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The TRUTH About Motherhood

Category: Weight Loss

  • In the real world…Life happens

    I just finished week 2 of Nutrisystem and I have lost another 1.5 pounds. I will admit I was a little upset that it wasn’t the 3 pounds of last week but then again it was my ‘water retention’ week of the month. Not to mention, I ate dinner away from home twice. It wasn’t like I ate fast food but it also wasn’t my Nutrisytem food so I am sure that had a lot to do with it. But then again this is real life and I want you to know that I am not perfect and life throws us unexpected curve balls. So, what did I do? I took it for what it was and I jumped back on the Nutrisystem plan. That’s the key, you can’t give up and have the mentality that “I messed up on this meal, the whole day’s a wash. So,I’ll eat whatever I want.” It’s so easy to fall into that.I’ve done that many, many times before and look where its landed me..wondering why I gained so much weight, even though if I had just been honest with myself…I would have know exactly where my plan got derailed.

    I am still loving the food. Obviously, there are some foods that are better tasting to me than others but of course that is a matter of personal taste.I can tell you that if you eat a piece of Nutrisystem pizza while your family has Papa Johns or Pizza Hut, you will be just as fulfilled. Of course, I wouldn’t recommend, for me anyways, eating the Nutrisystem Orange chicken while your family is eating P.F. Changs…its just not the same when you are looking at their plates.One thing that I have been eating a lot of and really loving is buying those big bag salads and then sauteing some stir fry chicken cut breasts and topping the salad.I’ll have that with a Nutrisystem trail mix bar for lunch some days and it is amazing!

    So, here I am week 2 and I am down 4.5 pounds and I am ecstatic because 4.5 pounds down is better than even one ounce up, especially at this time of year! My way of thinking is changing too as my body is changing. I have noticed that I am a lot more aware of what I am putting into my mouth.The mindless eating has ceased. Writing everything down and knowing the correct portion sizes has made a huge difference. Another thing that I have done, which is helpful to me, I have taken a poster board and divided it into four columns 1)Date 2)Actual weight ( when I weigh myself each week) 3) Goal weight (I’ve set a goal of 2 pounds a week, just to keep me focused) 4) Exercise ( I tick how many times a week I exercise). This is just a visual to help keep me accountable and on task. And last but not least, a very valuable lesson that I have learned this week is DRINK YOU WATER!!! It really makes a difference.

    I can feel with each passing day, I am getting a little more comfortable in my skin. Thanks for all the support, my friends.  I am loving this journey and can’t wait to share with you all when I reach my final destination.

    DISCLOSURE: Nutrisystem is providing their  program to me free of charge in exchange for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogging Program and weekly updates. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

  • Breathe easy, the journey is long but beautiful

    Happy Monday! It’s been one week since I’ve started my journey with Nutrisystem.I was very excited to start this process because I really want to get back into shape.It seems that every time I’ve tried to achieve this in the past, my biggest obstacle has been, quite frankly, getting the right foods and the right portion sizes. I don’t really have a problem  get motivated to do exercise because I actually like the feeling it brings of accomplishment and energy. My issue with exercise is usually a scheduling conflict.But  since having a husband and children, its been extremely difficult to find the time and energy to make two dinners. You know what I mean, the dinner for them and the dinner for me. Usually, boiling down to them eating something scrumptious and me eating like a rabbit. It works for a little while then…I get hungry.

    When  the Nutrisystem program was made available to me, I was ecstatic because obviously it cures the whole portion and having to prepare my own second meal issue. But, I have to admit, I was leery of what packaged food might taste like. But I was determined.My big box of a months supply of food arrived. It was overwhelming. I thought, this is it. Deep breath. This is the first day of the rest of my life.

    I’ve been here before. This place in life,where I’ve made the big decision and taken the leap. But then life gets in the way. This time is different. My husband, though it really sucks, is gone 5 days a week so I don’t have to make a separate meal for him; no worrying about providing a meat and potato meal for a man and his appetite. Three times a day, I make my girls a healthy meal and then I take my little package and pop it in the microwave. I add to it the recommended portions of fruits, vegetables, protein, dairy, and fat provided in my handy nutrition guide.They even allot for a  couple snacks!Can you imagine being on a ‘diet’ and being allowed to eat walnut chocolate chip cookies. For the most part, I have been pleasantly surprised with the taste of the food. My favorite dinner thus far has been the thick pizza.Oh yeah, you heard me right, pizza! Pair it with a nice big salad and dinner is served. In fact, I have to hide it from my girls. My 3 year old, as always, asks for a bite of my food and then she comes back for another, and another. So, that should be proof of the quality of the taste being that it’s pleasing to the discerning pallet of my 3 year old.

    This journey is about getting healthy and comfortable in my own skin again but I have had a very pleasant unexpected side effect, I have been full of energy. Which is amazing because I was sick all last week and I still had more energy than I normally have on most days. Week one down, I have lost 3 pounds and feel more energetic and never hungry.I am loving Nutrisystem!Now, I need to kick it up a notch and get my Zumba in daily. Finally, I feel like I am making a lifestyle change versus restricting myself. After all, isn’t that what brings about the demise of most weight loss journeys? That gnawing torture of feeling left out or deprived. None of that here!

    DISCLOSURE: Nutrisystem is providing their  program to me free of charge in exchange for my participation in the Nutrisystem Nation Blogging Program and weekly updates. I am not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed in this post are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255

  • Eating Disorders affect more than just your Body; Maura Kelly

    Maura Kelly, sex and relationship blogger for Marie Claire, wrote a post yesterday titled, Should “Fatties” Get a Room? (Even on TV?).The post was about the sitcom Mike & Molly, “the show centers around a couple who meet at an Overeaters Anonymous group  has drawn complaints for its abundance of fat jokes [as well as] cries from some viewers who aren’t comfortable watching intimacy between two plus-sized actors.” In her post, she expressed her disdain for having to watch two “Fatties” make out, or simply walk across a room. This post garnered a lot of attention on the blogosphere and spread through twitter like a wildfire. I know, I was there..fanning the flames. I thought, what a monumental asshole this broad is behaving like. My next thought, who the hell is running that joint Marie Claire? Are there no editors? Talk about free speech!

    OK, so she wrote a post about a sitcom. The problem is how she wrote it. The voice she used was very condescending and insulting. I agree with her that I don’t like to watch two people make out either but it has nothing to do with size, shape, color; I simply do not want to feel like I am watching porn. If that is what I wanted, well, I’d let the Big Guy choose something. But Ms. Kelly just kept repeatedly stepping in the proverbial dog shit. It was as if she backed up and stepped in it all over again, just to make sure she got it on her shoe. As evidenced by this quote

    So anyway, yes, I think I’d be grossed out if I had to watch two characters with rolls and rolls of fat kissing each other … because I’d be grossed out if I had to watch them doing anything. To be brutally honest, even in real life, I find it aesthetically displeasing to watch a very, very fat person simply walk across a room — just like I’d find it distressing if I saw a very drunk person stumbling across a bar or a heroine addict slumping in a chair.

    As if that were not enough, she continued on

    But … I think obesity is something that most people have a ton of control over. It’s something they can change, if only they put their minds to it.
    (I’m happy to give you some nutrition and fitness suggestions if you need them — but long story short, eat more fresh and unprocessed foods, read labels and avoid foods with any kind of processed sweetener in them whether it’s cane sugar or high fructose corn syrup, increase the amount of fiber you’re getting, get some kind of exercise for 30 minutes at least five times a week, and do everything you can to stand up more — even while using your computer — and walk more. I admit that there’s plenty that makes slimming down tough, but YOU CAN DO IT! Trust me. It will take some time, but you’ll also feel so good, physically and emotionally. A nutritionist or personal trainer will help — and if you can’t afford one, visit your local YMCA for some advice.)

    This part is simply insulting to injury because you see Ms. Kelly has had self-admitted issues with eating disorders, anorexia in particular, herself. So, really she shouldn’t be giving diet and nutritional advice to anyone. ANYONE! She claims to be recovered. Of course, having had my own experience with eating disorders, I know that being a recovered Anorexic is about the same as being a “recovered” alcoholic. You may have stopped the behavior but you have to take it one day at a time because you can’t unlearn what you’ve already become privy to. You may decide that it’s not the way for you and stop the behavior but your mind still knows the path.

    I’m no shrink but I’d say, from my own past experience, I had NO tolerance for overweight people because I was insane with an obsession with my own weight. I felt like if I could control myself from eating, what I ate, how much I ate, when I ate, if I ate; then why couldn’t others show the same self-control? You develop a disgust because partly they don’t have your self-control, but with that, they also do not have your misery. The misery that wanting brings and this causes some jealousy and resentment. I’m not saying she still has eating issues but I think maybe she still needs to work through to her own resolution. This is not an excuse and probably not understandable to anyone who has not experienced these issues.

    I’ve been “recovering” from these issues for 13 years and I still battle with acceptance of my own body. I have chosen to do it the right way, the slow..healthy, working out, eating the right way. With the time it takes the body to heal it also gives the mind and spirit time to heal, appropriately. I do not cringe at heavy set people anymore. That was my own self-loathing being externalized. I say to each his own. There is a terrible obesity epidemic in the United States and, for health’s sake, I hope people can come around to healthier lifestyles.

    There is nothing wrong with the show Mike and Molly, it is representative of a large part of our population. What’s wrong with having a show that lets us see these two people falling in love? Don’t they deserve the same happiness that anyone else deserves? Shame on you Maura Kelly for projecting your own issues onto the overweight people of the world. Does it make you feel better to make them feel worse? Just remember how miserable you felt when you were obsessing over your weight, and now realize that your piece may have done that for some poor overweight woman or girl! If you’re not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

  • Does this workout make me look fat?

    I know we’ve visited this topic before but it seems that it bears repeating. I am uber sensitive to the fact that I do NOT want my girls to have body issues. I have grown up with them and I know how mind effing they can be, especially on a teenage girl. Before I ever had kids I promised myself that I would not be asking the ” Do these pants make my ass look big?” or ” Does this shirt make me look fat?” in front of my children. You know, monkey see, monkey do syndrome and eventually that would parlay into something more. I have also made an effort to workout and eat healthy, mostly. I want to be a good example. Apparently, my example has led to this. Me:” Hey, Mama’s gotta work out. You want to work out with me?”
    My 5 year old,” Nah, I don’t need to….I’m already straight!” ( I know you are wondering what the hell that is supposed to mean..just click on the link and all will be explained).
    Me: “Yes, Bella you are “straight” (her term not mine) but its a good habit to exercise so that you can stay healthy!”
    Bella: ” Nah, I don’t want to. Can I have some ice cream?”
    WTF??? OK, I am a little alarmed because though it is nothing now. This could very easily and quickly turn into laziness and create a bad habit of not exercising and poor eating habits. So, In the spirit of being a good Mommy and not wanting to let things get out of hand. I shared this video with my dear  sweet girl. I know, its probably not a typical thing to do but for my girl…it was necessary to drive the point home.
    [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlglHUVguOE]
     After viewing this, Bella looked at me , with big saucer eyes, ” Umm, yeah..Mommy, let’s go workout now! She got so lumpy, she had to work out a lot more!”

    Ah, my daughter, there is no way she is going to let herself get lumpy and have to do all that extra work to get it off when she could simply play outside and get some exercise to maintain. Nothing quite as inspiring as laziness. Wow! I wish I could have figured that out when I was younger. It sure would have been easier to maintain than to try and lose. Balls! One more lesson I learned from my girls.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]

  • Help, I’ve fallen….

    OK, well maybe I haven’t quite fallen off the Weight Watchers wagon but I am definitely falling. I started this journey about 6 months ago. I had hit the reset button on my  life and was doing really well. I lost 25 lbs in the first 3 months and that is no small feat, especially for a woman in her mid thirties with two small girls. But then a lot of life happened to me and the loss stalled. Problem is its been stalled for about 3 months. I still go get weighed ( even though it is within the same 1 lb every week) and I track my points but this plateau is holding its ground. Now, I don’t know if this is payback for having an eating disorder for 7 years of my younger life and my body is trying to punish me in my old age or if I’ve done something wrong, pissed someone off…or what. All  know is someone needs to push my slightly fat ass back up on that wagon cause I’m quickly losing my footing . Weight loss is an epic adventure no matter what age you are but throw into the mix that your time is monopolized by others who are actually life dependent on you and things get hairy. I am tying to be healthy, to be a good example for my girls…so failure is not an option. I have got to keep at this until it works. Basically, I am in this for the rest of my life. I need to refocus, reset, and restart. Here I go, pulling myself back up on that wagon…hey, that at least has to be good for my arms, right?
     

  • Working out the weight Wednesday

    Ok, so its come to my attention lately that apparently, I am not the only Mommy in the world (or even my circle) who is trying to figure out a way to raise a family, keep them healthy and happy, and ,while doing so, keep herself in shape. So, I am proposing that Wednesday, the until now dreaded “HUMP DAY” now become something positive for us Mommies. Let’s make Wednesday the day we come here and share weight loss tips, healthy recipes that taste good ( not ones that taste like cardboard, they help NO ONE!), workout routines that we like and enjoy,etc. I think it could be very positive and who can’t use some extra advice in this area? I mean, usually, we don’t just ask our friends ” Hey, you are in great shape. What do you do?” We’d like to, but we don’t. It’s a little awkward and kinda like asking your fertile friends what kind of sexual position worked best for them when trying to conceive. Sure, it could be beneficial to get some new moves in our arsenal and speed up the process but its a touchy subject and not everyone likes to share, plus how do you ask without sounding like a whack job?Same goes for weight loss. But if we had a place to exchange ideas, or just pick some up, I think it would be helpful. It certainly would for me:) I am currently doing a combination of Weight Watchers and Turbo Jam.Both I love. I started on September 25th of ’09, and have thus far lost a grand total of 25 lbs.It’s good but it could be better. I think I need to change up my food variety.Anybody got any great ideas for yummy,healthy recipes? Or what about tricks to get your kids to eat healthy foods? I have exhausted the Deceptively Delicious cookbook and need some fresh ideas. If my husband catches me sneaking cauliflower and sweet potato into his lasagna once more, it may be the end of me:)Any and all ideas welcome!