Healthy Living

Do you ever find yourself wondering, "How is it 4:30pm already? Where has the time gone and what have I been doing for the past hour?!" Me too. It seems like I open up Instagram for a quick scroll and pop over to Facebook for a short scan, then I close them and look up and my afternoon is gone, the babies are waking up from their long nap waiting for their snack. I also found myself having short spans of time, checking my messages then - by default - tapping that Facebook icon or hitting the Instagram app. I admit, these are my two most commonly opened apps (besides My Fitness Pal), and it is amazing the amount of time that was being wasted throughout my day. So, in light of this, I decided last week to take a 48 hour social media fast. Day 1: I scrubbed the bathroom, deep cleaned the kitchen, reorganized the fridge, swept the floors and "mopped" without a mop (that is on my hands and knees with disinfectant wipes on my laminate floors). Day 2: My phone batt...

Hubby had an extended vacation due to the holiday, so we had a fun time at my family’s house and a good drive up to Reno to visit his sister! I was so surprised at how well our little ones did through the drive up and down, we were so blessed with the timing! The most difficult thing was the food. A lot of it wasn’t even really that tempting, but my poor habits are tough to break. When there is food: I eat! When I’m stressed: I eat. When I’m bored: I eat. When I’m angry, frustrated, feeling out of control/anxious, etc: I eat! Food is an addictive coping mechanism and breaking it is one of the hardest things to do.  I’m working through it, though. We were in Reno from Friday early morning through Monday late afternoon. I went with my hubby, his sis, her boyfriend and his brother for a walk and did a few quick HIITs and yoga stretches on the trail. The  next morning, things were (once again) beyond my control, and I did a brief yoga session before eating anything, so t...

On Sunday I took my two year old, AJ, to Disneyland by myself. We headed out after church and arrived at 2:20ish. Loading her in a Tula carrier on my back, I front-face our backpack filled with water, snacks and diapers, and headed for the parks. I like to get the extra steps, so I prefer not to take the tram. We climbed down 3 flights of stairs, trekked across the Pinocchio parking lot, passed the Downtown Disney parking area/Lilo parking lot, and walked through Downtown Disney before reaching the turn-style into the Magic Kingdom. Knowing her excitement for Moana lately, we headed straight to Aladdin's Oasis to see if she would be there, perfect timing! A 20 minute wait before she came over and 3 minutes in line once she arrived! After this, we darted over to Fantasy Land to ride the carousel, AJ cries out, "Horse!" She really enjoys it. Then we rode the Teacups for the first time (mommy does not spin hehe). She LOVED them! Alice in Wonderland was not a ridiculous l...

These past couple of weeks have been beyond accomplishment! I have been building up speed in cardio blocks during Team Training at my gym, Chuze. It has been so amazing to endure 3 minute stints of jogging just over 4.5mph! That may not seem like much for some, but I have never been able to keep up speed at an actual jogging pace for more than 30 seconds. Even those 30 seconds were constantly counting down and checking the time to see when I could just start walking. The first time I took it to 5mph to max out my effort in the middle of the cardio block for 1 minute. I almost began to cry in the middle of the workout because I had never done it before! I did cry after training ended and I was in my car. If you are part of the Half Size Me Community, I shared a * video on the Facebook group about it. That was what I worked on last week. This week was more focused on endurance, so we increased inclines (which was rough) and the strength block was about heavy weights. My personal bes...

Being in a position of needing to move, looking for homes, finding a place, running all of the errands, dealing with all of the unpleasant correspondence, still keeping up with all of the day-to-days and caring for 2 toddlers is stressful. I am grateful for my wonderfully supportive husband and for God's faithfulness through all of this, but these things do not make the reality less hard. Just more bearable. Working toward weight loss (and even maintenance) and a healthy lifestyle that is still in progress is really tough through this process. I have given into a lot of temptations and struggled against a lot of mental blocks over this last month. Tracking my workouts and food have suffered, grazing has reared its ugly head, lack of self-control has made justification after justification, and exercising has fallen by the wayside or been far less intense with the wrestle it has been to even get a decent start to our morning prior to 7:00am. Thank you all for going on this jour...

Knowledge is just information, unless it is paired with action, at which point, we may call it Wisdom. Did you know that proper rest and sleep are absolutely necessary for weight loss? We all know that under-nourishing our bodies (aka - not eating enough) will cause our bodies to go into survival mode, storing fat for nourishment, uncertain as to when it will receive more of the necessary nutrients to keep it going (if you didn't, then there you are). Anyway, when we deplete our energies and deny our body sufficient time to fuel up from rest, it does the same. Storing up nutrition for energy reserves until it is able to relax after a decent amount of sleep. Now, I am by no means a medical or nutritional professional. So, please feel free to take my thoughts with a grain of salt, I am merely forwarding my experiences and recalling information from my college nutrition class. However, let me share my week with you. After several weeks of operating on an average high of 6 hour...

It has been quite a while since Heather Robertson shared this point on the Half Size Me show, but it still rings true and continues to be a type of mantra for me:  1. Barely made it out of bed./2. Oh well, guess the day is just going to be "survive."/3. Workout done, kitchen cleaned, girls napping, ready to tackle the day!  "Motivation does not cause our actions,  motivation comes when we take action." It is quite difficult to balance life when you have such a heavy goal in weight loss (see what I did there?). Anyway... I began this journey on January 9 at 251 pounds. On June 9, when hubby and I took a short vacation, I had hit 187. It is almost August and I am maintaining between 183 and 185. My emotions have been all over the place with this:  Okay, maintenance, this is new Let's up the calories a little bit while we increase movement Let's switch up the food Maybe I'll change my exercise Okay, now I'm a little frustrated Ins...

These past few weeks have been difficult to get on a plan and to be self-controlled. I ha ve found myself over-indulging with food, slacking in my work, and losing focus on my goals. Then I realized this week that it is because I have too many of them; which actually translates, "I have no goals at all." Have you ever sat down, made a to-do list, stared at it with overwhelming stress and anxiety, promptly set the list aside and then did nothing? Well, that's what having too may goals is. My focus is scattered, I cannot see progress in anything, I am frustrated by the sinking feeling of defeat and then I simply give up. Earlier this week, I realized the foundation of my problem and hit the reset button. After sitting down and spending some cleansing time in prayer and Bible reading, I made the most cleansing decision I have practiced in weeks: I deleted everything from my Google calendar. As I clicked, "Are you sure you want to delete this calendar, this action c...

Today vs 6 Months Ago So, last week was a tough one. I found myself stuck on the same pound for about 6 weeks. Calories were increased to 1600, protein intake was increased, simple carbs were decreased, fat content is limited; workouts were in the midst of being changed up... Everything that I knew to do was being done. I must express my immense gratitude for the Half Size Me Community here, because these people have been a key part of my journey up to this point and I will continue to lean on them as long as they allow me to seek their encouragement. I posted about my frustration and they responded by reminding me of all the things that I would say to my friend who may be facing the same challenges. I had to reflect on how far I have come over the last 6 months. So, I am going to share the fact that I am grateful for what my body has done for me. It has given up 65 pounds in 6 months. It has strengthened enough to enjoy my children so I am able to crawl on the floor and be the...

Emotional eating is a definite struggle of mine. That feels kind of obvious to me, as if it is clearly a problem or else we would not be here, right? Anyway, recognizing it has been an imperative part of my journey. Stress bingeing has not been as much of an issue since I started, but when I dwell on the desire to binge, I have begun to recognize that something stressful is causing anxiety or frustration. It would be so easy for me to close my tracking app and head for the kitchen. Then I consider the journey that I have been on over the last six months. It has been so encouraging to see my progress. I know that there is no perfection to be attained and that I will (have) slipped up from time to time, but I also know that my choices will affect my mindset. Today, I chose not to thaw a box of chocolate chip cookies after pre-tracking my entire day. I chose to eat my evening snack before dinner after a cup of green grapes and will be content to have my tea on its own this evening. ...

Last week we were visiting my sister-in-law in Ohio. I was determined to maintain while on vacation and enjoying some tasty treats along the way, so, I went to her apartment gym and did a couple of quick morning workouts to set myself up for successful enjoyment of our meal times. I was shocked by my own strength! This may sound a little weird, but it's true. Many of us who choose to do home workouts think that we are not working as hard as those who venture out to the gym. False! If you are working, you are working and that is all that matters! "The best workout is one that you will do!" Thanks, Pastor Rick, for the reminder. When I started on the Elliptical machine, I was not sure that I would last long, but I was on for 18 minutes in the Fat Burner setting with adjusting incline and everything! I couldn't believe it. Then I went to the weight machines (legs and lap pulls). On my legs I was lifting and pressing 70-80 pounds for 3 sets of 10 reps. Same sets and...

Over the last couple of weeks, I have seen an maintenance trend on the scale. At first, I was mildly frustrated, but then I decided to trust my body and the process. Plateaus happen, and I was not gaining, so it still felt great! On top of that, I reflected on my planned indulgences, considered my treats, etc., I also considered the progress I have made over the last six months or so: I was not bingeing and that was huge for me; I was also choosing healthier options and smaller portions. AND I tracked everything.  Or so I thought. After the weekend, I was a little more curious about why there wasn't more progress in the numbers, so yesterday, I took some coaching advice referred to in the Half Size Me show podcast: Whenever in the kitchen wanting to take a bite or grab a small thing from the fridge while constructing a meal or otherwise, stop and put every item on a plate and see what would have been consumed prior to sitting down for the full meal. Mind you, I only took this...

It has been about a week and I have been back on My Fitness Pal now. Great timing, right? Just before a baby shower on Saturday, an impromptu pre-Memorial Day dinner party at a friend's place and then Memorial Day, complete with picnic! Needless to say, I have been over my calorie budget each day since Friday. I do not regret it, I am not punishing myself for my choices, I am not feeling gross or completely out of line in my numbers or my decisions. I have maintained (as a matter of fact, I stepped on the scale this morning and was down 1 pound) and I am still waking up with relatively high energy levels - likely because I have been getting more sleep with the evening routine hubby and I have agreed to. How do I plan to move forward? I am working on adjusting our evening order of events, so that hubby and I are prioritizing our evening workout instead of skipping it once we sit down. I am taking a baby step in pre-tracking my food, without putting too much pressure on the eve...

Babies at the park, whom I am capable of keeping up with For the past 6 months, I have been eating at a caloric deficit and tracking my calories on My Fitness Pal. It is a handy little app in which I can keep a recipe box, my meals are tracked and it remembers my frequently used items. I am also able to keep a close eye on my macros, and this has kept my simple carbohydrate intake in check, as I have drastically limited these and the majority of my carbs have been fruits, vegetables, and multigrain/whole grain light breads. Keeping an eye on these things has helped me to increase my protein intake and keep me better filled throughout the day. By default, this is limiting binges, grazing, and general overeating because the satiation from the protein combined with the satisfaction of my exercise have kept my success rate high! Cue last Thursday. A refreshing morning ritual that keeps me sane throughout the day Early in the week, I had decided that Friday I would not be trac...

Today I started the coursework for "How to Lose Weight the Maintainer's Way" on the Half Size Me Community portal. I cannot express how grateful I am for Heather and her hard work to help others understand what maintenance truly is and how to break free from the cycle of yo-yo dieting. As she began the section, I was considering how when one reaches maintenance, there is no party or big celebration for the number on the scale or a new milestone in going down a clothing size. Everyday is just a day. It made me think about how the journey to get the scale down may closely be paralleled to raising children. Bear with me, I'm a toddler mom with 2 under 2, so this is where my focus is all day. Every time the scale goes down a little, I've dropped another 10lbs, I go down in a shirt size, my pants are too big, etc, I have a mini dance party. I get tons of compliments on how well I'm doing, how my hard work is paying off (which has not felt like hard work for the...

As of this morning, I weigh 191.2lbs. This has been a great week of workouts, tracking and enjoying my food. I even elevated my calorie limit yesterday and it really made more sense, anyway, because I was going over if I didn't count my "exercise" calories. I am likely still eating more than this current limit, but it is still a deficit. Hubby and I are still trekking through Country Heat, I will be doing round 2 on my own, including the 2 bonus workouts and Dirty 30 from 21 Day Fix. I am also back at it with my yoga over this last week or so. I need to find some yoga videos that I can do on more of a schedule, currently it has been Useful Yoga for Stress, Weight Loss and Detox from Tonic on YouTube. I will also be looking into some strength training videos to do from home. I need to start building muscle and bone density, but one thing at a time (one habit at a time). It has been so freeing to remember that I am building a lifestyle that I will continue even after ...

Alright, if you are one of those people who have gone from fat to fit or are working on it, you know what onederland is and what it means to you and your journey. It means that there is no longer a "2" in the front of that 3 digit number and there is hope, I mean, it is possible to get to your goals! About a week and a half ago, before TOM came to visit and I had a "splurge" week where I tracked everything even though I was NOT on point with my food goals, I was down to 201. There was excitement and joy then a week of self-sabotage and some thoughtful self-reflection. I have not been on the scale since, mainly because I was honoring the boundaries I set up, which were that I do not step on the scale when TOM visits and during the weekends. It is a protection from obsessing about the number and a reminder that the scale is a tool not the complete indicator of my success. Some evaluation of my goals and desires have helped me consider a vlog alongside these blog...

It has been 3 months and 3 weeks since I began my weight loss journey from 251 pounds. I stepped on the scale this morning and saw the number: 208.6. This is the lowest weight I have been since hubby and I were married. This is the lightest I have been as a mom. This is the most progress I have made in any effort toward losing weight because I have never approached it from the standpoint of sustainability. There has never before been a mindset of maintenance, as our diet culture emphasizes the "quick fix," which will consistently bring short term success. I have begun maintaining habits that I know I will continue for the rest of my life. Here are some of my small changes: - This week I did not binge on brownies even though they are in my kitchen sitting on the counter where I work everyday. - I am more confident in myself and the way that I look than I ever have been. I.E. I have left the house several times after only looking in the mirror once and only grabbing the ou...

Sunday was a little rough. It was the first one that hubby has had to work in a while, which I am grateful for, but it turns into a long day quick. We decided that I would go to both church hours since they were announcing some changes in eldership positions and duties, but neither of the girls have had to go 2 hours in the nursery in a while. I was nervous, but it went really well and I didn't need to be as anxious as I was. Baby 1 had her lunch in the stroller while we worked the greeting table and baby 2 finished her bottle. It was a smooth transition from stroller to carseat where they both napped for an hour and half!  We went to my parents' house about an hour or so away and had a long afternoon until we went home to wait for daddy. Family time at my parents' house has always been an opportunity for me to graze and binge. I was determined not to binge, but I had failed in planning to say, "NO." As a result, there was some minor grazing. However, I did say...

Sorry it has been a while, I have been having some health issues and difficulties picking up a regular schedule. I had surgery and was healing. Was on medication and recouping with my babies at home. Then suffering from some side effects, but now I'm managing. Anyway, I'm here now, so let's go! I have begun to recognize that the goals I'm setting and choices I am making are helping me to enjoy my food! I never even realized that I wasn't enjoying it in the first place! I knew that when I binged, it was only the first cup of sweet tea, cookie, bite of ice cream, etc. that tasted good, but the rest was tasteless. Hubby and I had a date night at Disneyland last Sunday night and ate at Cafe Orleans. I had considered using it as a "reward night" and wanted to order a Monte Cristo. This has always been my favorite Disney dish, actually, favorite DISH. As in, if you asked me what my last meal on earth would be if I could choose it, it would be the Monte Cri...

Welcome back! I have been unable to share more on my journey this past week due to some medical issues that have complicated my life. I'm better now, just healing. That is what I'm going to share about today. Without bogging you down with all of the details, I will just share that I spent last weekend in the hospital. I had surgery on Saturday and was released on Sunday afternoon. Thankfully, the infection that I contracted was centralized and seems to be responding well to the surgery and antibiotics. The incision was made just below my chin at the top of my neck. It is closing, but like any other surgery, I have to let my body heal. The doctors gave me clearance to do light workouts and walking, but make sure to keep an eye on the incision sight. With 2 little ones at home, it is hard to keep it light, but I have given myself permission to take the time I need to get our household back to normal. Unfortunately, that means I had to pause my 21 Day Fix (even with the 3 day...

It is becoming increasingly clear to me that weight is not a magic number for happiness. So many of us think, "If I could just get to ___lbs/size, I would be happy with my body." The fact is, however, that this is simply not true. As I have been listening to more podcasts and hearing more and more people share about the depth of their weight loss journeys, it seems that someone who is uncomfortable in their skin will not feel better about themselves no matter what the scale or their clothing size tells them. Now, this is obviously why we need a healthy relationship with the scale and should set some boundaries with it, but it is also necessary that we have a healthy relationship with our bodies and need to allow for the appreciation of ourselves. Self care is an important tool toward losing weight and having a positive self-image. When we have a negative body image, losing weight does not take away critiques, because we are humans and will always have "flaws." I w...

I have never really been a very good crash dieter. I have "succeeded" in some endeavors, that is to say I hit a number; however, it really just comes right back on when I give myself permission to eat what I want again because I made it! Right? No. I have struggled with bulimia, over-eating, binge eating and emotional eating. Bulimia simply scared me and I didn't like the idea of vomiting or taking diarrhetics to get rid of my intake. I knew it was bad, but it seemed easier than giving up food that I enjoyed eating. Over-eating makes me feel so stuffed, it's an uncomfortable, need-to-unbutton-my-jeans feeling, so I would do that on a regular basis when eating out. So, ordering a soda, appetizer, entree, dessert, and maybe a drink if it's a fun friend's night out. Binge eating usually happens when I am bored or overwhelmed and trying to avoid what I need to do. This began to hit me when my oldest daughter began spending more time awake and eating table food. ...

This has been a tough week for our family. Wednesday I had a post put in for a dental implant, Thursday I got a fever. Thinking I was just getting sick and was a little sore, I rested in the late afternoon while my amazing husband took care of the house and the girls. Friday, I was still sore and began swelling in my face. Saturday, the swelling worsened and pain medication was too much. Sunday, I could barely speak because the swelling spread under my tongue, I could barely swallow because the swelling grew under my chin... Sunday, I spent 8 hours in the ER. I wasn't able to eat, I was frustrated and uncomfortable... It was tough, but I was able to get some healthy dinner and found a tasty Greek Yogurt box of ice cream bars to treat myself with this week. I was not able to do my 21 Day Fix, but I gave myself permission to rest and recover. The Half Size Me Community was SO helpful to lean on, because I was able to let them know that I was struggling and ready to binge and I rece...

Yesterday I had a tough day. I did not give into every craving, but I came close. I went 300 calories over my goal, but I know that because I still tracked everything! That was the first time I have ever done that. In the past, I have usually stopped tracking and given up with an "all or nothing" mindset. "I'll start again on Monday," "I'll try again next week," "I'll wait until I have ___..." This could go on and on, but I'm sure you get the picture. This is another reason I have been so grateful for the Half Size Me Community and Podcast, as well as friends and family who have come out and shared that they, too, have struggled through this mindset. I had a bad day. I ate more than I have been eating and I let myself have more of what I have been trying to limit or eliminate. You know what, though? At the end of the day, I have still lost about 13lbs. I have made enough small changes over the last 3 weeks to know that this is...

It is amazing how we change as we grow older. In my late teens and early twenties, I was convinced that talk radio was pointless. I hated commercials and music was ever playing in the background of EVERYTHING I did: homework, driving, cleaning, working out... everything. As time has progressed, and hubby and I have decided to do the Ramsey plan for getting out of debt, I have needed the Dave Ramsey Podcast in order to help me with more motivation and encouragement from the successes. One podcast has led to another and another. Now, I find that when I'm cleaning, researching, driving, working out, i.e. walking and fitness training, I cannot listen to music. My mind works better and stays focused with, you guessed it, talk radio. I have about 10 podcasts in my iTunes radio, 6-7 that I listen to regularly. I have to say that I binge-cast on the Half Size Me show. The successes and uplifting messages and the intro music give me that little push that we all need. It is my "Eye ...

Today has been great as far as meals and preparation. I was ahead of schedule most of the morning, so I was able to get ahead on tracking, prepping for the babies, and looking up some home workout videos that I am considering. So, I spent a significant amount of time looking over the Beach Body website. I knew that they had a few dance programs others, but I was really excited to look into the dance ones. I am super excited about Country Heat and Cize. I would also like to try the 21 Day Fix. If anyone owns these videos, I would be ever so grateful if I could borrow one before I commit to the purchase. I don't know about Country Heat, but I am pretty sure that hubby would like to do Cize with me. I am prayerful for that. He is not as intense with his desires to change, but he is super supportive of me and is not complaining at all about the alterations I am making to our family meals. He also appreciates the fact that we are not eating out as much, if at all. In addition to o...

Every week, the weekend comes and it tries to psych me out with its sweet temptations. Long days, late nights, thoughts of how much easier it would be to grab something from the drive through or order a pizza... It all begins to add up, unless you're pushing the thoughts away and focusing on what you can control. If I want to workout, I need to start my day earlier than most people would like to on Saturday. I have to get up to feed babies who don't understand the concept of the weekend anyway, so I might as well do something to help me toward my goal while I'm at it! If I know that I'm waking up early to get some reading in before church, then I probably should not stay up until 10pm watching movies. It seems it would make more sense to turn off the tv at a reasonable time, get ready for bed and read a little in bed before going to sleep so that I'm refreshed and not groggy Sunday morning. Yes, you know what, it is easier to grab from a drive through or pick up a...

Last week I went to California Pizza Kitchen with a friend of mine, I shared about my choices there in a previous post if you would like to see what I ended up ordering. Beyond that, however, I wanted to share with you the mild anxiety that I faced in making those decisions. I've started the Time Management Course and was listening to Heather Robertson promote it when she was preparing its release last September. It dawned on me, as she shared her experience in prioritizing her own goals over others (not in selfishness, but in an effort to take care of herself), that I often feel the need to apologize for taking care of myself . Not only in managing my time, but also in my experience at CPK. Let me explain... I gave myself permission to take my time in looking at the menu. When I found a suitable meal that was going to limit my carb intake, I began to order. However, the lunch specials of the 7" pizzas were pre-made and I was not able to order it on glutton free crust. I a...