Baby Steps To Good Nutrition

Thanks for all the great snack ideas! They will be implemented into this previously unhealthy house of mine. This morning I went to the grocery store and as I was leaving, noticed that they had over-ripe bananas for .10 cents a pound! So I grabbed a couple bags - - for only .55 cents!! Smoothies, here I come! I already have frozen blueberries and strawberries, add some yogurt and a little milk and tada - delicious fruit smoothie. That should take care of our required fruit serving for the day.

Last week I went to a very interesting meeting about nutrition and how most of us don't eat nearly enough fruits and veggies. So, in addition to coming up with healthy snacks, I want to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our daily diet. I like fresh fruit, I'm just horrible about buying it and then not eating it. I tend to do the same thing with veggies. Kind of defeats the purpose, don't you think? I'm trying really hard to change that! Last week, when I got home from the store, instead of just putting the produce right into the fridge, I cleaned and cut it up. This meant that the grapes actually got eaten. I know, I should've been doing this long ago, but I wasn't. Now I am. This should put us on the right track to getting those important daily nutrients.

I've also started buying my eggs from a local farmer. I'm amazed at the difference in the eggs. Sunday morning I made pancakes for breakfast, and when my hubby walked into the kitchen he looked in the pan and asked if we were having corn pancakes. I laughed and told him that's what pancakes look like when you use farm fresh eggs - the yolks are a lot more yellow. It was pretty funny! That being said, I'm convinced these eggs are much better for us. Those chickens roam all over the farm and their eggs taste wonderful.

I'm slowly getting our family into a good nutrition mode. Slowly. But I am getting there, and that is what counts.

Healthy Snacks, Please

Good nutrition has been on my mind a lot lately, and I'm realizing that I really need to do something about it! My little 4-year old likes to forage for snacks in the kitchen and I haven't been good about keeping healthy things on hand - that needs to change. As I look at my shelves right now, I have Ritz crackers, chewy granola bars and oreos...and in the fridge I have fudge-cicles, icies, go-gurt  and carrots. Not much to choose from for snacks and not all that great for you - except for the yogurt and carrots, of course. So, I'm making a list of healthy snacks, things I can buy or make, that will be better for all of us. Oh, and all of that on a very limited budget. It's not like I can go out and spend $50 a week on healthy snack foods...

Some of the things I've come up with are:

• mozzarella cheese sticks
• veggies & dip
• homemade granola bars

As you can see, it's not a very long list, pathetic actually - - I need suggestions!!! What do you keep in your house for snacks? Or are you struggling just like me? I really want to set a good example for my daughter when it comes to nutrition, and I haven't been doing so well. In spite of me, she's very healthy and I would like to keep it that way. In fact, I would like to say that she's healthy because of me. So that's my new challenge, starting this week - healthy snacks for the entire family!

Forgive & Move On

Ok, so I'm going to try really hard to not make a habit of waiting a whole week to post! Yikes! Anyway, I'm going to also be totally honest - and if you haven't figured it out yet: Last week was a bust for me weight-wise. First, I felt fat all week. Second, I snacked all week. Third, I didn't do a lick of exercise. This doesn't generally add up to a successful or healthy week, which it didn't. But, as a friend of mine so pointedly reminded me on FaceBook, "Don't give up! Forgive yourself and move on!" That is exactly what I intend to do.

I will 'fess up and let you know that my week of fatness gained me 3 pounds. Yep, 220 is the weight verdict this week. (I unbroke my scale...) I would really like to be at 215 by the end of June, so I have a lot of work ahead of me! Actually, as I think about it, it's not that much work. I just need to eat decently, get a little exercise every day and drink my water. Does that sound difficult to you?

My Scale is Broken...

So I'm needing a pep talk. It's just been one of those weeks and the last thing I feel like doing is working on weight loss. I know that Wednesday is supposed to be my weight-down day, but I don't want to go near that scale - so I'm pretending it's broken. Then I don't have to feel guilty. Yesterday I ate too much. Today I haven't eaten enough. Maybe tomorrow will be better, we'll see.

I can't be the only one who goes through these rough stages. I want to be outside, not sitting at my computer letting the world know that I'm fat. But, if I'm honest with myself, I know that ultimately this is what helps me stay on track - keeps me from going off the deep end. This is my "weight watchers" - literally - because people are watching me try to lose weight.

I wish I had an encouraging word for today, but I'm going to have to dig pretty deep to find it. I guess I'll just say that it's important to not let yourself get discouraged. And if you do get discouraged, don't go out and do something stupid - like eat a whole bag of chips or something like that. Which I haven't done, thank goodness! Because then I'd have to 'fess up and that would be horrible!!

So, even though my scale is "broken" today, I will smile and drink my water and eat my salad and be thankful that I'm on the right track to a healthier me. After all, not every day can be perfect.

Ugh?

All I'm going to say is that I'm having one of those "I-feel-fat" days. I hate these days.

I feel guilty for everything that goes into my mouth.

I'm dreading the Wednesday weigh in - I'm positive it will be a positive number and so I don't even want to go near the scale.

I want to be on "Biggest Loser" so that Jillian can kick my butt into gear and make me wish I was dead.

I think I could devour an entire gallon of ice cream if given the chance.

I have been searching all day for my motivation to get moving and I have no clue where it is.

I'm sick of drinking water. It tastes bland.

I would love to drink an entire bottle of wine. Moscato D'Asti if you're asking.

I want to sit on the couch and watch hours of tv.

I'm seriously craving fresh salsa. Or chocolate. Or ice cream. Or wine.

Funny, I'm starting to feel better just writing this.

Hmmm.

This is very interesting.

I think I'll do some jumping jacks and alternate with my exercise bike.

A glass of Crystal Light tea is sounding tasty.

Maybe a little popcorn.

Thank you for this! I really do feel better!

Healthy me - Here I come!

It's Challenge Monday - here's the challenge:

Don't get discouraged! Do significant exercise 15 minutes every day!

I Love To Swim

I am so excited! Our town pool is opening today! This year I intend to take advantage of the adult swim time and get some great exercise in. Swimming is exercise that I can handle. It's the best of both worlds - exercise and cooling off - at the same time! Last year, the few times I got to swim without having to watch my daughter, I realized just how out of shape I was. It's tough work and I'm looking forward to it!

I love summer. I love warm weather. I love being outdoors without a coat. I love working outdoors. I love to swim.

Don't forget your sunscreen!

"Bye" Week Needed...

I think it's only fair to claim a "bye" week here. First of all, bloating makes me very afraid to step on the scale - so I'm not going to. Maybe that's a cop-out, but why make myself feel depressed when in a week I know I'll feel much better? Second, I've exercised once in a week - yikes! Another good reason to not step on the scale. I've been good with my diet, but that's about it. So, next Wednesday, I'll weigh in and let you know the results.

Speaking of diets, it seems like there is always something new and fabulous out there - touting its ability to make you lose tons of weight and feel great. I've tried a couple of them and have come to this conclusion: The best way to lose weight and keep it off is to eat/drink right, exercise and get plenty of sleep.

Eating right can mean a lot of things. For me, it means portion control and drinking plenty of water. I'm not as concerned about what I eat, just that I don't over-eat! I don't make a habit of taking second helpings, and I try really hard to keep my serving sizes small. Sure, I have "relapses", but not very often!

My exercise consists of doing something that requires movement and effort on my part. So just sitting outside watching my daughter run around doesn't count. Haha!! Seriously, though, I'm a terrible exerciser and I have to really make myself do it. Like I said, I haven't done a thing the past week except for a walk on Tuesday. That won't get me where I want to be. Thankfully, today is a new day!

What is plenty of sleep? For me, it's at least 7 hours with 8 being ideal. My hubby works 2nd shift, so he gets home around 11:30 and I usually stay up so I can spend some time with him. This means bedtime for me can run anywhere from 12:30-2:00am. This is ok if my daughter sleeps until 9, but that's not always the case. I need to be a lot more disciplined about sleep. I'm pretty sure that lack of sleep has been a big contributor to my weight gain... sad, isn't it?

With that being said, today is a new day with a new opportunity to do things right. I'm not going to give up - like I would have in the past - I'm going to take advantage of this day with its beautiful weather and get moving!