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Monday, October 29, 2012

Keeping the Doing

This life long struggle with my physical body is tiring.  It takes so much effort for me to desire to eat right and to get myself downstairs to workout.  Then once I am in the exercise room to push myself to work hard.  (With the colder weather my running partner and I don’t run outside but move inside and it is me alone responsible to get myself to workout.) Why?  I want to be healthy, I want my clothes to look nice, I want to feel great!  Well, the body, actually the mind is very powerful.  It tells my body that it’s too much work,  it’s too hard to exercise.  The food will make you feel good, the food will fill your empty corners and provide the comfort you seek.  All lies!!!  BUT I do listen to those thoughts on occasion and then I feel less than great about my choices. 

Thankfully we can start over at any moment of time.  We don’t have to wait for tomorrow because now is the best time to start over.  This life is meant to be a test of us overcoming the trails of being a mortal being.  Each day we decide what kind of day it is going to be.  Let’s try to make each day our best day yet!  I have been doing better at not overeating the sweets and reaching more for healthier choices but I haven’t cut anything out.  I think that is really best.  You need to be able to be a part of celebrations and the food is a part of our culture. 

Now, don’t worry!  Just because it is hard doesn’t mean I have given up and have stopped eating well and exercising.  I still push through the days.  Some days are better than others and when life throws curve balls into my path which seems to be happening more and more frequently I mess up royally with my “healthy living plan” but the next day I begin again. All we can do keep doing what we know we need to do.

The hardest times for me to push myself is when I am grieving a loss.  Loss of a loved one, loss of a dream, loss of a job, loss of (fill in the blank). I am re-teaching my mind once again that the comfort I desire for the loss can’t be filled with food.  The only person to truly fill the emptiness is my Savior Jesus the Christ.  He is where I can find peace and strength to keep doing.  I have a few quotes to share here with you.  They aren’t really anything about health but simply about the struggles that life throws at us and keeping moving forward and finding strength in the Lord.

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My cousin Eric Nordquist. 

Returned to his Heavenly home way too early. 

You are loved and you will be missed!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Running

The weather is turning cold but still each morning (M-F) at 6am I crawl out of my warm bed and head out into the chilly darkness to run. Why? I NEED to run.  It clears my mind, it gets my body moving and helps my soul to feel alive.  Most mornings it it’s easy. 3.75 miles at a 9:45 ish pace.  I love it. 

What makes me want to get up is really my running partner waiting for me.  We are good listeners for each other.  Women need other women!  I talked her ear off this morning and she just listened without judgment.  I love this time running!   Sadly I ‘m not losing weight running because I am eating whatever I want and my weight has climbed up again but I feel good and happy. A friend posted this quote on facebook yesterday and I thought I’d post it here because it rang true to me.

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Friday, October 12, 2012

Sometimes you just need to…

dress up for the sake of feeling good about yourself.  Am I the only one that dresses up just for myself.  I walk taller and feel more confident when I know I took the extra effort to look nice.  Today was one of those days when I just needed to feel good about myself.  It is amazing how the clothes we wear can change how we feel and look.

I saw Rachel Ray the other day and she and Gretta as well as another fashion expert earlier in the week said to forget about the size on the tag and just worry about how the clothes fit.  That is so hard for me.  Rachel mentioned she had clothes in her closet from size 2 to 12.  If she can admit that on tv then I can buy the bigger size that fits too.  I wish all designers used the same sizing in their clothes. I really do have clothes ranging from size 6 to 14 in my closet.  Most are size 10 and I love that but I found this cute Gloria Vanderbelt jean skirt . It said size 14 on the tag.  I almost didn’t even try it on because I didn’t want that size.  Well, I tried it on and it fit great.

Today I wore a size 14 skirt, size 8 belt with it and a size XL top that I took in with the sewing machine to fit me.  I really need to get over the tag size because who else knows but me. (Unless I blab it to the whole world on my blog! Smile) I am trying to get away from numbers and just focus on health but it is hard!

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Delivering the Prize Basket

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Sunday, October 7, 2012

The WINNER is….

#11 which is Lora!  I used a random number generator and you my dear were chosen!  Please go to my contact page and email me your address. CONGRATULATIONS!!!

Friday, October 5, 2012

I had a dream… NIGHTMARE

I startled awake this morning.  I went right to the mirror… it isn’t true… the weight isn’t all back!  This is the first time that I have dreamt of gaining it all back.  I have never really thought that it would happen because I know myself and my determination and drive.  However,  I have let many pounds back on and haven’t been vigilant enough with my eating to get those pounds off again.  The mind and dreams are very interesting.  Maybe I am more worried about the extra pounds I am carrying around than I thought. I better eat well this weekend since I have been splurging on sweets this week.

To be very specific in my dream I looked in the mirror and my mid section was ALL THERE!

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  I need these pictures to help me keep fighting for the life I want to keep.  Yesterday the food yelled louder than the self restraint.

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Thankfully this is my actual middle just 2 days ago. Maybe this is my subconscious warning me to do something now before I end up back there.  1 pound at a time is all it takes.  I am 15 pounds more than I really want to be so maybe I just need to find the strength to NOT EAT all the fluff and stick to just the REAL WHOLE FOODS! and in moderation!!! Not MAYBE, I HAVE TO!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Snack Ideas

I love pictures so here I will post pictures of some of my go-to snacks.  Yes they are mostly store bought and processed but when you need something quick and you don’t feel like fruit or veggie or you already ate all of the colorful foods in the house here is what I grab:117

(This is a very thick yummy fruit drink.  1 small banana, 1 sugar-free drink packet whatever flavor you like (this was kiwi-strawberry) and 1 1/2 cups frozen strawberries blended together.)

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Just Keep Going!

The scale has climbed back up a few pounds.  I watch it climb and I fear that it will just keep going.  I get frustrated when it moves the wrong direction but I realize that I can’t let it consume my life like I did a couple years ago.  Balance and moderation in all things!  That is the key.

When I get desperate and feel like I am failing at this whole living healthy thing I have to fall to my knees.  I find my strength to keep going from my deep faith in my Savior Jesus Christ.  I know that my life is better now and that I can serve so much more and feel so much better.  He wants me to be happy.  I want to be happy.  When I look to Him for strength I am strong.  When I don’t focus on my Savior then everything gets fuzzy and out of focus in my life.  I took a picture to remind myself to look to the Savior for my strength.  It is only with Him at my side that I will keep this weight off.  I feel all consumed some days with my eating “addiction” and I do give in.  Other days I stay strong and eat well.  I try to forgive myself and move on.  

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I am thinking about attending a “Eating Disorder- Food Addiction Group”.  I really think it could help me fully understand how to apply the Atonement to my trail with my food and weight. I will let you know what I decide.  Just do your best. 

I am not the best example to follow right now.  I am exercising just fine but eating, well…. I am feeling very out of place in my life right now.  I need to find my direction.  With my children at school all day I am lost as to what I should do.  Crazy to not do anything when literally I could do everything I want but I feel empty and a bit lost without a little one constantly needing my attention.  I am finding myself up at the school several days a week with a warm lunch for them and I am volunteering 4 hours a week in classrooms. I should just get on my bike and ride for hours but that seems so selfish.  Having so much time to myself is so foreign to me.  I am considering working to fill the emptiness but I really don’t feel like that is the answer.  Oh decisions, decisions.  A new era to my life has begun and I need to figure this out.  Once I find my direction then my eating will hopefully fall back into place. 

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Just 3 more days to enter!

I am having my first GIVEAWAY!  To enter go to the original post below and follow the rules. I decided it would be best for you to choose the book you’d like rather than me deciding so…  for a second entry into the giveaway post below which book you would choose from the 4 shown.

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Monday, October 1, 2012

Everyday Life and Tips

I appreciate all of your comments on what you look for in my blog.  Life has gotten very hectic with school, soccer, band, ballroom, piano, scouts, SCC, Brownies, and volunteering at school.  With the hectic life come hectic eating.  There haven’t been many new wonderfully healthy recipes because I desire the real sugar and fats when life is crazy.  I am determined to do better!  Sometimes it is better to have the original recipe and savor every bite than to eat a lot of an okay treat because you still don’t feel satisfied.  Make sense? 

With all of that said here are a few tips to help if you are just starting out with HEALTHIFIED baking:

  • Use at least half whole wheat flour rather than just straight white.  Usually I do all whole wheat.
  • Substitute half or all of the fat (oil/shortening/butter) with unsweetened applesauce.  This will make your recipe more cakey and your cookies won’t spread out but you decide how much to substitute.  I usually do all applesauce.
  • You can usually omit eggs all together from a cookie, muffin or loaf recipe. I just add a few extra tbsp of water to the recipe. You can use ground flaxseed with water as a substitute if you’d like.
  • Either half the amount of sugar in the recipe or use honey or agave instead. If using a liquid sweetener you will need to add more flour to compensate.

I hope those tips help a little as you try out what works for you and your family. As I mentioned lately more sugar and butter has been sneaking back into my baking but in the smaller quantities but the whole wheat is always there.  Balance!  We really need to find the right balance for us.  As long as you are filling up on fruit, vegetables and whole grains and just have a small helping of the other stuff then you are doing great. If you skip the sweets most days and do moderate exercise 5 days a week then enjoy the cookies or a slice a cake on the weekend.  I have followed these rules much better when I was actively pursuing weight loss.

With simply maintaining my weight and living a fairly healthy lifestyle I have given myself a good amount of leeway on eating.  I should be stricter but haven’t decided to push myself to that end yet.  I also STILL have a hard time with moderation so just know that no one is perfect all the time. I am learning just how much I can cheat and still feel great and perform well with my running.  It really comes down to how you feel.  If you are taking care of your body then you will feel good.

Just a quick reminder that the number on the scale doesn’t tell the whole story. All of the ladies weigh the same but look very different. 

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Find where you feel best about yourself and then do what you need to in order to stay there.

You are worth it!

Some great tools to help get you started:

FitWatch Weight Loss & Fitness Tools and Calculators Breakdown