Well guys, I haven’t been able to blog for a while, so I have a lot to share! I will do my best to keep it brief and not go on…and on…and on…and on!
On Sunday, we blessed baby Carson at church. It was such a special day and I’m happy to say I held it together pretty well and didn’t break down crying. Yay me.
After his blessing, we had lunch at our house with family and friends.
It was really nice. We had soup, breadsticks, salad, fruit, pasta salad, Jello, chips and a bunch of treats. The soup and breadsticks tasted so great and made the perfect fall lunch.
We took a million and one pictures of Carson throughout the day. He was passed around a lot and everyone wanted a chance to hold the “baby of honor,” lol.
This picture cracks me up. Check out the two “characters” in the back. Hee hee.
Here’s another one! The Three Musketeers…
And here’s a few more…
Some of the wonderful men who helped with Carson’s blessing…
Afterward, we all took a big nap and I snapped this sweet pic…
What a cutie pie. I never wanted to take his blessing “outfit” off because I didn’t want to admit the day was over. 🙁
It was a great day.
Sorry for the photo dump. 🙂
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Well folks, I’m excited to tell you guys about my new healthy challenge/endeavor I started this week!
As y’all VERY well know, I’ve been frustrated with my lack of weight loss lately. I’ve tried to be patient, but I realized that “being patient” was actually starting to be counterproductive for me.
Because I was “being patient,” I started to justify crappy food indulgences and missed workouts because after all, I’m a “new mom,” I’m “sleep deprived,” I’m “hormonal,” “I’m nursing”…..blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. I essentially starting coming up with a lot of good excuses and developed a bit of a “victim mentality.”
It was not good!
So, last week I was talking with my sister, who BTW, happens to be very fit, a marathon runner and a personal trainer. Needless to say, I value her opinion. Anyway, she told me when she had her last baby (almost 6 years ago), she had 20 pounds to lose and was very frustrated.
Hmmmm, that sounds oddly familiar.
Anyway, she told me she went on a low-carb diet and lost all the weight pretty quickly.
I told her I’d thought about going on a strict diet, but have been hesitant since I’m a nursing mom. But, she told me (and I agree), that a lower carb diet IS a healthy diet! You essentially fill your body full of a whole bunch of real, nutrient dense food!
No duh! It was like a light bulb went off in my head. I’m a HUGE believer in low-carb diets (short-term), but I think I needed to hear the suggestion from someone else to realize that is EXACTLY what I need right now.
Over the years, I’ve had a lot of people ask my advice about weight loss and the FUNNY thing is that I always suggest a low-carb diet initially. I tell people if they’re not seeing results, have reached a plateau, have been eating crappy food for a long time, feel addicted to sugar/carbs, then they should eat a low-carb diet for a while.
I’m not a fan of low-carb diets as a lifestyle, but I KNOW they are very, very effective at cleansing the body, resetting the metabolism, controlling appetite and re-teaching the body (and mind!) HOW to eat and WHAT to eat.
Anyway, I could go on and on and on, but I’m just going to sum it all up by saying….I’ve started a low-carb diet this week! Woo hoo!
I started yesterday and I will keep going for three weeks, until November 3rd (yes, it will include Halloween!) At the end of the three weeks, I will evaluate things and see if I want to continue or add in a few healthy carbs.
I’ve set myself a “goal weight,” which is about 15 pounds lighter than I am right now. I am not going to take a “cheat day” until I hit that goal weight.
I’m feeling VERY stubborn and VERY motivated and WILL NOT stop until I get there! Oh, and here’s what my “diet” looks like…
I WILL eat: All vegetables (except potatoes), nuts, nut butters, seeds, lean meats, eggs, cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt, a little cheese, avocados, tomatoes, and protein shakes.
I WILL NOT eat: grains, fruit, milk, sugar, pastries, junk food, fried foods, processed foods
Pretty straight forward.
So far I feel great! I know low-carb diets get REALLY hard around day 4-5 though, so I’m bracing myself. And, to those of you who think “Low-carb diets don’t work,” well I’m here to tell you THEY DO!
In fact, I dare say a low-carb diet may be one of the most efficient and effective ways to lose weight. Yes, they are freaking hard and royally suck, but they WORK!
Low-carb diets give the pancreas and liver a break, help reset the body and get the appetite under control. It also re-teaches the body how to process carbs. However, it’s vital to not just go back to your “old ways” when the low-carb diet is done. You have to make permanent lifestyle changes in order to see permanent changes in your body!
Yes, carbs are good for the body, as long as they’re the RIGHT carbs (whole grains, fruit, sweet potatoes, etc.) However, if you’ve been abusing carbs for too long **raises hand** then it can be very helpful to the body to take a break from them for a while until the body “chills out.”
I could go on and on and on (and I have!), so I will be quiet now.
Here are some of the things I’ve been eating the past couple days….
Different egg/veggie concoctions (the top pic is hard-boiled eggs and the bottom one is scrambled)…
I got a Cobb salad at Chick Fil-A while I was out running errands yesterday…
I got it with grilled chicken and it was SO good! I also enjoyed my lunch with this cutie…
For dinner last night, I made grilled chicken…
Zucchini, summer squash, carrots and onions in foil packets on the grill (I just sprayed them with a little olive oil and sprinkled them with seasoned salt and pepper)…
And big ol’ salads…
Everything tasted great!
I’ve also been snacking on protein pudding…
And things like veggies, string cheese and nuts…
Yay! Well, I need to end this because despite my best efforts, I’ve made this post WAY too long!
I will of course keep y’all updated on my progress! I hope you all have a great night!