Consistency is Key: Perfection is Impossible

July 26, 20171 Comment

I am feeling very upset with myself tonight. Frustrated and angry would more accurately describe it. I just got back from another failed run. I picked running back up earlier this summer and while some days of my new training program have been awesome, some have been really, really hard. Today happened to be one of the hard ones. I was supposed to do a combined total of 34 minutes of running and about 18 minutes of walking (including warm-up and cool-down) but I didn’t even make it through half of the run before my body just couldn’t do it.

And while I know that this is just the way training goes (some days are good, some days are not), I’m also feeling frustrated because I know this is mostly my fault. It’s no surprise that my body could not perform optimally tonight (as badly as I wanted it to), when I haven’t been taking care of it nutritionally.

Several months ago, I was put on a fairly restrictive nutrition plan by my naturopath. The initial reasons for doing so were to heal my ulcerative colitis, overcome the extreme fatigue I’d been having, and to lose weight in a healthy way. After doing food sensitivity and blood testing, my naturopath eliminated the following from my diet: wheat/gluten, dairy, sugar, corn, peanuts, chickpeas, and cane sugar. It was discovered that I have a high amount of yeast in my gut (causing too much bad bacteria which causes my inflammation and ulcers) so she also put me on a yeast therapy treatment and gave me strict instructions to drastically cut back on sugar (which feeds the growth of yeast). I was also put on a hemoglobin supplement (my low hemoglobin would be one cause of my extreme fatigue and probiotics which would help boost healthy bacteria in the gut.

For a good while, I stuck pretty faithfully to this plan (with only a few minor cheats here and there) and took my supplements and treatments regularly. I saw almost immediate results – my boating and gas went down drastically, energy levels went up slightly, even my skin got clearer.

But, over the last few weeks I have lost my way. It started when we went on vacation and I told myself I could have more “treats”, but since coming home over a week ago, I just can not seem to get back on my nutrition plan. In fact, I shamefully admit I have gone completely off of it. I’ve been eating everything that hurts my body (white bread, bagels, crackers, peanut butter, tons of sugar, ice cream, cheese, fast food….) The hard thing is, I don’t know why I do this because nearly every time I do, I become consumed with guilt. I tell myself I shouldn’t have it but I do anyway, and then I feel badly. I tell myself I will eat healthier at the next meal, and then I don’t. I buy healthy foods when I go grocery shopping, but then they go back on my counter while I eat junk instead. And since my UC symptoms haven’t been drastic lately, it’s been easier for me to say “f*&$ it” and consumer whatever junk I want.

So it shouldn’t have came as a surprise that when I set out for my run tonight, I was battling some indigestion and my stomach was bloated. And when I started the running intervals, I felt like I was carrying a load of bricks around my middle. I felt heavy and sluggish. On top of that, since the weather was overcast, I had way underestimated the humidity and was sweating within minutes. Guys, I loathe being hot. Yes, I know you’re supposed to sweat when working out, but humidity just kills me!

Needless to say, about halfway through my run, I gave up and walked the rest of the way. I instantly felt hot tears of frustration welling in my eyes. The negative self-talk started up as I blamed myself for eating poorly and for not being able to fulfill the run I had hoped to do.

Maybe I am just not cut out for running, I thought. I’ve been dreading all my runs lately anyway. Maybe I am better off just being fat and out of shape. This is your fault, you should have known better…. Maybe I need to get a modified program, this one is too hard. All you did was eat carbs and sugar all day and you thought you could get away with it! You know better! What were you thinking?! You should have known this would catch up to you eventually!

But fortunately, my only saving grace tonight was that I’ve been working really hard on overcoming negative thoughts with positive ones. Sure, that harsh, judgemental, “you’re-not-good-enough-and-never-will-be” voice immediately piped up in my head, but then moments later so did the inner voice I like to think of as “my friend”.

Today is just not your day but not every day will be perfect. Forgive yourself. Yes you haven’t been making the best food choices but you can change that. It’s okay. You win some and you lose some, next time will be better. You are going to keep trying. Consistency will get you where you want to be. You can do it, don’t give up on yourself. Make one or two small changes every day and you will get there. Don’t give up.

And thankfully this positive, encouraging inner voice took over (and just so you know, I have to make a real effort for the positive voice to over-power the negative one, it’s not easy) because now I have had some time to reflect and to see that perfection is impossible but consistency is key and it’s never too late to get back on track.

What I have learned is that I need to remind myself why I started this nutrition plan in the first place. It wasn’t primarily to lose weight as I’ve been thinking of it lately (and somehow I had foolishly convinced myself that I can “cheat” with my food as long as I am working out and won’t gain weight… even though I know that’s not the truth!) The real reason I started this plan was to optimize my health. Even though, I am not currently experiencing the severe symptoms of ulcerative colitis, I am definitely starting to notice some of the warning signs since I have been eating poorly again. I’ve had far more gas and bloating lately, and am even starting to get bouts of indigestion again (something that I used to get so badly that I was taken to the hospital in the ambulance a few times because I thought I was having a gall bladder attack!) And while my energy levels have been better lately, I know that is primarily because it’s summer (which means I’m off work and it’s sunny alot!) If I were working and eating this way, I’d be feeling sluggish, tired, or even depressed. I know that if I clean up my diet, I will start to feel better. My bloating will go down (one step closer to a flat stomach!) and the digestive pain and discomfort I have will go away. My skin will clear, my energy levels will continue to increase, and it will get easier and easier to maintain the positive attitude that is so important to a journey of good health.

So although I may be feeling frustrated and angry with myself, I am grateful tonight that I know not to beat myself up (for too long anyway, haha!) and to take this as a learning experience. It’s time to put my health (in particular my gut health) at the forefront again and to know that some days just aren’t my day, but that there’s always tomorrow and that I WLL NOT GIVE UP on my goals!

A Lesson Learned Again….

January 6, 20171 Comment

Well, guys, it’s been seven days since I’ve been eating healthier and working out regularly again and up until today everything has been going pretty great! I’m sort of following the 21 Day Fix program – basically using the containers as guidelines for proper portions and to limit certain things like my carb intake and increase certain things like fruits and veggies. I’ve also been doing the 21 Day Fix workouts which, until today, have been totally awesome! I love that the workouts are only thirty minutes and that I can do them in my own basement.

But today, I learned a lesson. I’d been having a so-so day nutrition-wise to begin with because we’d stay at my parents’ place overnight and there are alot of temptations there. I’d made the best of the situation but had already over-eatenmy carb intake (and it had been white bread to boot!). Plus, I’d drank quite a bit of coffee with french-vanilla flavoured cream which has a pretty high sugar content (it is so damn delicious that I’m just not ready to give it up yet!) Anyway, after getting back into town, due to some unforeseen circumstances, my family and I ended up grabbing dinner on the go tonight. (I had planned to have roast chicken and salad for dinner but like I said, unforeseen circumstances…). We went to a little diner that is attached to the arena where my son was playing hockey. Guys, this place has the best poutine I’ve ever eaten in my life. So I convinced myself that since I’d done so well nutritionally for seven days that I deserved to splurge, so I went ahead and ordered a small poutine and ate almost all of it.

So where’s the lesson? Again, you’d think I would have learned this one by now but I guess I’m still learning. I think each time it happens it becomes more and more obvious to me: crappy food really does make me feel crappy! Within an hour after eating that poutine, my stomach began rumbling and I started having cramps similar to what I get with my ulcerative colitis. I was uncomfortable for the entire hockey game and the whole ride home. In an effort to make myself feel better physically when we got home, I decided to do the 21 Day Fix Pilates work. Guys, I hate Pilates. I’ve taken classes before and just hate it. I find the moves so difficult and feel clumsy and uncoordinated when I do it. But I was in my basement, and it was the next workout on the 21 Day Fix DVD that I’v been following, so I decided to give it a try. Well, even though I was alone, I felt like a total fool trying to do this workout! Next thing I knew, tears were streaming down my cheeks. I was crying! Now, I am proud to say that I did finish the workout, but I hated every minute of it! I felt overweight, weak, and uncoordinated. I was angry and disappointed with myself. Even when it was done, I still felt like total crap. I was suddenly cranky, moody, and feeling down on myself.

So there’s another thing I learned tonight. Not only does unhealthy food make me feel terrible physically but it really does make me feel terrible emotionally too! Between all the sugar I had consumed today (which had already been making my head feel fuzzy) and the poutine, I suddenly felt so down-in-the-dumps, frustrated and sad. Crazy!

The part that frustrated me most about all of this, though, is that I feel like I should have known better. Even though I just got back to eating healthier a week ago, within days I’d been feeling the positive effects! Not only had my mood improved, but more importantly, almost all of my UC symptoms had disappeared. It had improved so quickly, in fact, that when my prescription ran out a couple of days ago, I decided to go without it for now since I’d been doing so well. But after just one day of eating badly, the symptoms were back! There is no way this is just a coincidence!

Anyway, as frustrating and disappointing as it all is, tomorrow is a new day! I am grateful that I learned this lesson today (even if it was a tough one to learn) and I only hope that I will remember how terrible I felt today, next time I am craving junk food!

Wish me luck!

My Intentions for 2017

January 1, 2017Leave a comment

Happy New Year!

Like many, I love the fresh start of a new year. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking and reflecting over the last little while to try to decide what my resolutions will be this year. I love exploring different sources for creativity and inspiration, and a theme that keeps coming up over and over again, and one I am really latching on to, is the notion of self-care.

Self-care is unique to the individual so it really means figuring out what is right for you. Here’s what I’ve discovered so far about the components of my own self-care practice that I hope to implement this year.

PHYSICAL HEALTH

Exercise

This year, I’ve decided to cancel my gym membership and find different kinds of exercise that I truly enjoy. Some things I plan on doing are: walking my dog, cross-country skiing, hiking, at-home basement workouts (cardio, strength training, weights). I’ve also finally registered for my first yoga series at a local yoga studio that I can’t wait for.

Nutrition

I’ve decided to commit to cleaning up my diet for a few reasons. One, I’ve continued to struggle with ulcerative colitis and am hoping that by making changes to my diet, it will improve my symptoms and eventually put me back into remission. Secondly, I want to be in the best physical shape of my life and I know a huge part of that is eating properly. I’ve decided to try something different and have recently started the 21 Day Fix in hopes that a new program will give me the motivation I’ve been lacking. Finally, I know that eating healthy foods (and cutting back on the unhealthy ones) will give me more energy and help alleviate a lot of the fatigue I have been feeling.

Water

As part of my new nutrition program, I am trying to consume more water on a daily basis. I find drinking out of a reusable water bottle helps me to get my daily water intake and also helps me to easily keep track of how much I’ve consumed.

MENTAL / EMOTIONAL

Yoga

Besides its physical benefits, yoga positively benefits our minds helping us to become more mindful, release negative thoughts, and open our hearts to love, light, and peace. Yoga helps me to feel relaxed and helps me to slow down the rush of day-to-day life. I am really excited to get started on my yoga journey!

Journaling

The main reason I started this blog was to have an outlet for creativity. While others may paint, dance, sing, or scrapbook, my creative outlet is writing. I think a lot and sometimes my brain feels overloaded with too many things. Journaling helps me to release some of the things I am thinking about which eases my mind. Furthermore, it allows me to express myself and reach out to others in a positive way.

Slowing Down

As I get older, I find I crave a more simple and quietwe life. The drama, chaos, and negativity that thrive in the world, make me upset and make me desire a slower, simpler pace. This year, I intend to slow down my daily activities whether it’s my morning routine, driving, reacting to the choices of others, teaching, or just day-to-day tasks.

Being Outdoors

Until recently, I never truly understood the benefits of spending time in nature. Lately though, I’ve realized that being outside makes me feel overall more positive, calmer, happier, and more at peace. I’ve even found a new appreciation for our Northern Ontario winters. I’ve finally realized that fresh, outdoor air and quality Vitamin D is essential to my mental health. This year, I intend to spend more time outdoors by doing things like: walking (with friends, my hubby and my dog), hiking, cross-country skiing, skating on outdoor rinks, camping, and exploring the woods. When summer rolls around, I may even try canoeing or kayaking!

Home

One of the places I love being the most is at home. Our house is small but it is cozy and it’s one place where I can (usually) fully relax. Most of the time, this happens in my favourite arm-chair, with a cuddly blanket. Nearby, you’ll find my water bottle, sometimes a coffee, the latest book I am reading, my Chapstick, my hand cream, my iPhone, and my iPad. Next to me, my husband is watching TV from the couch with our fur baby curled up beside him. Another favourite place in my home is my bedroom. I love the cozy weight of our duvet, the coolness of our pillows, the light pouring in from behind our white, gauzy curtains. On my nighttable, I have a simple statue of Buddha that helps me to feel peaceful before bed. I love long, slow mornings lounging in bed on the weekend with my husband and our dog, scrolling through social media, reading, or making plans for the day.

Of course, there is always room for improvement in our home. While I have some projects I’d like to see happen this year, there are a few simple things I can do to help make my home even more cozy. I’ve started listening to acoustic music when doing household tasks. I love lighting candles around my home. I love the greenery of dispersing plants throughout our house. I love having cuddly blankets and pillows. I am also considering putting up some white twinkly lights in my bedroom to help create a cozy, romantic, warm space.

Relationships

There is nothing in life more important to me than the relationships I have. I am very blessed to be surrounded by so many special family members and friends. This year, I hope to cultivate those relationships even more by paying more attention to my loved ones’ needs and showing more kindness and appreciation where I can. I hope to stay in better contact with friends that live far away and to visit my three, precious nieces more often. There’s nothing that makes my heart feel fuller than time spent with those I love.

Parenting

Parenting is a tough job, and I would argue that step-parenting is even harder, especially to two teenagers. That being said, this year I intend to practice more patience when it comes to parenting. I am a highly sensitive and emotional person that tends to react too quickly to feelings of stress, frustration, hurt, or anger. This year, I will pause and think before reacting to these kinds of situations. I will listen, not half-heartedly, but really listen to their needs and interests when they talk so that they feel the love and attention they deserve. In essence, I will be kinder and more loving to my children.

SPIRITUAL

Mindfulness

This year, I hope to practice being more mindful and fully present in the moments of my life. By slowing down my day-to-day routines, I hope to notice the small things that make life so pleasurable (example: the beauty of the snow-covered evergreens that line my route to work). Practicing mindfulness will also fill my heart with gratitude, faith, and love.

Yoga / Meditation

I am excited to learn more about yoga and meditation this year and hope to discover more about myself through the practice of both. I plan to explore some guided meditations and perhaps even create a yoga space in my basement surrounded by things that inspire and motivate me.

Light

For me, light is both figurative and literal. Especially in the long, dark days of winter, spending as much time in daylight is crucial. It’s one of the reasons I always open the blinds in my home and in my classroom, and switched all my indoor supervision duties for outdoor ones. But light can also be figurative. For me the notion of bringing light into my life means to bring positivity and happiness ~ something I definitely intend to do this year!

Morning Intentions

At school each morning, our principal asks us to take a moment of silence to reflect on our day. Each day, I use that time to set some intentions for myself, for my students and co-workers, and for my loved ones. Recently, I have starting sharing my morning intentions via Facebook as a means of sending hope and light into the world. Also, by writing down my intentions, it allows me to reflect on them and express them more clearly.

Gratitude

Similar to my morning intentions, I sometimes share daily expressions of gratitude on my Facebook account. Again, writing these thoughts helps me to see them and feel them more clearly. But it’s also my intention to help others recognize the small, simple things in life that we have and to realize how very blessed we are.

What are your goals / resolutions / intentions for the New Year? Whatever it may be, I hope your year is filled with love, light, peace, and positivity! 💕

My Newest (and most Important) Reason to Get Healthy!

December 11, 20161 Comment

I feel like I’ve made a revelation of sorts recently. In fact, it’s one that’s so huge, I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to figure it out. It seems like something I should have realized years ago, but somehow I missed the boat. It’s taken me almost twenty years to realize this:

Nutrition and exercise are directly related to mental health.

As I said, it seems so obvious that I can’t believe I never really saw or understood that before. I mean, sure I’ve read it and heard it, but it’s never hit home for me until now.

For me, losing weight was always about looking good. It was about trying to meet some kind of ideal of “healthy” and “thin” which I always, always linked with beautiful, sexy, successful. For years the desire to be those things was enough to make me want to lose weight. But something has shifted in my life and although I still want to be beautiful, sexy, and successful, those things in themselves don’t seem to be enough to motivate me to put in the hard work that it takes to lose weight and maintain it.

So I’ve been struggling. I haven’t been able to find the inspiration and the motivation to get back on the wagon. Terrible eating habits and nights on the couch in my PJs are my daily routine again.

Also part of my daily routine, especially at this time of year, are a major lack of motivation, incredible feelings of laziness, always, always feeling exhausted, and some feelings of anxiety, overwhelmness, and hopelessness. Not to mention headaches, bloating, gas and a multitude of digestive problems. Ugh.

Why did it take me so long to link the two?

For the first time, in my decades-long journey of weight loss, I have finally found a source of inspiration that I believe could be a real turning point in my life. It’s like a giant, golden light bulb has gone off and what I have been looking for for years, is suddenly here, loud and clear.

I have a new, and significant, reason to want to eat better and exercise. Because now I know that doing those two things will impact my life in ways I may have experienced but never really understood before. Fueling my body with healthy foods and exercising won’t just make me “skinny” and “self-confident”, it will directly impact my mental health and in essence, my overall life.

It will give me energy again. It will give me the fuel I need to make it through the day. It will alleviate my headaches and prevent me from feeling so tired by 4 p.m that I don’t want to do anything but bury myself under a blanket and never come out or cry. It will help to heal my digestive issues, build physical strength to prevent achy legs and hips, and take away the bloating and gas I so often deal with. It will improve my self-confidence and drive me to want to improve other areas of my life. It will fill me with positive self-talk and help me to be kinder, more gentle, and more patient with others – all things I want so desperately in my life but often don’t have the energy for.

I still can’t believe I never understood this before!

Many times my husband has told me that he thought I was “happier” during the few years in my life when I had met my goal weight, was working out like crazy, and eating on plan. For so long, I disagreed with him. I even wrongly perceived his comment. I took it as his way of saying that he prefers me to be skinny rather than overweight. I would shrug off his comment with the argument that I am just as happy now as I was back then.

But now I finally realize what he meant. It doesn’t mean that I am unhappy now. It’s just that the habits I had established then had such a direct impact on all aspects of my life. It’s that eating well and working out regularly affects you in so many ways that I didn’t even realize it. Yes, it’s possible to be happy without diet and exercise in your life, but it’s so much easier to be happy with those things.

For the last several months I have wallowed in self-pity and guilt. I have felt discouraged and was searching desperately for reasons to justify my lack of healthy eating and working out. And now I can so clearly see that all that was doing was bringing more negativity into my life.

So finally, finally, finally I feel like I have found my motivation again. I have always known that eating healthy foods and exercising is important but I just couldn’t find the inspiration to do it. Now that it is so obvious to me the direct impact they have on my mental health (and overall well-being) it doesn’t seem so daunting. And although a new year is just around the corner, and it’d be so easy to say I’ll just start then, this new reason to want to get healthy doesn’t seem like something that can wait. It needs to happen now. And I can’t wait to get started!

30-Day Plan: Day 30

August 4, 20162 Comments

Wow, I can’t believe I’ve made it to the “end” of my 30-day commitment to myself! It hasn’t been as “perfect” as I had originally thought it would be but it has absolutely given me the kick-start I needed to get back into a healthier, more nutritious lifestyle! In reflecting on the past month, I wanted to share what I thought went well and what I think I still need to work on.

What went well….

I kept track of all my food and points in my food diary every single day (not just on the blog, but I actually have a notebook where I write down everything).
I researched lower-points options and looked up points before eating some things to make a conscious and informed decision about whether or not I truly wanted to have it
I was active at least 3-4 days a week
I drank way more water than I had been
I stopped eating sugary cereal (and don’t really miss it) and started my day off with a protein-loaded breakfast
I cut back on sugar
I really cut back on carbs
I are way more vegetables
I planned ahead for events that I knew would have many food temtpations
I packed my own food when I went on vacations so I’d have some healthy options
I meal planned and prepped food so I’d have something healthy on hand
I tried new foods and new ways of preparing certain foods
I attended my Weight Watchers meetings
I didn’t let the number on the scale discourage me when it went up
I allowed myself to have some treats without feeling too guilty
I felt encouraged, determined, motivated, positive, confident, and happy 99% of the time!

What I will continue to work on….

Seek more healthy recipes so I can eat a variety of healthy food
Continue to cut back on sugar
Plan ahead for treats – look up the points before having them instead of waiting until after
Try new foods and recipes
Obtain a healthy balance between treating myself and eating healthy
Establish more challenging workout routines (maybe start running again?)
Build healthy habits so that they come more naturally and don’t require so much conscious work and effort
Track every single day in my food journal

With that being said, here’s how Day 30 looks:

Breakfast: I finally found a granola that is not too high in points! A friend of mine suggested this Nature’s Path peanut butter granola and 1/2 cup (which is more than enough per serving!) is only 5 points (not bad at all!) I mixed in 1/3 cup Source vanilla yogurt for a delicious and satisfying breakfast (and a nice change from bacon & eggs!)

Since we are leaving town tomorrow, I had a long to-do list today to get ready to go. I started by tidying up the house, doing dishes, and sweeping the floors. After just those minor tasks though I was feeling really sluggish and tired (maybe not enough energy from my breakfast or maybe it’s the crazy humidity?) I drank some more water and took a quick social media/ TV break.

Lunch: For lunch I ate my usual grilled turkey burger, sautéed vegetables (in a bit of EVOO) and a sprinkle of feta cheese. The veggies were nice and fresh (I just bought them yesterday at the market) and were so good! I topped lunch off with some more water and big slice of juicy watermelon.

After lunch, I had to tackle a job that I had been dreading, and that my husband and I have both put off for months – cleaning out our SUV! While away last weekend, I noticed that the filth and dirt inside had reached an all-new high and I just couldn’t take it anymore, so even though it was 37 degrees with the humidity today (eek!) I lugged my cleaning supplies out to the garage and got busy! An hour later, I was sweating like crazy but at least we have a nice clean ride ready to go when we set out again tomorrow! Plus, I am sure I earned at least a few activity points completing this task!

After that job, I came inside and took another social media/water break (drinking water has made all the difference – I rarely drink anything else now, except coffee and a diet pop once in awhile as a treat!) Then I got to work cooking and prepping some food my husband and I plan to take on the road with us. I grilled turkey burgers (we’ll also take lean hamburgers), cooked a pack of turkey bacon, and cooked a container of bow-tie pasta to make a pasta salad with. Then I chopped red/yellow/green peppers, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet potatoes, and red onions and packed them all in individual containers that will fit easily into our big cooler. I also plan on taking: eggs, yogurt, granola, lettuce, salad dressing, feta cheese, coffee, cream, mini rice cakes, and a pre-bought meat & cheese tray (as a little treat). We’ll probably eat a couple meals in restaurants as well and may have to re-stock on groceries next week, but this will definitely help us to save some cash while on the road and will help me continue with my weight loss goals!

After all that food prep, I decided to take another little break (I love the slow-moving days of summer!) so made myself a coffee (with cream) and sat down to check social media and watch some more TV. Oh, I should also mention that I started another book – Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer and it’s really interesting so far! I am really going to miss all the free time for reading when school goes back in!

Dinner: For dinner, my husband and I ate leftovers out of the fridge. He had hotdogs while I had some boneless, skinless chicken breast and made one of my taco salads with light Italian dressing. My salad and chicken came to a total of about 8 points.

Workout: We had another softball game tonight (we lost by just a few runs). It was still pretty hot out so it wasn’t hard to work up a sweat! This earned me about 6 activity points.

Snack: When we got home from softball my husband I were both really hungry! I wanted something filling and satisfying so decided to have another 1/2 cup of peanut butter granola and 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt – it totally hit the spot and filled me up! Plus, I guzzled a bunch more water.

Well guys, that’s it! It’s the end of my 30 days! I still can’t believe I actually stuck to this (and blogged about every single day!) I weighed myself this morning and I was down another couple pounds so I’m estimating that I lost about 10 lbs over the last 30 days! I am really happy with that result seeing as in the past it would have taken me months to lose that much! I have already noticed that my clothes are fitting better and I’ve already had to buy a few items in a size smaller! My energy levels haven’t changed much but I think that has more to do with the lazy days of summer than anything (hopefully when I get back to work, I will feel the effects of better nutrition when it comes to having more energy!) The biggest transformation though has definitely been on the inside. I am so proud of myself for doing this and for seeing it through to the “end”. I feel more confident and motivated knowing that if I can do it for 30 days, I can keep on doing it until this becomes habit. I know it will never be “perfect” but that’s not what I am striving for. I am striving for doing better. I want to be mindful about how I am treating my body, how I am nourishing it, and how I am challenging it. I know that that will take work and effort on my part. But I think the biggest, most important thing to remember at the end of all this is that everything happens one day at a time. As I have mentioned in previous posts, in the past I always fell victim to the “all or nothing” mentality. I’d always let one bad meal become a bad day, which would become a bad week, bad month, etc. I thought if I couldn’t eat “perfectly” I might as well throw it all away and just not do anything about it. Clearly, that was not working for me.

So now, after the last 30 days, I can honestly say I am excited and very motivated to keep going! I’ve seen nothing but positive results this past month and if I am being perfectly honest, it really hasn’t been that hard (after all, I did indulge several times in the last 30 days!) More importantly, I know if I keep working at it, one day at a time, I will establish healthy routines that will be good for me mind, body, and soul. That’s the ultimate goal.

30 days complete! I DID IT!

30-Day Plan: Day 29

August 3, 20162 Comments

First of all, I can’t believe it is the second last day of my 30-day plan! Tomorrow marks the “end” of this journey but it is by no means truly the end. In fact, I feel like I am just getting started on my path back to a healthier lifestyle – this thirty days was just the kick-start I needed to introduce some healthy habits back into my daily life. I’ve already started considering news goals. I really like the idea of a small commitment (like 30 days) because it makes things feel much more attainable. If there is no “end” it feels overwhelming and like I will never make it. That being said, as I already mentioned this so-called end isn’t really an end. I know that the habits I am trying to develop now need to stick around for life if I want to remain healthy and maintain a healthy weight. But I also know that what’s key for me in being successful is taking it one day and one step at a time. Here’s how Day 29 has gone:

Breakfast: I only had one slice of turkey bacon left this morning so I decided to make two eggs and have a bit of vanilla yogurt on the side with it. I ended up not really eating the second egg though, so my breakfast was a total of only 4 points.

I only ate about half of these eggs

After breakfast, I met a friend of mine at a local coffee shop where I ordered a coffee with a caramel shot and then added 2 tbsp of cream. I have no idea how many points this would be but I am approximating it to be about 5 points which is what my cream at home comes out to. I had planned on visiting with my friend for about an hour and then hitting Power Yoga at the gym, but I really should have known better because whenever me and this friend get together we just can’t stop talking! Sure enough 2.5 hours later, we realized what time it was and said our goodbyes – fortunately no parking ticket for me even though the meter had run out an hour previous!

After our coffee date, I headed to the public library to return some books and check out some new ones. Here’s a snap of the books I plan on reading over the next few weeks before school goes back in!

Hope I can finish all these before school goes back!

Lunch: After the library, I was starving so I zipped home to grab something to eat. When I got there, I realized that my plan to just live off whatever was in the fridge for the next couple days, was not really a wise one – there really wasn’t much in there! I was too hungry to go and do groceries at this point though so grabbed for the only thing available – a leftover hotdog (I checked later and couldn’t believe that one hotdog is 8 points!) It’s also super hot and humid again today (we’re actually under a heat warning) so I had a 1/2 cup of chocolate frozen yogurt. Not a healthy lunch at all! This totally happened though because I did not plan carefully and should have gotten groceries yesterday so I would have had something healthy prepared for today. Plus, I waited much too long to eat and was ravenous so just grabbed whatever was the fastest and most easily available! Ahh, it happens.

After lunch, I headed to Walmart to stock up on some healthy eats. My husband and I are already planning to pack groceries when we go on our trip and to do as much of our own cooking as possible (as I mentioned in a previous post this is easier on the pocket and the waistline so it’s a win-win!) I grabbed some more turkey bacon, turkey burgers, fresh salmon, eggs, rice cakes, coffee, some deli meat, buns, and diet pop. After, I swung by the market and got fresh produce – mushrooms, peppers, zucchini, lettuce, spinach, sweet potatoes, and watermelon. Now we are stocked up and will be able to eat healthfully!

Dinner: After picking up my son at the beach, we headed home. Once again, I didn’t have anything planned for dinner (oops!) For some reason, this hot weather makes me crave a nice, deli sandwich so we threw those together for dinner. On mine I had a bit of deli meat (pepperoni and ham), cheddar cheese, 1 tbsp light mayo and some mustard. Even though this doesn’t seem like much it adds up to about 10 points (ugh!) Of course, this didn’t fill me up so I just had another 1/2 cup of frozen yogurt (I swear I could just live off frozen yogurt in this weather!!! But at least it’s not ice cream!) Dinner came to about a total of 14 points.

Stupid high in points but it hit the spot!

It’s so hot that I want all the frozen yogurt!!

It’s now early evening and I am over my points for today and haven’t done any physical activity. I missed my class at the gym and it’s so hot outside. I could do a workout in my basement but honestly after a busy afternoon of running around, I am feeling like I just want to take it easy this evening. Plus I have that stack of new books to get through! Haha. If it cools off early enough though, I may try to take my dog for a walk. Otherwise, I will have to use some of my “bonus” points for the ones I went over today. I am okay with that though. Although I am not sure if I will be able to resist more frozen yogurt seeing as I feel like I could eat the whole tub right now!

Well, tomorrow marks the last day of my 30-day plan! I am unsure yet whether I will immediately start another 30-day plan or wait until I am back from my holiday – we are leaving town for 10 days and although we will pack healthy food there will still be a lot of temptations! We are hitting a friend’s cottage for the weekend, Toronto for three days (where we will catch three Blue Jays games!!!) and then a long weekend of camping with my family! I definitely plan on enjoying my vacation and indulging but also don’t want to go crazy either and erase all the hard work I have done over the last month! It’s all about achieving a healthy balance – something I am still working on.

29 days down, 1 to go!

30-Day Plan: Day 28

August 3, 20161 Comment

Sorry for the delayed post but I was quite busy last evening so didn’t get a chance to get on here and write. I am happy to report that I got right back on track yesterday. Here’s how the day went:

Breakfast: 3 slices turkey bacon, 1 fried egg, coffee with French-Vanilla cream, and water.

After breakfast, I was feeling really tired from the weekend’s adventures so I took things easy and watched TV while scrolling through social media.

Lunch: I returned to my tried-and-true low-points lunch and had a turkey burger, sautéed vegetables, and a sprinkle of feta cheese. It was delicious but I was craving something cold (it has been so hot here lately!) so I also had a 1/2 cup of Chapman’s Dutch Chocolate frozen yogurt.

After lunch, I caught up on some laundry from our vacation, swept the floors, read a little and caught up with one of my friends online.

Workout: Since it was Tuesday, I hit my regular gentle yoga class at my gym. It turned out I was the only one who showed up so it ended up being a private class! The instructor still pretty much carried through her regular series of stretches and poses but we did do some stretches on the wall that we don’t normall do that felt really good. Either way, I always leave this class feeling relaxed and rejuvenated! Also, this class earns me about 3 activity points.

Dinner: After yoga, I grabbed a roasted chicken at the deli and flew home to have a quick dinner before my Weight Watchers meeting. I whipped together my taco salad (lettuce, green onions, red/yellow/green peppers, shredded cheese, tortilla salad topper, and low-cal Italian dressing) and ate a chunk of the chicken breast with it.

(I forgot my phone in the car so didn’t get a picture of dinner.)

After dinner, I attended my Weight Watchers meeting and weigh-in. I wasn’t surprised to see that I was up 1lb. In fact, after all the indulgences over the weekend, I had kind of expected it to be a lot worse! Plus, I had a significant loss last week so being up 1lb was really no big deal. Not only that, but I know the number on the scale isn’t everything – there are so many factors that play into one’s weight. So although I wish the scale had gone down, I am really not letting the minor gain upset me. I know this is a slow and steady progress full of ups and downs and I am confident in my efforts lately and that’s all that really matters!

Workout 2: After Weight Watchers, I had a softball game which usually lasts just over an hour. By this time it was pretty cloudy but the humidity was still unreal. Man, did I ever sweat while we were playing! I earned about 6 activity points.

By the time I got home from softball, I wanted something cold again so I had another 1/2 cup of chocolate frozen yogurt. After, I was really tempted to have another serving but instead distracted myself with social media and was able to forget about having any more.

28 days down, 2 to go!

30-Day Plan: Day 24, 25, 26, 27

August 1, 20162 Comments

Warning: Long post ahead. Four days in one post!

Well, we finally made it back from our long weekend family get-away and what a wonderful time it was! I didn’t take many food pictures this weekend but I did document our time with family and friends so I will share some of those! Also, I will admit right away that I definitely went over my points and indulged quite a bit this weekend but I still made mostly conscious choices and wanted to enjoy our mini vacation to the max! Here’s a break-down of how things went!

Friday: Day 24

Breakfast: We had stayed at my Mom and Dad’s the previous night, so it was easy to have breakfast before hitting the road. I had an egg and turkey bacon and made a coffee (with cream) for the road. I consider this a win because normally I would have just hit the road and grabbed a bagel and butter from Tim Horton’s instead. I am glad I stuck with my healthy plan!

On the road! My teenaged stepdaughter was driving!

Workout 1: Upon arriving in North Bay, we met up with my first-year university roommate and best friend! She is home visiting from China and had to drive two hours to meet up with us so I was so thrilled to see her! We enjoyed a lovely stroll along the waterfront and even got to hear Hedley doing their sound check!

Lunch: After our hangout at the waterfront, we went out for lunch at Boston Pizza. I had planned for this meal and had looked forward to indulging: I decided to have a 1/2 Boston Brute sandwich (toasted panini bread with pizza sauce, mozzarella, and various Italian meats – basically like a pizza sub), a side Caesar salad, and a Diet Coke. It was delicious, I enjoyed every single bite, and best of all, I got to chat with a long-lost friend! Lunch was a total of 20 points.

Waterfront walks with my bestie!

After lunch, we said a goodbye to my friend (such a short but sweet visit!) and headed to the mall to do a bit of shopping. Then we returned to my husband’s best friend’s place to cook dinner and rest up before the night’s festivities!

Dinner: We had planned to cook dinner at our friend’s place to both save money and to eat healthier. My hubby and kids had burgers and macaroni salad while I had one of my grilled turkey burgers, veggies and feta (that I had packed in a cooler and brought with us). Dinner was 5 points.

Healthy and easy dinner at “home” instead of eating out.

After dinner, we walked to the concert venue and stopped at Tim Horton’s along the way. The others ordered iced cappuccinos and chills (like milkshakes) but I decided just to have a bottle of water. Another success!

That night we surprised our kids (12 and 17) with tickets to a Hedley concert (for my American readers, Hedley is a pretty famous Canadian pop-rock band). The concert was amazing and I now have a slight obsession with Hedley going on (especially the super sexy lead singer Jacob Hoggard!) Honestly though, this guy’s voice is so powerful and amazing, and unlike many other bands they actually almost sound better live! Needless to say we had a blast (despite my son’s little episode of dehydration – a little water and escape from the crowd had him good to go in no time!) After the concert, we walked back to our friend’s place (about a 30-min walk) and then I had to go rescue my parents who had missed their bus back to their campsite! By this time, it was after midnight and I was literally ravenous. My hubby had taken the kids out to grab some McDonald’s so I decided to grab some for myself too. I wolfed down a kids’ McNuggets meal and a Diet Coke which turned out to only be 9 points so not too bad at all.

Sorry for the poor picture quality, however I strongly recommend seeing this band live!

We met up with my Mom, Dad and some other family at the concert. Here’s me and my Mama loving the music!

Saturday – Day 25

Brunch: We slept in the next morning so had brunch at our friend’s house before hitting the road again. I had an egg and turkey bacon with water but also treated myself to a piece of Texas toast and butter! I made my coffee (and cream) for the road though because we had just over an hour’s drive to my in-laws. With my coffee, brunch came to 16 points.

Dinner: On the way to my in-laws we stopped in to say hi to my brother-in-law at his shop and ended up staying there for two hours! By the time we left, we were all quite hungry! I could tell my husband really just wanted to grab some fast food so we could get going to his mom’s but I really didn’t want to eat takeout again (too many points!) so we decided to just cook once we got there. Once we arrived, I warmed up the leftover burgers and decided to just have one of those with everyone else instead of making my usual turkey burger and veggies (I even had a bun!) I tried some of the macaroni salad too but didn’t like it so only ate a few bites (was not going to waste calories on something that wasn’t even that great!) Instead, because it was easy and convenient, I munched on some Quakers mini rice cakes and had a Diet Coke to go with my burger. Dinner was a total of 17 points.

My MIL and hubby.

After dinner, we got to hang out in my in-laws backyard which is gorgeous! My MIL is a gardener and grows all kinds of her own vegetables, fruits, and flowers. They have a cozy, furnished outdoor living space, and best of all, a beautiful in ground swimming pool! The weather has been amazing lately so it was a gloriously hot summer evening. My son and I enjoyed a dip in the pool and then we hung out with the family. My MIL brought out some chocolate-peanut butter squares for dessert and guys, let me tell you, these things were massive! I couldn’t resist chocolate though so I cut a tiny piece off and had that instead.

Snack: So my in-laws also live down the street from Dairy Queen which we don’t have where I live. It’s a tradition to go there at least once whenever we’re visiting so we headed down there for a treat! I had planned for this indulgence too, so I decided to go with the chocolate milkshake. Only later that night when I looked up the points did I realize it was 37 points!!! I couldn’t believe it. I knew it would be a lot of points but I was thinking about 20, not 37! Anyway, I had already enjoyed it (and it was delicious!) so it was too late. But I will definitely have to keep this in mind next time we hit Dairy Queen! Needless to say, when we got back to the house and decided to have a campfire, I was able to convince my kids that the s’mores we had planned on making could wait until the next night!

So many points!!!

We couldn’t keep this kid out of the pool if we tried!

Sunday – Day 26

Breakfast: We cooked breakfast at my in-laws and I stuck with my usual turkey bacon and egg. (Side note: turkey bacon is so easy to pre-cook and then easily warm up either in the microwave or a stove-top!) I made my coffee (and cream) and enjoyed it on the ride into town for an afternoon of shopping with my daughter!

Lunch: After a few hours of shopping, we decided to grab lunch at the food court in the mall. I decided to have Mr. Souvlaki since this is again not something we can get at home and I absolutely love Greek food! I ordered the chicken souvlaki plate which is basically a chicken souvlaki kebab, tzaztiki sauce, rice, Greek salad, and roasted potatoes. I ate almost all of it except for a bit of the rice and potatoes! I also had a Diet Pepsi with it (I have been trying not to drink Diet pop but considered it a treat while on holidays, plus it’s 0 WW points). Lunch came to a total of 18 points.

Food court lunch

Snack and Dinner: After more shopping (I bought the cutest, native-inspired dress!) we decided to grab a treat before heading back to my in-laws. I chose a fat-free frozen yogurt waffle cone from Laura Secord but was a little disappointed when I later found out it was still about 15 points! However, it was incredibly yummy (probably even more so than the previous night’s milkshake!). Then we grabbed some groceries to take back to cook for dinner (again, budget- and waist-friendly). My daughter wanted sausages so we grabbed those and a veggie tray and headed back to my in-laws. By the time we got back, I was feeling pretty tired again. Everyone was lounging by the pool and although I had intended to make one of my turkey burgers and veggies for dinner, my father-in-law offered to grill up the sausages and then set it out with the veggie tray and potatoes. Being tired and having dinner set out in front of me makes it really hard to say no, so I caved here and had a sausage (with bun) for dinner. I had a few of the carrots and dip and some more rice cakes as well, for a total of about 21 points (ugh!) After dinner, my daughter had busted open the cookies we bought to make s’mores so I had one of those for another 2 points.

By the pool

After dinner, we hung out in the backyard by the pool, visited with family, and had a lot of good laughs! Later in the night we had another campfire and this time me and the kids made s’mores. I had planned on having just one but it was so good that I had a second. By then, I felt so full and kind of disappointed with myself for indulging so much! So then, when my daughter brought out a bag of chips a little while later, I snuck a small handful. Between the s’mores and the chips, I figure I tacked on another 11 points to my day.

Family by the pool

Monday – Day 27

Brunch: We slept in once again and then had brunch at my in-laws. I stuck with my usual egg and turkey bacon but couldn’t resist the Texas toast (I had two slices with butter!) I also made my usual coffee (with cream) for our road trip home.

Lunch: A few hours later we decided to make a stop for lunch. To keep it cheap, we hit Wendy’s. I am not going to lie – I didn’t really put much effort into making a healthy choice this time. At this point, I had that old, familiar feeling of the weekend is “blown” so what does it matter now? I ordered a Junior Bacon Cheeseburger, small fries, and Diet Coke. It was quite yummy but I don’t think it’s really worth the 21 points it cost me! (Yikes!)

After lunch, we hit the road again with another four hours of driving ahead of us! About halfway through I munched on some mini rice cakes and drank another Diet Pepsi (see how easily that habit creeps back in?!) We didn’t stop for dinner though so by the time we got home I wanted something fast and easy. My solution? Hotdogs (of which I had two). Man, it’s so easy to eat badly when you haven’t planned out your meals!

All in all though despite going way over my points and not really staying on plan this weekend, I did do some things right. For example, I still tracked all my food and calculated my points (even when they added up to scary realities!) I did make some conscious decisions and cooked at “home” quite a bit which definitely saved me from consuming even more points. Also, I learned some things: I learned that meal prepping and planning is essential and that it is way too easy to eat crap if you don’t plan and wait until you are too tired to care before eating. I learned that DQ milkshakes are delicious but still not sure if they are really worth more points than my regular daily allowance! And most of all, I learned that it is okay to have a blast of a weekend with your family, indulge in way too many treats, and then get right back to healthy eating – which is exactly what I am going to do tomorrow!

Everything was worth it for quality time with these three!

And all this being said, tomorrow is Day 28 which means I only have three more days until my 30-day plan is complete! Tomorrow is also weigh-in (I’m totally expecting to be up after this weekend) and this coming Friday, my husband and I leave for our annual, kid-free, anniversary vacation! Can’t wait!

27 days down, 3 to go!

30-Day Plan: Day Twenty-Three

July 28, 2016Leave a comment

Well, we are on the road again! We’re staying briefly at my Mom and Dad’s tonight and then headed on our weekend trip with our kids (ages 12 and 17) tomorrow! There are definitely going to be some food challenges this weekend but I’ve planned ahead and hopefully I am prepared for most of them! I can’t believe I am one week away from reaching my 30 days! Here’s what today looked like:

Breakfast: I stuck with what works again this morning so had my usual fried egg and 3 slices of turkey bacon (I keep forgetting to mention, I always drink water with breakfast). After, I sipped my coffee (and cream) while watching morning talk shows and reading. Normally, I like to move pretty slow in the morning but today I had lots to do so it wasn’t long before I was up and getting in the shower to get ready to start my day!

After dropping off my daughter, I zipped out to Walmart to grab some groceries and a few other things for the weekend. I had contemplated whether or not I’d pack food this weekend and finally decided that I may as well. Not only will it help me to stay on track with my 30-day plan, but it will save us some money too! Here’s some of the things I picked up at Walmart: turkey bacon, turkey burgers, mini rice cakes (my alternative to chips), eggs, some Diet Coke (a little treat for me), Pepsi (treat for my hubby and kids), and some small tinfoil containers with lids to pack my veggies in. When I got home, I pre-cooked the turkey bacon and burgers so it’d be easy to heat up while on the road. Then I prepared three of the tin-foil bowls with my diced veggies so they’d also be ready to go. In my cooler, I packed these things along with a few eggs, coffee creamer, yogurt, lettuce, and feta cheese. I also brought along my rice cakes, tortilla strips (in case I want a salad – they add the perfect crunch!), and some almonds to snack on.

Food prep underway!

I pre-portioned all my diced veggies for a quick and easy meal

Lunch: I had to grab lunch on the fly today so I quickly grabbed the leftover sweet potatoes and chicken from my fridge. Admittedly, I kind of over-cooked the potatoes so they weren’t as good as usual and even the chicken wasn’t hitting the spot but I ate it anyway so I wouldn’t be hungry. I had one last piece of watermelon in my fridge so I figured I’d eat it up so it didn’t go bad while we were away but unfortunately it was already losing it’s ripeness. I ate about half of it and tossed the other half. I grabbed a bottle of water and raced out the door to a couple of appointments I had scheduled for this afternoon.

Pretty unsatisfying lunch but it held me over until dinner.

After a very busy afternoon of errands, appointments, and packing we were just about ready to hit the road. Since I wanted something quick for dinner and had pretty much already cleaned out the fridge, I decided to grab something on the road. Before doing this though, I spent some time (while sitting at the hairdresser’s this afternoon!) to scroll through my Weight Watchers app so that I could make an informed choice. I had considered Subway (pretty safe bet for eating healthy if you are careful not to add to many sauces and cheeses), but then decided I wanted something hot, so went to Wendy’s instead. There, I ordered an Ultimate Grilled Chicken sandwich (8 points), a kids’ order of fries (6 points) and a small Diet Coke (0 points) for a total of 14 points. Yes, that’s pretty high for dinner but compared to a lot of things I could have had at a fast-food restaurant it was actually pretty decent! Some of the sandwiches alone are over 20 points! Plus, the burger was a significant size so I knew it’d keep me full long enough.

After our quick dinner, we hit the road and arrived at Mom & Dad’s about 8 p.m tonight. As soon as we got inside, I could smell something baking! It turns out, Mom had just taken fresh banana bread out of the oven! Not that I need to say any more than that, but I don’t ever bake at home so having fresh-baked anything from the oven is a real treat! I had one piece and estimated it to be about 6 points, putting me at a total of 37 points for the day.

Workouts: Unfortunately, I didn’t do any workouts today. I had planned to go to Zumba but then slept in too late and wouldn’t have had time to get all my other errands done. I’m a bit disappointed in myself for not making time for it but also realize that these things happen so not really dwelling on it.

Okay, it’s off to bed I go so that I can be well rested for the weekend’s adventures! I will try to update while we’re gone but if I don’t get a chance then you’ll hear from me on Monday when we get back (including everything we did and everything I ate!) Happy Long Weekend, everyone!

23 days down, 7 days to go!

30-Day Plan: Day Twenty-Two

July 27, 20165 Comments

I am pretty tired tonight but wanted to stay consistent with my daily updates, so here’s a look at Day 22:

Workout 1: I had to be up nice and early today to bring our SUV to the shop for repairs. After dropping it off, I walked the long way home which took me about 30 minutes. Even though it was early and the temperature was only 22 degrees, most of the walk was facing the sun so it still felt pretty hot out! That being said, I had been up for a bit before I took the vehicle in so at least I wasn’t a walking zombie like I sometimes am in the morning! In fact, it felt nice to get out and get some exercise in to start my day.

Breakfast: After I got home, I watched TV for an hour or so before making breakfast. I stuck with my usual fried an egg and paired it with 3 slices of turkey bacon. I am not sure what I did differently today but somehow the egg turned out extra fluffy. It was so good! After breakfast, I enjoyed my coffee (and cream) in the sun on the deck while reading (currently: Wild by Nature by Sarah Marquis – pretty good so far!)

Reading on the deck.

After a bit of reading, I was actually starting to feel really tired. I knew if I was going to make it to yoga on time I’d have to leave a bit earlier than normal since I’d be on foot instead of driving. But the thought of walking there didn’t seem appealing at all (for some unexplained reason both of my legs from the hips down to my calves have been achy and sore today even though I haven’t done any kind of major workout…) I was feeling sluggish and sleepy so I opted to take a little nap instead (we have a window A/C installed in our bedroom and I’ve recently replaced our flannel sheets with cool, cotton ones!) I ended up sleeping for about an hour and it was pure bliss! Although I kind of regretted missing yoga, I certainly didn’t feel badly about taking a nap!

Lunch: For some reason when I woke up after my nap, I couldn’t stop thinking about grilled cheese sandwiches. I suddenly had a weird craving for one (more particularly the delicious kind you get in little diners that are made on thick, white bread and toasted to golden perfection!) Unfortunatley, I only had whole-grain bread in the house but even with that I figured out the sandwich would be about 7 WW points. Seven points is pretty high for a simple sandwich and I was worried it wouldn’t fill me up enough but I decided to have it anyway (yum!) After, I had a small bowl of Mini Crispies dill pickle rice cakes.

Not very visually appealing but yummy nonetheless!

Workout 2: After lunch, I decided to tackle a bookshelf in our dining room that’s needed to be re-organized forever! Carrying loads of books up and down the stairs was actually a pretty good workout, plus it felt really good to finally get that job done. Then, the garage finally called to say our vehicle was ready so I walked over to pick it up (another 15 minutes).

Since I had wheels to get me there, I decided to do a quick browse through the mall. I’ve decided that I am going to do an “emoji and hashtag” theme in my classroom this year so I was on the hunt for items for my classroom and I actually found a few things! I also picked up a pretty cute romper at Reitman’s that I did not think I would be able to wear, but it actually looked pretty cute (I’ll post some photos when I wear it, but I’m saving it for our upcoming vacation!)

Picked up a few things for my classroom.

Dinner: After my shopping excursion, I was briefly tempted to stop at the food court for dinner. As I walked by I noticed someone eating a huge, delicious-looking burger. I forced myself not to look at it! Iced cappuccinos from Tim Horton’s were also calling my name but I an happy to say I headed home without giving in to any temptations! When I got home, I prepared some more sweet potato hash (peel and cube potatoes, boil until tender, them pan-fry in olive oil with some garlic, onions, salt & pepper, and parsley). I had a serving of sweet potatoes (4 points), with my regular sautéed vegetables and feta cheese (1 point), and a chicken breast leftover from the other day. By the time my plate was loaded up, I couldn’t believe how much food there was (I’ve been using side plates instead of the full-sized dinner plate). I ate every last bite and it was so delicious and only 8 points in total!

Dessert: After dinner, I fulfilled my sweet craving with 1/2 cup chocolate frozen yogurt.

I didn’t have an evening snack tonight (unless you count the dessert) but I kept myself occupied doing laundry and working on my long-range plans for school. I often find if my mind is distracted I am not as tempted to snack! Tomorrow, we are headed out on our weekend adventure (more about that later, we’ve got a surprise planned for our kids!) I am still contemplating whether or not I am going to pack a cooler so I can eat some of my own food while on the road. We’ll be gone for about 4-5 days total so I am thinking it’d probably be a good idea, especially since the end of my 30-day plan is drawing near ( I need to go out with a bang!) I guess that means a quick trip to the grocery store tomorrow before we head out!

22 days down, 8 days to go!

Kelly Malley

Inspire. Uplift. Empower.

Tag: diet