I hope you are all having a wonderful Monday!
I spent my morning playing soccer in the backyard with my 4 year old…
He has his first soccer game tonight, so I thought I better teach him a little bit about soccer, lol!
We also spent some time playing “Go Spidey” (aka. Go Fish)….
I don’t think the baby’s a fan, lol.
I’ve felt so bad for my poor 4 year old the past couple of weeks. All of the big kids have gone back to school and I’ve been so dang exhausted with the baby, so he’s spent entirely too much time watching TV or playing with some sort of electronic device.
It’s just about killed me.
Sooooo, now that life has calmed down ever so slightly, I’ve been trying to spend more quality time with him. We’ve had so much fun! He’s such a sweetheart.
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I’m happy to say that I’m still goin’ strong with my “mega healthy diet” efforts and I seriously feel so so great! It’s been pretty miraculous.
I’ve only been following this “diet” for 6 days and I lost 5 pounds! Woo hoo. Now, 5 pounds in 6 days is usually too fast for weight loss, IMO, but since I’m dropping baby weight and bloated water weight, I think it’s A-OK!
And, for the FIRST time since I had my sweet baby, I finally feel somewhat slimmer. Wahoo! I still have a long way to go, but I’m just happy for the progress.
Here’s a pic I took yesterday…
I still can’t fit into most of my “real clothes,” so I’ve been wearing all of my bigger clothes. For now, I’m fine with that.
AND, I can’t tell you how much more energy I’ve had the past few days! It’s been insane. I’m still tired and sleep deprived since I have a new baby, but I’ve been able to accomplish so much more. I’ve been so happy ’bout that.
It makes me feel sorta kinda normalish again.
The “diet” I’ve been following is how I LIKE to eat all the time. I really enjoy healthy, real food and I feel so much better when I stay away from all the crap out there.
However, as I’m sure many of you can relate, I really enjoy eating a cheeseburger, cookies, donuts, etc. from time to time as well. AND, I think it’s perfectly fine AND actually healthy (mentally speaking) to indulge once in a while. The hardest part for me is getting back to “clean eating” after I’ve indulged a little bit.
So, I’ve learned it’s actually easier for me to steer clear of sugary, fatty, salty, crappy food as long as I can and then if/when I do indulge, I try to make sure it’s short-lived.
Getting back on the wagon is always the hardest part for me!
Anyway, it’s actually been quite easy to stick to my healthy diet so far. I have learned a few things that have made it easier for me….
- Stock the kitchen full of clean, real, healthy food! I love to have things like fruit, veggies, nuts, string cheese, grilled chicken (in the freezer), cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, protein pancakes (in the freezer), oatmeal, eggs, cooked quinoa or brown rice, dried fruit, etc. on hand.
- Prepare foods ahead of time for easy meal prep! I love to chop up a bunch of things for salads or egg scrambles (my version of an omelet) so that I can throw it together in a hurry. I like to cut up lettuce, olives, onions, bell peppers, turkey/ham slices, broccoli, etc. I also keep things like tomatoes, avocados, apples, hard boiled eggs and sliced nuts on hand (I usually cut them up as needed since they don’t stay fresh for too long.)
- When I’m starving or craving something that’s not good, I stop, take a deep breath and tell myself to “chill!” Then, I calmly and rationally find something healthy to eat! If I let myself get too hungry, I start to crave crappy, convenient, quick, easy food like crazy. However, once I’ve filled my body full of real food, the cravings usually go away. If I’m still craving something sweet/salty, I’ll grab something like fruit leather, dried fruit, nuts, a small spoonful of peanut butter, popcorn or a few healthier chips. It always seems to scratch the itch.
- Drink water like crazy! Water helps to regulate the appetite, aids in weight loss, improves digestive stuff and removes impurities. I love how I feel when I drink lots of water. I especially love to start my day with a glass of warm lemon water. It’s so so refreshing. Also, if I start to get hungry late at night and don’t want to eat, a warm glass of lemon water always soothes my tummy and makes me feel more full. Love it.
- When deciding what to eat, I like to think about what will fuel and nourish the body, not just what will taste good. I also like to think about how it will make my body feel. Healthy, clean food always sits well in my tummy, energizes me and makes me feel good! Crappy food always tastes good, but I usually end up feeling sluggish, run-down, tired, and just blah.
- I always like to plan what I’m going to eat AHEAD of time, so I won’t be tempted to eat something that’s less healthy. I’m always thinkin’ about what my next meal will be; not in an obsessive way, just in a “plan ahead, take charge, be prepared” kind of way.
- I like to eat a lot of the same foods in an effort to simplify things. I’ll buy a big case of peaches, apples, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. and eat some every day until they’re gone. I love to eat leftovers too. It really makes things easier.
Well, that’s all I can think of for now. I’m definitely sticking to this “diet” to a T until the end of the month. I may take a day off after that and then get right back at it. We’ll see. Those “one day offs” can be dangerous. Hee hee.
Anyway, I’ve been eating a lot of the same things I ate last week, but here are some other things I’ve been eating the past couple days….
I had protein pancakes for breakfast this morning. I topped them with some Peanut Butter and berries. I omitted the syrup altogether. A drizzle of 100% Maple syrup is a good choice, but I decided to save on the sugar and calories. I could taste the peanut butter and berries so much more without the syrup on there and I really liked it!
I had this for lunch…
A salad made of Romaine, avocado, apples, hard boiled egg, olives, chicken and sliced almonds. I topped it all with a little Balsamic Vinegar. It was soooo good! I also had a few Luke’s Brown Rice Chips to satisfy my salty/crunchy craving. It was perfect.
I was craving something sweet a little while ago, so I chose this…
Some dried pears, nuts and a little Cascadian Farm Protein Granola. It totally hit the spot and filled me up too!
I made this interesting concoction yesterday…
It was a mix between a breakfast burrito and a taco. I topped a La Tortilla Factory tortilla with scrambled eggs mixed with onions and peppers, cheese, avocado, tomato, lettuce and salsa. It was awesome! I also had some strawberries on the side.
I had this as a “treat” yesterday…
A slice of Aspen Mills bread topped with a little butter and honey. Tasted just like heaven. I’ve really been trying to eat high quality carbs (things like fruit and oats) and have been trying to stay away from bread for the most part. This was definitely an indulgence, but it tasted great!
Well, that’s all the pictures I took. I’m going to keep on pluggin’ along and will keep y’all updated on my progress. I also can’t wait to exercise again in 13 days (who’s counting!?)
Oh, and I just want to put in a shameless plug for myself, K?
If y’all would be so kind as to vote for me on Top Mommy Blogs, I would SO appreciate it!! All you have to do is click on the picture below (or the one at the bottom of each post or in my sidebar) and it counts as a vote for me! Seriously, that’s all you have to do. It really helps me a lot and makes me so happy!
If you’re feeling extra generous, you can vote each time you visit my site! You can only vote once a day though.
Thanks so much!!
Have a great night!