and off some of the progress here on my blog.  I’m even going to post a before picture (to follow with some after pictures) and my current weight to show the progress as I lose.  And if you’ve been around a while, you know that I’ve never posted my current weight. 

And I’m not doing this to boost my ego or any thing like that.  (Like posting my weight will boost my ego…haha) I’m doing it to hopefully inspire or encourage some who may be where I am today.

I know that it inspires me to see others who have fought the good fight and have made the changes they needed.  So I’m going to leave you with two blogs of people who inspire me to live a healthier lifestyle. 

The Kelley Eight

and

Eclipsed

On Monday (or Sunday eve), I will post my plans for exercise for the week and how I plan to approach this weight loss and a picture with my current weight.  Yikes! 

A little bit of randomness ~

Today is one of those days when I just have many thoughts running around that I want to write down.  So this post will be very random.  But I like random posts.  It’s kind of like chatting with my friends.  {smile}

Homeschooling ~

After I finish this post, I will spend some time filling out the children’s weekly lesson plan lists.  Then I will photocopy all needed work and put it into the children’s work binders.  Plus there is a stack of notebooks with Math and Grammar lessons waiting to be checked so that the owner of the notebooks can correct his work.  I must admit that I really don’t care for this part of homeschooling.  You know, the paper shuffling part.  However, it is necessary.  Our school runs much more smoothly if the kids know what is expected of them for the week.  And they work much more diligently if I am sure to check their work and have them make corrections. 

This has me thinking of my homeschool blog.  When I started that blog, I was hoping that I would be writing a preschool curriculum and I felt that I needed a separate place to link that curriculum.  Also, I was planning to link to other homeschooling blogs to share our weeks, etc.  But I have found out two things.  One, I just don’t have the time to keep up with two blogs.  (Yes, I’ve said that before.  And if you’re saying I could have told you that…well, you’re right.)  Two, blogging in another place about our homeschooling feels so…disconnected.  Homeschooling is a HUGE part of our lives.  It is something we do 24 hours, 7 days a week.  How do I separate that from our every day lives?

So our homeschooling posts will be moving back over here.  There probably won’t be many posts because I’m keeping it pretty simple this year.  But it will be here.  And I promise to try to work on not being so wishy-washy with this blog stuff.  {wink}

 

Reading the Bible in 90 Days ~

This year, I have decided to join the group reading the Bible in 90 days.  It is a pretty strenuous reading schedule. And I am behind.  I was a little behind.  Now, I am a lot behind.  But I am reading the Bible everyday.  I might not finish in the 90 days but I am going to continue to read the Bible until I finish reading it in its entirety.  I also told myself that when I check in with my group every week that I was not going to offer any excuses as to why I was behind.  And even though I am behind, I am learning some great things.  But I am still going to try to catch up! 

Losing Adriane ~

It seems that I have abandoned my efforts to lose weight since I’ve not been posting my Monday weigh-ins.  I figured around the holidays that I would just let it lay low since I wasn’t really working that hard on losing weight.  I thought that it would be best to start it back in the new year.  What I didn’t plan on was getting sick and being sick for over a month.  That’s right!  That chest cold I had before Christmas is still giving me grief.  I tell myself that if I would exercise then I would get healthier and beat this junk that is plaguing me.  However, it is really hard to exercise when you are coughing.  Last night, I was so exhausted from trying to sing with this stuff in my chest (and the coughing wears you out too).  I resigned myself to finally going to the doctor to see if she could help. 

(And before you fuss about me not going to the doctor yet:  I didn’t go at first because it was viral.  My doctor does not prescribe antibiotics for a virus nor will I take antibiotics for a virus.  Then I kept thinking I was getting better.  Only when I’m really tired do I feel really bad.  This weekend, for instance, the little ones did not sleep well so I did not sleep well.  This lack of sleep seemed to make me feel worse.  So that’s why I’ve not been to the doctor.  Not that it really matters to anyone but I know some people might want to fuss at me. ) 

But today, I am feeling better.  It’s not completely gone but better.  So I hope to get my focus back on my weight loss soon.  I’m planning on kicking off my weight loss 2011 on Monday.  Look for a post then.  (And for some good advice on weight loss, the Grocery Shrink blog is posting a lot of useful weight loss information.  Good stuff there!)

Speaking of food ~

Today I made my first ever homemade buns.  They were supposed to be hoagie buns but came out more like oblong hamburger buns.  This week, David and I have challenged ourselves to cook only using what we have in our pantry and in our freezer.  Tonight we needed buns for our BBQ beef sandwiches.  (I had to make the BBQ sauce too.)  Normally, I will call Dave and he will stop by the store on his way home to get the buns.  And then I would have also added this and that to his list.  Ta-da!  Those few dollars that we would spend grew to even more.  So this week, no little stops at the store.  Only two things will make us stop if needed:  diapers and toilet paper.  But I think we have enough to get through until Friday.  Maybe…

Back to the homemade buns…so tonight I made the buns, the BBQ sauce, and some applesauce bread for tomorrow’s breakfast.  I was in the kitchen for about 3 hours this afternoon!  I seriously don’t have time to do that everyday!  I’m thinking that it is a good time for me to start planning some Saturdays as my cooking days and filling our freezer with some premade foods to help us through the week.  I’m sure that I will write more about that soon.

I guess that I’d better wrap up my random thoughts post and get that school planning finished.  I’m hoping to fit in a little more Bible reading tonight before I go to sleep.

Thanks for reading all of my all-over-the-place post.  I hope you all have a wonderful week! 

A post of randomness {and a little weight loss news too}

Even though the blog is quiet, I am still here.  Life has been busy {and I’m sure I am not alone} and I am still trying to figure out how to balance all of this…God, my husband, my kids, homeschool, blog, etc.

So I figured today was a good day for one of those random type blog post.  We’ll call it my catching up post.  Here is what has been going on in our lives lately:

The two older boys spent this last weekend down at my Mom & Dad’s house.  They visit every autumn to go hunting with my Dad.  But before they went, they built this hunting blind in our back yard.   {They did not actually use this blind for their weekend hunt.}  I sometimes cringe when I see them pulling out boards, hammers, and nails.  {My mind thinks: “big mess”. }  However, I realize that it is good for boys to be busy building, constructing, and creating.  My boys like to make useful things & inventions.  I let them make the messes but I do require them to clean up after themselves.

When we took the boys down to PawPaw & Grammy’s house, they needed to go out and put out a new deer stand.  While they were gone, the little ones and I searched for acorns, leaves, and such in PawPaw & Grammy’s backyard.  Here you can see Sunshine Girl telling me about the soil she collected.  Soil which now sits on the nature table.  {post about nature table, hopefully coming soon}

Little Man was drawn to the rocks and as is typical for him, he decided to throw them. 

The three little ones spent the weekend with MawMaw & PawPaw while the older boys were away.  So David and I spent the weekend alone.  And in typical Adriane fashion, we worked.  {smile}  But we had so much fun. 

Actually, we rearranged the front half of the house.  Sometimes we have to work miracles and think very outside of the box to make this little house work for our family.  This weekend we went back to an earlier layout with a few changes.  What we did this weekend invented a third bedroom in our two bedroom house.  I’ll try to post that later when I’ve finished putting school items on shelves and it is all straightened back up.  The above picture shows our new living room which is actually the dining room {but was serving as a bedroom}.  More on that later…

 

Early Monday morning, David had to go out of state for work.  He is home today and I am so happy that he is home.  I miss my best friend so much when he is gone.  I wish you could have seen the kids run out the door yelling when he came home today.    Partly because David was away and partly because the school area is under construction due to rearranging everything, school has been rather relaxed.  Today, we pulled out the do-a-dot paints and made pictures.  They sure do love it when I let them paint.  If I were brave enough or had more energy, we’d probably do it everyday…just so I could see the smiles.

One last thing before I go…I’ve missed my weigh-ins these past two Mondays so I wanted to do a little post here of my progress so far.

{I lost one pound last week!}

Ok, it’s not much but I’ll take it.  That one little pound takes me one step closer to my goal.  {Total pounds lost to date ~ 11.}

This week, I have started something new with my eating.  It’s an eating plan that my mom had and passed on to me.  I’m hoping to write a little more about it soon.  So far, it has been good for me because it is made to keep your blood sugar stable and that is a big concern of mine.  It is also supposed to increase your metabolism.  Hopefully, I’ll have a post about it soon.

So that’s what has been going on here in the deep south.  And as our local news says, “Until 10:00, you’re up to date”.   Or on the blog, “Until I post again, you’re up to date”!  {smile}

 

Today’s Losing Adriane post…

is being postponed until tomorrow because of the following excuses:

I forgot to weigh in this morning and

I dare not do it now since at this moment

I am drowning my sorrows in a glass of soda and a brownie.

(Did I mention that I’m an emotional over eater?)

And I’m hoping that while at the kids’ running club and I am walking the track while pushing a stroller with a toddler & a preschooler will:

(a) lift my spirits and

(b) burn off the calories of this soda and brownie.

(Wow!  Was that a run-on sentence or what?)

Seriously, I know I am supposed to post on Mondays but it is just “one of those days” and I’m not feeling it, you know?

I will be here tomorrow {hopefully} in a better mood and with my post.

And for today, I am repeating these words of truth to myself:

This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Psalm 118:24

 

Losing Adriane ~ Week 2

Even though I did not meet all of my goals this week, I feel like I have made some progress towards my weight loss.  I did accomplish a little bit of something on all of my goals.  Right now I am chuckling to myself because I can hear my dad tell me, “Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades”.  Despite the fact that I did not complete my goals, I did do a little bit towards them.  I almost met my goals.  :)

So this week I’m going to focus on these goals again:

 

Journal my food intake everyday. 

Maintain 1200 – 1400 calories a day.

Drink only one Coke a day!  (had this one going and blew it on a stressful day!)

Exercise at least five days this week.  (Walking now and hopefully couch to 5k as soon as the ankle can handle it.) 

Continue to eliminate white flour/refined carbohydrates from my diet and replace them with whole wheat/ whole grain carbs.

Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day.

And adding a new one to the list:

• Go to bed by 10:00 – 10:30 PM

I’ve read numerous places  (click here for one article) that enough sleep is imperative to weight loss.  Not to mention…a non-grouchy mom!   The article above says that a body needs at least 7 hours of sleep a night to help with weight loss.  I’ve read some others that 7 and a half.  I can tell you that I do not get that much sleep every night.  So I’m challenging myself to get to bed earlier!

Hopefully, I’ll post next Monday and will have met at least one of these goals for the entire week! 

And before I go, my weight loss/ gain for this week is:

I did not gain or lose any weight this week.

Obviously, I’m not doing enough to shed this weight.  I will definitely have to step it up this week.

And this should help:

I just drank the last Coca-Cola in the house.

Should be an interesting week this week!

 

Losing Adriane ~ Week ?

 

I haven’t a clue what week to number this since I’ve been on again/off again with this weight loss.  I’m thinking that I just need to start again at week 1.  So how did it go…

Well, I originally started this weight loss again the week before last but that was possibly the worst week to start since David was out of the state for a few days.  Not to mention some other things happened that week and I gained a few pounds (which I honestly believe was just water weight).  After that week of doing everything around the house, I can say that I have a whole new appreciation for people whose spouse is deployed and single parents.  I knew that David does a lot to help me around here but now I KNOW that David does a lot to help me around here.  Truly, I fell into the bed exhausted each night and had to drag myself out of it in the mornings.  I realize that this is just an excuse but it really was hard to find time to focus on me & my weight loss needs that week. 

So I started last week with a 3 pound weight gain that I needed to lose again!  The key to weight loss for me is exercise and I was pumped to start the couch to 5K especially after I took the kids to running club last Monday.  Then, I twisted my ankle on Monday night.  And I didn’t do it while running or exercising but just walking in my yard!  So the only exercise that I got last week was the lap I walked at running club with a 25 pound toddler on my shoulders because he wouldn’t walk. 

But I am glad to say, despite my inability to exercise and my half-hearted attempts at food journaling, I lost those 3 pounds. 

So I’m back where I started from this second time I started this weight loss attempt.  Whew!  (And if I were brave enough, I’d post the numbers but I’m not that brave…yet.)

So here are my goals for this week:

• Journal my food intake everyday.  (And actually finish it instead of losing interest after lunch.)
• Maintain 1200 – 1400 calories a day.
• Drink only one Coke a day!  (Yes, still working on this one.  More about it at the end of this post)
• Exercise at least five days this week.  Starting with walking right now as my ankle continues to heal. 
• Continue to eliminate white flour/refined carbohydrates from my diet and replace them with whole wheat/ whole grain carbs.
• Drink at least 6 glasses of water a day.

I’m going to leave it at those six goals for this week.  There are so many more things that I need to do to be healthier but it’s just baby steps right now.

And about that Coca-Cola addiction issue:

A few weeks ago, I came across a post by someone who has reduced her caffeine intake.  If you’ve ever had to do this, you realize that your body goes through some serious withdrawal symptoms for a few days.  I can never seem to make it past day two before I cave because of the headaches.  Anyway, I read where she was using a supplement to help her.  I decided to give it a try.  I’ve not gone completely cold turkey with the soda yet but I have noticed that the supplement  does help my overall attitude.  (Its name is L-Phenylalanine.)  Here is her post on the topic if you are interested. 

To help me reach for something besides a soda, there are two things that I’ve done:

1.  I limit the amount of soda in the house.  (hard to drink it if it’s not there…)

2.  I keep a jug of cold water and cut lemons in the frig.  The convenience of having it all ready will make me reach for it instead of opting for more soda or nothing at all.

Wow!  I was chatty in this post.  I hope you have a great Monday!

Losing Adriane ~ (talking about weight loss)

If you’ve been around my blog for a while, you know that I once had a weight loss blog.  I deleted the blog because I didn’t have time to keep it up.  (And now I have two blogs again…I can be a bit wishy washy.  :)  Even though the blog is gone, I have still held on to my goal of losing at least 40 pounds by my 40th birthday which will occur in August 2011. 

I had lost a total of 10 pounds and have maintained that loss with no work on my part at all.  However, I have decided to get back on the wagon and lose this excess weight.  I now have a mini goal of 20 pounds by Thanksgiving.  Honestly, that may be more of a big goal but I’m going to give it an old college try anyway.

I am trying to transition my family to real foods diet.  But when I read about the “real food” or “whole food” diet, I sometimes wonder how it would apply to a weight loss.  Those diets focus on real food, not manufactured foods.  And some of those foods are high fat.  That scares me a bit. 

I did some internet searches and came up with the following links on real foods and weight loss:

The Nourishing Gourmet: Part 1

The Nourishing Gourmet:  Part 2

Real Foods on a budget at Food Renegade

For more posts on real foods, visit Keeper of the Home or any of the other links under my Healthy Homes category on the side bar. 

This week, I will be working on a list of changes & goals that we need to implement in our home as we move toward real foods.  I will share that next week (probably on Monday) and hopefully will also be able to tell you that I lost a little weight. 

But first, I must say goodbye to an old friend…

again…

sigh!

 

Monday’s Meandering Musings

I love alliteration!  Anyway, this is going to be one of those rambling type posts again when I jump around here and there.  And anyone who knows me in real life is not the least bit surprised by these types of posts since I tend to do this in my conversations! 

Monday Weigh-in

Things have been going well for me in the weight loss arena.  I have lost a total of ten pounds and you wouldn’t think that would make much of a difference but it has.  I decided to try some clothes that I had tucked away in my closet and they fit!  So I now have 3 new skirts and 3 new tops and I didn’t even have to spend any money.  That’s my kind of shopping! 

So for this week’s weigh in…

I gained/lost zero pounds.

Total lost ~ 10 pounds

I do believe that most of my weight loss is due to working in the garden.  Since we had VBS last week, I just did not work outside like I did the week before when I lost all of the weight.  I’m back outside this week so hopefully that will come across on the scale.

Weight Loss Goals and Plans

Before I closed my weight loss blog, I mentioned that I was trying to make changes a little at a time so that I would not burn out from doing so many new things all at once.  I said that I would start with eliminating my drinking of soda.  I am still working on that goal though it is much better than it was.  I have now moved on to my second goal. 

Goal #2 ~ To eliminate refined, white flour products and eat whole grains.

Since starting this goal, I have discovered Ezekiel bread.   (Just for fun, I included this recipe for Ezekiel bread.  I do not have a grain mill so I can’t make it but I thought it was neat that I found a recipe too.) I found the bread at the health food store and it is so incredibly yummy!  David and I love it toasted with a little natural peanut butter and honey.  Mmmmm…  Here’s the funny thing about the bread.  Since it is made of whole grains, it is chewier than white bread.  It actually takes you longer to eat it.  By the time you finish your sandwich, etc, you are actually quite full.  Hence, you eat less!   

I like it with a little melted cheddar on the top though I will be making a switch soon to a healthier cheese so this may be for a limited time only.

 ~Fresh cucumbers from the garden!~

I’m still working on making the switch from white rice to brown rice.  I love my white rice but the brown is growing on me.  I wish I could say the same for my kids!

Monday’s cook ahead progress

In a previous post about our weekly menu, I included plans for a cook ahead session for Monday.  Well, I’m not the least bit surprised that I over planned.  That’s pretty much how I do things. :)  I did make some progress but not as much as I would have liked.  Here is what I learned from my first day of cooking ahead:

• It is hard to cook ahead if you are cooking  regular meals too.  Plan it for a day when you eat easy meals or eat out.  Yeah, that sort of defeats the purpose, huh?
• Plan to cook ahead on a day when you have help with the kids… for me that is Saturdays. 
• Large families must plan to cook a lot more than the recipe.  (I found this out today when I doubled a recipe and the kids wiped out most of it.  I do have two older boys who have hefty appetites so I must take that in to account.)

So I did not actually get as much frozen as I intended but you live and you learn.  I will try to do what I can on Tuesday and I will plan my next cook ahead session for a Saturday.  (sorry ~ no pictures because I forgot!)

Potato Digging

I love gardening…a lot…but I may agree with a neighbor who said that it was easier to go to the store than to grow food when it comes to potatoes!  Man, that was some hard work and it was some kind of hot when I was digging.  Though it was kind of fun to hunt for the potatoes.  I did not have as big of a yield as I had anticipated but my soil is heavy.  Next year, I will amend the soil to help my potatoes out a bit.  Oh, and I’ve not dug up the Yukon Golds yet.  It won’t be much longer before those are ready though.

~Potatoes~

How’s the weather in your neck of the woods?

I know people usually talk about the weather when they don’t have anything to talk about but is it as hot where you live as it is here?  It was so hot today (our thermometer registered 100 degrees)  so I was incredibly thankful for the pool after I finished digging potatoes! 

  ~Pools and popsicles…the staples of summer~

~Wildflowers that we planted are our view from the pool~

~I love the colors on this one~

 

Those are some of my thoughts from our Monday.  I hope you had a great Monday too! 

~Monday weigh-in and an explanation~

~Sorry.  This is not a fun post with pictures but it is a necessary post.  I will post a nice post next.  And sorry for the lack of pictures.  You know how I like pictures. <grin> Also if you want to skip all of the wordiness, the summary is bolded at the bottom! ~

Let me start this post by saying the following:

1.  I am not an impulsive person.

2.  I usually think things through frontwards, backwards, upside down, frontwards, backwards…(you get the picture) before I make a move on much of anything.

3.  Most of the impulsive decisions that I have made are not very good decisions.  :)

Why am I saying all of that?

Well, last night’s post on my weight loss blog about closing it down may have seemed like a very impulsive move but it has been on my mind for a while.  I have mentioned a time or two (or three) that I have been having a chaotic year.  Since the birth of my fifth child, I feel like I’ve been trying to keep my head above the water.  Seriously. I am not being a drama queen here because that is one thing I am not.  It has been tough. 

And I’m not alone.  I read in Michelle Duggar’s book that she felt the same way after her fifth child.  (I believe it was her fifth.  I don’t have my book here to reference it so please correct me if I am wrong.)  She said it was after that child that she saw that she needed to get it together.  I’ve also had friends who’ve told me these same things.  Some said it after their fourth and some after they’ve had many more.  At some point, a large family (though I don’t really count us as large) has to have organization and order or chaos will ensue. 

I need to get that for my family ~ organization…order…routine.  The funny thing is I love all of those things and yet somewhere along the line, it has gotten out of control around here.  And sometimes…sometimes it’s because I’ve not shown self-control.

No self-control in disciplining my children because I’m tired of doing it again. 

No self-control with my quick to anger tongue because I’m tired of saying it again.  <OUCH>

No self-control because I’ve used the internet to escape my home from the chaos because I don’t know if I have the energy to formulate a plan for order.

Now, I’m not giving up the internet.  I love the friendships that I’ve made and I love the fact that I have learned so much from so many.  Not to mention, this blog is my journal.  I come here to record my days.  I write here to share the thoughts that I’ve thought that I probably didn’t say because I was listening to my children instead.  Honestly, this blog and some of the others that I read are like hanging out with friends.  I don’t plan on giving that up. 

But I am going to simplify and lay out some guidelines for myself.

• I am closing my weight loss blog and posting my weight loss stuff here.  It will mainly be my weigh-ins and maybe some other tidbits every once in a while.
• I am going to limit my online time to times when my children are asleep or during quiet time.
• I am going to limit my online time to one hour a day and that will include the time to write these posts.  <gulp> 
• I plan on spending time online if I’ve finished some of my to do list and spent some quiet time in the Word.

This is not all that I am going to do to help my household run better but it is where I am going to start in order to give to my children what they need.  I will spend some time this summer laying out a plan of order for our home.  My children need it.  I need it. 

Soooo, all that to say:  I’m simplifying and I may not be around as much but I will be around.  I plan to post at least 3 -4 times a week…more if I can stay on target with my family’s needs. 

Now, speaking of self-control… :)  my weigh-in for this week:

I did not lose or gain any weight.

:)

 

I finally updated my weight loss blog.  Yes, I’m back on the weight loss train! 

Losing Adriane

I’m still here…

Just super duper busy and having a hard time finding time to post. And since I have a hard time posting, I thought it would be a good time to begin a new blog. :0) It’s not really going to a be a fun read (I don't think it will be, anyway) but I needed to make it which I’ll explain later when I finally post there.

My plans are to get back on here today and catch up what’s been going on but first…menu and home school planning.

Here’s the link to my new blog. There’s not much there right now but it’s on my to do list today.

Losing Adriane

Our Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. We left on Thursday morning and drove south to my Grandma’s house. I have a small family but it is always a joy to get together for Thanksgiving. However, it is always tinged with a bit of sadness as it is the anniversary of the last day that we saw my little brother here on earth. We always make a trip out to the graveyard to visit my brother’s grave. So a good day but a sad day…but I don’t want this to be a sad post so…

Early morning in the RV

We spent the next few days at my parent’s house. The older boys had been there for over a week for their annual hunting trip with my Dad. The younger three children, David, and I took residence in my mom and dad’s RV which they parked outside. It was nice to get away from the busyness of everyday life and just be a family. We actually were in bed before ten p.m. every night! I haven’t felt that rested in a long time.

Roasting hot dogs and making s’mores in PawPaw and Grammy’s fire pit. In the background is my old Barbie doll Dream House that we pulled out of storage. It is over 30 years old!

We definitely had plenty of food!

On Saturday, we headed to David’s parent’s house for his family get together. His family is much larger than mine and it is always a blast. I love that my children will grow up with so many uncles, aunts, and cousins.

Playing in the same playhouse that our Daddy played in as a child.

See..

Saw!

I love little boys in overalls! So so cute!

It was another great Thanksgiving day!

And while I’m at it…

Wednesday Weigh in

I really didn’t want to step on that scale this morning. I was pleased to see that I did not gain any weight. I didn’t lose either but I’m fine with that. I’m hoping to maintain that for the next few weeks. I’ve all ready claimed 2010 as the year that I get rid of this excess weight so I’m excited for January when these holidays are behind me and I can get myself healthy again!

Wednesday Weigh in

I forgot to weigh before I ate breakfast so I’m not sure how accurate these results are. The scale says that I have lost 1 pound. So that makes a grand total of 9 pounds lost. Any progress is still progress, right? Slow but steady wins the race and all that!

My goal for the holidays is to maintain this weight. Oh, and not drink all of my calories in Coca-cola everyday! I don’t believe that I’ll add any other dietary requirements at this time of year. I’d probably just set myself up for disappointment.

A blast from the past: As I was searching through old pictures for an assignment that Hot Rod has for Boy Scouts, I came across this old picture of The Baby. If I could do this at meal time, I could probably lose some weight rather quick like. Maybe I’ll try this while we sit around the Thanksgiving table!

Wednesday weigh in

Weeks ago, I posted that I would post my weight loss results on Wednesdays and well, then life happened.  Let’s just say it has be crazy since David has returned to work.  Honestly, I’ve had little time to really devote to weight loss but I was making little changes here and there.  I was sure that no weight loss was going on and really didn’t want to post my half-hearted results.  Imagine my surprise when last Wednesday, I stepped on the scale and was down 11 pounds!  And that was just with little changes.

Then I went to camp with the Princess and let myself drink some more of my vice Coke.  And now a cold has left me wanting comfort foods (like last night’s chicken and dumplings and pumpkin spice muffins, mmmm) and of course the exercise has not happened either.  I don’t know, a congested head and exercise seem a little, well, dangerous…;0).

So it is no surprise that I found myself back up 3 pounds this morning.

I am once again reminded that this new way of eating has to become a lifestyle change, not a quick fix.  So I am back on the weightloss bandwagon especially as we approach the holidays that are full of eating opportunities. 

And because I like pictures, here is a picture of our current favorite healthy snack food:

Clementines!

They are so easy for little hands to peel.  We go through these rather quickly.  Good thing they are on sale right now!

Weight Loss Wednesdays…

Or maybe that should be Weigh in Wednesdays.

I’m on a quest to lose weight and get healthy again.  I’m going to have to go it alone yet I do so much better with accountability.  So I thought that I would post my successes (and ok, maybe failures but I’m trying not to think like that ;0) as a means of having some accountability.  I will only post whether I lost or <ahem> gained weight and how many pounds.  I am not going to post my weight.  Maybe once I lose a lot I will but for now I just can’t do it. 

So here are my goals for this healthier me:

1.  To completely cut out Coca-Cola.  (yikes!)

2. To lose 50 pounds.

3.  To exercise at least 3 – 5 times a week.  This includes weight bearing exercise and cardio. 

4. To eliminate white flour and sugar from my diet.

Ok, that’s my starting point.  If I make too many goals right now, I will get overwhelmed so I’m keeping it simple.  I will post every Wednesday and let you know how I’m doing!