Healthy Living

The first week I began intermittent fasting I had a somewhat lax attitude toward my nutrition. I set goals and basically did intuitive eating practices. I lost over 2 pounds the first week.  Starting week 2, I decided to pick up my physical activity and get back into the swing of exercise. It wasn't terrible, but my hormones were also all over the place. I attained an injury and decided to take a break for a couple of days; then gave into a couple of temptations of overeating and ended up gaining back a pound. No big deal, initial losses are generally water weight anyway, so I'm really not worried about it at all.  As I came into week 3, I realized how much I really like breakfast, so I am going to keep doing 16/8 IF, but start earlier in the morning and just drink something with my family during dinner time. I made this decision last night when I realized I was still super hungry and that I would need to set timers to remind myself to have snacks throughout the day and I just...

Hey Friends, It's been a while since I've posted an update. Baby boy is just over a year now, my body was adjusting pretty well around that 1 year mark, but things still felt a little off. Hormonally, I have been all over the place and it's been a real challenge for weight loss and consistency. I decided to start birth control, and I'm starting my 8th week now. It still feels like I'm adjusting, but I definitely feel a difference in this 2nd cycle. I emailed my doctor this week and asked his opinion on intermittent fasting. After doing a little bit of research, I have found that it can also cause hormonal side affects to a female body, so I wanted to get a well-rounded opinion. He suggested being on the birth control for at least 1 month before trying IT, so I am going ahead with it and plan to follow up with a physical once the CoVid-19 crisis calms. The crisis, on another hand, has been a major mental challenge for me. I am a total extravert, I love going ou...

We have had our rough patches, but you know what, we can work things out. The numbers aren't always going to tell me what I want to hear, they do, however, always tell me what I need to hear. Honestly, though, where am I getting my assumptions of what I want  to hear, anyway? Why are there certain numbers that I would prefer? Am I trying to accomplish perfect macros? I say no, and yet I check the macro chart anyway, excited to see relatively limited carbs. What are perfect macros, anyway?  Is someone going to reward me for staying on MFP's directed target number of calories for my day? No! MFP has tons of challenges they run and there are prize winners, and let me tell you something: I complete most of those challenges, and accomplish their intended milestones pretty early on, and they don't even reward me. So, yeah, no one is giving me accolades for the numbers I accomplish here. Look, the thing is, the numbers help me see what I am taking in. They show me the reason...

When I say, "breaking up," what I really mean is, "taking a break from..." I don't like numbers. They confuse and sometimes discourage me. The scale is a major number, though I am not taking a complete break from that. The real numbers that have been bothering me lately have been on My Fitness Pal. The calories. The minutes exercised. The number of steps. The burned calories. The macros... O, the macros. All this to say that I know I need them to lose, but I have been maintaining for a solid month by simply writing down what I am eating. This month, I'm going back to the weights and measures, but still holding off on the calories. Probably until January. Without judgy red or over-achiever green numbers staring me in the face, it has been easier to work on other habits and not be distracted. For example, I have been more consistent with sitting and eating my food off of a plate, as opposed to grazing while cooking or impulsively bingeing on whatever passes ...

There is an unspoken pressure in our society to have it all together and know how we want to contribute to the world. Here's a little secret: nobody has it all together and and it's actually quite challenging to know what you want out of life and how that life is going to contribute to the rest of the world. When did all the things  become something more than simple? Two of my favorite books that I plan to go back to this Fall are Grace Not Perfection and The Simplified Life  by Emily Ley. She breaks down what it is to truly make room in your life and home for the most important things. The funny part is, those things  aren't "things" at all, they are people. People, family, friends, relationships... those are the most important things  in life. So, when my work, my menu, my workout schedule, my chore list all get in the way of my kids, my husband, my family time, my fellowship at church, my friends... That is a problem.  When I was a kid and people a...

Sometimes we have to accept that life happens, family trips are fun and filled with a lot of treat foods, and we will have high calorie days - sometimes several in a row. I am learning, again, that plans are held with open hands and in every aspect of life, the Lord is sovereign - even in my striving toward a healthy lifestyle. On Saturday, we went to the zoo. It was so much fun! It started out a little bit stressful though. We left later than we planned. I forgot my snacks and dinner in the fridge. We did not prepare well for how we were going to navigate the maze that was the zoo! We got there 10 minutes before opening and found a pretty great parking spot. I allowed myself to enjoy the day and ate what everyone else ate and did not allow it to derail my minimum healthy habit: tracking and drinking 100oz of water. I did not get my veggies and protein in for the day, but life. Yesterday, I recognized that I truly struggle with dinner at parties. I still stuck to my minimums and ev...

I made the mistake of doing a 3-day cleanse. I got what I paid for, I lost some weight and I stuck to the strict diet for 72 hours. I also got more than I paid for: lessons. Some good. Some bad. Overall, I will not be putting myself through another cleanse. I learned that sleep is important and I will commit to giving myself a nap 3 days a week while my kiddos nap. I am an early riser and have not been prioritizing sleep for myself as well as I do for my littles. I learned that I do  enjoy vegetables and I will spend more time making creative sides and snacks of them instead of reaching for packaged items first (or primarily). I learned that I do not like celery or cucumbers. I can tolerate celery in smoothies, but I do not like eating it by itself or with almond butter. I do not really like almond butter. It's peanut butter or nothing! HA! I am far too dependent upon coffee. Prior to said cleanse, I was consuming somewhere between 150 and 350mg of caffeine per day. Since...