Accountability

Good morning!

I try to be open on this blog and share all of my struggles with my weight loss. I don't have it all figured out and coming across like I do is fake and phony. I do have a much better understanding about my body and how it works, and about the way I am losing weight this time. I have come A LONG way from before but still have struggles sometimes.

The past two weeks I have relaxed slightly with my eating plan. I have been doing awesome and killing it, so it was easy to slip into the mentality of "I'm doing SO well having this _____ won't hurt that". Well technically that is right but the problem is when you have too many of those ______ is a row/week. I have not gone crazy and completely blown it but just more had some extra treats that were not planned. For example I had TWO extra treats yesterday that were not planned at all. I still wrote them down and accounted for them, but that is not the point. I did not say no when I really didn't need those treats. I like having treats when they are planned for and then I can enjoy them fully.

This morning when I woke up and was lingering in bed (love weekends!) I was doing some mental visualization and positive self talk. I was reminding myself how good it feels to be completely in control and making healthy, wise food choices.

The day is going to be good today as most of what we are eating is at home. Tonight, however, we have a pot luck that we are going to that could pose as being difficult since I don't know what foods will be there to plan ahead. Here is my pot luck strategies:

- don't go hungry. Eat a piece of fruit or starter salad before you go.
- survey all of the food before you pick what you want. Go through the whole table to get a good idea then pick your top choices and take small portions of them.
- drink lots of water before and during your meal to avoid going back up for seconds.
- get some activity before hand so you will feel empowered to make better choices and have burned some extra calories.
- give your self some positive reinforcement before you go. Yes I mean talk out loud to yourself. Are you going to have one piece of dessert? If so, talk yourself through how it will feel when you stick to that! How will it feel if you don't stick to that and eat more than you planned. Ect. 

It also doesn't help that this is a stressful situation to make sure Rylee has food as well. We have to cut up her food ect. My plan of attack for that will be to go through the line once and get Rylee's food (also allowing me to survey the full table) then get her food ready and have my husband watch her while she eats and I will then go get my food. 
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Today the weather is really nice out. It is supposed to be a high of 6 or 7 degrees and looks really sunny. You can bet I will be getting out for a long walk once Rylee get's up from her nap. After church I plan on making a new muffin recipe, doing some cleaning, and meal prep for the week ahead. I got all of my groceries yesterday so my fridge and cupboard is full of healthy food choices. The best place to start is in your own kitchen!

Yesterday evening I spent some time writing out my workout plan for the week. Pair that with a good solid meal plan, I see an awesome week ahead.

On a side note -- I have bought a few new items for summer, all in smaller sizes. My pants are all officially a size 12 now (won't be long until I fit into my size 8 wardrobe!!!)

Talk to you all soon!

But I don't have time...

How many times have you used this excuse for anything? Yes I said excuse. "But I'm really busy!" you say. I dont doubt that you are but if there is something you really want to accomplish, you will MAKE the time. 

I started back to work a few weeks ago and have a baby that is madly teething right now. I can now understand why it is SO tempting to stop at a drive thru on the way home. But for me my health is worth more than that so I put in extra effort to buy healthy groceries and make healthy meal plans. 

Rylee is doing really well at daycare but hasn't been napping as much as she should. Pair that with waking up earlier than normal and we have one over tired, teething, baby with a nasty case of a teething cold. But I am still managing to get the things done that I need to get done. How you ask? 

For starters it helps that I am very organized. I plan my meals in advance and prep my grocery list too. This helps with that large "chore". Right now my meal plans are very simple with dinners that take less than 20 minutes to prepare and the crockpot has become my best friend. 

I pick out all of Rylee's clothes for the week on Sunday so every morning I just grab that days clothes and we head out the door. 

While Rylee is finishing her supper I pack my lunch for the next day + snacks. By doing this I never have to run to tim hortons or the caf and buy something unhealthy. 

I pick one cleaning item each day to do so that I'm not spending hours cleaning at a time. Because no one has time for that! Haha

I put my workouts in my calendar. I am much more likely to stick to them of I put them in there. For the weeks my hubby is on afternoon shift I workout at home. I also have started taking the stairs at work and looking for extra ways to get activity in! Going for walks at lunch are great mood lifters and help to keep me from wanting an afternoon "pick me up" treat like a donut or chocolate bar.

I use my calendar/schedule and make lists ALL the time. There is no way I could remember everything if I didnt do this step. I also frequently set alarms for myself too to remind me to do something. 

Go easy on yourself and give yourself breaks. When you need a minute to yourself take one!

Pick one thing you want to focus on and start small. Don't try to revamp everything and do too much at once! 

I'm not claiming to know everything and yes I am aware I only have one child who is not involved in activities yet but that doesnt mean I'm not busy too! If it is important to you, you will make the time. 

There are lots of things that I struggle with still and am working to find a balance. Like for example I have no problem getting motivated going to the gym but when the gym isn't an option I find lots of things to do or reasons why I "can't" workout at home. I'm getting better at that though! 

This winter has SUCKED for everyone. We've been cooped up far too long and we are all feeling it! BUT! The snow will soon be melting and then we can get outside and be active in a whole new way again! 

My challenge to you is pick one thing that you want to accomplish. Make a plan, write it down, and start putting it into action TODAY! Not tomorrow! 

Guilty eating

Over the last year I've really been working hard at making healthy food taste good. I've made a ton of new dishes and that is totally not like me. I've come across some amazing dishes because of this. 

Over the past few months I've been struggling with food guilt. After finishing a dish that is super healthy but tastes really good I find myself feeling really guilty like I've eaten something I shouldnt have eaten. Silly right? Then I recount that was in the dish, confirming it was infact a healthy choice, then I try to move on from the guilt. 

I'm not sure why the guilt started but it was suggested to me that because everything else with my weight loss right now is positive then something's gotta give. And if feeling guilty over eating something healthy is what I'm struggling with right now then just go with it. 

That's what I've been doing and it hasnt seemed like such and issue! I know that I'm putting in the work and seeing the results and that is where I draw my motivation from! Eating healthy can taste really good and there is nothing wrong with that! 

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I've been back to work for just over a week now and things are going pretty well! I am surprised that I remembered more than I thought I would. It will take some time to get into a new routine and schedule but we are taking it easy to prevent getting burnt out. 

Anyways, short and sweet today!