{Day 1} 21 Day No Sugar Challenge

Have you ever wondered how long you could make it without sugar?  I've gone without sugar (including sugar alternatives) before but I think only a couple of different times for about a month each.  Then inevitably a holiday, birthday or vacation comes up and I give in "just a little" and it seems to open a floodgate of cravings and bad habits leading to feeling horrible but the vicious cycle continues!

Back in January I went grain free with my husband Warren and was careful about anything processed and lost 10 pounds but then, you guessed it- first Valentine's Day, then vacation, then birthday....And I got to the point that I couldn't get back on track and I felt like it was the sugar.  Grains are surprisingly not too difficult once I realized how I felt without vs. with them.

(Warren has developed a wheat intolerance so we've made a few dietary changes and have notice an improvement in overall health.  It took me probably over 6 months to come to terms with it, though:  "Healthy Whole Wheat?  How can that be bad?" I have since learned a great deal about food intolerances and discovered a few of my own - and, yes - they are healthy foods, too.)

ANYHOW....Today I began a 21 Day No Sugar Challenge with a few of my family members.   Come along for the ride or just read along each day to see what it's like.

Here is a 14 minute video that sums up much of what I've tried to learn about sugar:

Day 21/30

I am so excited to know Warren is coming home NEXT WEEK!  It feels so much easier on the downward slope.  And it was great to have Suzy and her family visit to help break up the monotony.

So Simple It's Brilliant!

I've been frustrated with my weight loss. 

Or, since April, the lack of. 

I know where I went "wrong." 

My birthday. 

My excuse to bake a cake and have a piece

...or two. 

Here is where my all-or-nothing thinking gets me into trouble because then there is guilt, then there is the feeling of messing things up so I might as well have a couple more pieces the next day...and so on until old habits come back and the cycle continues.

But I've found something so simple it's brilliant!  Apparently it's been around a while but this is the first time I've heard of it.  It's called The No S Diet developed by Reinhard Engels.  Here's the idea:

3 rules and 1 exception:

• No Snacks
• No Sweets
• No Seconds

Except *sometimes* on days that start with "S" (Saturday, Sunday, Special Occasions)

That's it.

There is a book available at Amazon:



But really there's a lot of information on the website which includes a podcast and forum.

So in keeping with my 12 reasons I'm giving up on counting calories,

here are 12 reasons I'm liking the No S Diet:

1. I get to eat what everyone else is eating.
2. There are no forbidden foods or even acceptable food lists.
3. It frees up my mind to think about other things besides how to make a snack healthy or thoughts of guilt, or calories, calories, calories.
4. It frees up my time since I don't need to snack. 
5. Did I mention it's simple?  Three meals a day.  Three plates a day.  (Except occasionally.)
6. I still get to eat sugar in moderation and *sometimes* sweets.
7. It forms good habits.
8. It encourages moderation.
9. It teaches individual responsibility and not excuses.
10. It supports all the healthy habits I've learned like loading most of your plate with vegetables, fruits and whole grains.
11. I can focus on the enjoyment of food and not the worry part (bad vs. good food).
12. There's nothing to buy -  a nickname for this diet is the No $ Diet.

No S Diet, used by permission

I have followed this diet for only a week so far and it's totally doable.  I'll admit:

I get hungry between meals at this point but not weak. 

I also load my plate up embarrassingly full. 

And yes, I've lost weight.

How does this sound to anyone out there?

 

Cherrytree Post

I posted today on my family's blog, cherrytree, about Hailey's 4-H animals. Warren is really enjoying the time he spends with her while they care for them and Hailey absolutely adores these animals. She is such an animal loving girl. Someday we may be able to get our own land where we can keep the pigs and lambs but for right now we keep them nearby at a former 4-H-ers house. It's a short bike ride away.

One question.....

Why is it that

my inability to control

ANYTHING 

leads to the

lack of control

over the one thing

 that I do have complete

and total control over?

UPDATE:

I've found something that has helped!  Christ-Centered Meditation - Join me in my webinar as I teach how to and why, as well as how to overcome difficult subconscious programming that seems to run our lives.  Check it out!

Time Out

Braden is at an interesting stage. 

It takes several hours to complete a dishwasher and washer machine load. 

You see, they have many buttons and these machines just scream

 "Push my buttons!!!" 

So Braden pushes them. 

 I truly think he's incapable of resisiting when it's at eye level.

Braden pushes the buttons on the ipod.

Occasionally he still throws his food on the floor.

He hits for attention. 

He hits to put off bedtime. 

 He hits so he can put himself in time out. 

Time out is simply a game to him.  A super fun game. 

What works with one child doesn't with the other. 

So it's natural that he loses computer time. 

The jury is still out when the connection will sink in for him.

I feel like I'm heading to a time out of sorts. 
For me that would be counting calories.  *sigh*

Braden Clicks

The iPad and my phone are no longer challenges for Braden.  He prefers to "click".  Now he says "My turn 'puter?"   A 2-year-old that can work the computer mouse?   Here's proof:




Now my hobby computer time is even more limited.  The cookbook is so close to being done but I won't be able to post much this week as I wrap it up.  I thought I would get more accomplished if I took a break from this blog and from pinning.  Not so.  Turns out my life is just nuts right now. 

Forgot to weigh in this morning.  That's o.k.  Easter at my mom and dad's was full of all the goodies as usual, but I am starting anew with motivation this week.  Here we go again....

Hollow Days

No weight loss to report, and really, I wasn't surprised so I was prepared with some other encouragement this morning.  Since August I have lost a total of 8 inches from all over.  My sister-in-law kindly commented that my face is looking thinner so I guess it's showing somewhere. 

But really my problem is that I seem to be extremely hungry all the time.  Real hunger.  Could it be from reading The Hunger Games trilogy again?  I'm on something like my 5th reading of them.  I keep thinking in District 12 terms like how I'm having a "hollow day."

Maybe it's time to move on to a different book...

At any rate, it's definitely time to kick it into high gear!

Cookbook by Easter!!!

{Ok.  So this week was not the best for me in the eating department so I am already starting to plan meals and snacks for next week.  I'm hoping that will make a difference.  My feet aren't doing horrible - of course, I'm about to get on the bike again, so maybe I shouldn't speak too soon, but exercising will be coming along.}

Now, about that cookbook:  I know one of the things that's so hard about it for me (besides the fact that I'm very good at procrastinating) - there is always another great recipe around the corner.  And now the Internet provides for any and all you could ever imagine.  But there are a few standard recipes I will always go for and so many were shared with me way back when that I want to try them as well.  So I plan on finishing the book by Easter.  I'll see then how much it will cost me to get them printed and bound.

I want to say a big *Thank You* to a few of you out there.  I obviously am not doing this for the comments and prestige but it does help to know that I'm not talking to myself.  So thank you for your letters, phone calls, and texts.  Your support and friendship are deeply appreciated!

Here are a couple plans for posts next week:
A Great Gift Idea from a Birthmother
A Super Easy and Healthy Make-Ahead Snack

I'll be back Monday!

Alright, on with the bike...

Struggling

I find myself struggling this week with eating the kid's leftovers - or rather their "not-gonna-even-make-me-touch-that-food" that I cooked.  I don't know whether I desperately need cooking classes or if I should just buy the prepackaged food they will eat or to just let them live on Goldfish crackers. 

I could do a whole series of posts of what's not working lately for weight loss: stress, pain, fear of pain...  I didn't exercise today and my feet are doing better.  *sigh*

I will try to find some more uplifting things for tomorrow.  Until then, a picture to make you smile...

What' Working - CONCLUSION

The bottom line is I don't want a temporary fix. I want what I can live with.

So I'm trying to rewire my brain and get away from the "diet" mentality and the fake food that comes with it. I use to use Truvia or Splenda on a daily basis, then I ran out and decided to use a teaspoon of sugar. When I added it to my food log I was shocked at the minuscule calories I was trying to avoid. One teaspoon of granulated sugar has 15 calories and 1 tablespoon has 45 calories. Seriously? How is that going to help me fit in those 120-calorie cookies that I may want later? Um, I think I can do without the worry and expense!  What's weird is I eat less sugar now that I add a teaspoon here or there.

I'm also eating a banana almost everyday. I use to treat bananas more like, well, a "treat" because I once heard how high in calories they were. (Ya, a whopping one-hundred and ten). Now I eat them almost everyday with a meal or as a snack. Sometimes both. Very filling and satisfying.

Why is it I use to avoid real food that I love like avocados and walnuts when I only end up overeating things like crackers, cookies, or brownies? Oh, I know. I once read if you are dieting and want to lose weight you should avoid those "high calorie foods". Of course, you should avoid scarfing down high calorie treats as well, but I think your body craves more when you aren't getting proper nutrition from fruits and vegetables. At least that's my working theory right now.

If I do eat a cookie or two now I find I have to stop or I know I'll be sick. (What a great place to be! To recognize when I've had enough and actually LISTEN! Not to mention be able to eat cookies while losing weight!)

I promise not every 5 pounds lost will be this long winded!!! 

Oh, and this is my current total: 18 lbs. lost.

What's Working: IGNORING THE EXTREME

Something that I know is working for me, and it's a big one, is this:

Ignoring the Extreme

I've read a lot about people losing this way or that way. Who hasn't? Extreme diets, exercising, and photos of chiseled bodies are everywhere. Such extremes can only be held out for so long.

One blogger only drinks water. Only. Water.

This same blogger says she still counts calories with one "cheat" meal a week and another one I came across that was pinned as "very inspriational" says she keeps her calories "really low" to keep the weight off even though it's been a few years

Now, I know water is good for you and I like it, but - only drinking water? For the rest of my life?  No thanks.  And I know there is no way that I will be able to live on 1200 calories the rest of my life while "allowing" one cheat meal per week. I also know from observation of "thin people" that they don't eat that way. Thinking about calories, and how to get the most nutrition from them, I can do. Counting every bite, every day - not going to happen.

There was another blog of 3 women that take pictures of every meal they eat and count the Weight Watcher points. This is not to say they don't have some good points and ideas, it's just the extreme lengths they go to in exercise and eating seems like it would be difficult to maintain, and, well, not much fun.

Maybe these people and others like them help motivate some, but I think those types of things kept me "stuck", feeling like I would fail before I even tried. I've lost weight on Weight Watcher before. I know how to lose weight with extreme exercise and low calories. I also know how to get yourself injured and sidelined for over a year and to gain it all back and more.   The kind of determination it takes to stick to extreme measures doesn't last. Not in my world, anyways. Weight loss and maintainance shouldn't be a marathon in will power. I want to be healthy. I don't need to look like a swimsuit model, thank you very much!

So on with my secret weapon to help me:

I've found an awsome podcast.  The show is called "Fat 2 Fit Radio."  These guys, self-admitted recovered yo-yo dieters, are the voice of reason and stick true to their philosephy

"If you eat and exercise like the thin person you want to become, you will eventually become that person."

So all you have to do is figure out how many calories you will need to maintain a healthy weight.  The Basal Metabolic Rate calculator on their site is very helpful.  When I finally figured this out I wasn't so hungry and I'm no longer prone to binging.  You can eat more than you think.  A big thing I learned is to NEVER eat below your basal metabolic rate.  It is the number of calories your body needs if you were in a coma.  A COMA!  Well, I'm a whole lot more active than that!  I realized I'm not "sedentary" at all.  No wonder I would get ravenously hungry trying to eat at a lower calorie level.

Most diet plans set people up for failure and gaurentee repeat business because of the extremely low calories.  The Fat 2 Fit guy's goal is not the speed of weight loss but permenant weight loss, "slow and steady wins the race."

I think we have been so conditioned by society that we think we have to give up so much of what we love in order to be thin and that we have to punish ourselves in some way in order to lose.  I'm not exactly saying that it's easy, but it's a whole lot easeir than trying to stick to a 1200 calorie diet!    One listener to their podcast said,

"Being healthy is hard, but being overweight is harder."

So true.

What's Working: THINKING POSITIVELY

{Week 5}

Today I weighed in at almost 2 pounds down. 

I had to do it twice because I couldn't believe it. 

It's been a busy, stressful weekend for me and I don't feel like I've been focused enough.  But I like what I see

- it's not a number I've seen since before Braden was born! 

So I guess I'll keep with the plan this week

and keep thinking about what's helping me to lose weight.

 

 

 

 

Thinking Positively

 

Getting and keeping my head in the game can be tricky between the day in-day out of

meals,

diapers,

tantrums,

sick kids,

lack of sleep,

me being sick,

husband traveling,

time management,

household chores,

behavior management,

pain management,

 kids extra-curricular activities*gasp*

 

I think you get the picture.

 

Yes, I think I obviously need to find some "me" time - BUT, until then, half of eating healthfully- maybe more - is all about the thoughts.  Our self-talk is powerful!

 

I wrote a quote down a while ago that goes along with this:

"If you hate being fat, start hating the thinking and behavior that made it so." 

Change comes from the inside-out.

 

I have found this to be

one of the most difficult things to change

and it takes vigilance to stay on top of any negative thoughts that creep in whether it's from

old habits,

an incorrect self-image,

or triggers from the environment.

 

If you've been "trying" to lose weight, stop and listen to your self-talk throughout the day. I say it's difficult, but the funny thing is, it's completely within our control.  Self-talk can work in a positive way, too!

Up Next: IGNORING THE EXTREME

On Losing 5 Pounds

It's been a month since I went "public" with my (hopefully last and final) weight loss attempt so I've been thinking about what's working. 

I want to say,

---somewhat apologetically---

"I know, five pounds isn't much in 4 weeks time, but..."

And then I think:

WAIT!

5 pounds is huge! 

Even one pound of true fat loss is an amazing accomplishment - think of a pound of butter...

Four sticks of butter! 

I've lost the equivalent of 20 sticks of butter!!! 

Yes, this requires a photo.  I can't help it - I'm a visual person...

Huh. The body is actually pretty effective at storing it!

Wait a minute....

I've got 20 more pounds to go!  And that's just the first goal. 

(Don't worry Warren, I don't think I'll feel the need to buy 20 boxes of butter for that!) 

On the Boat...

OK, technically it is a ship. 

A

VERY

 BIG

 ship. 

We sailed on the Disney Dream.  I love their attention to detail and no one beats Disney's service! 

We went with Warren's brother Eric and his family.

Right away there were character sightings. 
Very exciting.

Braden really enjoyed the splash pad in the shade. 

Hailey got to meet many Disney Princesses at once! 
Her favorite is Ariel.  She didn't have her legs on our last cruise so this was a special treat! 
The princesses were never out of character.

It was fun going with cousins this time! 
Jake nicknamed Braden "Captain Hook" because he was his hook to talk to the girls.
(Not that he needed him, that kid's got game, I tell you!)

And FYI: I actually maintained my weight during our vacation! Getting sick may have helped a little.  I regained my appetite the second day on the ship. 

How could I not with all the delicious gourmet food? (My favorite was a

buttermilk lemon custard - Oh, my stars!)

This past week has been rough on me while I feel lousy.  Not much calorie counting.  But I'm learning to listen to my body and learning to balance the calories.  Today was weigh-in day:

I lost almost a pound and have hit a new low for the past year. 

About another pound and a half and I will be down to where I was when Braden was born.  And while it may not show much on the scale I got to tighten my belt to the next notch - now that's some incentive! 

I'm going to try to get back on a daily blogging schedule to keep my focus.  I plan on sharing my "go-to" breakfast and some surprising things that seem to be working. 

A Boost To My Motivation {Day 5}

I'm weighing in on Monday's, so even though it hasn't technically been a week, and even though yesterday was so "bad" for me with snacking,

I still got on that scale today! 

(I normally wouldn't have.  I would have figured I'd blown it and waited several days --or weeks!-- until I was fed up again and started back at square one.)

Well, I do have to say

I'm glad

I'm doing this.  It will definitely keep me on track more easily.  Because despite feeling like I shouldn't bother stepping on the scale,

I did. 

And even though it hasn't been a week, I've almost lost a pound.  I know that doesn't sound like much but I don't care how slowly those numbers change, as long as they continue to change in the right direction!

I've also realized that my goals for weight loss are a little vague.  How did I ever expect myself to get anywhere if I didn't know exactly what I wanted?  So after a little research about goals and healthy weight loss, I've written and posted my goals in 3 places: beside my bed, the bathroom mirror, and the refrigerator.

Calorie Counting {Day3}

Calorie counting.

Hate it.  Ok, maybe that's a bit strong.  It just feels like a numbers game I'm not good at.  And yet it's simple addition.  Why does it feel unnatural and like such a chore?

But I'm doing it anyway and recognize why I need to.   My Fitness Pal makes it pretty easy but so much I just estimate and wonder how accurate I am.

I'm not sure what my calorie needs really are for a day.  Even though I'm busy with kids and house, I can't exercise much so I've assumed I'm "sedentary".  (I do a little resistance training and yoga.) I know deep down that losing is more about controlling what you put in your mouth than being able to burn off the calories, but am I sedentary or lightly active? Maybe I'll see in a week after I weigh in and see where I'm at on the scale.  Of course, then I'm off to Florida on vacation...Oh, well, there's always going to be something, right?

My Umteenth First Day

What do you do when your child is sick and, having believed her to be attention-seeking, you send her to school only to discover that she is indeed ill and so you go to the store to buy her ice cream and popsicles and stop at McDonnalds on the way home in order to get her to eat something - anything, and when you get home she discovers they messed up her hamburger (again!) so she won't touch it...   


 and you are standing there...

with a hamburger in hand...

after 7 p.m....

and you are hungry...

very hungry from eating carefully and sensibly all day...

very sensibly.

What do you do? 

 

Image source: Mcdonalds.com



You eat that hamburger.  Oh, yes.  You do.  (And by that, I mean eat that one and whatever your other child doesn't eat...)

As you inhale it you push back thoughts of maybe only eating one of the buns and what this might do to your calorie budget and in doing so almost don't even taste it.  But because you're committed, motivated, or just plain scared about how you will write about this, as soon as your head is cleared from devouring the last few uneaten fries, you gather your wits about you and dare to log what you've just eaten. 

Normally I would not have done that last part.  Normally I would then feel terrible and decide that I had failed for the day and I would have then turned to a rich treat like ice cream because it's there and, well, because I blew it, didn't I?


 Well, no.  Turns out I did not.  Turned out I even had calories left over if I made the right choice! 



Image ource: Yoplait.com



( ( ( I am now sounding an audible sigh of relief because my umteenth first day wasn't a failure...) ) )

What do you do when you're super hungry

and there isn't the best choice in front of you? 

How do you you minimize the "damage"?

Too Camera Shy

Have you noticed that when and if I put a picture of myself on this blog it is from the shoulders up, or hidden behind a child?  Actually, pictures of me are few and far between because I'm usually the one behind the camera, which has suited me just fine the past few years.

Here I am yesterday, all too willing to smile for Hailey because I knew the camera wasn't going to capture it all...

 

But I'm so tired of that self-conscious point of view!  So I'm starting something new here because I've started and stalled on my own weight loss attempts countless times in the past 8 months.  I could continue to accept underlying reasons of why I can't lose weight (PCOS, lack of sleep, stress, injured feet, etc.) or I can focus on what will work.  Putting it all out there (ok, not all but you know what I mean) just might be helpful.

Weekly posts starting this Monday exploring why it seems so ridiculously complicated to lose weight when it is supposed to be simple as calories in vs. calories out, and a hopeful shift in my thinking as I seek motivational insights.  And shorter daily updates of successes (or maybe sometimes the struggles). 

This feels like my last thread of hope.  Someday I hope to look back at these posts and see how far I've come and find the inspiration to never ignore a few pounds of weight gain again.  A few pounds adds up over time - well, it can work in the opposite direction, too, right?!