It's Not in the Fridge

SUGAR!!! If there is one thing I have learned on this journey to health-it is this: SUGAR IS MY ENEMY.  This last, lets call it a derailment, started with the end of my 21 day sugar challenge. I felt so good while I was eliminating from my diet. I had more energy, less cravings and a better mood. But it can be addicting. for someone like me who is a serious comfort eater it may not take that much to get back into that downward spiral of guilt. Maybe just one (insert favorite junk food here) binge and the guilt alone could send me back for more to squash those bad feelings. listening to my body after eating, I've found that a meal high in carbohydrates will always cause cravings for more carbohydrates of any variety. From candy to baked goods-anything that my body will immediately break down into sugars. I can have a hamburger on a bun and it will trigger a need for chocolate. How am I ever supposed to succeed if I'm creating my own food hurdles. So I've spent the l...

Have you ever lost 30 lbs and then become so proud that you thought  I can treat myself, I just lost 30 lbs!   Or overeaten during meals because you worked out that day?  I fell into both of these traps over the last 8 weeks! Only my one treat turned into a daily habit. I effectively fell off the wagon and haven't been blogging from sheer embarrassment.  This is the story of my life! Yo-yo weight loss. Though, I think what I'm learning this time is that the earlier I own up to my fitness face-plant, the sooner I can jump back into the fast lane. Even if I'm not running at full speed all the time, just being on the track is going to help me make better choices. Staying connected with those who help me stay accountable to myself, being aware of what I'm putting into my body and paying attention to what I'm feeling when I think I'm hungry.  If I can face that my main struggle is to learn how to have control when it comes to temptation,  then maybe I ca...

I have now reached week 6 of the 16 week Prevent program.This is the phase that begins to include activity. My Prevent coach has inspired me to make a detailed plan of attack to get moving. Apparently (as if I don't know this all too well)  it's too easy to make excuses if you make a tentative plan to put the petal to the metal. I could make excuses all day in fact. "My kids didn't sleep well last night" (that's a good one cause I have a baby, so I really am up 3 times a night). "My schedule is too full"-with doctors appointments for the kids, sitters, gymnastics, meal planning, grocery shopping and so on. I was challenged to think of where I could realistically add a short workout. My answer-3 days a week after work (Park and Stroller days) and 3 days a week at 6 am (just me, my squishy blue mat, and 3 extremely fit girls bopping around on my TV screen). When I hear Jazzercise this is still the image I get.  Wait, did I just say 6 am? As in ...

My Prevent Coach suggested a 21 Day Sugar Detox. At first I thought-no problem. I can just stop eating sweets and add honey to my tea. Then I read the details of the challenge. They were much more involved than just cutting the candy! Here is a list of things I can't eat for 21 days: Any Artificial Sweeteners Sugars derived from natural sources (Honey, Stevia, Beet Sugar, Cane Sugar) Sugar additives in foods like whole grain bread, Spaghetti Sauce and just about every other processed food) Here is a link with the expanded list http://d3evxx686x2sr2.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/Sugar_1_Page_Guide2.pdf?794ee1 Basically this rules out all sweet tastes except for fruit and some sweet veggies like yams and carrots. Here are some notes I jotted down from my first and hardest days of the Sugar Detox: 4/15/15-Day 1 of 21 Day Sugar Detox- Went straight for my coffee this morning and poured it and then remembered I can’t have sugar. So I poured it out ...

Hayley’s Power Cookies 1/2 cup mashed banana 3/4 cup natural peanut butter 1/2 cup honey   1 tsp vanilla 1 1/4 cup rolled oats 1/2 cup all-purpose flour   (may use whole wheat) 1 tsp ground cinnamon & a couple dashes of allspice 1/4 tsp baking soda 1   handful  of raisins I also added a handful of flax seeds , chia seeds , sliced almonds and dried cranberries .(The great thing about this cookie is that you can almost add any of your favorites to it! you could try yogurt chips or walnuts or dark chocolate for some more sweet). Preheat oven to 350º.  Line   baking sheets with parchment paper or a silicone mat   (or coat   with cooking spray)   and set aside. Place the mashed banana, peanut butter, honey and vanilla in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Also add to this bowl the raisins, cranberries, both kinds of seeds and almonds.  In another bowl whisk together the   oats, flour, cinnamon and b...

I Love food. Yes that is Love with a capital "L". Something wonderful that I'm learning on my journey so far is that you can still Love food and eat right. I'm learning to enjoy new things about food. Finding I'm open to trying things I've never tasted before or even cooked with before. I like the adventurous aspect of NEW! Here are some things I've tried in the last 2 weeks that are new to me: Lots of Green stuff! This is Stir Fry. I swapped the white mushrooms out for Baby portobellos and the butter for Coconut and Sesame oils. I added Flax and Sesame seeds and I used more spices than salt.  This is what I'm calling Hayley's Power Cookies (I'll post the Recipe). They are made with mashed banana not Egg and All natural peanut butter and honey instead of oil and sugar. You an pack them full of what ever super foods you love. I chose Flax and Chia seeds, dried cranberries and raisins and almost slices. These are sweet, filling...

Over the Holiday Weekend there were a few times where I ate more than what was on my plate and I felt discouraged because I was sure I had gained weight. So much so that I didn't even step on my daily "Prevent" Scale. I was so tempted to let those voices in my head tell me to just admit defeat. so on Wednesday morning I decided to ignore them and stepped on the scale anyway. Come to find out I had still lost half a pound. It was less than my Weekly average, but it was still a loss! That got my inspiration going again. I was so Glad I had the accountability of the program to remind me that this is a journey not a sprint.  If I was in any kind of a walk, race, climb etc. and stumbled, I would never be tempted to walk off the course. That is just not how I approach life! I would dust myself off, stand up and keep moving. I need to apply that to my weight loss journey too. Some other milestones of the non-Scale hopping variety to keep me inspired: 1. My clothes are ...

I talked earlier about how some foods pretend to be healthy. This is one of my biggest pitfalls. My health coach is tasked with educating me about what healthy eating really looks like. She shared an interesting link with me today. It is a series of pictures of fruit drinks, sodas and even oh-so wholesome milk sitting innocently (until proven guilty) next to the candies and cookies that are comparable in sugar content. So what am I taking from this? I can drink a bottle of "Berry Blast" juice or I can eat 8 chocolate chip cookies. Same...Same. Ideally I'd eat neither! Take a look through the photos and enjoy the shock value as you recognize a few things that you have identified as health food in the past. http://www.cnn.com/2015/03/27/health/stop-drinking-soda/index.html

DH and I have the good fortune to have access to the amazing benefits employees of Costco receive. One of those benefits is a program called Prevent. It lasts for 16 weeks and focuses on food education, making healthy lifestyle changes and doing it all with an online group of team members who are striving for the same goals. It began as a prevention program for those bordering a life with Type 2 Diabetes. The program worked so well, they opened it up to those who are at risk for any weight related diseases. The best part is the focus really is on health. No counting calories or need for a cheat day-because you can eat what you want. The goal of the program is to match you up with a coach who can teach you how to make small but lasting changes to promote health in your everyday life. No starving, no cutting out any one food group, just a little makeover so-to-speak. Taking a good close look at what you are really eating is an eye opener. I have been very good at convincing myself in...

A Health, Food, and Fitness Journal: I created a Pinterest page to keep all my cool inspirations and recipes in one place. On it I have a few great quotes I found that inspired me. One of my favorite says. "Whatever the problem, the answer is not in the fridge." I really loved that. It spoke to me because I, like many people, turn to food when I'm having almost any kind of emotion.  If I'm bored, I look for a snack. If I'm stressed out I look for junk food, fast food or candy. Some source of high sugar, high fat, packed with carbohydrates and calories through the roof type "Food" if you will. I put food in Quotation marks because I think we all know there is no real food in that kind of "Food".  But boy does it make me feel good. I feel warm and safe and happy and full for about 15 minutes. Then that inevitable feeling of guilt, shame, disgust with my lack of control over what I stuff in my mouth takes over. Not to mention the ...