Diet FAIL

I had a bad couple of days.   Seriously... BAD.  My daughters had First Communion and my son had a birthday... that all added up to a lot of cake in the house.

Funny thing is... on day one, I didn't do terribly.  I had one small slice of the cake.  By day two, just knowing that cake was in my house was reason enough for me to eat it... and eat it I did... I didn't crave it, after a few bites I even felt sick... but I kept eating it.

By end of day three... I was SICK.  I kid you not... hanging out in the bathroom sick.

I felt so crummy that I also skipped two days at the gym, which added to my feeling worse.  I made bad choices (having a bagel thin for breakfast instead of eggs and healthy fat), that left me feeling hungry and that led to mindless eating.

I threw the cakes out... if they aren't here, I can't eat them.  Too bad it took me three days of feeling like crap to do that! 

I'm switching off calorie and fat counting for two weeks.  Instead I am eating whole (clean, natural) foods, limited grains, and lots of protein. Pre morning workout, I had a cup of yogurt with berries. For breakfast today I enjoyed, 1 egg cooked omelet style + 1 cup of cooked gf oats w/ sliced strawberries, 1 TBS of palm sugar and 2 Tbs of whole milk.   Lunch will be a grilled chicken breast, zucchini, mushrooms, and salad.  Afternoon snack will be 2 hardboiled egg whites + a sliced apple and dinner will be a repeat of lunch. 

The combination of high quality proteins with limited grains should help fuel my body and help ensure I am burning fat and not muscle at the gym.

Oh, yeah... the gym.  I joined Curves.  This week I only made it there 4x's.  My goal is 6x's/week, since I made myself sick this week, I lost 2 workouts.  So far, I am liking it... the circuit makes sense in my world.  I'm still walking a lot and maintaining all my normal activities, so this should help burn faster and tone up as the weight is coming off.

I didn't gain any weight during my 3 day binge... I held steady at 15lbs lost. 

Four Weeks In...

Down 15.3lbs and 5 inches.



Doing my happy dance.


I'm looking into a training program tonight to kick things up a notch (or two!).

My Nourishing Breakfast

I'm finding that a good protein packed breakfast is better at carrying me through the day sans hunger and cravings.

My breakfasts of choice has been:

1 whole wheat english muffin + 2 tsp REAL pasture butter
1 egg from uncaged hens

or

1/2 cup oats
7 chopped almonds
local, raw, honey
2-3 TBS heavy cream

I'm convinced that the use of real, healthy fats (butter, whole milk, coconut oil, grassfed meat, free range eggs) is going a long way toward staving off my former cravings.

I still have to check in with my hunger frequently... asking myself, am I really hungry or is this emotional hunger?  Usually I can decide pretty quickly by paying attention to my body (belly growling? shaky?) and thinking about what's going on right now that might prompt me to want to eat (bored? sleepy? stressed?). 

Another thing I've found helpful is dish size... I use saucer size plates instead of the big dinner plates and the smaller cereal bowls (kids bowls, actually).  This way, my dishes are helping to control my portions.

I'm changing my whole relationship with food and eating.  I'm learning why I eat the way I do and how to make the change to a healthier eating lifestyle.

I am still enjoying one cup of my sweet flavored coffee each morning... I know those 160 calories/6grams of fat will serve me better in a more nourishing food but I haven't been able to let go, yet.  Starting tomorrow, I'm going down to half the sweet cream and I'll keep reducing it til I'm only enjoying coffee on rare occasions.

Importance of The Cleanse

Yes, I started this weight loss trek with a 14 day whole body cleanse (all natural, stimulant free).

Yes, I felt better at the end.

The cleanse I chose including fiber for bulking, natural stimulant free laxative to keep things moving, and a liver support to flush toxins.  Combined with plenty of water, I spent a fair amount of time in the bathroom.

I didn't experience any major "side effects"... no major cramping or inability to function.  I did have days when I felt a little "icky".

I don't recommend a fast cleanse (those 3 days whoozies)... you'll be in pain.  I do recommend a more gentle cleanse... with plenty of water and possibly even combined with some fasting.

Repeat your cleanse every 3-6 months.  That should be fun. :)

Oh, and I'm getting my thyroid checked... I have several symptoms:
Weight gain and difficulty losing weight
Sleepiness... OhMyGosh... I fall asleep at the drop of a hat.
Cold... all the time.
Thinning Hair... I kid you not.
Acne... really?

I've done the research on natural dessicated thyroid... and plan to seek out a prescription.  Now, it's just a matter of finding the time to get my kiester into the ND.

3 weeks, 4 days In: 14.7lbs Down!

As of this morning, I've lost 14.7lbs.

Yay!

I'm still writing down every single calorie and fat gram that enters my body.  It keeps me accountable.

I'm still enjoying healthy fats (real butter, coconut oil, EVOO) to help curb the cravings.

I don't miss the sweets or the soda.

I should mention that this is officially the longest I've ever managed to stay on a weight loss mission... must have something to do with the baby steps I've taken over the last couple of years toward a healthier eating lifestyle.  

Three Weeks IN...

Yesterday marked exactly three weeks on this weight loss journey.

I'm down 11.4 lbs.

My official weigh in is Saturday morning... so we shall see what their scale says!  I'll be 3 weeks, 2 days in while the other ladies will be exactly 4 weeks in.  I still think I'll be winning. :)

I'm truly not craving sweets or soda.  I'm still amazed by this.  I'm also finding that I'm less hungry (at first I felt like I was starving).  I'm nearly 100% convinced that my thyroid is wacky... I've had symptoms for quite some time... weight gain + mega sleepiness are the biggest offenders.

Cheater, Cheater... Dieting in a Fast Food World

Okay, no yelling.  I'm quite aware that fast food goes against good nutrition and optimum health.  I know, really.  But it was one of THOSE days.  You know what I'm talking about.
Today started out with Mommy needing to be in two places at once, doesn't work, you know?  Kelsey(5) and Kenzie(8) had dance recital pictures are 9am... Kaylee(9) and Kenzie also had First Communion Retreat beginning at 9am.  Thankfully, the two locations were a block from one another.  So, I dropped Kaylee off at the church and buzzed over to the dance studio.  Problem was, I didn't even get breakfast!  I woke up two hours before we needed to leave the house... began getting kids up, set oats to cooking for breakfast and started on the whole hair in buns, costumes on, cleaning up the house, morning ordeal. 

My children WHERE NOT cooperating.  I don't know what the deal was this morning...

Long story short, we loaded up in the car, with not enough time to spare (I had to stop at the grocery for fruit and veggies to take for luncheon potluck before 9am drop offs!). 

Then I realized, dang it, no breakfast for Mommy. The girls ate and the rest of the oats were still sitting on the stove top.

Well, I lasted until 10am, photos were done, girls were changed and we had joined my older daughter at the church.  I couldn't take the hunger anymore!

So, I did what any American would do... I ran to MCDONALD's.

Breakfast consisted of 1 english muffin + egg (I paid $1.94 for a sausage mcmuffin w/ egg and left the sausage and cheese off, funny how a no egg muffin would have only been $1.00) ~240 calories/9grams fat.

Once the lunch potluck rolled around, I was busy running around setting up food and obtaining proper serving utensils and making sure my celiac girl had safe foods to eat... by the time I made it to the food line, it was pretty depleted.  I had a 1" section of turkey sandwich and some fresh fruit (out of season and not tasty) and a few veggies. 

4PM found us at the bowling alley for a Bday party (in between, we ran shopping for a gift, then home to clean the floors and start laundry).  I was STARVING.  So, we ran back to MCDONALD's (hey, that's all our town has).  This time I had a plain hamburger and a parfait~ 410 calories, 11grams fat.

After the bowling party, I ran back home to grab a few forgotten items.  Then I headed out to drop the girls off (30 minutes away) for a weekend visit. 

I finally arrived back home at 7:30 PM.  Hubs was ready to walk out the door, he needed to make keys and I needed some groceries. 

We finished grocery shopping at 9PM. Hubs was starving.  I was so-so.  We stopped at Burger King, because it was next door to the grocery store we were at, one town over.  I ordered a tendergrill chicken salad with light Italian dressing and water.  The salad was frozen.  I kid you not.  I received conflicting dietary information.  The salad container stated 160 calories and 4 grams fat.  The dressing stated 120 calories and 11 grams fat (in 2 ounces, I only used 1/4th).  The chicken didn't have nutrition info on the package.  Our tray paper showed my salad (with the light Italian dressing)+ apple fries + water for 400 calories.  The website stated just my salad had 300 calories and 10 grams of fat.  Since I used 1/4th of the dressing, I'll add 30 calories and 3 grams of fat for a total of 330 calories, 13 grams fat.

Daily total= 980calories / 33 grams fat.  So, even with my tiny snacks at church, I was WELL under my daily goal.  However, it's 11PM and my belly is growling because I didn't eat my normal 6 meals today.  I won't be snacking before bed though.

*Tomorrow I'm back to healthy foods
**I don't recommend eating as I have today... it's not healthy.