I Know, I Know

Like my sister mentioned while we ran all over central Iowa yesterday, it seems like I am always starting my diet again. Here's the deal, though-I get tired with being good all the time. I mean, who doesn't. It isn't necessarily that I fall off and regain, either (though this last time I did-just blatantly ate poorly, though, as I was going through a tough spot). I generally let myself lose around ten to fifteen pounds, then take a break. I get burnt out and regress majorly, otherwise. I think one of the hardest factors for me is that my family eats very well. For one, I cook pretty well. I also already focus on whole foods from scratch. But, I let them eat grain based foods and have no problem with homemade sweets. Those are the two major items that have to be removed from my normal diet in order to lose weight, and two of my favorites. So, here I sit again, poised to start whittling it away again. I have my reasons, the greatest of which is just health. I am open to us having more kids. I won't try until I am at a certain weight, though. As far as looks and such, it would be great to look slimmer, but honestly, that is the least of my worries. I work my tookus off each day. I am not a couch potato. I don't eat a lot of junk food. I know what and how we should eat. It is a simple procedure of cutting out just a couple food groups for awhile. They just happen to be the two most difficult to cut. But, yesterday was the first day of doing so, and two pounds dropped overnight. Maybe if I force myself to check in here until I reach a major goal I will do better. Sorry to bore you with the details of something so slow in movement, but I really want to make it work longer this time.In the meantime, I am less likely to get bored this time, though, as I have discovered some uber-fantastic sites with recipes available for me, who is so very easily bored with making the same thing for dinner all the time. Like tonight's dish, chicken in coconut milk, which smells a lot like Tom Ka Gai, so I am sure will be a winner in my book.

Attempt number four hundred thirty four

Okay, maybe not that many, but I seriously need to get the wedding weight off. What, you haven't heard of wedding weight? Breastfeeding pretty much melted off the baby weight. I was back to my previous size within a couple months after Superboy's birth. That is not my ideal size, though. I was closer to that prior to Dad. I met him, we get married and a year later I hardly recognize myself. I know I can whittle down to what I would like to be at. I like to use an eating approach I should really follow all the time, anyway. That is a combination of the Maker's Diet, Nourishing Traditions and Mercola's No-Grain approach. They all make sense and pretty much compliment each other. And are fairly easy to use. My issue is with sweets and bread. Once the weight is down, they are not an issue. What I do eat of them is pretty minimal, but just enough to keep me from my goal. I have decided to try another approach, using a smoothie that contains good stuff, and only berries and stevia for sweeteners, as berries are generally okay in the beginning "cleansing" portions of the food regimens. Dad has noticed a lot of acid reflux here lately, and I am hoping he will join me. The smoothie will replace my breakfast, and any time I crave ice cream (like when its 100 flippin' degrees outside with a heat index of just don't do it). That can push breakfast food, which is easy for me, to lunch time (scrambled eggs with sausage or bacon. I know pork is eschewed in most of the above meal plans, but, um, yum. I am working on finding good beef substitutes.) Then dinner is easy-I can eat big meat salads, which I really enjoy. So, we'll see. I think the hardest thing lately has just been the heat and eating a lot of ice cream out to combat it.

Cracked

That's what I've done. I can't stand it anymore. I am getting serious about the family's diet (what we eat, not losing weight, though I am sure to benefit) again. I used to be very strict with what entered the mouths of myself, and actually its been long enough, Pony Gal. Superboy wasn't even here yet. And I have let it slip. But in the last couple months it has become more and more apparent that I need to get back to that again. I have had issues with swelling, back pain, now a probable deep tissue yeast infection in one breast, the kids' behavior is showing signs, and newly confirmed issues of Pony Gal's most likely left from either prematurity or our early use of vaccines with her, has got me on high alert. What I use as our guide is The Maker's Diet by Jordan Rubin and Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon, though I had been lax in ever getting around to purchasing her book. But Amazon has a used one on the way as we speak. I think diet makes a HUGE difference in your everyday life. I know I notice vast differences. My energy level is one hundred percent better, the kids act better, I don't have to think about how much I am eating because it doesn't really affect me. So, starting today, we are back to square one. I am fasting for the day, both for dietary and spiritual reasons, to jump start. If I am a bit of a bear to anyone, I apologize in advance:) I will be clearing shelves (most likely moving anything that I hate to part with and can store to the emergency pantry, aka the basement kitchen) and making a stop and the grocery store to make sure I have plenty on hand. I offered kids oreos yesterday-I mean, come on! That is not me. Granted I was not the purchaser-Papa H kept them on hand for snacking-I still don't like that they were in my house. So, here we go. I am sure to get squawks from the kids for a few days. Not Dad? Well, he is impossible to do too much with. He eats what he wants. When I am in charge of a meal, he will be benefit, but he also knows how to go to lunch on his own and eat what/where/when he likes. It's time. Especially with the economy as it is, there will come a point (not may, will) where we will be eating that way anyhow, as we focus on a diet consisting of what we can grow or purchase locally, only. One modification is that the kids will be allowed pork and cow's milk at this point, as I don't see it as a bane to their diets. If goat's milk is more readily available, we prefer it, but at the price, it just isn't happening at this point. I will try to post updates. Look out, mama's on a mission!

Itchin....

...for a new tattoo. I have wanted one for a while, but totally couldn't decide what. Now I know. The catch is that technically I am "not allowed". I am not in some domineering relationship, but as a means of encouragement Dad and I decided I could get a new tattoo when I reached a certain goal in my weight loss-just a way to push me along more than anything. The problem is that he hangs me up more than just about anything else. If it were totally up to me, no feeding him, I would have reached that goal a long time ago. The kids and I can totally subsist off of healthy goodness. The hubby on the other hand, will not. Could he? Yes. Will he? No. So, in my logic, if he is part of the problem, then I get what I want anyway. And I have wanted another since way before I met him. Money and deciding on something that I would want to be permanent was difficult. I wanted to work something that would honor my dad, bless my children, reflect my love of God and nature and could be easily added to if other children come or loved ones leave. And it has taken since my dad died to figure it out, but as of yesterday I had. So now I need to go with my brother and talk tattoo artists, as well as probably have him draw something up. Originally I had wanted him to do it, but due to some situations over the last few years he can't. Anyway, hopefully I will inked again for the first time since February 14th, 2000, soon!

Salsa!

So, I am determined to get back to blogging about every day...so get ready for some really boring posts!
Annnyyywaayyyy...
Yesterday the kids and I caught some more clearance goodies at Target. Among one of the non-clearance but Momma deemed necessary items we got was a dancing with the stars choreographer based salsa cardio workout DVD (how's that for a run on sentence!). We did that for the first time today, which brought back a)my love of dancing, b) my love of exercise and getting my heart pumping c) my forgotten realization of the fact that I really cannot dance. Whoa, watch out! Then you add Superboy trying to hold and go through my legs while trying to swivel and pivot hips that I am pretty sure have NEVER moved that way before-we're talking funniest home video material. Nevertheless, I am excited to start the new routine, which will help my live healthy Iowa buddies and my butt. And abs (or lack thereof). And thighs. And balance. And so on.

Family Time, and Food

I know, I tend to write on the same stuff over and over. I used to jot down notes when I thought of things I wanted to talk about, but things just never seem to slow down with Evil Knevil as a son...
Growing up, food and family were inextricably linked. I have found this to be both something I cherish and loathe. I love feeding those I love when they come to my house, and I feel loved when I visit others homes and they feed me. This has lead to us rather recently having set nights when we visit family for dinner; Wednesday with my mom, Thursday with Dad's, Friday night is our at home pizza making night and Saturdays with Papa H, at least every couple weeks. The kids get a heavy dose of grandparents, something that seems to lack a lot in today's society, and I get a break on the grocery bill. Plus, I love our family. There are is a sibling whom we really would rather not share airspace with, but we deal for everyone else's sake.
In the meantime, having started Live Healthy Iowa, and to really focus on weight loss, again, I have found that my tendency toward social eating is one of my major problems with weight gain, as well as my tendency toward tired eating. I have a still night nursing one year old, so my sleep gets interrupted, and with all that family time, I eat. Too much. And now, Dad has added bowling outings to our weekends, which is great for exercise (last weekend I had to bowl with Superboy on my back-that definitely adds a score lowering/calorie burning factor) but not so much for the diet unless we go to one certain alley with a great menu, but it has been busy as of late. And the other alleys, to compete, have great deals on certain weekends and and times.
I think in all I just need to get a better plan of action. I should probably get better at packing food to take with (even though outside food is banned at alleys, and the family might not be too terribly happy with me). I am determined to get the last 25 I have been battling since meeting Dad off. I know I can do it, I have lost more before, which is how I got to where I am. My mind and will power just aren't with it this time, as of yet. I think the stress from kids, Papa H and just plain life in general as of late has got me out of place. But I am getting there. And know both mothers will aid me-it will be a matter of going out places that will trip me up. I hate to waste a meal out on a salad, but I think I am going to have to, unless I get really good at ordering something and having part of it boxed right away.
So there is some rambling on Momma's inability to get a diet jump started and how it's all her family's fault...right;)

Healthy Eating

When I met Dad I was at one of my slimmest, healthiest points. Not long after I gained A LOT of weight, and we were eating out all the time. Then I had Pony Gal. Then I fought PPD. I finally lost about 50 pounds-basically my Pony Gal and wedding weight. Then I had Superboy. I have managed to lose all of his baby weight with no effort, really at all. But, I want to be "me" again, so about a month ago I started using the weight watchers program (albeit on my own) to start dieting. Yes, I am breastfeeding, but I am careful to add extra points to what they recommend and I have not noticed any dive in my supply. What I am finding more than anything is that I am just eating healthier. Less processed food. I am more aware of portion sizes. I don't feel hungry. I have been using a lot more healthy grains and veggies-something definitely missing from my diet before. In that I am constantly looking for recipes that I can easily finds the "points" on, and that sound good. So far I have lost ten pounds, so I am happy with the way it is working. So, I am going to post the recipes I find that have worked well. I like cooking things that I find that are already peer tested, and I have people ask my frequently for recipes, so I am going to try this. Of course, we all know how well the cookie posts lasted. But we have to eat dinner here, so this shouldn't be an issue...

So Big

Update time...we are doing well. Superboy is growing fast. Not around so much as length. He has started to look more like "himself" and less like another Pony Gal. And as of recent, has started eating on the hour again. Growth spurt.
Pony Gal continues to amaze me with the things she knows. Unfortunately she knows how smart she is, and is constantly butting heads with daddy-o. She isn't understanding waiting for Christmas, either. Luckily we do our family stuff on the eve, so she can cut a few hours off her wait time.
I have managed to lose all my baby weight, and hope to get back to losing what I was working on pre-Superboy. Unfortunately I still don't fit in pre-baby jeans as a lot of that pre-baby weight migrated to my midsection.