Setting Goals

 I am an all or nothing kind of person. I am either all in or all out and then sometimes I will circle back around. It makes dieting hard to stick with. I will try a diet fad, mess up, and then just quit. For me, it just doesn't work. I have found that making habits, small term goals, and a sustainable lifestyle is much more productive than all or nothing. SO I am going to walk you through everything I have done to get to the point I am in life.

WRITE IT OUT:

     Think about what you want to accomplish overall. Do you need to lower blood sugar? Exercise more? Eat healthier? Think of every little detail. The big picture.

Jean's Example:

•  Work out 3 hours a week
• Eat a plant based, whole food diet
• Eat 75% raw food
• Drink 1 liter of water a day
• Teach my children how to pick whole food, health sustaining choices

      Now that you have the overall goals think of what it would take to get there. Make these your mini goals.

 Jean's Example:

• Stop drinking calories (pop, mochas, sweet tea)
• Cut out processed sweets and junk food
• Cut out cheese and dairy at home
• Cut out meat
• Stop overcooking, salting, and frying vegetables
• Make time for exercise
•  Cut bread intake

        Take one goal and focus on it. Decide what steps you need to take to accomplish your goal and do it well.

   Jean's Example: To stop drinking calories I will

• Take water with me everywhere I go
•  Allow myself to have one pop everyday for the first week
•  One pop every other day for the second week
•  Two pops a week
•  One pop a week
•  Don't buy or bring pop home
• Order a smaller pop

                           

 Don't worry about your whole list. You have the whole picture in your head. It is going to take a while to get it all accomplished. I have been working on my list for over a year and I still have a long way to go. It is okay though because it is sustainable living and nothing is over night. There is no magic pill, there is no crash fad diet, it is all about discipline and education and consistency. Your list will change and you may scratch things off or add to it and that's okay too!

  Once you have one goal accomplished add another. These things could take a while to accomplish. You should try to accomplish one goal a couple weeks at a time. If it takes longer NO BIG DEAL. Give yourself grace. If you completely mess up one day- no problem. You are human. Dump the remaining pop down the drain. It isn't a waste. This is your health.

   When I started this journey it took baby steps to get to where I am. Once again-still need to change a lot! Here is what my steps looked like

- Start jogging in the summer
- cut out pop and sweet tea
-start counting calories
-cut out white sugars and flours and replace with wheats and natural sweeteners
-start eating clean, cut processed food out of my home
-no more cheese and dairy at home
-no more meat. period.
-start jogging faster and longer distances
-start adding toning
-start incorporating more raw fruits and veggies

 We have really struggled with bread and cheese this winter. And sugar! Its cold! I just want to hibernate. But it really is okay. I know that my eating habits as a whole are significantly better than they used to be. I see where I deal with stress different and I still maintain exercise even in my worst weeks.

RESEARCH- get a database of recipes. Read about clean eating. Read about Whole foods and plant based foods. It may seem overwhelming but it is the best way to retain information.

Overall that is the way that works best for me. Give yourself grace and remember it is a process!
-

I run, I Walk

 I haven't jogged in two months. I sustained a minor bruise in my heel and it was bad enough that I needed to take a break. That, along with traveling through 7 states in 2 weeks, my grandfather's death, trying to maintain diet and homeschooling, and some personal things going on- it's been far away from my brain.  

Tonight I went out in the cold and a lite dusting of snow and I jogged. I only made it 15 minutes with about 11 of that being jogging. BUT it was much needed and it felt good. 

Jogging is great for me because I am able to do whatever I want to do. I can walk. I can stop. I can push for more. I can think, breath, cry, laugh, pray, smile. All at my own pace. I really missed all of that and so many emotions came flooding to me in the 15 mins I was out. 

 My break and injury in jogging can easily be compared to my emotional state right now. My injury sideswiped me and left me feeling repressed and frustrated in a time I could have used an outlet. I pushed really hard this summer, by God's grace, to do things that were hard and uncomfortable. Physically and emotionally. Take jogging for example. I shouldn't be a jogger. I have a bum knee, flat feet, I'm overweight, I have three children, and I am usually a short term project kind of gal. For some reason I have pushed to keep this in my life and to meet goals and to be active even when it's hard. The same goes with some things emotionally. All of the sudden, these things I had worked really hard at were put on hold. I could kind of feel my identity and my confidence fading. Add my grandfather passing on top of it and a super disorganized home a schedule. All of it happened at once. Left me reeling. Thankfully, God is good. He keeps my attention everyday and brings me back to my greater purpose- being Christ to others and raising up little girls who love Him and love others.  Even when there is a bump in the road, an injury, a few pounds gained, a messed up schedule, a less then perfect home, and a personal wound- I. Am. His. Nothing steals that away. He created me to do hard things. He also gives me grace. The last two months it was okay to take a break. To grieve over different losses. To try to find a new normal and to rest in the hands of my God. I hear Him whisper to me that it is time to stand up. Do the hard stuff. It might be cold and dark out but it's time to jog again. Time for me to Walk again. 

This post is personal to me but I really felt like I needed to share it. I am still learning how to be this healthier version of myself and how to fit it in. I'm excited for a new season of getting back to who I am created to be. I'll keep ya posted!

Detox

 My life has been kind of crazy here the last few weeks! From Alabama to Michigan I have been to 6 states in two weeks! As you can imagine my diet has suffered a little bit. From the hospitality of others to eating on the run I have fluctuated between 15 pounds! Now, normally I would be freaking out, but I really don't need to. I was on vacation one week and mourning the next. By the end of it I honestly didn't have the mental capacity to try and be perfect. It is okay. I am only human. Honestly, my biggest downfalls were too much coffee and adding cheese (we don't do dairy at home). So two days into detox and I'm already down and about 8 pounds from my recent lowest weight. I did notice while I was away. 

1) I didn't drink pop

2) I still did two or three workouts a week

3) I still chose raw veggies when I could

These are things that surprised me but I realized-I have been making these things habits for quite a few months now. They stuck with me even when I wasn't being intentional. 

Habits take time and so much effort but are worth it!!!!

Now to detox. My detox plan is as follows:

-water before coffee

- raw breakfast ( juice and smoothies are great for maximum nutrients. I am replacing a meal with them, not supplementing)

- mostly raw lunch. Maybe a pita or something but veggies are ideal!

-I am being lenient on dinner. Maybe some grain or rice but mostly veggies and closer to their natural state. Now sometimes I like a warm meal and This is when I will take advantage of that. 

-for snacks I'm looking to-take a guess-fruits and veggies and maybe nuts if I just can't kick a craving. 

In two days my body has given me headaches, acne, and nausea. All. Part. Of detox. My body loves and misses bad food so it's gonna throw superficial symptoms at me so I will give in. I'm not gonna!

Basically all I am trying to say is don't give up! Habits take time. Losing inches takes time. Detox, as horrifying as it is, takes time. Keep at it. Work hard! Let me know how I can help :)

Easy Peasy

 I was talking to my Mom this morning and we were discussing how hard it can be to cut out processed foods when you just feel like you are in a big hurry! It kind of inspired me to share some of my easiest recipes with you! Maybe it will encourage you to eat whole foods a little more-or show you that it really doesn't have to be so difficult. You are just reprogramming your brain :)

One of the best ways I have made our diet successful is carving out time for preparing food. I personally get up in the morning and prepare whatever I can and especially if I am going to have a busy day. I ALWAYS pack snacks. Always. I don't care if I am running to Target for a half hour I will have snacks on hand. If I get hungry I do not want any excuse to cheat. Apples, oranges, bananas, carrots, peanut butter sandwich, dry roasted peanuts are all great ways to stay away from the tempting, easy to reach, processed garbage :)

OK recipes- sorry I have no pics right now...maybe I will work on that?


Getcha Goin' Nanner- This banana is our FAVORITE breakfast. Every single one of us Hagers LOVE it

1 Banana
Natural Peanut Butter to taste
Agave Nectar or Honey
Flax Seed Meal (I personally grind my own in my coffee grinder but meal may be easier for some)

take your banana-slather with generous portion of peanut butter-sprinkle as much flax seed meal as you want-top with agave nectar/honey. You can be "bad" once in a while and toast a whole wheat English muffin instead of using a banana.

Cold Oats- I know this one sounds strange but I really enjoy it

1 cup quick oats
3/4 cup almond milk or soy milk
and toppings! I love cacao chips, shredded coconut, almonds- so good!
other ideas: raisins, bananas, peanuts, sunflower seeds, raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, cinnamon and I am sure you can think of others
you just eat it like cold cereal!

Pumped Up Pita

1 Pita
1 TBSP your favorite hummus
Cherry Tomatoes
Spinach
Cucumber Slices

This is my favorite way to eat pitas but of course you could be so creative!  Kale, peppers, mushroom, olive its all good for you and you can pile it up as much as you want!

Wrap is Yourself- wraps are so versatile!

1 tortilla shell
refried beans/black beans
salsa
avocado slices
cucumber

once again-so easy to make it to your own tastes. Sometimes I just pull out whatever produce needs to be used up! see how things taste together. Kidney beans, mushrooms, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, celery- mix it up! You may be surprised!

Quinoa Fiesta- I always make this one in a mason jar just because it is easy to grab and go

1 Cup quinoa
avocado
lime juice
cilantro
cumin
salsa/diced tomatoes
black beans

Cook up your quinoa and mix in black beans and cumin. Let cool. Put in the bottom of a mason jar, layer with avocado with a squeeze of lime juice so it doesn't brown, layer with salsa and then a little cilantro. I love this meal and it is good cold! Best for when Jamie and I have a busy day- I just make two and send one with him.


Stir Fry, salads, fajitas- these are all things that are super easy to make! Just cut out the meat/ replace half the meat with veggies.

If you have a crockpot-use it! Make a veggie chili in the crockpot and bring home a microwaveable baked potato with you. Soups are a great way to get veggies and to get full!

Replace meats with things like tofu, potato, beans, lentils, and mushrooms.

Snack ideas:
sunflower seeds
peanuts/almonds/cashews/pistachios
apple
orange
carrots and hummus
pretzels and hummus
cherry tomatoes and hummus
HUMMUS : }
celery
green peppers and salsa
wasabi peas
cacao chips, pretzels, and raisins
peanut butter and apple
peanut butter and banana
kiwi
and if you want to be a little bad-BELIEVE IT OR NOT- lays chips-just plain old lays aren't so awful for you. They have the least amount of ingredients (potatos, sunflower/canola oil, salt)

Alright there ya have it! Fast and easy to get ya started on the road to healthy and happy :) PLEASE feel free to share some of your healthy, easy on the go recipes!

Weight: +3/ Self Esteem: -7

Today was a pretty good day...I had fun with my girls, was able to talk to Barbara, Guy and Mom for a combined totally of like 2.5 hours...I cleaned a little...folded laundry. But at the end of the day I just felt so crappy. My self confidence seems to have plummeted. I skipped two days of working out and tried to keep the calories down and still managed to gain 3 lbs. Please tell me how this can work! I am so frustrated. I was going to just not work out today, props to Jamie who got on the treadmill despite my awful attitude. After he was done I decided to give it a go....and here is what my attitude looked like .....
 not good....


So I got on the treadmill and the first song I heard was Brandon Heath's I will lay you down. While I don't think it is a song written for weight loss and working out...it just fit. I feel so angry with myself right now and just ...no beautiful. And I know that is a lie and it is not true and it is not how God wants me to feel. I don't know why I feel angry about it, normally I would just be sad...but tonight I was actually angry. I don't know how I feel now. Maybe I should just throw my scale away and work out everyday for the rest of my life. HAHA anyway...Thanks, Jamie for being the better person and doing what is best for us. Maybe tomorrow I won't be so moody... (The video on this song isn't necessarily what I would have picked..but it was the only version of the song I could find!)

Hello 228!

Sorry about my new blog location...I really wasn't sure how following and followers would be effected.

Yesterday I worked out on the treadmill for about 30 mins, I wogged (as Jamie so lovingly calls it). Wogging is like walking and then jogging and repeat : ) I woke up this morning and was excited to see 228!  : ) YAY! I stuck to counting calories pretty well today. I felt pretty sick and was considering not working out, but I managed to get 15 minutes in and about 5 of it was jogging. Enough to break a sweat...but I had to stop because my children do come first. BUT maybe tomorrow we will see 227 regardless. I feel pretty sore and tired and almost to busy for this healthy nonesense...but I really am trying. It can get stressful because I am trying to potty train my two year old and get my 6 month old to eat veggies, and neither have the same goals hahaha

Dance Party Day 5

Day 2 of my dance party went well, but day 3 I found myself sick most of the day and could only pull energy out to do half the leg lifts I would normally do. Day 4 I didn't Dance because we got a treadmill! (Maybe you read about it in Jamie's new blog ) SO I am still dancing one song with Juju because it is way fun and good to move around....but I am going to primarily be doing the treadmill and leg lifts (YUCK!) Yesterday I did 45 minutes on the treadmill, but I was up a lb today. This may be because whenever I get on the treadmill I tend to drink more fluids and maybe something about muscle over fat. It will drop off...I just have to keep at it. So thankful for the treadmill...and for Jamie who is keeping me motivated!

Dance Party: Day 2

I woke up this morning to find myself at 229 - 2 lbs lighter than yesterday! WOOT!

Today I have probably eaten all the calories that I have allowed myself in a day...so I may be stretching that rule  a little today. I ate oatmeal for breakfast, two slices of pizza for lunch (that all put me at about 700 calories) but then Jamie's Dad wanted to take us out to eat. I had an omelet with ham, cheese, and veggies but there were some hashbrowns too...so that alone probably put me over my calorie intake. BUT I am pleased to say Jubilee and I DID have a dance party that lasted about 35 minutes. My knee started hurting halfway through (no I dont have knee problems...I have weight problems) so I decided to try to do more of standing ab work outs and not as much twirling (HAHA) poor Jamie had to witness the entire event. I think that may have cleared up some of my stage fright so maybe....just maybe you will see a clip sometime. But dont hold your breath. If I maintain my weight tomorrow morning I will be more than pleased...but 228 you can come visit anytime!

Exercise Can Be Fun...Right?

I am always hearing things about how great dance is for you, it is supposed to be great cardio. Also I LOVE Zumba and Turbo Jam...SO I am trying something for a week to see how it goes.

I have been eating a consistant diet of 1600- 1900 cals a day. I haven't gained but I haven't really lost either. I have kept the five lbs, that I lost, off. I am going to be as strict as I can with my diet... 1600 a day. AND I am going to have a dance party, with Juju, for a week and see if it helps me lose. This is just an experiment and is for fun. I will dance 45 minutes a day with Juju, to any songs that I choose. I will let you know how it goes! It could be silly...but it's fun regardless and the girls get a kick out of it.

I was at 231 this morning...here we go!

What's Goin' On?

Justice is super sick, she got the cold from her older sister and now her eyes and nose wont stop watering/running. Today, after her nap, I had to take a warm wash cloth to them in order for them to open...they were matted shut. So not cool. My little, happy, cute monster is so sad and helpless : (

Jubilee is recovering from her cold, but is making up for her good health with crazy behavior. Not necessarily bad, just ornery. I will tell her not to do something that she already knows not to do and she will just smile at me...yea...brat : )

Jamie is super, duper busy with work. If it hadn't been for our mini blizzard than he would have been on his 8th day straight today. Fortunately he has about a 36 hour break in there. On Wednesday, he and I are going on an overnight date! WOO HOO! AND since I have amazing friends, it looks like we may go to a movie as well. I am so excited about it, but am hoping Jusi is out of the worse of it by then. It will be pretty tempting to cancel if she is still this bad. Jubilee was done with hers in like two days...and the last day was just like today. Here's hopin'.

 I have been playing Mass Effect in the meantime, you know, when I am not cleaning or taking care of sickos (did I mention Jamie was sick too? haha) I have taken a short break with text broker, but want to get back into that soon.

Angel is due with her baby today, Marianna is coming over tomorrow, date with Jamie Wednesday/Thursday, Friday is unknown at this point, and Jamie's birthday is on Sat! Woooot! :)

I talk to my family like everyday...if not my parents or brother than Jamie's : ) Guy is good...I miss him. I know he is probably enjoying Korea and I am glad for that. I miss our "Chicago" crew as of lately. It's sinking in more and more that they are further than convenient. Blah.

Overall we are really blessed and feeling good in spirit...if only we could get our health there too.  COME ON SPRING!

Eggplant is scurry

I am trying to make eggplant pizzas tonight...eggplant is scary if you have no idea what you are doing and that would be ME...the inexperienced eggplant handler. So I will let you know how these lil pizzas turn out and what hubby says....maybe even pics?

And this entry is cut way short because my daughter is puking everywhere : ( ok I think eggplant is even more scary tonight than expected.

Nothin' Much

Welp, I have lost 4 lbs as of today while my husband has lost 7 : ) has does that happen?! At any rate I am pretty excited and am hoping to lose 31 more pounds before April 1...so lets see if we can do this!

Jamie surprised me this morning by switching shifts with someone and staying home. I woke up to the girls being fed and fell back asleep only to find that when I woke up AGAIN they were bathed and playing in the living room while Daddy was watching Batman Forever : ) too cute and too sweet. My hubby is so cool to realize that I needed a day to relax and that I needed a day with him as well.

I think we are going to run a couple of errands and grab a light dinner with our neighbors and Ricky and then we HAVE to work out. We worked out last night too...Jamie was so encouraging because he didn't want to but did anyway just for me. SO here is to shedding these 31 pounds! *Lifts glass of calorie-less, flavorless, water*

Diet....woo...hoooo

I started my diet yesterday...I know you are supposed to say it is a life change and yadda yadda but it just feels like a stinky ol diet : )

I had a blueberry breakfast bar for breakfast (90 cals)
3 cups of coffee, in which i had to use powdered cream with just a hint of flavor because the flavored has more calories. (200 calories...will be less from now on)
huge bowl of veggies for lunch with not even a teaspoon of butter and pepper (85 cals)

So I only used 375 for calories when I said I would use 500....I decided I will try to use all 500 because I actually started getting a headache before dinner time and then I just wanted to stuff my face. so use the extra 125 and then I wont feel the need to be a glutton at dinner. And I did pretty good at dinner, ate till I was satisfied and then went and worked out. Had some juice before bed (yes I know...dont drink your calories but that was the snack I chose) 17o cals


TODAY I am doing well so far. I came up with a banana, oatmeal, cinnamon and splenda concoction that only cost me 125 calories. And my first cup of coffee is comin' up here shortly : ) I am trying to decide if it is better to save caloreis by using splenda or to be organic and use sugar. What do you guys think?

Not the day for any kind of self esteem

Today was a frustrating day. I started my new "eating right habits" and it was just annoying. I only had 500 calories until dinner, then I ate what I wanted in small portions and until I was content...not full...just satisfied. I went and worked out...came home and had a 150 calorie snack. Now...it may not sound like the most fantastic plan, but I KNOW that I cut out a huge portion of what I eat and I worked out on top of it. I am going to continue to do this till I see results and until I have money to buy healthier things...in the meantime I have no choice but to use the things in my cabinets and just be thankful I have something. SO yes, frustrating day..the diet...my acne, ugh I don't even know what is going on with it. I just want it to go away and I want to treat it but can't at the moment. Also none of my clothes fit me right, so I look frumpy and blah and it doesn't matter anyway because if I did have cute stuff I wouldn't have time to fix myself up because I always come last in the equation. (Get kids up, change and bathe kids, feed kids, entertain kids, nap the kids, clean the house, get kids up, change kids, feed kids, oh look Jamie's home, feed him too, and shower) LOL Ok So it may seem like I am kind of complaining here...I love my life, I love what I do, I love my kids and my hubby...but I can do without the acne, the frumpy look, the clothes not fitting, the lack of healthy food, and the lack of money to fix acne, clothing,food problems. *sigh* I'm sorry. It was just a weird and frustrating day and I am praying that God passes some hope my way and that I can just keep my chin up and remember that I have two daughters, a husband, and a Creator who thinks that I am beautiful.

Jusi

My poor Jusi is so sick today. I just want to make everything better. Congested, exhausted, not holding food very well. It just stinks. Any and all prayers are appreciated.

Lil Brudder

My little brother is coming home in less than two weeks! I am beside myself! : )

Yesterday he had a bad day as he woke up and couldn't move. He thought he was having a nightmare that he was in pain and when he woke up he realized it was true and he couldn't move. He had to have his suite mate call 911 for him. Last I heard he was better...had some pain killers and muscle relaxers....but that's pretty scary!

ANYWAY...I heard this song last night and thought of him.

I was going to clean today....

but that is an epic fail as I am all drugged up over a little itty bitty tooth.....

Busy busy busy!

Between a last minute run to Indiana last Friday, Jamie's work schedule, my tooth flaring up and having to be pulled, two kids, laundry, dishes, and breathing...I have been a little behind on my bloggering skills... I will catch up soon I promise!

Thanks to everyone who commented on my "My Superman" post. I made myself pretty vulnerable posting it and I don't normally share things that meaningful to me and the positive responses made me smile.

Sorry if I don't make sense right now.....I have a pulled tooth and am on Vikadin ...yee ha!

Annoying

I went to the doctor today to get checked up on my incision (which is finally healing properly!) and was very annoyed when I felt pressured into using birth control that I know nothing about and have no desire at this point in time to try. The doctor seriously acted as though I was ignorant when I told him that I don't feel comfortable using the pill because of how many of my friends have complained about it. (Mostly the mood that it tends to put people in) He rolled his eyes at me. Really? I think it is MY body and MY choice....then he shoved a Mirena flyer in my face and told me to read up on it and come back in three weeks to talk about it....then he left the room. ....... uhm ok then. The nurse came back in and told me we were all through and told me to come back in 3 weeks. I told her I was not coming back because my insurance is through cobra right now (which is soooo expensive) and I didn't intend to pay for another month of it just to come back. She insisted that I come back in three weeks. Just. for. birth control. options. SO all I got from this visit is that they want to get more money out of me. If that was not there intention they did not do a very good job of communicating that to me. ANNOYING!

Don't Panic!

I was kinda sorta freakin out on Monday because I found out that if we were going to change our insurance from ppo to hmo we had to do it NOW and not after Jubilee is born. AND it had to be done by the 15th of December...EEK! So Monday I was pulling my hair out telling Jamie that we needed a list of doctors to choose from and looking online at things and yada yada yada. Yesterday I couldn't even deal with it. I just decided to clean the house instead and give it a rest in my head. Then today I was on the phone all day with people...I found out there are two types of hmo and that some doctors offices only accept one of them. I finally found one, haven't met the guy but I am just hoping he is nice! Went over to his office to fill out all the paper work and I have my first appointment with him tomorrow morning! (They were pretty anxious to get me in as I am 5 weeks and 3 days away from my due date!) They also had me fill out forms to get all of my records transfered...I don't really like all that stuff...paper work and forms and YUCK! SO now I have this doctor who I am covered by at the moment and will be on the 15th. Pray that I like him haha. Jamie is very happy about it because the hospital he has rights at is only 8 miles away from us instead of 22. (Chicago miles are not like Indiana miles...if you want to get 22 miles away in Peru it takes about 22 minutes...here it doubles if not triples according to traffic....so we were looking at a 30-50 min drive originally. Now we are looking at 15 mins.) SO I suppose it is a good thing if it puts my Baybee's mind at ease : )
I see God working in every single moment of our lives right now. I feel his presence and I feel a growth that I haven't felt in a long time. I know that there are areas I am being challenged in but it is a good thing and I am thankful.
Hope you guys have a grand remaining week!