First an update on last week and on how my other weekly goals are doing.

3 – Socializing Daily
This one happened all on it’s own. I ended up spontaneously taking the baby on a 6 hr drive to go visit my grandma in ICU. Dad watched the boys and worked from home. I got to go see my grandma who i haven’t seen in 1 year and then my sisters got to see their little niece. More socialness than i’ve had in months, minus the baby shower i went two a few weeks after K was born.

Week 4 – Exercise 5 times a week
Funny thing is i forgot what week 4’s focus was going to be but i was planning on making sure it was exercise 5 x a week because that’s what i’m ready for now. Baby is sleeping thru the night most nights, so i’m ready. Nice that it falls on this week.

I’m planning on doing little spurts this week. So i did 60 crunches this morning, and then 20 push ups later, then who knows later. Either way 60 crunches a day until that’s easy. It’s hard for me to get to 30. That is how shot my abs are after having another baby =) still more than worth is, and i love my baby girl. She is so smiley, easy goin, and just happy to be here.

-Eating fiber with carbs is going great, other then the pizza i had 2 weeks ago (no fiber in that). I could have had celery sticks with it, but i passed. Learned my lesson on that one. Especially being lactose intolerant.
-Journal writing daily is still not a habit but something that is getting there. I do sit down and plan out my day, still not the journaling that needs to be happening.
-Eating 150g protein daily has changed everything. Part of why I’m not online as much, other than feeding the baby. I have so much energy I’m overhauling the house. Rearranging furniture, packing up kids clothes, working on the hubby’s biz. Awesome.

Weight – 180

No photos yet…not much to show. Stepping back into regular exercise will make a difference but I’m glad i waited until i was ready after having her. Traveling and switching birth control I’m back at 180. But, i feel great and all these little focuses are helping me get everything else in place. Overhauling the house to get organized. Only way to stay sane with 3 kids and doing my own preschool for the 3 yr old this yr.

Well time to get off my behind and go pick some pumpkins with the kids at the nursery.

Happy Halloween – FS

Winterizing house. We don’t have gutters because even with heat tape they would break off. So we’re grating the soil away from the house and then putting down rocks. In the future we’ll put down landscaping fabric then the drip rocks etc… We have a lot of rocks to work with. It’s insane how many rocks we have.

Week 2 – Eating 150g Protein Daily
Went great. If your dragging all the time (you may be anemic) you may be low on protein. I upped my protein levels and not only did i have more energy but i had an all over better mood. Probably because most of the essential amino acids necessary for mood related brain stuff are found in protein. Also carbs are essential for the brain to work, fatty acids etc. But as far as serotonin levels it takes certain proteins and then certain carbs to release what is made by those certain protein. I’ll do a technical post on this but for now the protein is awesome. I’ve been working on projects left and right. Part of why i didn’t write yesterday. Got some serious yard work done.

Weight 178
Yeah! Still going down and not going up. Wohoo!

This weeks focus – Socializing Daily
Today so far so good got to talk to my old friend out of state for an hour. She’s fun and one of those friends who you can literally talk about anything with. This one will be good. Part of it is for me to practice listening, and then work on eye contact. Something i was always good at that i have slowly regressed at. Makes the world of difference in a conversation. Really makes true connections.

Happy Autumn! – FS

Hope you all had a good weekend. I had 30 people in my house. It was fun to see everyone, but after assessing the damages I’m glad to be back to just the 5 of us.  Realistically being honest with myself, I’m not a “the more the merrier” kinda person. I like to give people my full attention and with that many it just doesn’t happen. Similar to why i don’t answer my phone if one I’m on the other line, two I’m talking to someone, or three when I’m too busy to give you my full attention. I will simply call you back.  When the Hubby calls i usually ans it because he never calls unless something big is going on, and he is my number one. Well technically God is, then me, then him, the kids etc… but you know. Gotta take care of myself first so i can be at 100% when helping or even simply enjoying life.  Wow, there’s a Journal entry for you. Time to listen to myself and do what i know i need to do and that’s get myself to 100% and make time in my schedule to take care of myself.

Recap of last week’s Journal writing.  It went very well and even cleaning up my journal was good. Writing down emotions is healthy, but deleting them is even more therapeutic.

Weight – 179 Great! Considering all the 90 muffins i made for the 30 people that came over for brunch, and the 6 loaves of cheese bread i made for the 19 people we had for dinner. Luckily i made lintel soup to go with it. Fiber with the carbs always helps.

Week 2 – Eating 150g Protein Daily
Protein is one of the one things that always effects my weight loss. Not eating enough protein makes me tired, my hair thins, anemia, and weak immune system. I’m not talking bout meat just protein. I’m big on sparing the meat. There are many other ways of getting protein. Eggs are one of my biggest, whey is another, soy (not so much after reading up on how it affects estrogen levels, unless it’s fermented then it’s fine like Tofu but i don’t buy that stuff right now), Legumes, and nuts. I still love meat just don’t think it’s healthy to eat too much of it no matter how lean it is.  Excited for the energy I’ll have this week as i start to focus on and track how much protein I’m eating.

Happy Monday To You – FS

Happy Monday! Who says that. Well why not every day. Hope you all start of the week on the right foot whatever foot that might be.

Week 0 ReCap- Eating fiber with carbs daily

It went really well. I just paid more attention. When they say increase fiber slowly…TMI so just trust me do it slowly. I added ground flax to pancake mix the other morning. It made them just a little bit more heavy like banana pancakes but i added 1 Tb to 2 pancakes. So, yeah, it would do that. Also i wouldn’t suggest using more than 2 Tb of flax to your daily meals unless you do it slowly etc. Either way over time your body will adjust. Large amounts of protein on the other hand always have their side effect but as always the pros outweigh the cons.

Nutrition Example Day
Breakfast – 4 egg whites 1 whole egg, rolled oats with honey and 1 Tb ground flax seeds
Snack – 3 celery sticks 2 Tb pb
Lunch – lintel veggie soup
Snack – graham crackers with veggie shake (salad blended)
Dinner – chicken fajitas
Snack – bowl of cereal with unsweetened coconut on top

veggie shake – i can’t seem to eat very much salad without an unhealthy dressing or unhealthy toppings (unless it’s a full on meal like a chicken salad). Side salads just don’t happen, so i blend them (romaine, lemon juice, olive oil, sometimes ground flax seed, tomato, or carrot peels). I drink it with a straw because it tastes like a salad. I down it quick and always feel good when I’m drinking at least one of these a day. Something about them being blended helps me absorb so many nutrients.

This day was way low on protein. Muscle burns fat all on it’s own so I need to make sure i’m always getting enough to at least sustain the muscle i have and turn fat in to muscle elsewhere. For my current level of activity and weight I’m aiming for 150g a day. I will need to drink protein shakes to get anywhere close to that.

I went for a walk with just the baby and was actually able to pick up the pace a little. Then, my legs started to burn, not the skin like some people get but the muscle. Yes, a rude yet enlightening awakening to how out of shape i am, and at the same time a great workout. It will be fun to see where I’m at 8 weeks from now. I’ve also been doing sit ups here and there and yoga too to help keep things from cramping up. Drinking plenty of water. Random days my schedule gets way off and i don’t drink enough. Starting to carry a water bottle with me at all times to remedy that.

Week 1 – Journal Writing Daily
This will be good. It shouldn’t be hard. Kind of like a blog only i can write anything from what i ate today to how I’m feeling. I can vent or re-evaluate, and write down the funny things my kids keep saying like “Mom, what if we went to the park forever then Dad came home and said hey where’s my family, guess I’m just gona have to get me a new woman.” That out of the 5 yr old. Not sure where that came from, he’s hilarious. Either way i look forward to doing this every day. I just have a word doc that i fill with whatever. I wish I had one for venting and bleh, and one for a record of my life but the “bleh” and the “=)” are all part of life and might be good for my kids to read someday or even for me to read some day, or just to get out of my system and move on. I don’t want to reminisce in the past good or bad I’m working on being more present.

Weight – 180
Updated photo coming week 4

Not trying to lose more than 1lb a week for now, so…no biggie. Glad i didn’t gain any. With feeding the baby I’m hungry all the time and I could easily gain weight. If i lose weight too fast then i can’t feed the baby. So…I’m working on finding my balance, while slowly increasing activity and changing my food choices. Cavities sure help with cutting out sugar is all i can say. I have an appointment with the dentist tomorrow…not sure if i want you to wish me luck or if that even makes sense. “hope they find all of the cavities and then get them all filled” Yeah this would fall in the “means to and end” category and that’s just fine with me.

Hope you all enjoyed your Monday. – FS