no pain, no gain

The foot is hurting today... guess that means I did well in my walk yesterday? I got to sleep in today for the first time in awhile. My baby even slept in longer than I did. It was nice and for the first time in awhile I felt like I got a good nights sleep! Proper rest is so important for your health and my sleep schedule is getting back on track.

Breakfast was big, a special treat from my mom, so it's not the regular, but I did not use syrup on my french toast so at least there's that.

Breakfast:
Eggs, bacon, french toast

Lunch:
Turkey ham, broccoli, tator tots

Dinner:
A piece of steak

Snack:
Crackers

Pushing through the pain!

I am glad I made those boiled eggs yesterday... it's what my son and I had for breakfast because I was rushed, but I was able to do my devotion with him because I didn't have to prepare breakfast. Thia afternoon and precut carrots and broccoli and have them on hand in the fridge. Tomorrow I would like to do some more baking.

No one in my family today would go walking... it's a grumpy crew today, might be junk food withdrawls. Because I was out with my son and needed to go to grab a few items from a store I decided to walk... it was 1 mile from my house, so I walked a total of 2 miles today. Yes I am very out of shape so this was a work out for me. It was a little chilly outside but I had worked up a lite sweet because I tried to walk at a brisk pace for most of the walk.

My foot quickly started to hurt, I hurt it several months ago and it flares up often even if I don't walk or stand on it much. I was determined to do this walk so I kept pushing. I love it when you push long enough that you forgot it was hurting to begin with!

Breakfast:
2 boiled eggs, 1 slice toast

Lunch:
Lasanga (regular portion), carrots

Dinner:
Steak, salad, Pasta, zucchini

Exercise:
2 mile walk

beggin your pardon...

Please forgive me for not posting in awhile. I got off track and I'm not sure what happened. there was my sons birthday and during that week I had missed a few doses of medication by accident because I was so focused on what I wanted to get done that it slipped my mind. I got right back on track with my meds but he and I both got sick... twice... 2 different viruses swept us off our feet. Well actually the second round was a cold and it made me drag but gave my son all the energy I did not have and I was trying to grab him off the ceiling only to have him jump down on my head and run the other way... just kidding, but it felt like it.

Sometimes when things like that happen my bi-polar issues come into effect and I don't know if my lack of energy and lack of desire to eat healthy or go walking is because my imbalance or am I not balanced because I am eating junky and sleeping too much with no physical activity.

I am hoping that it's the fact that I was sick, started eating junky and sleeping too much that cause my moods to drop thus creating more of the same behaviors (yes a very dangerous slippery slope sort of vortex for me which is why I started this blog to hold myself accountable). I am determined to get the whole household back together!

Today I threw out all the junky food that was in our house and went grocery shopping. Got fruit, pre-boiled eggs, and tomorrow I am cutting carrot sticks to have them on hand for humus dipping! I really did start the morning off by going through collecting food items and taking them outside to throw them directly into the garabge can... felt really good... then made breakfast for the family.

I will attempt to start waking earlier again to cook breakfast and spend my morning time with my son doing our devotional and nap less during the day. I am ready to fall asleep earlier tonight because I did not nap today, this is good because my sleep cycle had been thrown out of wack recently... it's all connected.

So here we go...

Breakfast:
Eggs, toast, hash brown

My apologizes

My bad, I'm sorry I haven't posted anything this week... I've been super busy working on all sorts of crafts for my sons first birthday party... I have forgotten what I have eaten over the past few days, and will confess it has not been the healthiest. Saturday is only 2 days away then the party will be over and I can clean my house, bake, prep foods, and regroup

It's okay to have a treat, as long as it isn't all the time or over done

So last month I tried to do the no sugar challenge and for the most part it was successful but this month I am allowing myself sugar, just not a lot like I was having before. I still don't do soda (unless I need a drink and don't have my water with me and take a sip of my husbands soda) and still not drinking coffee (because I like a little coffee with my sugar) so it's been unsweetened tea and water.

But it feels good when you have the will power to walk away halfway through your dessert! Today we went to look at sidewalk art, and it was only in the 80's, but I tell you, I'm just over the heat already. All of us felt hot and icky and well ice cream sounded good. So we got some. And I didn't finish mine!

Dinner ended up being a grilled chicken salad because I wanted something lighter, and the banana pudding that I love, that was given to me by my mom, went home to my husband!

Feeling good about my choices... Tomorrow will be less busy and I will have time for a walk!

Breakfast:
Banana / peanut butter, toast

Lunch:
1/3 of a sub sandwich stacked with veggies and a handful of plain tortilla chips

Dinner:
Grilled chicken breast salad

Snack:
A few boneless buffalo wings

One of those days

Frustrated and busy today. At work right now which is probably a good thing because I don't have anything to snack on.

One of the tough days, we all have those times. I wanted cake earlier, but I stood my ground!

Hoping tomorrow is better. Thank you for holding me accountable!

Breakfast:
Banana/peanut butter and a few bites of chocolate zucchini bread

Lunch:
Cheese, tortilla chips, half an avocado

Dinner:
Sub sandwich

Busy day, normally ends up meaning eating out... tried to do it smarter

Knowing todays was going to be another long  day with little time for cooking my own meals I started off the day with protein and not much extra fluff (extra bread, hash browns, meats, fats etc...) We had to drive 45 mins to do our shopping before my baby's birthday party next weekend and we had lots of things to do and tried to get it all done in one day (we were very successful at that by the way)...


So for lunch my husband suggested Chinese... and I suggested we share a meal. At first he didn't seem so thrilled about it and said if he was still hungry he'd just get something else later... there was no later. We both ate enough, not too little or too much. No guilty feelings of over indulging. No hunger pains later!!! It ended up being a very enjoyable meal, a sit down time in the middle of the day. We ate outside, the weather was pleasant, and enjoyed the reminder of our blessing that was sitting between us.... also sharing in our meal.


Dinner was late also, getting back 7 hours after we left. Shopping for party stuff and groceries takes it's toll.... so I wont be eating a snack.


Breakfast:
Eggs, 1/2 piece of toast


Lunch:
Chinese food (I shared a meal with my husband)(eat less pay less it's a win win)


Dinner:
Taco Salad

Pre-prepped food!!!! Why it's so important!

So last night my baby had trouble sleeping again which meant not much sleep for me. I was running late, had a ton of errands to run, and my breakfast was the premade banana bread I baked myself with oatmeal peanut butter and honey instead of sugar!!! I only had a little time between running errands for my mom (who generously lets me borrow her car) and my dental appointment.  Luckily I had precut up fresh lettuce and parboiled eggs and threw together a quick salad.

May I insert here... it is MUCH healthier that you get your own lettuce and pre-cut it yourself as opposed to the pre-cut packaged lettuce you by in the store that has lost much of it's nutrients and laden with preservative to keep it "fresh".

May I also add, there is a trick I haven't tried yet but have heard it works wonders. Add a paper towel in your bagged pre-cut lettuce, it absorbs the moisture to help keep it fresh, and as the paper towels gets wet replace it!

Breakfast:
Banana Peanut butter bread sweetened with honey

Lunch:
Garden salad with boiled egg and kidney beans

Dinner:
Chicken breast and mashed potatoes

Snack:
Cheeto's (yes cheeto's)

Exercise:
1 mile walk and rapid pace

Lunch:

I stopped myself from going overboard... because this board

Soooo the reason I made this board was to hold myself accountable... and today it helped! If you have never eaten homemade (especially my homemade) Chicken Fried steak with real homemade gravy and real mashed potatoes... well then I don't now how to explain that you want (definitely not need) to go back for seconds... what I went back and got second off was the very healthily cooked zucchini!!! It was a very unhealthy meal to begin with true... but I kept myself in check!!! So for those of you that read this post (or at least "view" the page so I think people are reading it) thank you!


Breakfast:
Eggs, toast, 1 sausage link, bacon strip


Lunch:
Salad with croutons, 1 boiled egg, 1/2 banana (shared with my son) and 1/4 cup milk (what my son left over)


Dinner:
CFS, mashed potatoes, gravy, zucchini


Snack:
I have no clue (last night after the blog I was hungry and had a handful of nuts) it's late maybe I just need water!!!

House cleaning... yes it counts as physical activity!

As much house work as I needed to do, going from room to room to put things in perspective places, bending over to put toys away and then bending over to do it again because he is playing while I am cleaning, scrubbing, sweeping... yes it counts as exercise especially when I work about 3 hours straight!

The week before vacation had been busy and the last few days the house got messy, I figured it's okay since my husband was staying home he would do it... but after the laundry and packing and work schedule it built up... and then my husband ended up coming with us after all (YAY I was super happy about that) Needless to say by the time we got home and unloaded the car nothing got unpacked... so house cleaning on top of unpacking... Yes house cleaning counts as exercise!

Breakfast:
Eggs with cheese, toast

Snack:
Boiled egg and 1 yam cookie

Lunch:
Burger and fries (sending my husband out to grab lunch was necessary at this  point.... there was no room to make lunch, and did I really want to add to the mess?)

Dinner:
Ceasar salad

Exercise:
1 mile walk and housecleaning!

Back to the grind!

So I'm back from vacation and ready to move... last night we took a mile walk, not much but as tired as we have been from our trip it was something... tomorrow we hit our house which is a disaster but today was all about appointments and my sons bad afternoon after his vaccine shot =( he was a hot mess! (just very cranky)


Today I went to the dentist... and because it was at the college and it's a teaching program they poked and prodded my mouth very thoroughly, I am however pleased to shared that my gums weren't nearly as bad as I was told they were from my dentist back in June. My gums which had been super sensitive and bled easily were fine enough that we did most of the cleaning today and didn't use even topical anesthesia. That's what doing your research and sticking to it will get ya... now onto using that technique in diet and exercise!


I will admit sadly I awoke way too late to have breakfast, my son had trouble sleeping last night due to teething.


Breakfast:
None (unhealthy by the way and does not help you loose weight)


Lunch:
eggs, toast, 1 hash brown patty


Dinner:
few bites of cheese, chicken pot pie


Snack:
Sandwich and sunflower seed kernels


Exercise:
None today... but will have time to walk (on top of plenty of house cleaning)

Vacation

Tomorrow I jump back on the wagon... I went on vacation this week, did a lot of walking, but also didn't monitor my intake... so I don't know if I gained but tomorrow is my Sunday church nap day and Monday I will start walking!!!

My idea this month will be to keep the sugar to a minimum and cut out gross yucky processed meats as much as possible!

No sugar challenge Day 28

Woke up very hungry, so I started out my day with a good breakfast. Again I have had a day that I am just hungry... but again my rings aren't tight and my pants fit better.

Was packing today, so much more to pack for a trip when you have a baby in tow, and we decided to leave and travel through the night instead of tomorrow morning which meant we had to be ready earlier.

Having said that I got my exercise today by running around the house!

Breakfast:
Eggs, hash browns, toast

Lunch:
Burger and fries

Dinner:
Egg salad sandwich and chicken breast with fruit/veg juice

Snack:
Chocolate zucchini bread sweetened with honey

No sugar challenge Day 27

Looking forward to getting away for a few days! Sad my husband won't be joining us on this trip. But there's so much to pack when your tugging along a baby! My plans to walk today were thwarted not once but a second time.

I ate today but seem extra hungry and I'm not sure why. I slept last night but woke very often because my son slept very little, his poor teeth we believe.

A few days off will do me good =D I always get re-motivated and re-energized when I spend time with my sister!

Breakfast:
Pb/banana bread

Lunch:
Mini pizza and a few chips

Snack:
Sandwich

Dinner:
Large garden salad w cheese and chicken

No sugar challenge Day 26

Due to taking mom's car back to the shop we had lunch near there... again I am reminded of why I don't eat there.... if I am going to eat out I either want to feel satisfied by my healthy choices or feel like my being bad was worth it.

On the plus side... I walked to work, walked home from the mechanics. I miss walking, so glad the weather is changing... autumn is in the air!

Breakfast:
Eggs and banana bread

Lunch:
Salad and Pizza

Dinner:
Mac and cheese (it's what was available, I didn't eat a lot)

No sugar challenge Day 25

Not much to say about today actually... the weather is changing which is exciting. A friend took us to lunch and we walked there at noon and I realized it's cool enough to start walking again regularly! I can feel the change in the air!


Looking forward to next week. I get to spend some time in the beautiful mountains and seeing my sister. As opposed to most vacations I think I will come back having lost a few pounds. Excited to be pushed by the one person who can push me the most! 


Breakfast:
Eggs and hash brown


Lunch:
Steak burrito with chips and salsa


Dinner:
Taco salad and Yam cookies

No sugar challenge Day 24

So at church tonight someone asked me if I was loosing weight (which is nice because this is the second day and I'm still wearing my wedding rings!!! Yay go team) I also felt more comfortable in my pants today!

It amazes me that the no sugar challenge was exactly what I needed... thanks to my friend Sarah who has been helpful in motivation... I have several huge motivators in my life but she lives on the same social media that I do and when I see continued posts or pins about healthier eating and how she's working on herself and I see the difference... well she probably doesn't know how big of a motivation that's been for me.

Breakfast:
Honey sweetened banana/pb bread

Lunch:
Taco salad

Dinner:
Big garden salad and spaghetti

Snack: truth be told I'm not sure yet, I will be going home in about 30 mins I will find something then, I am hungry and will drink a huge glass off water first!

No sugar challenge Day 23

279.2 lbs slowly on the downward trend... not much and maybe it's a fluke but I'll take it! My wedding rings fit me today comfortably as well, so I wore them all day and I haven't been able to do that recently.

Proud of myself tonight... under a HUGE evil cloud has descended upon the house... I am not going to dwell on this in this forum, it's not what this blog is all about...

I want to say that I did not start eating! Did not want to use my vice!!!

This has been a good day for me food wise!

Breakfast:
Eggs, 1 hash brown patty, 1 slice whole grain toast

Lunch:
Large garden salad, apple, broccoli bites

Snack:
The honey sweetened bread I baked

Dinner:
Mashed potatoes and gravy

No sugar challenge Day 22

Does it count for today's food if I eat it after midnight? Lol just kidding... not hungry just want to snack, not sure why, it's important to understand why and what might be bothering me... I took two days to relax and read a book... it's good to do that once and awhile, but I think tomorrow is time for me to get working on things for my sons birthday and Christmas coming up in a few months. Since I can't afford much I have great gift ideas that I can do, but it takes time so waiting till the last minute will only stress me out and stressing during the holidays is never a good thing.

I think I shall take him on a good long walk tomorrow!

Breakfast:
Eggs, hash browns, grain toast

Snack:
Chips and avocado dressing

Lunch:
Pizza and 2 yam cookies

Dinner:
Tacos

No sugar challenge Day 21

Leftover hotdogs being reheated smelled good to me! I refrained! I was asked if I was going to be okay? Lol I obviously said enough times that they smelled good. I had the sausages for lunch that had no sugar so I definitely did not need the hot dogs even if I wanted them... there is also enough junk in processed meat I need to stay away from anyways.

I have done decent so far, I only drink unsweetened tea or water (no soda or sugar ladened coffee) I do monitor labels and try to avoid anything with sugar in it. I haven't devoured all the bakes goods I have made even if it was sweetened by honey. My snacking at night has been put in check for the most part. My portions over all have been smaller.

My diet is definitely not near perfect, and I still eat to much and maybe not always the best things,  but it is being worked on and every week I feel more resolve building and more I am willing to give up.

Nervous about tomorrow's's weigh in. Motivation in either direction, but I could use a slight pick-me-up.

Breakfast:
Breakfast sandwich

Lunch:
Sausages, broccoli bites

Dinner:
Chicken breast, broccoli bites, salad

Snack:
Choc zucchini bread

Exercise:
Walked 2 miles

No sugar challenge Day 20

I tell you when it hits me the hardest... I do in home health care and sometimes it requires us to be in the home while the patient is sleeping, so times can get quiet, I normally read or play on my phone (or Facebook, or as I am doing right now... blog)... when you go to the kitchen to get a drink and these little old ladies tend to have donuts or cookies or ice cream or even candy bars, and they always want to share with you, or just the goodies being there alone makes me want to run out after work (or order in if I could lol) something sugary!!!

I'm not just an emotional eater... I eat when I'm mad, sad, anxious, excited... I also eat when I' tired... or a big one is when I'm bored!

And then at home late at night seems to be the worse... I can't watch my primetime shows at 8 or 9 I have the dvr them because I have a munchkin whom shares a room with us because we live in a 2 bedroom (tight and cozy and full of love) and I can't watch the dvr'd shows during the day because the little one has me running, so after he is asleep I get to watch tv for a few hours.... and get hungry and want to eat.

Normally lately I've been strong with the exception of last night after I published my blog and I had some leftovers from dinner... but I also realize that late at night sometimes your body just wants water! Note to anyone who didn't know that... when you get the late night munchies drink a huge glass of water and wait and see if you're still hungry... if so GO TO BED hehehe (words I am trying to live by now, but haven't in the past)

Breakfast:
Banana Peanut Butter bread and cottage cheese

Lunch:
Pulled pork, 3 bites potato salad (something else but I don't remember I have a busy schedule so sue me)

Snack:
Salad

Dinner:
Chicken, broccoli bites, chips and avocado dressing

No sugar challenge Day 19

Busy busy busy... I forgot my daughter had a dentist appointment in Bakersfield... I actually used the egg casserole I made for busy mornings meaning my son and I got a good breakfast meal and then had 20 minutes to get dressed, get the diaper bag ready, grab dad some breakfast, and get out the door.

But do not think today was healthy. Lunch was fast food on the go and I had told my husband I'd make him his favorite dinner... home made chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes and gravy. However I did make the broccoli cheese bites recipe today I wanted to try. Had more of those than anything else and ate half the amount of food I would have in the past.

Small victories!

Breakfast:
Egg casserole

Snack:
Handful of cheese crackers

Lunch:
Tacos and nachos

Dinner:
Cfs, mashed pot & gravy, broccoli bites

No sugar challenge Day 18

I did the twice baked yam with egg in the middle!!!! (you should follow my Pinterest board with the heading recipes I have tried and love it makes it easier for me to find said recipes) It was so much better than I thought it would be!!! Baked sweet potato is so much better for you than greasy hash browns any day of the week! and though it may seem like an odd combination it totally works!!! Between that and the salad I had for lunch I hit two more new recipes I thoroughly enjoyed! I also have prepped the cheese and broccoli I need for a recipe I am doing tomorrow so it's all ready to just throw together... I'm kind of getting the hang of this!


Except I'm tired! HA! But I think that's because between cooking, cleaning, organizing, part-time work, we also have a little man running around (at least walking very quickly) at 10 months old and he is tough to keep up with. He amazes me all the time! He will keep me running for years!!!! But right now on top of walking, he is teething! He is not happy... I'd guess he has at least 3 teeth I expect to break within the next 2 weeks. With another 2 right behind them.


Breakfast:
Twice baked yam w egg


Lunch:
Strawberry avocado salad


Dinner:
Taco salad (I ate the shell but used 1/3 less salad dressing than I would normally)


Snack:
Baked bread I made

No sugar challenge Day 17

Remember those breakfast items I made so I can grab in a rush? Wow I was so late today I didn't even think to grab something... boo because going without breakfast is so unhealthy. (By the way last night after posting the blog I got hungry... but it's okay I had some nuts!) I didn't make the egg in a twice baked yam but hope to do that tomorrow.


They wanted hamburger helper for dinner tonight, so I made sure I ate plenty of salad and 1/3 what I would have eaten in the past. (Unfortunately there was some sugar in it when I read the label later... it was late after church and running a ton of errands today so I apologize, certainly haven't done as well as I would have liked on this challenge but on the plus side I want to continue this into the holiday season and finding recipes right now that I enjoy will help those desires for junk in the months to come.)


I will share something neat. I let the house an earlier than expected for services tonight to stop by the library (children's books are on sale for 10 cents a piece and yeah I bought almost all of them... if anyone wants little girls books hit up the Taft library... but I got the others =P) The point, however, was that I wasn't hungry or didn't stop to think if I was or not... I grabbed some of the yam cookies I made yesterday (with honey and peanut butter) because I knew it had been 4 hours since I had eaten and wouldn't be having dinner for a couple more hours since my schedule changed. I didn't think I was hungry but as I started to eat them my stomach realized it was... which is good for two reasons: 1. I ate at a timely manner before I was so hungry I gorged on dinner tonight, spreading out with a snack which is a much healthier way to eat 2. My body is getting better (or my brain I should say) of not wanting to eat just to eat!!!!


Breakfast:
sadly none


Lunch:
huge salad


Snack:
yam cookies


Dinner:
Hamburger Helper (Junk food) and salad

No sugar challenge Day 16

3 more recipes today! Woohoo... cookies sweetened with honey yams and raisins instead of chocolate chips =D some healthy teething biscuits for my baby that aren't exactly hard but he seemed to like them a lot... and an avocado dressing that I will definitely make A LOT in the future... so very healthy.

Tomorrow I think I am trying a twice baked sweet potato with an egg baked in the center for breakfast... lot's of nutrition and healthier than oily hash browns!

Oh yeah I forgot to weigh yesterday, I did today and the few lbs I gained last week (thank you luau food and leftovers) has been lost along with an extra pound.

Breakfast:
Baked oatmeal with some egg casserole

Lunch:
Bites of things I was baking

Snack:
Taco salad

Dinner:
Sandwich

No sugar challenge Day 15

I got to cook today and yesterday! I have made 2 kinds of breads sweetened with honey instead of sugar, baked oatmeal with honey also, a casserole egg dish (all of these are for my mornings which tend to sometimes be the toughest meal for me to eat healthy due to my schedule) wontons for the first times ever (not healthy but Go-o-o-od) and Brussel sprouts with bacon (not exactly healthy either but also good.... probably giving up processed meat next month)

I felt good being able to do those things, I can start doing more hands on training and sensory play again with my son !!!! =) I'm enjoying the slower schedule I currently have and making good use of it while I can. In a few weeks my schedule will go in super drive again and then I will need to readjust and find balance. I would like in the next few weeks to get some prepared meals ready. Ate too many wontons today while cooking though... tomorrow the idea is sensory play and a few healthy recipes!

The heat is back hoping this is the last heat wave of the summer... but I did get a walk in tonight even if it was still 98 as the sun went down... yuck!

Breakfast:
Zucchini bread

Lunch:
Caesar salad, Brussels sprouts w/bacon

Snack:
V8 splash (no added sugars)

Dinner:
Wontons

Exercise:
1 mile

No sugar challenge Day 14

My son is not feeling good... boo. We missed both church services today, but because we didn't have anything scheduled I was able to keep him entertained in his high chair while he watched me bake...

I GOT TO BAKE!!!! And I loved both recipes... instead of making them muffins I just made them breads... one is banana and peanut butter, the other chocolate zucchini... with honey, apple sauce, and banana's as natural sweetener's and added oatmeal I'm glad I have healthy out the door breakfast options.

Hoping tomorrow I can work on some of my other recipes, a zucchini one and one with brussel sprouts... still debating whether or not to give up meat next month, I should at least give up processed meats.

Breakfast:
Baked oatmeal and 2 eggs

Lunch:
Sandwich

Snack:
The breads I bakes, not a lot maybe 5 bites of each

Dinner:
Cheese sausages (no added sugar or hfcs)
Chips with guacamole and pepita dressing

P.S. I put the nuts back in my room

No sugar challenge Day 13

I didn't have a piece of fruit last night I admit... baby had trouble sleeping on his own so I had him in bed with me but by the time my husband took over so I could run to the kitchen I was starving so I had a sandwich... since I was trying to do some baking last night the nuts I had bought were in the kitchen on the table with the rest of the baking supplies. So note to self... after baking with the nuts I need to take the to the bedroom to have a handful at night when I'm hungry.

Speaking of baking... last night I was able to squeeze in a recipe for baked oatmeal!!! Delish!!! Healthy moist and ready to eat in a rush and since I substituted raw honey instead of sugar it's got extra nutrients... guilt free pleasure.

Breakfast:
Egg, baked oatmeal

Lunch:
Burger and fries (don't hate)

Snack:
Handful of popcorn shrimp

Dinner: 
Taco salad

Exercise:
None schedule did not allow

No sugar challenge Day 12

Garrr stupid dog barking woke up my little one... now the few hrs I get in the evening was shortened to 30 mins between a quick job and now laying down with him... (yes we started co-sleeping when he was born and now we are trying to train him to sleep on his own)

So since we spent some time at my moms today which was great my few hrs of baking became 30 mins... I did make some baked oatmeal... I guess tomorrow morning I'll see how I like it... should be easy to grab on the go since I almost always sleep in too late or have a little one change my morning plans for me.

I will try to get to some healthy no sugar muffins tomorrow between my morning job and my afternoon on, but might be hard to squeeze in... but all the dry ingredients I need are already out on the table...  half the battle right?

Breakfast:
Eggs and 1 slice grain toast (was going to have 2 slices pretty happy with my decision to only have 1)

Lunch: sub sandwich

Dinner: taco salad

Snack: I'm feeling hungry right now so I am going to maybe grab a banana or an apple and drink some water!

No sugar challenge Day 11

So I didn't eat breakfast today... completely by accident... this is where a homemade no sugar added healthy breakfast muffin would have been awesome to have! I was running late out the door, not uncommon. Had a funeral to go to today with a luncheon afterwards.... the afternoon then consisted of a nap, a walk, cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen... it was an active day... which helped since I had a big lunch... tomorrow my schedule includes baking!

Breakfast:
0 (very bad)

Lunch:
Some salad, lasagna, meatloaf

Snack:
Turkey sandwich

Dinner:
Taco salad w ranch dressing

Exercise:
1 mile walk and house cleaning

Eggs for breakfast tomorrow morning? I hope to wake up early enough to make that happen.

No sugar challenge Day 10

Totally spaced my blog yesterday...


Now to remember what I did....


Ooooo yeah shopping... always an adventure!


First to moms eye appointment, eat, shopping, nap, church.... you know the constant life of a mom.


I have my ingredients to make muffins for on the go breakfast muffins (which I could have used this morning) Will try to make those tonight, if not I believe if nothing drastically changes I will have time to do that and a few other projects tomorrow!!!


Breakfast:
Breakfast burrito with hash browns (should have skipped the hash browns)


Lunch:
Big green salad


snack:
Some potato salad


Dinner:
1/4 sub sandwich and a few chips


I need to cut out the carbs long with the sugar.... this months challenge was sugar... next month I might go back to vegetarian, in the meantime I need to lesson the carbs like not have the hash browns...


well that's it for yesterday, see you in a few hours when I do todays blog. =)

No sugar challenge Day 9

It's important to feel good about yourself... I was never as beautiful as when I was pregnant! I walked, ate healthy, took time to primp a little... lately between work, baby, house I haven't.


I had to wait to get a perm and curl my hair (I have horribly thin hair that won't do anything even with a load of product in my hair)... it has taken 1 1/2 yrs to get one... first I waited 9 months during my pregnancy, a few months during breast feeding (lost the milk would have bf for a year if I could have) but after my hormones changed when I lost the milk I had hair fall out so I had to wait for it to grow back enough to hide it. I also expected to be in smaller clothes by now but instead things are getting tighter... I've just been feeling horrible and sometimes when you get in a rut it actually leaves no room for motivation... motivation I need to propel me to eat better and exercise!


Tonight I got my perm! I bought some new make-up (cheep stuff but I don't need the primo)! I am ready to feel better, move more, and eat less!!!!


Breakfast:
Sausage breakfast sandwich


Lunch:
Meatloaf sandwich and potato salad


Dinner:
Spaghetti and a garden salad


Tonight I am hitting Pinterest and making my shopping list.... tomorrow I hit the grocery store!!!!

No sugar challenge(d) day 8

Soooooo the no sugar challenge didn't start off so well this last week... the luau pretty much made this months challenge a failure... not that I didn't have huge successes so far (I stopped coffee, soda, desserts) and I'm going to continue the rest of the month moving forward with the change in my choices (reading labels avoiding sugary sauces etc...) but the hawaiian food for the luau all pretty much had sugary sauces... even if I did avoid the pineapple turnover cake and punch.


I didn't loose in this first week in fact I gained... 2 lbs.  Part could be due to stress, and eating out due to a very rigorous schedule. I look at a scale as a motivator either way the scale moves. If I loose weight I'm excited to keep the momentum going and if I  gain weight it makes me more determined to prove it wrong. HA!


Tomorrow I am sitting down with Pinterest and looking at recipes and building my shopping list... Wednesday I am shopping... Thursday afternoon I will be hitting the kitchen and fixing healthy breakfast options I can grab on the go and premade healthy dinner options I can freeze for those days I have 20 different things going on.


Breakfast:
cottage cheese and 1 piece of grain/nut toast


Lunch:
pulled pork sandwich and some potato salad


Dinner:
Some hamburger helper, (I used ham instead of hamburger it needed to be used up) 1/2 large avocado, 1/2 apple, and a handful of chips


Exercise:
small walk (1 mile) and housework

Your feedback

I would most definitely like this to be a forum where we can throw ideas out there and discuss wassup amongst ourselves.... pretty much this is a private little setting with friends of mine who are all considerate loving and encouraging... many also like me know what to do and don't always do it so I would like to encourage all of us to throw it out there... respond to my posts< read each other's messages.... please share, it encourages me, I hope for it to encourage each other... I do this to hold myself accountable but easily get discouraged. We are going into the Holiday months here pretty soon.... let's build each other up and prepare to be strong! LoL

Day 7 no sugar challenge

So yesterday I had only had 4 hours sleep after a very busy day before that and spending hours getting ready for a luau styled potluck that I was hosting. I had a commitment to help a lady from 7-2 then set up from 2-5 and luau at 5... today I crashed!!!!


Sundays generally consist of a physical and spiritual rest, refresh, and reboot for the week to come...
I teach a class for Sunday morning with some amazing young ladies then services. We have lunch generally with amazing company from church. My son and I take a 2 hour nap... yes that's right 2 hours =D. Evening services and then dinner. (Then Big brother mwahahaha guilty pleasure)


Now I'm prepare for the week ahead as much I can be, and this week should be at a much slower pace than last week!


Not exactly a craving popped up, tonight I saw a cookie and almost bought it without thought it looked really good and good cookies are a downfall for me. Then I remembered duh... it's funny how easily you could mindlessly eat without thought to it.


Breakfast:
pulled pork sandwich (I think)


Lunch:
luau leftovers... meats, potato salad, spinach salad


Dinner:
Pastrami sandwich, goldfish crackers


I think I might eventually cut out meats again... we will see, my daughter kicked the idea around too so maybe we will do it together!

Day 6 no sugar challenge

Got a whoppin 4 hrs of sleep! Fun stuff =D

Breakfast:
2 sausage mcmuffins

Lunch:
Small chicken breast and sweet potatoes

Dinner:
Potluck Hawaiian style (so unfortunately the proteins were encased in sugary sauces)

Please realize I ate 1 plate not 2 (or 3) and as much as I wanted to have the fruit punch I made and everyone was raving about I only had a sip to make sure the flavor was good while I was mixing it together before serving it.

I will explain more about my day in my later post it was a very busy day, all in all a success.

Day 5 No sugar challenge

Busy busy day, running from start to finish! The lady I've been helping passed away and I was helping to clean up and organize, then ran to do a training for the job I start tomorrow (today). We had to walk/take a bus to my house and after lunch started getting ready for the potluck tomorrow (today). Ran errands, had dinner, cooked food, made decorations and went to bed at 2am after a shower.

I did not have any cravings nor headaches. After today I will crash on Sunday =P but on Monday I can go through healthy breakfast recipes and Wednesday shop so I can have healthy quick breakfast choices... exciting!

Breakfast:
Sausage and egg biscuit

Lunch:
Taco salad

Breakfast:
Chips, guacamole, cheese quesadila

Snack:
Veggies, tortilla chips

Exercise:
Not much, a small walk

Day 4 no sugar challenge

Have a splitting headache tonight but that is because I went at least 8 hrs between lunch and dinner... didn't mean too. Between car issues work with 2 different clients one of whom is passing away it's just been a busy stressful day. I just finally ate dinner so hopefully it goes away...

I don't think it's from sugar withdrawals however if I had eaten some snickers bars that were readily available to me where I am it might have kept the headache at bay... but I know this headache is a slight issue compared to my health in general and I know I will stick to the plan Stan!

Proud of myself!

Breakfast:
Cottage cheese and pureed pears

Lunch:
Fried rice
Sweet and sour pork (woops totally didn't think about the  sugar in the sauce but I split the portion)
A few bites of Beef

Dinner:
Cobb salad (huge but it was needed)

Exercise:
Sorry none today

Let's see how tomorrows possibly crazy schedule go. I am staying overnight with the lady I work for and that wasn't a scheduled shift so we will see how I survive the next few jam picked days... with no coffee, or sugar lol!!!

I can do it!

Day 3 no sugar challenge

Long day... however with only one glass of tea I survived on only water! Yes now at 10 pm I am tired but it isn't because I didn't have caffeine or sugar in my system... in fact I'm tired right now because it was quite the opposite. I had no withdrawal symptoms again today!


Yes you read that right... no withdrawal symptoms! Not even sugar cravings! Maybe it's because I'm motivated. Maybe it's because I am too busy to notice.


Today we hit the ground running, and with a 10 month old very active baby boy in tow I'm guessing you can imagine. Lucky for me there was 3 of us to pass him back and forth during the day. My husband, daughter, and I all got to go to the dentist today... Exciting! But see more than that, our dentist is in Bakersfield which is generally an hours drive (give or take) so when we go, we try to shove as much into one trip as we can before heading back home to Podunk (See it normally means hitting a huge box store and a huge grocery chain which of course we did)


I am glad to report I did not have an infection in my tooth and did not need to get a root canal done, I just need to have another filling put it. Next month I have an appointment to get my gums cleaned to take care of the periodontal (aka gum disease) and have that health issue taken care of then to get my eyes rechecked and new glasses made. Again I say this because right now those seem to be my major health issues and this is about getting my health life back in order and encouraging others (that's you) to do the same! Gum disease can cause major infections, effect your heart, eyes, blood sugar levels aka GET IT CHECKED OUT AND TAKEN CARE OF! that being said...


Breakfast:
1 and 1/2 egg muffin and sausage


Lunch:
Unlimited salad, soup, breadsticks at olive garden (enough said) (it was a post dental lunch menu prices treat!)


Dinner:
Left over home made potato salad and a few grapes (should have had a healthier dinner but I am exhausted and it was readily available... I need to buy some nuts, should have bought some today but didn't think about it)


exercise:
Shopping and housecleaning and yes housecleaning counts


Again I am working on it, I get to go do a big shopping trip next week, today was in prep for a potluck luau I am hosting on Saturday, the next few days will be a blur. But I think cutting out the soda, coffee, ice cream, donuts, chocolate... you get the idea. I'm feeling pretty good with the little big steps I am making! I encourage everyone to make a little step... it's a bigger step than not doing anything at all.

Day 2 sugar challenge

Tired!!!!!! LoL




For those of you who don't know, I drink my sugar with a little coffee... guess what  that means? My caffeine intake has been reduced drastically because I can't stand coffee by itself. I also am not going to substitute sugar with chemicals (aka sweeteners like the pinks, blues, and yellows... I even stay away from the whites. Stevia from the plants itself is better but then again if you think about it during the processing of the plant the nutrient values are sucked out of it just like sugar... imo) (for those less tech savvy than me, and I'm not all that savvy, means In my Opinion)... and if you don't really look at the labels some of the spin offs is laden with just as much chemicals as the pinks, blues, and yellows. (and if your not sure what I mean by pinks, blues, and yellows I'm meaning those little sweetener packets you find at a restaurant, grocery store, etc...aka sweetnlow, equal, and spenda)




So since I am not using sweeteners I am also not drinking soda either... which I shouldn't have picked that habit back up to begin with... whenever I move back to Podunk it's some weird thing I do!!!! Again I will cut back to just water but in the meantime I am allowing myself unsweetened tea but the caffeine just isn't delivered in the same crappy load of chemicals I would get with soda thus still causing withdrawal symptoms I am certain will hit me tomorrow.




That all being said... I am doing good so far






Breakfast:
1 egg
peach




Lunch:
meatloaf
Greek plain yogurt mixed with banana/orange puree (that's right I ate some of my son's baby food sweetened with fruit juice instead of added sugar... don't judge... you mama's out there know what I'm saying... the joys of sharing your babies food!) =P


Snack:
1/2 grilled cheese and chips


Dinner:
chicken breast
fried green tomatoes
way too much homemade potato salad

Day 1 No sugar challenge

I need to go grocery shopping. Between a baby and work my fridge and cupboard look sad. So through slim pickings this is what I ate today:

Breakfast:
2 sausage patties and 2 biscuits
(yes biscuits have sugar I am being good but not perfect I am slowly getting back into a healthy routine)            
Lunch:
slices of ham and cheese

snack:
nuts

dinner:
1 taco and some meatloaf

physical activity:
none today




I need to eat more fruits and veggies, I am aware of this... don't worry I love me some good healthy fruits n veggies!!!

Tomorrow I see the doctor and Wednesday I see the dentist, then I will make an appointment for the eye doctors when the dental work is completed (not sure if I am working on an abscessed tooth).

All of these things connect, teeth can effect your health much more than you'd realize starting with the gums and can be making my eye sight worse... but within a few months times I hope to report all is back on track... diet and exercise baby!

All my perfect imperfections

First off let me explain a little about myself. I am not perfect, duh. LoL...

I am bipolar diabetic and my drug of choice is food. I have had several years of a very stressful life which I will not get into at this time... all you need to know is things are much much better. I say this because although I have always struggled with my weight, I wasn't unhealthy growing up, just chunky. Now I am obese! I have been for several years. I started to get that way before I was put on the right dosage of medications because it took several years to be properly diagnosed... another story for another time.

My father passed away in October of 2012, I got my CNA certification, was working in a care home, landed a seat directly into the LVN course through Humboldt College by-passing the wait-list, lost 50 lbs.... and ended up pregnant. This was of course a blessing! We didn't think I could have a baby! My husband and I have been super blessed by God!!!

During the pregnancy I did EVERYTHING to make this pregnancy as healthy as possible. I couldn't work because I was high risk and when my BP read 178/93 my doctor went uh-uh you are done! (not in those words) My job was taking care of my body.... I walked daily, I ate very strictly.... I was diabetic before pregnancy and had been taking good enough care of myself that I was no longer on any medication to stabilize my sugars so the idea was to do that for as long as I could during my pregnancy... which was successful for the most part. my first 2 trimesters I didn't take anything and on the 3rd trimester I started taking the smallest amount of oral medication. My BP remained normal during the pregnancy but got higher during the 3rd trimester but not enough that they wanted to put me on medication. The only weight I gain during pregnancy was baby weight and 2 weeks after birth I was back to pre-pregnancy weight.

However during the 3rd trimester we had to move back "home" and while this first year as a "new" mom (I helped raise my step-kids but missed the baby stuff) has been wonderful and fun I have tried to balance  between being a new mom, working, and dealing with living in a small little town that does me no good physically. I was born and for the most part raised in a small community where I am blessed with friends, family, and awesome church family. The rent is affordable and we can survive without a car (well my mom has one which makes it nice) so there are great things about this area...but it always depresses me when I move back and I gain weight back...

But this is where I need to stop the bleeding! Stop crying over spilled milk.... So I want to live where there is clean air, nice green trees to look at while walking surrounded in beauty, rivers or brooks or some form of water.... but alas I get the worst air quality ever, dirt, tumbleweeds, dirt, no rain, dirt... oooo the heat did I tell you about how hot it gets?????

Ahhh let me back it up again.... this is where I stop crying over spilled milk. I guess what I need to do is find a place in my mind and pretend there is green and water and who am I kidding.... It's time to quit allowing dirt heat and poor air quality keep me from my goals and to not teach my son bad habits and to teach him not to let this lil ol podunk town keep him from his goals... my goal???? To be healthy..... my number one goal? To raise my son to be healthy.... but they go hand in hand... I can't raise him to be healthy and make better choices if I don't set the right example.

I know what to eat, how to cook it, what to stay away from... and when I do eat healthy I do it well.... my baby came out of a high risk pregnancy healthy healthy healthy and he likes to eat so many variety of healthy food right now and he is only 10 months. I was good while I was breastfeeding then when I lost the milk and didn't need to do it for him anymore I stopped doing it for me.... but the truth is.... I still have to set a good example and he watches everything I do and every bite I put into my mouth and our little boy is smart so I gotta get my act in shape now!

As much as I am ashamed to admit it I have been 317 lbs at my highest... right now sadly I'm back up to 282... here to my next goal of 250... yes that's not my finishing goal but it's a start and then I will set my next goal and keep pushing till I am healthy! I'm not a spring chicken, had my baby when I was 37, now I want to be able to keep up with my very active son for a very long time. Just had another birthday I am 2 years away from 40 and mentally feel like I should be in my 20's still, but my body sure isn't

so here we go...

September 1st 2014 starting out with a no sugar challenge