Fearfully & Wonderfully Made

8th months and I'm 107 pounds down. Image on left October 7, 2019 Image on Right May 11, 2020 So where have I been? I was doing okay posting on my blog and then I stopped in February... and then time just went on and  March was all Covid... and then April and May (more lockdown) so I've been just riding the ride. And then two different friends said remarkable things to me today. One encouraged in me my writing. And one reminded me that I had a gift to give. You see I've been a bit frozen. A bit afraid of saying the wrong thing in this stressful climate. When Covid first hit and quarantine and shelter in place became a thing there was a part of me that felt pretty shallow talking about my weight loss updates. There was also a part of me that felt like "who cares what I eat? The world is ending!" And there were times where I totally failed. I overate popcorn and almonds y'all. I was emotionally eating. I was struggling. Mike laughed. He was lik...

It's been amazing all the different things that have come to the surface since I'm no longer eating my feelings. I find myself trying to find new ways to numb and distract myself. Mainly Facebook/Instagram/Pinterest. So I'm having to set a timer and let myself be on for 10 minutes and when the timer goes off I get off. I'm not going to replace a bad habit with another bad habit! I also see myself wanting to turn to my phone to kill time instead of doing the things I need to be doing... it's like I'm bored while being busy! It's been so interesting being raw and vulnerable. I feel like I'm completely open to any kind of attack. I've had to keep turning to the Lord and asking Him to be my covering. To be my shield. My protector and defender. My help in time of need. Yesterday I was down for the count. Peter had come with a virus/bug and passed it on to me and Mike. Thankful I was able to sleep a lot of the day. I chose to still do my fuelings and l...

Oh my goodness friends. I have so much energy. It blows my mind. Energy in the morning for sure... but I still have energy at the end of the day. I'm dancing in my kitchen by dinner time. I noticed I could bend over with ease to get pots and pans out of the cupboard... before I used to yell for one of my children and ask them to reach for me! I'm marveling at God at work. Can this really all happen from a change of nutrition? I can't believe I don't have cravings! I'm not a sugar monster. I'm not even sweating approaching holidays. I'm learning what I can substitute and an am enjoying feeling my body- get naturally hungry and then fueling it! I know I'm only on Day 12 but I just feel a whole new lease on life. It doesn't feel like work to get out of bed. I'm genuinely joyful in spite of roadblocks, hiccups and inconveniences. How can God be doing this good work in me? Oh my goodness! I just got to stop and praise Him for a moment. ...

How many of us really know how to relax and unwind? Do you know how to push the pause button in your brain? Do you know what refuels you? I'm not talking about mindlessly numbing yourself through screen time or binge eating or drinking... I mean being truly refreshed! Our bodies need rest. We need proper sleep as a way to heal our bodies and reset ourselves. We also need to find healthy ways to relieve the stress that we each face in our day to day living. Honestly this is one of my most difficult changes to make... getting adequate sleep. The problem, I stay up late and then I struggle to get up early. Repeat. I know getting enough sleep helps me function better- mentally, physically, emotionally, etc. But sometimes feels so out of reach. I know also managing stress is very important for my health. I love hot baths and soothing teas. Reading a great mystery. Baking or cooking a new recipe. Painting my nails. Taking a quick nap on a Sunday afternoon. What refreshes you? H...

My husband recently came home from a trip and was enthused about us trying a new lifestyle... Primal Blueprint by Mark Sisson. (It's Paleo with a twist.) So we bought two books. Primal Bluepring and the 21 day total body transformation. I was amazed at how he talked about how we are killing our bodies with overproduction of insulin that causes us to store fat and have inflammation throughout the body. After reading the first book I was trying to decide when was a good time to start. This past Monday I decided enough's enough and I started. I cleared out the pantry. Gone went most of the carbs and other pitfalls to our new eating style. I still kept a couple of boxes of cereal for the kids and their granola bars, etc. I went grocery shopping and loaded the cart with fresh salmon, vegetable and grass-fed beef. I could tell detoxing from carbs was hitting me on Monday and severely on Tuesday. Headaches, dizzy, fever, sluggishness. I continued eating primal anyway. We have pe...

So the sad thing is I finished the 12 weeks and I weighed more than when I started. The good news is I have been consistently working out and I love doing weights! Yay! It's been over 15 weeks now that I have worked out a minimum of 3 up to a maximum of 6 days a week. I really am in the swing of it which is nice. I'm looking forward to school starting to have a set routine so I can plan better what I'm eating and when. And also to have a same schedule/set time for exercise. I've been having a hard time falling asleep lately... which has led to sleeping in... which has created a vicious cycle of staying up late and then sleeping late. Blah. Trying to fight that one. Especially before school starts up again. School days start early- 5:30 a.m. to be exact. We have to get everyone up, dressed, fed, school things gathered and down to the bus stop by 6:20 a.m. Whew. It's quite the exercise! I think the big thing I've been struggling with is emotional eating. A...

As Mike and I are on this journey to improving our health and changing our diet and exercise habits we have been having fun discovering some great supplements. Our new favorite is by Max Muscle: Essential Omega 3-6-9 Supplement. Peach Mango Smoothie is out of this world and we also love the lemon twist! This brand is gluten-free, sugar-free, all natural, and pharmaceutical Grade FISH OIL, with Vitamin D. Yes, I said Fish Oil but this is the best stuff I've ever tasted of any supplement EVER!!!!

Mike and I started a Body for Life 12 week challenge on May 1st. Day 8. We're doing really well. Keeping up with the exercises as well as diet. If I plan then I do well... and when I don't... well, I'm setting myself up to fail. So plan on. Plan on. Look forward to posting progress at 4 weeks. I've been inspired to read the stories and see videos that show people overcoming obstacles and making huge changes in their life.

I gave up sugar for lent as well as fried foods. It's been really challenging but somehow God has helped me to overcome. I've bypassed coffee cake, hot fudge sundaes, and other sugar social eating opportunities. I have been substituting with a lot of dried and fresh fruit. It's sweet I want and sweet I get but without the sugar. I've been eating a lot less processed foods. And I've managed to drop 5 pounds. I wasn't doing this for a weight thing but it is a nice perk and it also shows me how much sugar I eat and how I'm pretty addicted to it. It's kind of unbelievable the things I've been saying no to.... I didn't realize how much sugar I was eating. Yikes. I've been avoiding caffeine. Not on purpose mind you but I like sugar with my coffee. I like flavored lattes and mochas. I like drinking english breakfast with sugar. And then there's Coke. I really like Coke. It started with my pregnancy with Libby. It was pretty much the only thi...

The 3 Major Healthy Components for Health: Omega-3 essential fatty acids , "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s. Lignans , which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods. Fiber .  How to use: There are a variety of ways you can add Flax to your diet... you can add it to smoothies, yogurt, oatmeal, cookies, muffins, pancakes, waffles, bread, salads, cottage cheese and fruit, burgers or meatloaf as a healthy filler. You can even use it to substitute oil and eggs in baking recipes. Use the flaxseed whole or ground (flaxseed meal) Also be sure to try flaxseed oil. I also enjoy this in my smoothies, salad dressings, using it when I sautee veggies, etc. But I did hear that if you "heat" it up it can lose it's value (don't know the truth on that one). The health b...

The world seems to me a very undernourished place. Having too much of the wrong food... and just plain not enough food will create malnutrition. I have felt the guilt of having such an abundance of food with the knowledge that others are starving... or worse... watching their children starve. This is a horrible reality that people face every day. BUT OVEREATING WILL NOT FILL OTHERS EMPTY BELLIES . You wouldn't think in this country of abundance that we would struggle with nutrition... but we do. We tend to eat a lot of empty calories... things that lack vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. We tend to eat the wrong kinds of fats, carbs, and even protein. A startling trend is how much we consume calorie wise in what we drink... whether in our lattes, our gatorade, sodas, and even juice... we as Americans consume a lot of calories in our beverage choices. I was thinking through some changes that could potentially help. 1.) Eat what you have . I don't do well with this one an...

My goal for this week seems simple but I'm trying to track my points everyday! I'm also trying to create a variety of meals and snacks. This was lunch the other day... I love adding one hardboiled egg to my salad. I also used some left over rotisserie chicken. Carrots (Julienne). A few Craisins. Light Balsamic Vinaigrette. And my snack later of apple, a few pretzels and a tablespoon of Dark Chocolate Dreams: Peanutbutter with Cocoa... yum!

I lost this past weigh-in. Not much... but moving in the downward is wonderful. When I went into the hospital to get checked out (I have a fever & strep-very bad) the doctor didn't believe I weighed as much as I did... He said I looked a lot smaller then what I weighed. That was a nice feeling. I told him I'm doing weight watchers and that I'm trying to lose weight. He was very encouraging. I'm glad I "look" smaller. I was tempted to feel discouraged yesterday by the small result but I'm learning... I'm making better choices. I'm exercising. I'm aware of what I put in my mouth and yet I still enjoy life. I had cheesecake on my birthday yesterday. I feel like I'm losing inches more than I am weight. My clothes are loose and I've gone down two sizes. And more importantly, I'm taking care of my health and setting a good example for my kids. I have more energy and I feel better! So yay!

Okay, did I eat the sugar because I didn't feel well or did I not feel well because I ate the sugar? Bronchitis, flu-like symptoms,aches, fever, sore throat... all symptoms I'm currently experiencing. At least I'm not overeating, right? Just kidding. Can't wait to feel better!

Well, I joined Weight Watchers December 31st. I am so excited! Weight Watchers just started a new program. It's called Points Plus. It's very well-rounded. It takes into account protein, fiber, fat & carbs. But it makes it easy! I like it because it's all about eating healthfully and being active. It's a lifestyle change not just some fad diet. Several people I know are thinking about or already have joined! I'm so psyched. I'm looking forward to doing something good for myself that will in turn benefit everyone around me. I will have more energy! I want to be around for those I love... I want to take care of my body. So between God's help with Weight Watchers and taking Zumba at the YMCA... look out :) A whole new me is arriving with this New Year!

Haha ha ha ha. All it takes is getting pregnant to set aside this blog. Now here it is... the end of December... I have an almost 8 week old... I'm 15 pounds less then my starting pregnancy weight. That's a bonus. I know I need accountability and help... so what does this mean? I'm joining Weight Watchers. I've had success in the past... I don't do well with just the online program.. I need face to face interaction and encouragement... so tomorrow I'm boldly going into a meeting. I need to take care of myself. I might be suffering from lack of sleep and be under a tremendous amount of stress but I can choose what I eat. I can choose to exercise. I can choose health. I want energy... My goal for this new year is good health! For me personally, for my husband, for my children. Things I'm doing differently already: -Choosing to have accountability (with WW and friends.) -Taking Barley Green -Faithfully taking Vitamins & supplements. -Taking good care of my ...

I must confess, although I try not to think about it too often, that I am in two weddings this summer. So being a bridesmaid is some motivation. Funny enough though I don't really care about what size I have to pick out for the dresses. I am more interested in being healthy and also having fun at the weddings. It's great not to be hung up on how I look. I'm so grateful that I get to participate in these weddings. It's truly an honor. I look forward, with much hope, to fitting a smaller size by my birthday. This June 3rd I turn 30. Wouldn't it be fun to lose 30 by 30? We'll see. For now I am just committed to getting through the here and now. Eating well. Consistently Exercising. Taking my vitamins and medicine. Drinking water. And trying to think more positively. I think your attitude and your positive or negative thoughts make a HUGE difference!

One thing I’ve been doing different lately is really planning meals out. Now am I doing this breakfast, lunch, dinner? No, just dinner. But I find that it’s helping me organize my days better and my palate. If I am making fish for dinner I might tend towards a sandwich for lunch or a large salad. If I’m having breakfast for dinner I might eat chicken and veggies for lunch. It’s just been fun playing around with food. I’ve been trying a lot of different recipes lately and am excited that I’m branching out, so to speak. Some of my recipes lately have included: Cauliflower Cheddar Soup. Cabbage Rolls (or as my Polish roots say, Gwumpkies, spelling?) An altered recipe of Make Ahead French Toast. Baked Ahi Tuna that’s been marinated. Southwestern Bean Salad with Rice. Another thing I enjoy is using something already made/prepared to what I’m cooking. I made fish but then used Trader Joe’s Butternut Squash soup as an appetizer. I make a big batch of rice and have it on hand as a side d...

Water, everyone hears all the numbers involved. How it makes up most of our body. That we’re to drink this many glasses a day. Some say we’re supposed to take how much we weigh cut the number in half and drink that many ounces every day. Needless to say, it’s important. It helps our body maintain its proper functions. It keeps us hydrated. It allows us to flush out impurities. Etc. Etc. I’ve been able to drink a lot more lately and I think that has been a major contributor to scaling down. There is so much information about water coming from all different directions. I’ve been told you should drink a glass before you eat anything. I’ve been told you shouldn’t drink with your meals. You should drink some before, during, and after exercising. Just get it in you. The argument for distilled or fluoride, Spring or carbonated or from mountains or from faucets or filtered. The debates will live on. I say, just drink it. Add lemon to it. Add frozen blueberries or raspberries to change up...

With all the food, mostly sugar, of the holidays I've been probably gaining pounds this holiday instead of losing. Sigh. I am addicted to sugar. Truth be told. There it is. Sugar is such a weak spot spot for me. I love cookies and all the holiday sweets.. the delicious fudge and assortment of pies and treats. It's bad. So, I'm just going to let myself accept, that yes, I've had sugar and in a few days it will be time to flush and detox it all out of my system. With so many detox diets and systems where does one start? I've been pregnant or nursing so long that I've been hardly had time to do a detox. Do you start with a liver detox or colon? Or just eliminate sugar? Do you do a food detox or just use supplements? All I know for sure is that I want to drink a ton of water and pump out all the crap that's in me. So I'm praying that God would show me a healthy way to purge all the junk and clean out my system. Do you know any good detoxes? What do yo...