I did manage to get up the nerve to step on the scale this morning, and I'm down another 1.5 pounds! That brings my total to 17.5 pounds, and I am incredibly happy with that so far. I still have 62.5 left to go (I CAN do math, believe it or not!), but I'm almost 1/4 of the way there.
I haven't worked out since Thursday, which I want to change tomorrow. I have a big day ahead of me tomorrow, at least for the first half of the day, so I'm hoping to be able to get up the motivation to work out in the afternoon, after a grocery shopping trip. With any luck, Mike will be home and I won't have to worry about planning a workout around kids' napping schedules.
I just finished planning my menus for the next week, and putting together a grocery list for tomorrow's shopping trip. I've been trying to shop regularly at Whole Foods on a budget, mostly just to prove to myself that I can do it. Last week, I did go a little over my budget, but it was for a good reason: my kids (I think) are finally starting to accept this new way of eating and were devouring the fresh fruits and veggies that I bought last weekend. They usually get a good share of them, but the past few weeks, I have refused to purchase boxes of easy, not-very-healthy boxes of crackers and snack foods. Instead, I'm pushing them towards fresh fruit, veggies, and things like yogurt. I got a little pushback from them - especially Baby #1 who has an INCREDIBLE sweet tooth - but I think they're finally starting to realize that I'm not kidding.
This week, we're attempting to cook lentils. I have never, ever, ever made any recipe with lentils in it - I've got my fingers crossed for the best! I'm also planning on making a dish with collard greens, and need all the prayers and wishes possible out there, so that my children don't turn their nose up at it!!
A couple of you have emailed or messaged me (find us on Facebook here ) asking just what I was doing for a diet. I think you secretly wanted the answer to be an easy-to-follow diet plan, with written instructions and recipes, etc. I'm sorry to say that it's not. Instead, I've been focusing on changing what I eat, when I eat it, and why I eat it. I'm focusing on the following things:
1) Keeping track of what I'm eating: This could also translate into "be conscious of your food intake." There are a lot of good food diaries out there, but I've been using Spark People, which I find incredibly user - friendly. Making sure that I account for every piece of food that goes into my mouth has been a hard adjustment, but I think it's actually the most important change that I've made over the past four weeks. I don't have a set goal for calories, fat, carbs or whatever to follow every day, but instead just try to keep a healthy balance. If for some reason, I have more fat at breakfast than usual, I make up for it by trying to find low-fat recipes for lunch and dinner. It's all about eating in moderation - which I keep track of with the food diary on Spark People. It's amazing how much just keeping track of my food changes my mindset. We had a dinner out last night that I had no control over - it was being prepared by someone else for us. Before, I would just say "Well, I can't control it, so I'd better not beat myself up about it and it doesn't really matter how much of it I eat - I'll just take the day off!" Now, however, I do my best to keep my portions moderate and fill my plate with whatever salad or veggies that I can find during that meal.
2) Making time for exercise: I've been trying to work out at least 5 times a week with 2 different workouts, one yoga/strength training and one cardio/aerobic. My goal is to get in 10 workouts every week, hopefully 5 of each. Some days that means that I work out twice - other days it's just once. My ultimate goal is to find a way to do at least one, hopefully two, workouts a day, but I just don't think that is possible right now, with three children (ages 5 and under!) running around me constantly.
3) Focus on drinking water instead of soda or coffee. I'll be the first to admit it, this is really hard for me. I'm trying to make soda a "special" drink, and limit my coffee to 1-2 cups a day. Some days are much easier than others (today was really hard!!).
4) Focus on changing ME, not my weight. You're probably wondering, "What does she mean?" It's really simple - I'm not losing weight here. Losing weight is a side effect of the fact that I'm focusing on bettering myself. Weight loss is definitely a priority for me, sure, but what's really important to me right now is making sure that I prioritize my health, whether that be physically, emotionally, or mentally. I'm working on changing ME and my mindset, not my weight.
That's really it. Those four principles are really the basis for my journey that's being documented on this blog. That's why when you open this website, you'll find blog posts from Ellie and I that are kind of all over the map. Sure, both of us want to lose the weight we've gained during our "mommy" days, but it's about more than that. We've let ourselves slide, physically, mentally, and emotionally. Now, it's time to take back ourselves and try to make our lives better.
We can call it "The New Us Diet."
Think it will sell books? ;)
I heart you!
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