Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Who put the "Die" in "Diet"

Amazing!!! I cannot believe the fantastic support I have received from this blog. My dear cousin coined a new phrase “blight” for my blog. It is a “be light blog” aka blight. Thank you to everyone who responded! I hope that you continue to enjoy…Please read on for this week’s adventure.

Well, the last eight days have been very interesting. I have been able to meet my daily goals of at least five of the items on the list. I truly set myself up for success as I automatically accomplished two of my five every day. I pray daily and I always play with my children. This lifestyle change has made me more aware of the time spent in both activities and I have to say that I could devote more time to both. My other favorites were drinking water, taking my vitamins and cutting out soda.

Diet Pepsi and I have a love-hate relationship. It has been my beverage of choice for many years. However, after talking to a peer I’ve changed my perspective a bit. She said, “My grandmother always said, ‘Why would you eat or drink anything when the first three letters of its name spell DIE?’” I have to say that I am inclined to agree with her grandmother. This lifestyle change isn’t about a diet. It shouldn’t be about dying skinny…It’s all about living healthy. I can proudly say that I have been DIEt Pepsi free for eight days. The first four days were absolutely miserable. I was fatigued, had horrible headaches and was CRABBY!!! Fortunately, my husband loves me and my children have short memories (kind of…but more on that later) plus the symptoms were temporary. I hope I have made it through the worst of the withdrawal symptoms. I have to admit that I still drink coffee on a daily basis but I have cut down to one cup a day…it may be a 24 ounce cup but it is all in one cup. Today I only drank half of it which is a vast improvement considering I consider refills a part of the single cup as long as there is still a bit of coffee in the bottom of my cup.

I had the opportunity to spend last weekend with my husband’s family for Christmas. We had tons of delicious food and spent an amazing weekend eating and having a great time. Was anything diet or low fat? Nope. Did I overdo it? Maybe a little. I have to say that I thought twice before grabbing seconds. The food was delicious but I stopped at one and gave my body time to feel full. Did I dig into the sweets? You betcha. I tried a little bit of everything and tried the Oreo truffles four or five times. However, this is an improvement. In years past I would have stationed myself in the kitchen and spent the entire 36 hours feeding myself. Baby steps…Holidays will always be a challenge but this weekend gave me the opportunity to practice for Christmas and New Year’s Eve!

Updates for the week
Current Weight-275 (Loss of five pounds…woot woot)
Average Caloric Intake-2000 Calories
Lunches Eaten Out-Zero
Healthy Lunches Brought from Home-Six
Desserts Eaten-At least 8…Still working on this
Times I felt deprived-Once
Breakfast-Everyday!!!

Recipes for This Week
Flavored Water
1 Lime
1 Lemon
1 Cucumber
2 Quarts of Water-More if your container is bigger

Wash produce.
Cut lemon and lime into wedges.
Squeeze juice into pitcher and drop wedges into pitcher.
Slice cucumber and add slices to pitcher.
Fill with water and refrigerate until chilled.
Enjoy!

This has become my alternative to soda. I actually keep a pitcher full at home and work. I add water throughout the day and use the fruits for two days and then replace.

Egg Mug
Two eggs
Non-stick spray
Coffee Mug

Spray inside of mug.
Crack two eggs into mug.
Whisk and place in microwave for one minute.
After one minute, stir and place back in microwave for 15-30 seconds until desired doneness is achieved.
Enjoy!

This has become my go-to breakfast. It is quick and easy plus it is chockfull of protein. Add some fruit and a yogurt or skim milk for a balanced meal. It has also become my snack in the afternoon on those crazy days where I need a boost.

Until next time…Enjoy the sweet life and I don’t mean a life filled with sweets.

Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Day One-Motivated...Kind of

My name is Stephanie. I am a wife and mother of two amazing children. I have a Master's degree in Clinical Social Work. I work for an amazing company as a therapist and the Transitional Housing Team Leader. I live in a town that I love and am blessed to be close to so many of my friends and family. My husband and I are remodeling our new home and making it ours. There are so many things that are going right in my life that it is now time to address a few things. This blog is all about my life and changes that need to be made. First and foremost...health. I have decided that it is no longer acceptable for me to be comfortable with myself the way that I am. I would not allow my clients to come to me with the issues that I have without holding them accountable. I refuse to be a double standard any longer. My weight has literally spiraled out of control. I feel like the only way that I will be able to truly make changes and stick with them is through this accountability. It is difficult for my friends and family to provide that accountability. My sweet loving husband has seen me gain 80 pounds in our nearly eleven years of togetherness. Since he is also an intelligent man he has not mentioned these physical changes and I love him for it since it is not really his job to be the fat police. The rest of my family may mention their own troubles in passing but may not actually say, "Steph, you have a problem, you are killing yourself with food." I don't plan on forever explaining to my daughter why she has the fat mom. I want her to gain the skills necessary to make smart choices not to forever be trapped in a body that makes her uncomfortable. I want to be able to chase after my son, he's already quicker than a ninja and he's not even walking. I want to be the best mom I can be. How can I be that person when I am not setting an example that I would want my children to follow?

This will be my journey and my personal transformation. I will be sharing photos and techniques that I have used to find my healthy me. FYI-I couldn't care less about being skinny. I am doing this to get healthy as I plan on being here for many years to come.  I am being honest for the first time...ever...when it comes to my weight and health. This may be TMI for some of you...deal with it and be prepared...pictures will follow.

Here are the starting stats:

Current Weight-280 Pounds-This is the heaviest I have ever been except while I was pregnant with Claudia. I weigh more now than when I gave birth to Gage ten months ago.

Current Size-24/26

Exercise Weekly-None

Current Average Calories Consumed in a Day-3,000-Give or take

Favorite Snack-Candy and Sweet Bread Snacks

Meals-Huge Portions with Lots of Inappropriate Additions

How am I going to accomplish my healthier version of me?

I created a list of twenty things that will improve my health. My goal for the next week is to complete five each day. Any above and beyond is extra health for me.

Here's the list:

1.      Pray
2.      Drink 64 ounces of water
3.      Eat a healthy breakfast that includes a good source of protein
4.      Take vitamins
5.      Exercise for at least 20 minutes
6.      Play with kiddos for 30 minutes
7.      Meditate for 15 minutes
8.      Brush teeth after every meal
9.      Read an educational article or journal
10.  Laugh
11.  Take pleasure in something small
12.  Let someone know how much they are appreciated
13.  Eat two fruits
14.  Eat two vegetables
15.  Choose two healthy snacks versus junk
16.  No pop day
17.  No coffee day
18.  Brown bag it with yummy healthy options
19. No Candy
20. Journal my food

Anyone have any other easy things to add to the list? If it isn't easy to start with I know I will lose motivation and quit. I want these to be lifestyle changes not whims. Let's do this!