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!
-

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 :)

Above All Else

 Have you ever heard that saying, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness"? Not my fav. Not only because I am an unorganized individual (I guess I am still clean but not organized) but that just assumed that we are all the same personality and that we should all fit into this certain mold. If my cleanliness is on the weakness list, this saying implies that so is my Godliness.

 Lately I have done nothing but talk about health and diet. I have been talking about it so much that I realize that it may be blurring the most important topic. That is my God.

 I want to let everyone know that when I talk about the big changes we have made in our lives, our exercise and health goals, our weight....all of that has happened because God did something in my heart. HE is the one that I give all the credit too. He convicted our hearts to change and gave us the drive.

God is above all else. Health, finances, food, our home, my family....God is my Everything. He is the One that has gotten me through everything and He is the one that has provided me the resources and tools to achieve this change. He also gave me an amazing better half who fuels our journey and leads our family.

He is so good. Please get a hold of me if you have any questions about how the Love of Jesus can change your life.

A Couple of Tricks I've Learned

Alright ya'll...its been about a week and a half since Jamie and I started our veggie diet. Jamie has lost 12 lbs and I have lost 2 (I didn't expect to lose being pregger and all so I was delightfully surprised.)


A couple of things I have learned about being vegetarian- you really just cannot buy ENOUGH fresh fruits and veggies. You need LOTS of snacky things (nuts, dried fruits, trail mixes, popcorn) Also, black bean burgers are very difficult to make : )


Here are a couple of recipes that just reallly worked for our family!


Pollock- Last night was our fish night (once a week we have fish or chicken) and we had frozen pollock. It is cheap and it is tasty. I let it thaw then sprinkled pepper on it. I then took margarine and Parmesan grated cheese and mixed it together and just kind of coated the fillets with the mixture. The recipe actually called for sour cream but I just didn't have any. WOW the fillets were tender and falling apart and also kind of had a caramelized cheesy taste to them. SO good. 30 minutes at 450 (I did 425 because I have an electric stove and everything seems to burn...so I put it on a lower heat and let it cook a little longer.) The Parmesan/butter mixture will be excellent on top of a casserole dish of baked broccoli, cauliflower, corn or even potatoes. Can't wait to use it more!


Poor Man's Bruschetta- I am not lying with this one! I literally have no groceries until tomorrow morning. The recipe called for a french loaf of bread, fresh tomatoes, olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, fresh crushed basil, fresh crushed garlic. O didnt have hardly any of those things SOOOO I grabbed the can of stewed tomatoes out of my cabinet (I usually save those for soups and chilis) and drained them SUPER DUPER WELL. Added canola oil, salt, pepper, already crushed basil, minces garlic from a jar in my fridge and in replacement of vinegar...just a little bit of pickle juice. You heard me. Pickle juice. Bruschetta kind of has a crunch to it...this didnt because of the stewed tomatoes but it was pretty good. Jamie loved it. I made my own french bread and topped the bruschetta on it. The recipe for bread actually is enough for two loaves to I also made a sauteed onion and green pepper mixture with soy sauce, butter, salt and pepper for the other loaf. Jamie just stacked the bruschetta and onion and green pepper mixture together and sprinkled Parmesan cheese on it. It worked...I lot better than I had expected. It was just an interesting event : )




Thai peanut greens- This one was totally inspired by PF changs lettuce wraps and by oriental chicken salad at different restaurants. I took mushrooms, green peppers and thai peanut sauce and sauteed it in the skillet. Put it over a bed of romaine with honey roasted peanuts, chow mien noodles and a little but more thai sauce. To cool it down I put just a hint of ranch and they complimented each other well. The mushrooms are so meaty you just don't miss the chicken. Yummmm this one was definately a winner!

This dish would be EXCELLENT with thinnly sliced carrots for a great crunch and color : ) OR you could make the mixture and put it in big 'ol lettuce leaves...yummmm

And last is my fav, but sooo not good for you. Just a little treat/guilty pleasure.
Deep fried banana peppers...just take them right out of the jar...bread them in flour, throw them in some canola oil until crispy and salt just a little. Oh yum....just a fun little snack

Well there are some of our recipes. I am sure there will be more to come!

MIssing the Burbs

I can't lie... I am really starting to miss some of the things we left in the Northwest Suburbs...Of course we have always missed the people...but now I am missing location where I have lots of fond memories with some of those people...

Oberweis Ice Cream....theee best
Caribou Coffee...how do I survive without thee?
Asian Market
Target being literally like a mile away
Goodwill...once again a mile away
Classic China..our first restaurant adventure
Woodfield Mall
Aurora Outlets
Trader Joes....Just to name a few...

BUT I found out fantastic news today, there is a trader joes ten miles from my friend Ray who I visit every 4-6 weeks! WOO HOO! I am going to stock up on their dried goods and hummus.... Does anyone know if you can freeze hummus???

Vegetarians...Because We Can

 SO Jamie and I have been taking a step back and looking at our eating habits. After listening to what celebrity vegans have to say we thought about the health benefits that could offer us...but came to the conclusion that not only are we ok with eating diary but some meats too.

In efforts to fix our unhealthy eating habits, for the sake of our economic situation and also because why the heck not....we have decided to slowly, settle into more of a vegetarian lifestyle. For now. Now we will have fish or chicken once or twice a week....we are slowly eating through the meat we had in our freezer (no need to waste)...and if someone had us over for steaks we wouldn't decline. This is more of a project to focus on the things that are good and natural that we can put into our bodies and to make it a habit in our lives.

At first I was completely overwhelmed! But Stac gave me some pretty good guidelines to start out with.

After reading her beginners steps I realized my biggest concern is going to be getting enough protein. SO we will be drinking a little more milk, including either a bean or some sort of nut at dinner times, maybe even have cottage cheese a little more often. I am excited that we are trying new things and that we will not be spending so much on meat!

So far we had one night where we had a veggie stir fry, this afternoon Jamie had pita bread and hummus for lunch instead of a lean pocket, I had a peanut butter bagel...and for dinner we are making tomato and mozzarella melts...YUMMMM :)

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!)

So I woke up this morning....

and didn't see a 227 on my scale....

I SAW A 226!!!!! : ) yay!

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!

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.

Star Wars, the Sunny, and Stuff



Well Jamie and myself had such a fun weekend! We had a Star Wars marathon that was split into two days. The first day we watched the original trilogy with 4 friends and a couple of wanderers and the second was the other three with just us and Marianna and Bryan. We ate terrible! All weekend haha but it was way fun and I needed to review my fav series...man whats next?! Harry Potter?!? or should we introduce everyone to Firefly?!? hahaha

Jubilee is getting so good about her lack of sunny and I am just so proud of her. We are going to go and buy her a big girl bed and comforter soon : )

My diet is going well but exercise is just hard! Jamie is on a retail schedule and we hardly see each other as it is. So it is hard to convince the other to workout while the one stays with the kids....and when he is home by 9 some evenings and then dinner...just losing motivation. I even find myself cutting my sessions short when I know I could jog longer because I want to hang out with him. SO I think we are going to invest in a treadmill and I am WAY excited : )

Justice is starting to eat baby fruits and veggies...and is sleeping through (most nights) until 9 in the morning! She is also nearly out of 6 month clothes completely and only in 9 months...did I mention she is 5 months as of yesterday!

I am really hoping and praying for a get a way night next month just me and the hubsters! I think we could use it.

Not much else...May the force be with you! (always)

Yadda Yadda

Well I was pretty bummed that we could not go to church or small group tonight. Pastor Paul called to check up on us and is just more than gracious about our situation. Looking forward to next Sunday when Jamie has off! : ) My heart just really wants to be there...but we can't and it just makes me sad.


On a better note...we have a completely new kitchen as far as food goes. Filled with Fruits, Veggies, Protein Whey and Bars I am excited to see what happens! I am trying a new approach...count calories but make sure they are quality calories that have high fiber and protein. Today I am experimenting with no bake whey cookies and here is the recipe...let me know what you think if you try it! I definitely added a little sugar because it needed something. I used regular peanut butter and each cookie came out to about 64 calories but was packed with 6+ protein!!!  We hit a bump for a while as far as weight lose but Jamie is down 11 and I am down 7

Jubilee's birthday is tomorrow and I can't believe how big my little girl is

Justice is so funny and giggly...but what out if she is hungry!

And as usual I love my Jamie...

DIETING STINKS!

Well I totally blew my diet this week...ok I am exaggerating a little. But I definitely did NOT stick with it when some of our friends came to town. I worked out one morning and ate in moderation and gained 2.5 lbs! Is that not the most frustrating thing EVER! How can I work so hard and only lose like 6 lbs...and then slack just a little and BAM! BLAH...I am not letting anyone convince me again. I am going to lose this flab and keep it off! lol so back to the drawing board....

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*

Day three of Diet and other random stuff

Today is the third day of counting calories and working out! And I have lost three pounds as of this morning : ) Today I made oatmeal again and tried it with chocolate chips and marshmellows (5 calories less than with a banana) but next time I will pass on the sweet tooth and take the banana as it is more filling. Jamie is working out with me and cutting back to and he has lost 6 pounds....silly men and there lack of hormone : )

Justice is in 9 month clothing! Isnt that crazy! I think I am goingto start her on veggies soon. I think she can handle it:) haha She can stand with support now too which just blows my mind. She has rolled over once...so if we can get her to keep rolling and wiggle a little more and sit up lol i shouldnt put so much pressure on my 4 month old.

Jubilee is saying the funniest things
"Thank you guys"
"What's wrong"
"Where is ____"
"Justice be quiet" (in a nice voice...lol smart lil booger...say a not so nice thing in a nice voice confuses mommy)
"Where did it go"
"Your malcom (welcome)"
and the one that Jamie and I were cracking up at
"Oh wow! Look at that!" (pointing at a glow worm that Justice was playing with for the first time)

She also has learned to hide things but retrieves them when I ask for them...her doodle pen, my camera, the remote control, etc. And LOVES throwing things away and has a pretty good sense of what goes in the trash and what doesnt, but always asks first.

Today I am not going to clean as much as I have been this week, think I need a break : ) Till next time!

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?