30-Day Plan: Day Seventeen

July 22, 201610 Comments

Okay guys, so I am going to come out right and admit right now that I’ve kind of let this little “holiday” get the better of me and have somewhat fallen off track. I say “somewhat” because it hasn’t been totally bad – for one thing, I am still writing absolutely everything I eat in my food journal and counting my Weight Watchers points. I’ve also been trying to do some sort of exercise every day (although haven’t worked out at all yet today). But other than that, little indulgences every day are starting to add up, and unfortunately today was no better. Here’s how Day 17 has shaped up:

First of all, since I was up late last night visiting with girlfriends, Mom didn’t wake me for the 7 a.m walk this morning. It was kind of nice to sleep in though and I was still out of bed just after 8 a.m (Mom had not only myself, but my cousin and his wife and three kids, and my three nieces all staying here last night so it was a little noisy around the house pretty early this morning as all the little humans came to life!)

Breakfast: Since we had so much company, Mom whipped up some of her amazing pancakes this morning. I couldn’t say no. Instead, I had one small one and was careful about how much butter and syrup I put on it. All in all, I figure it came out to about 7-8 WW points and although the meal wasn’t exactly filling or healthy, it certainly was quite delicious!

After breakfast, most of the gang here headed out on a day trip to Quebec while I agreed to stay home and watch my two oldest nieces (7 and 4 years old). Shortly after breakfast, I lathered the girls in sunscreen and we headed out to the first of three parks we’d hit today!

Lunch: After playing at two different parks, I brought the girls home to grab a quick lunch. Mom’s fridge was packed with leftovers so I had some leftover chicken breast and treated myself to some leftover macaroni salad that Mom had served a couple nights earlier (macaroni noodles, diced veggies, diced cheddar cheese, light mayonnaise). I probably shouldn’t have eaten as much as I did but I decided to just finish up what was left in the fridge, which ended up being about a serving and a half.

After lunch, I brought my nieces to a nearby town where they have a movie theatre. Before hitting the movies, the girls wanted to play in the “big park” by the lake. After a little stroll on the boardwalk and checking out the water, I let the girls play for a bit before we packed up again and headed to the movie theatre.

My sweeties by the lake near the park.

Selfies at the park.

Snack: Since I hadn’t planned a healthier snack to sneak into the movies (who hasn’t done that?!), I decided to just go ahead and have some popcorn and diet pop at the theatre. It ended up that there was way too much butter and salt on the popcorn (even for my liking) so if I’m being honest, I really didn’t enjoy the popcorn all that much. But I ate it anyway, mindlessly munching away while we watched the movie. About half way through the bag though, I stopped myself. Eating an unhealthy food that’s not absolutely delicious is just not worth it for me. Instead, I shared a box of Smarties chocolates with my niece and gave her the rest of my popcorn. I also had a Diet Coke – all in all my movie snacks came to about 13 points – eek!

This popcorn wasn't the best but I half of it anyway.

This popcorn wasn’t the best but I ate half of it anyway.

By the time the movie ended and the girls were loaded up, it was getting close to dinner time. Sure enough, as McDonalds came into view my little niece piped up from the backseat, “I’m hungry!” I knew the rest of the family wasn’t going to be home for dinner and the girls and I were having such a fun day together, that I decided to treat them and pulled into McDonalds.

Dinner: I’m not going to lie. At this point, that “might as well go all out now” mentality came into effect a little bit as I contemplated what to have at McDonald’s. I knew I’d already made quite a few unhealthy choices between the pancake, the macaroni salad, the popcorn, and the chocolate. To make things just a teensy bit better, I decided to order a kids meal (smaller portion). I chose the chicken nuggets Kids Meal which came with a mini order of fries and a small Diet Coke for a total of only 9 WW points (not too bad for a fast food meal!)

It’s now early evening and I am already at 46 points for the day. If I am hungry later, I will be sure to have a healthy snack (most likely yogurt and almonds or some rice cakes) since I’m already out of “bonus” points for the week. I’m also heading home tomorrow morning so I plan to get right back on track and start sticking to my 30 daily points again starting first thing tomorrow morning!

17 days down, 13 to go!

30-Day Plan: Day Sixteen

July 22, 20161 Comment

So I read an interesting article last night written by a guy who’d been obese all his life and then lost a lot of weight. The article focussed on the psychological aspect of weight loss and was something I could really relate to. Every time I go on a weight loss program, I feel a little neurotic about it. I have to think so carefully about all my food choices each and every day. I realize this is just a temporary thing. I have to think hard and consciously make good choices until habits develop. In the past, when I lost a significant amount of weight it took a year or two before I didn’t have to work so hard. By then I had developed some pretty good habits and things came more naturally. But for me, when I first start back on a program, it takes significant work. I have to think carefully about all my choices, do extra work to prepare healthy meals, make sure I get my workouts in, and the hardest part of all – try to find a healthy balance between restricting myself and treating myself.

This week, I am on somewhat of a “holiday”. Technically, I get the whole summer off but I’m out of town visiting family this week. There have been a lot of food temptations this week and although I’ve done quite well with making good choices, it’s definitely been a challenge. For one thing, we celebrated three birthdays this week so there’s been a lot of cake. Also, there’s been a crazy heat wave going on so there’s been a lot of ice cream. And of course, when families get together there’s always hearty meals to sit down to. Since I am still on my 30-day program, I had intentions to restrict myself and stay as close to my daily 30 points as possible. However, I do have to recognize that I am on “holidays” this week and need to be a little forgiving to myself. That’s where the balance comes in. And balance has always been the part I struggle with. How many “treats” are just the right amount? Am I being too restrictive? Am I being too lenient? If I have “treats” three days in a row, will it slowly evolve back into a bad habit? (See this is where the neurotic part comes in… I end up over-thinking everything).

So the golden question is, how does one truly get to a place where they have established enough of the right habits that maintaining a healthy weight isn’t so much work? Where I can feel like I am living freely and enjoying food, but I don’t have to worry about how much weight I might gain or what kind of habits I am creating? And if I do start losing weight, when will I be truly happy with my body? Is that even possible or do we all have insecurities no matter how fit and healthy we are?

I guess it’s just one of those days where I am over-thinking things. That being said, I decided to go a little bit easier on myself today and indulge in my holidays a little. Here’s how today has gone:

Workout 1: Despite getting up three mornings in a row now to go walking at 7 a.m I have realized I am still definitely not a morning workout person. I much prefer moving slowly after I get out of bed – watching morning talk shows, reading, checking social media feeds, and having a leisurely breakfast and coffee. Nonetheless, I enjoy walking with Mom and she goes at 7 a.m. So once again, I laced up my sneakers and off we went. Today’s walk was no easier than yesterday’s, in fact I pretty much felt like I was sleep walking! I dragged myself along though, and completed the 5km walk in about an hour for a total of 6 activity points.

Breakfast: Today, I repeated yesterday’s breakfast – a fried egg, 3 slices of turkey bacon, and a slice of toast and butter. Mmmm, toast and butter. I seriously could eat a whole loaf of toast and butter for breakfast! I think when I go back home I will find a healthier carb alternative (to help sustain hunger a little longer) but for now while on “vacation” I’m loving every single bite of toast and butter. I also enjoyed a morning coffee with 4 tbsp of French- Vanilla cream.

This was yesterday’s breakfast but I repeated it again today.

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30-Day Plan: Day Fifteen

July 20, 2016Leave a comment

Today marks the half-way point of my 30-day commitment to myself which is kind of ironic because today was pretty tough. I don’t know why but all day, all I wanted to do was eat. And then eat some more. Here’s some of the challenges I faced today.

Workout 1: I woke up to go for a walk with Mom at 7 a.m again and today’s walk was no easier than yesterday’s. My body is just not awake that soon after I get out of bed! I dragged myself along even though my lower back ached and my legs felt like they weighed a thousand pounds each. Thank goodness I had Mom to chat with or I likely wouldn’t have completed the entire 5k route. That, and today was really hot and humid, but at 7 a.m the air was still refreshingly cool and the town is still very quiet as most people are just starting to get moving. When all was said and done, our walk earned me 6 activity points.

Breakfast: I enjoyed breakfast on the patio again today. I cooked up my usual fried egg and turkey bacon (2 slices instead of 3 today) and then because I was feeling more hungry than usual, I also made a slice of toast with butter. (If you read yesterday’s post you know that toast & butter is practically like having dessert for me! So yummy! I savoured every last bit of that single piece of delicious toast!)

Even just looking at this picture of that toast makes me want more

After a shower, I took a few minutes to chop some more vegetables and pre-cook some more turkey burgers and turkey bacon. I find vegetables so much easier to eat if they are prepared ahead of time! I also hate cooking (and am not a morning person), so by pre-cooking my turkey bacon I can just warm up a couple of slices in the morning. I sipped on my coffee and French-Vanilla cream on the drive to the grocery store.

Speaking of the grocery store…. Have I mentioned today was one of those days where I just wanted to eat everything? A grocery store is not the place to go when you are having one of those days. While I watched Mom shop (she needed things, I was just along for the ride), I gazed longingly at the shelves of delicious foods wishing I could eat anything and everything….. Ice cream, pancakes, Eggo waffles, sugary cereals, bagels, chips, chocolate bars, granola bars, cookies, even Toaster Strudels (which I’ve actually never eaten in my life). I am happy to report, however, that not a single one of those items went into our cart.

Lunch: On the way home from the store, I dove into a bag of Quaker Mini Rice Cakes to ward off my desire to eat anything. I tried to keep the portion small but I’ll admit, I was eating pretty mindlessly and kind of just devouring all the rice cakes. I figure I ate about 8 points worth on the short drive home. When we arrived home, I prepared my regular turkey burger, feta cheese, and sautéed vegetables and also devoured a large chunk of watermelon and drank a 32-oz bottle of water in one sitting!

Workout 2: This afternoon, my family and I headed to the local pool. I used to never be much of one for swimming but recently I’ve discovered that being in the water is actually pretty relaxing so I’ve started to go a little more often. I like the pool in my hometown on hot days like today because it’s outdoor and it’s the one I grew up going to! I have many, many fond childhood memories of hot summer days spent at this pool. Anyway, in an effort to get a bit of a workout, I did actually try to do some swimming as opposed to just walking around in the pool and playing with my stepson. Overall though, it wasn’t really much of a workout per se, so I’m only counting about 2 activity points.

Pool days

My son leaping off the diving board

Dinner: By the time we got home from the pool a couple hours later, I was very hungry. It was still an hour to supper so I drank some more water hoping that would hold me off. For dinner, my Dad barbecued pork chops (delicious but huge!) and Mom prepared a macaroni salad and a garden salad. Instead of having some of the macaroni salad (prepared with mayo), Mom had set aside some of the pasta for me and I made my own version of pasta salad with a diced veggies, a few cubes of cheddar cheese, and a bit of light Italian dressing. Although I measured out 3/4 cup intending to only eat some of it, I ended up eating the whole serving since I was still feeling like I wanted to eat everything in the house!

After dinner, I resisted the leftover birthday cake and decided to have a 1/2 cup of chocolate frozen yogurt for dessert instead. I absolutely love Chapman’s frozen yogurt and would highly recommend it if you’re looking to make an easy transition from ice cream to frozen yogurt.

By 7:30, I was feeling like I needed to eat again. And once again, I wanted to eat anything. My husband had brought home this giant jar of peanut butter-filled pretzels and I wanted to devour them. Instead, I had two and then checked the WW points using my app. 8 points for 17 pretzels. Considering they’re a pretty good size that’s actually not too bad but I knew if I ate them I still wouldn’t be satisfied and then would have to eat something more. Instead, I grabbed a small handful of almonds and then some more mini rice cakes and a Diet Coke.

So I am definitely over my points allotment today but as previously mentioned I am not sure what’s up today but I just want to eat ALL. THE. FOOD. I don’t know if I didn’t drink enough water, if it’s a specific time of the month, or if it was just “one of those days” but I certainly hope this feeling has gone away by tomorrow! I do have to give myself some credit though because I did better than I could have today. For instance, I passed on going to the chip hut for lunch with my cousin who is visiting, and I avoided Mom’s freezer that has all kinds of ice cream including Drumsticks, and her snack cupboard which has several bags of chips! Still, today overall was a bit disappointing in general (especially considering I’ve had a couple high-points days recently) so I am hoping to do better tomorrow!

15 days down, 15 to go!

30-Day Plan: Day Thirteen

July 18, 20162 Comments

Well, I am happy to report that I had no difficulty at all getting right back on track today after yesterday’s challenges! We arrived at my Mom & Dad’s this afternoon and are here for the week to visit with family and friends. Just as I was concerned about the camping trip, I know that this week may also be challenging as food is often so central to many gatherings. I did, however, bring along a lot of my own groceries and will make my own meals when necessary in order to stay on track. Here’s how Day Thirteen has gone:

Breakfast: Guys, this morning when I woke up, I was craving a peanut butter and jelly sandwich so bad. I’m not sure what that was all about – I chalk it up to all the sugar I consumed last night making my body crave more sugar (hence the jelly). That, and PB&J sandwiches have been one of my favourites since I was a kid! I don’t have any jam in the house right now though (in an effort to cut back on sugar) so fried up my egg and 3 slices of turkey bacon instead. After breakfast, I lounged while watching morning talk shows and sipping on my coffee (6 tbsp of French-Vanilla cream – this cream is just so good – it’s been really hard for me to give up because I just enjoy it so much!)

After breakfast, I made a quick trip to the grocery store to stock up on a few of my healthy staples for our trip to Mom & Dad’s. In my cart, I added things like salmon, turkey burgers, turkey bacon, frozen yogurt, mini rice cakes, rice, watermelon, and an assortment of veggies.

Lunch: I quickly grilled up my ol’ favourite – turkey burger, feta cheese, and sautéed vegetables so that I wouldn’t be hungry on the hour-and-a-half trip. I filled my water bottle with ice cold water for the ride, loaded up the car, and off we went.

Halfway to Mom & Dad’s, I got a message from them saying they had stopped for lunch nearby on their way home from a camping trip. My son and I decided to stop in to say hi and travel with them the rest of the way. When we got into the restaurant, everyone was eating the most delicious-looking home-made French fries. You know those kind that you can usually only get in little privately owned diner’s where the meals are like Mama’s home cooking? Or at the best kind of chip huts? Yum. But guess what? When my family members kindly offered to share, I said no. I was so tempted to steal a few fries off my niece’s plate (even her homemade grilled cheese sandwich was looking divine!) but I resisted. Definitely a win for me! Instead, when my son and I got back into the car, I grabbed a bag of Quaker’s Mini Rice Cakes from the back and we snacked on those during the next leg of the drive (with me mentally counting how many I ate so I would know how many points I had – which was 4 by the way). Oh, one thing I almost forgot! On the way out of town today, my son wanted to stop for a snack at Tim Horton’s. If you are familiar with this franchise (hello fellow Canadians!) you likely know that there are not very many healthy options here! One of my favourites is the iced cappuccino but it’s loaded with sugar and therefore high in points. Instead, while we waited in the drive-thru line, I quickly checked the Weight Watchers app to see what I could have for a low amount of points (which, by the way, there were very few options!) I ended up deciding to try an iced coffee with chocolate milk (4 points). It was okay, but after a few sips I decided I really didn’t like it enough to use 4 points on it. So on the next pit stop, I tossed it in the garbage.

Dinner: By the time we arrived at Mom & Dad’s, it was nearing dinner time and I was pretty hungry! I had my husband barbecue some boneless skinless chicken breasts (with a little bit of Montreal chicken spice for flavouring) and I whipped up my version of a taco salad (romaine lettuce, green/red/yellow peppers, red onions, shredded cheddar cheese, broken tortilla strips, and light Italian dressing. I had a pretty big portion of the salad and half a chicken breast for 6 points.

So I totally forgot to take pictures today so here’s another beautiful nature picture from our camping trip!

A little after dinner, I had dessert which was 1/2 cup of Chapman’s chocolate frozen yogurt. I love this yogurt because it tastes just like ice cream – smooth, creamy and delicious! And surprisingly, half a cup is use the right amount to satisfy my sweet craving!

Workout: After dinner, Mom & I went for an hour walk. Okay, okay, about fifteen of those minutes were me stopping to capture Pokemons (don’t judge me – the game is actually really fun, and I am so not an iPhone game player!) So altogether we walked about 45 minutes for a total of 4 activity points earned. The best part of this workout? Spending quality time with my mama!

Snack: A little after our walk, I was starting to feel hungry again so I carefully counted out 13 almonds and 1/3 cup vanilla yogurt – yum! Now I am going to brush my teeth (this always seems to trick my brain into believing “eating time is over”) which tops me off at 32 points for the day (2 points over but considering I earned 4 activity points, I am technically still within my points!)

Altogether, I have to say I am quite pleased with myself for not letting yesterday’s derailment pull me completely off track. I got right back on today, followed my plan, and had another successful day! I have to give a shout out to those of you who are following along and leaving sweet comments. Your kind words are very encouraging and truly part of what is keeping me going!

13 days down, 17 to go!

30-Day Plan: Day Ten, Eleven, Twelve

July 17, 20164 Comments

Well I’m back from my camping trip am and now 12 days into my 30-day plan. I know some of you are curious to know how I did this weekend and I am going to be honest and say I am feeling mixed emotions about it. I was doing really well and feeling pretty proud of myself until today – and now I am feeling totally guilty and mad at myself (although trying really hard not to because I know this isn’t about being “perfect” but doing the best I can and I can still get right back on track tomorrow!)

First of all, let me wrap up Friday for you. I had had all my mealsat home and didn’t head out to the campground until after dinner so I still had 8 daily points left. I had been feeling so nervous about staying on track this weekend because in the past, camping trips have always been associated with a lot of unhealthy food in my experience. Sitting around the fire at night is an especially dangerous place because my family loves to snack on junk food at the fire. Anyway, in an attempt to avoid the chips, I ate some dill pickle cracker chips instead for a total of 6 points (counted and portioned out carefully into a bowl so I would not be tempted to eat the whole bag!). Then a little later on in the evening, someone brought out the stuff for making S’mores. I decided to have one as a treat and let me tell you, it was worth every bite – so delicious and I was pleasantly surprised after to find out it was only about 4 points! (We use the digestive cookies coated in chocolate and then just roast a marshmallow and stick it in between two of the cookies! Yum!) All in all, I finished Day 10 at only 32 points and feeling really good about my choices and how I finished my day!

My alternative to potato chips

Mmm S’mores

Day 11

When I am camping one of my guilty pleasures is sitting in the morning sun sipping coffee and reading (currently: The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen). I started off Day 11 with a coffee with French-Vanilla cream and enjoyed every single sip (there’s something so relaxing about drinking coffee in the great outdoors!). Here’s how the rest of the day shaped up:

Breakfast: While everyone else had toast, bacon, and eggs, I skipped the toast and fried one egg and had it with my usual 3 slices of turkey bacon. Water to drink. Later, my daughter showed up with a box of Timbits (aka small donut holes from Canadian coffee shop Tim Horton’s). I avoided them at first but later they were just calling my name so loudly (haha). I limited myself to just one so didn’t feel too badly. Plus, I had avoided sneaking any of the gummy and sour candies my uncle had bought for the kids!

Workout 1: While we didn’t do any strenuous exercise this weekend, we did do quite a bit of walking. Most of it was just strolling casually around the campground or back and forth to the beach, but we did manage to squeeze in one hike. Seeing as we had my four- and seven-year-old nieces, and my disabled uncle with us, we opted for a short (2km) and easy trail (only very small hills). We took the pace a little slower than normal too. So this may not have been a major calorie burner but the scenery was absolutely gorgeous! The sky was brilliant blue and the sun bounced off all the trees and greenery – it made it seem like we were in an enchanted forest at times! When all was said and done, I only counted this walk as 2 activity points since the intensity level was extremely low. That being said, it was wonderful to be out in the woods with my family soaking up nature.

Hiking

Lunch: While the rest of the gang had hamburgers and snacks, I stuck with my usual turkey burger, feta cheese, sautéed vegetables and a large slice of watermelon. And of course, more water. Later, at the beach I snacked on some Quaker Mini Rice Cakes being careful to count my portion which added up to 6 points. A cheese string was another 3 points.f

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My Get Fit Journey: Week One Check-in

April 6, 20152 Comments

A good reminder.

I am proud to say that my first week of being back on track was a success! I am down 3 lbs. but more importantly, I am feeling very motivated and fully committed to getting back into the getting healthy game!

One of the biggest changes I made to my eating plan this week was to eliminate French Vanilla cappuccinos from Tim Hortons which I realized has a whopping 40g of sugar (per small serving) and is 7 Weight Watchers points! I had been drinking half coffee-half cappuccinos, but have now realized that even that change is not good enough. So my first challenge this week was to find an alternative that I could enjoy just as much (since I love having a daily coffee or two but only really like it if it’s sweet!) A friend suggested flavoured coffee creamers, and while they still have a significant amount of sugar, it’s much lower than the cappuccino, and I figured a was a good way to start (and only 2 Weight Watchers points!) Eventually, I will cut this out too, but for now it’s working 🙂

The other thing I cut out was my nearly daily habit of eating an entire bag of Rice Works chips (or other cracker, chip, snack-food alternative). I thought it would be hard, but I already don’t miss them. This is one thing I learned (but had obviously forgotten) the last time I lost a lot of weight – when you cut out some unhealthy foods you worry that you are going to feel restricted and won’t be able to deal without having them, but within a very short time you barely even think about that food at all!

Another habit I am have been very aware of this week is night-time snacking. Throughout my entire life, I have had the habit of mindlessly munching on snacks while watching TV or surfing the net in the evenings (usually Rice Works chips as noted above, or sugary cereals). Most evenings this week, I made the conscious (and sometimes pretty difficult) choice not to snack unless I was actually having signs of true hunger (growling tummy). On those nights, I had a few rice crackers with light Laughing Cow cheese (making sure to count my WW points) and a whole lot of water. One night when the urge was really bad, I simply went to bed so I wouldn’t have to think about eating! This one is still a bit of a challenge (I am sitting here now thinking about what I could snack on!) but it’s a work in progress!

Also this week, I returned to tracking all my food in a journal. This was a tool that worked extremely well for me in the past, and in fact, I have never had weight loss success without using a food journal. It’s unbelievable how the simple task of writing things down, makes you really think about what you are putting in your mouth, and keeps you accountable for everything you have eaten. The key is to be honest and to write down everything, good or bad!

When tracking in my food journal, for me this also means keeping track of my Weight Watchers points and not going over my daily target. Again, I have had huge success with this program in the past, and highly recommend it to anyone who is trying to lose weight for the first time (or if you have never followed the program). I learned so much while on Weight Watchers and while attending meetings. This time around, I have decided to try following the program on my own at home. WW (Weight Watchers) tells me that according to my height and weight, I should be consuming about 28 points a day. I couldn’t believe it when my husband helped me calculate how many points I was eating on a given day and we came out to about eighty! I was mortified. Since I knew that jumping from 80 all the way down to 28 points just wasn’t realistic for me now, I decided to cut back slowly. This week I aimed at consuming between 40-50 points a day and was successful! This coming week, I am going to make even more changes so I can stay below 40 points per day 🙂

Another way I can stay within my points is by being active (you can earn activity points and deduct them from your food points). Two years ago, I was super active (running 10-k marathons, playing soccer and baseball, doing crazy aerobics and weight-lifting classes, and participating in outdoor boot camps). I had a strong, healthy, fit body I was proud of and my metabolism was insane. But I know I can’t jump back into all that immediately. I didn’t do that the first time, and I can’t do it now. Instead, I decided to start out slowly by going for walks around my neighbourhood (which I hope to eventually build back up to running!) A little while back, my daughter won a Fitbit and since she wasn’t using it, I asked her if I could. A few of my friends at work have one too and we’ve been challenging each other as to who can take the most steps – it’s really been motivating me to go for longer and longer walks! Although I lost our latest challenge (the Weekend Warrior) I am going to own the Workweek Hustle!

Finally, my husband moved our TV from the bedroom and set it up in the basement in front of our treadmill (that we rarely use). Since I am still saving for a new gym membership, I figure I can use the space down there for now on days when the weather doesn’t lend itself to walking. Since the basement is pretty big and not cluttered with furniture, I can also use the space to do some of my Jillian Michaels workout videos which are killer and which I got huge results from in the past.

Inspiration for a fit, healthy body.

So these are some of the changes I have made in just one week. If you’re facing the same weight-loss challenges as me, I urge you just to make a couple small changes. It’s amazing how after only one week, your motivation level can increase significantly! With that being said, I know it’s still a long journey ahead, and change will come slow, but now instead of seeing it as a daunting, impossible task, I feel excited about what’s to come!

Good luck on your own journey, and please share any tips/tricks that work for you!

Our Family’s “Get Fit” Plan!

March 20, 2015Leave a comment

In celebration of the first day of spring, I approached my family today about a topic that’s been on the top of all of our minds for quite some time now. Like many people, my husband, stepson Brandon, and I have tossed around the ideas of eating better and being more active but have not quite found the mojo or the drive to get going. Even my stepdaughter Mariah has been requesting a gym membership and showing an interest in physical activity. Now that Spring is here, I thought what better day to start, then now? After all, spring brings back the feeling of a fresh start and a new beginning. And I speak from past experience when I say, I know I can’t do it on my own. I rely on those around me to motivate me, influence me, and inspire me. Most importantly, I want to be a good role model for my children, especially for Brandon who has developed so many habits similar to my own. I don’t want to just preach anymore, but actually show him how it’s done. So hopefully, this will be a turning point for our family, one in which we can all get healthier (and ultimately, happier) together. Here are some of the steps we plan to take together:

Keeping a food journal – in the past I have kept a food journal and I really believe it was the key to my past weight loss. Food journals help us to keep track of not only what we eat, but how much, and for many people just cutting back on portion sizes can make a significant difference. Brandon & I have both agreed to start keeping a daily food journal.
Healthier eating – this one has gotten easier since my family has cut back immensely on eating out (and it’s been a lot easier on the wallet, too!) Another thing we have started doing is meal planning each week- it helps avoid the last minute, weeknight rush (and tendency to grab unhealthy take-out) and ensures we are eating well-rounded meals and a variety of healthy foods (as opposed to pasta every night!)
Cut back on sweets – my entire family loves junk food and sweets, but Brandon and I particularly. Whether it’s cereal, chocolate, snacks, or candy there is definitely room for improvement. Another thing I will try to get better at is the amount of diet pop I drink. There are endless studies that show the negative effects of drinking diet soda, but some habits are just so hard to break! More water, less diet soda for this girl!
Exercise – I used to exercise all the time but over the last year have become a complete couch potato. I have a way to go before I can get back to where I was but I plan on starting out with going for daily walks (and Brad has agreed to come with me, which means a lot considering I know how much he dislikes it). Brandon plays outside a lot, plays hockey, and has decided to taken on going for a daily walk/run. Brad plans on using the treadmill in the basement and setting up a home gym. Finally, I plan to renew my gym membership and start doing more yoga. No matter what it is, our plan is to find some kind of way to get active on a daily basis!

Kelly Malley

Inspire. Uplift. Empower.

Tag: food journal