Today Was Better...A Little

Exercise happened today, in the morning and evening.  Not a super high intensity, but pretty good.  And eating went great...until dinner time.  For some reason, I think because I haven't made quick, convenient options and we keep running around all over the place for errands around dinner time, well, dinner time is hard.

So tomorrow, I will try harder.  *SMILE*

That's it for tonight.  Keeping it simple and to the point.  This is about a change in lifestyle, not just getting to a number on the scale.

I'm excited for going on a hike with the kiddos tomorrow.  I'm definitely trying to keep more variety in my work-out plans because that makes it actually happen!  Good luck to you in your efforts.  I'm weighing in on Tuesday, so I better keep up with it!  You can too!

Love,
Eva

It's Happening Again...dun, dun, DUUUN!!!!

So, at least this weight-loss journey is teaching me a lot about myself.
I've learned how I get set back.  It's a pretty simple situation.  Life gets busier than usual and first my workouts get side tracked.  Maybe they are less intense.  Maybe they are skipped altogether.  Then I find myself making more exceptions.  "Just one or two is fine."  "I've eaten well all day.  It won't hurt."  Then that turns into "Well, just for the rest of the day I will eat a little more casually."  Then one day turns into two, or three, and without working out too, that ain't good.

Then I hope back on the scale and get slightly discouraged that it hasn't gone down.  Staying the same doesn't bring a whole lot of happy energy.  So I step off that scale with my head still not completely in the game.  Well, ENOUGH is ENOUGH.  I do believe eventually I will be able to have a little "cheat."  I don't even like thinking of it that way, because I believe and want balance.  But right now, I can't be giving my body junk, skipping workouts or taking the easy options and expect to see progress.

So here are some pictures to remind me of the foods I LOVE and that love me back!!!  I've cooked and bought all of this before and loved it, and I am going to again.  I AM going to break through this plateau and get in to the 140's!!!!!  140's, baby, here I come!!!!!!  Love, Eva

 Turkey Burger with sauteed mushrooms and feta cheese...

 ...with fresh lettuce from the garden

 Another turkey burger day (I think this was leftovers night) with mixed sauteed vegetable on top)

 "Fancy Salad" AKA garden greens with banana peppers!  ANY salad becomes fancy when you add banana peppers!  And I used a vegan meat substitute which was delicious!

 Blueberries! YUM!

 

Light Greek Yogurt is my new best friend

Easy organic salad mix from Costco...delicious and quick!  Doesn't get much better than that!

Checking In...

I DID GOOD TODAY!!!!  I ate well, with lots of veggie and fruit, and even got in my 30 minutes of exercise AND a trip to the pool with the kids.  Now it's midnight, and I feel full and great!  Keep up the good work everyone and me!  If you take care of yourself, you will feel taken care of.  If you eat good food, you will feel good.  I'm proof of that!

Love,

Eva

Confessions

Well, I did great on the actual holiday.  GREAT.  And pretty good the day after.  But as the days have passed and the leftover junk food lingers I haven't been so on top of eating healthy.  I mean, I've been doing pretty good but making lots of exceptions.  I'm OK with one exception maybe, but not so many.  Because I know it adds up and then I don't feel well.  And this entire process is all about feeling better.

So, no more "just a nibble."  No more, "I'll just keep eating it 'till it's gone since it's here."  I want to make progress.  I want to reach my goals.  I want to feel real independence.  And I know I can.

I know you can too.

Love,
Eva

Good News!

The party was awesome!!! We had so much fun and I didn't overeat at all.  I stuck to my one cupcake and hotdog and sandwich sized bag of chips.  I enjoyed myself without over doing it and using theholi day as an excuse to uncomfortably overeat.  And I ate some party food and allowed myself to without feeling super guilty.  It was a great accomplishment that a lot of people probably take for granted.

Now I just have to deal with avoiding the leftovers.  Didn't do so well at that today. LOL  But at least it was just one cupcake and bag of chips again, and a couple bites of cake.  Could of been worse!  And tomorrow's the Fourth of July!  But I will focus on getting up in the morning for my workout and getting enough veggies and fruit through out the day and hope it works out.

Good luck with your fitness efforts!

Love,
Eva

Progress & Party Plans

Success again today, at least with getting in the workout.  I think this habit of planning the night before is the way to go.  And even though I had a slice and a half of leftover pizza for lunch, I bypassed the really yummy smelling In-and-Out even though I was out late running errands.  So that's progress.  That's an achievement.  That's a change in lifestyle I'm proud of.   And the Sunflower Salad I had was delicious!

Then we went out tonight and I got a small sugar-free slurpee and smoothie.  I'm not saying I say no to absolutely everything that's not vegan.  My goal is balance.  But I enjoyed what I had all the more because I knew I had exercised and eaten well the rest of the day.

Tomorrow is Sammy's birthday, and just like every other day this week I am going to get up earlier and do my best to exercise.  I've got to keep it going to make it a real habit.  The weight I've lost feels so good, and I want to keep up with the progress.  My goal is 1 cupcake- that's it.  And 1 otter pop.  I want to enjoy the party but not use it as an excuse to gorge.  Positive thoughts....positive thoughts...

Good luck to any of you on the same journey!

Love,
Eva

Finishing What I Started...Predicting, Planning & Putting It All Together

Like I've been resurrecting my other blogs, I'm back to working on working out too.  I'm really excited to have a special separate corner for all my healthy ideas, tips and struggles.  I had been doing my weigh ins and tracking my progress almost 2 years ago.  Each week I would check in with a picture, and post recipes and other workout tips during the week too.

Then life happened and moving and crazy busyness and making time to exercise just went on the back burner.  I kept trying to eat healthy foods, but eventually I wasn't as consistent about that either.  I gained back about 16 of the 20 or so I had lost.  That was annoying.  And discouraging.  And REALLY frustrating.  I was tired of being so distracted by my own failures.  It was taking away from the focus I could give my kids.  So I stopped it.  I made the switch.  I had to put myself first again, because that was really putting my family first.  I am my family's caretaker.  When I'm sluggish and tired I am not my best self.  Instead, I'm finishing what I started and I'm finding the real me.  And I'm happily back and beyond by a few pounds what I had accomplished 2 years ago...

Yesterday I did some writing and made a goal of achieving 30 mins of exercise, along with some measures to make it happen.  I did my 30 minutes today.  But only because I had made it an official goal yesterday and had come up with a couple of steps to make it happen.  So yay for journaling and blogging again!!!

I was totally tempted to do other things when the kids were quiet and keeping to themselves.  But I made getting my workout in a priority and it got done.  Now I just have to do it tomorrow too, and they day after that and the day after that...LOL

My point is predicting, planning, and putting it all into action makes a difference.  That's the difference between just wanting something else to happen, and it actually happening.  Anticipating challenges and trying to find ways to still get through them is key for me.  Because losing baby weight is challenging.  But I'm going to keep doing it!

Tomorrow I have to go to the grocery store early in the morning and then run other errands, so my regular plan of action won't work.  I think since I'm getting up early anyway, I will do some exercising before I leave and the kids are up.  That sounds great.  To ensure this happens I will put my workout clothes right by my bed to put on immediately.  I will also make sure I plug in my ipod so it's charged by the morning.  Again- predicting, planning and putting it all together.

As for food today, we had Little Ceasar's pizza for dinner, but it wasn't so bad.  I was really proud of myself for just having two little slices, and one more bite a couple hours later.  In the past I would have started with at least 3, and then an hour later another and another.  I would get stuck in this cycle of "It's my last time having it, so I better just enjoy it and get all I can! It's ok because I will never have it again."

Yeah, right.  I will never completely give up any food.  It's just not me.  But I am in good company because even Denise Austin & Lady Gaga get a day off each week from their healthy eating regimen.  So I don't have too feel terrible.  I can be happy I enjoyed it, but be certain I am not having more tonight...or right now...because even though it kind of sounds good I will regret it later.

And it really doesn't sound that good anyway.  Because I'm not going to give up what I want most for what I want at the moment.  Because I'm actually not craving junk food like I used to.  And because I have a work out in the morning...140's Here I come!

Love,
Eva