Congratulations!

I must be in very philosophical modes when I tally up points--as I did today I was struck by how each of those points was an external reflection go good choices. It's impossible to put point values on choosing the right, but it's kinda fun when we can do it in a small way. (Can you tell I was in Primary last year? Choose the Right!) So it was fun to type up numbers like 381 and 455 and...500!

So ramblings aside, congratulations to our winner BRITTANY! and two second place winners JEN and JEN. I love it. I'm so happy for you guys. I'll cash the checks today and send your prizes on their way.

Not that it mattered in the total point run, but sorry about the confusion on the "20 points" yesterday. I should  never email at 6:30am after being up all night with sick kids. I should have made it more clear that yesterday was an extra day to get those blog points, if you hadn't already commented or posted. Not an extra 20 points, just extra day to get the regular ones. Sorry. Thanks for all the feedback though. Every challenge has its plus and minuses and it's interesting to see what people like or don't. If any of you ever host a challenge, email me and I'd love to participate.

So thank you all for a wonderful challenge and best of luck to you for the rest of this winter. Happy Valentine's Day!

A time for every season

I don't know if anyone will read this now that the challenge is over, but I need to write it out for me.  I totally checked out of the challenge this week.  I didn't exercise a single time, and I ate multiple desserts every day. Let me go back up though, to the beginning of this story.  Around Christmastime, when my daughter Grace was just over 2 months old, she started crying during every feeding.  EVERY FEEDING.  I was completely overwhelmed, and cried all the time for her, and me. :)  I had no idea what to do, and everything we did didn't help (priesthood blessings, change of diet etc).  I had started exercising a few weeks before (6 weeks postpartum), and took a break over Christmas vacation and then started right back up again for this challenge.  I also put myself on a diet of absolutely no desserts at the beginning of the year.  So basically, this challenge should have been a piece of cake for me!

I worried about Grace, I worried that I would lose my milk because I was exercising too much, but I was so focused on me, and my weight loss, that I pushed it aside for the first weeks of January.  Grace continued to cry for 50-100% of her feedings, and I was constantly mentally exhausted.  I was losing my appetite, and definitely not getting enough calories in during the day, always hurrying to get a big snack in before 8 PM, and it just wasn't enough.

I asked my husband for a blessing at the beginning of February, and Heavenly Father told me that if I listened to the spirit, it would tell me how to help Grace.  I sent an email to my family members asking them to pray for Grace.  I stopped exercising, and I started eating desserts again (mostly at the urging of my husband - he didn't think it was healthy to stop eating any desserts just to binge whenever I finally started eating them again, which I totally would do).  I prayed for guidance and started swaddling Grace every time she ate, and made sure that my 2 year old was playing a game or watching tv so that he wouldn't disturb her when she ate, because she's so sensitive to noises.

And prayers were answered.  Tuesday last week we went for an entire day with zero crying during feedings. She even took a 2 hour nap in the afternoon, which hasn't happened for months.  She has cried at only 2 or 3 feedings total in the past week.  I'm eating many oatmeal cookies everyday, and not even considering exercise, and my daughter is happy.  I actually weigh a little bit less now than at the beginning of the challenge.

I cried a little bit as I wrote this out.  It has been such a hard few months.  But I know that HF was looking out for me, and he had to get around my selfishness of wanting to lose the baby weight and look just like my old self, in order to bless me and my family.  It has certainly made me appreciate my body more, and the miracle of what I can do with it to give birth and feed my children.  I realized that this is not the season for me to be vain about the way I look - now is the time to be taking care of my children in the way that they have need of it.  Listening to the promptings of the spirit and the promptings of my body and my mother's intuition has made a huge difference.  Reading my scriptures every day has made a huge difference.  My body might not look any different right now, but I know my spirit and testimony are stronger.  Thanks to all of you for your encouraging words.  Thanks to Angela for putting this together.  May God bless you in all of your goals.

It was going to be my perfect week.  Then, Thursday night with friends, I took a bite of a cookie and happened to glance at the clock onthe wall.  It was 8:20pm.  Worse, I suddenly remembered that my VTers had brought me some Valentine treats and I had eaten a serving earlier.  Double whammy:  two treats in one day, and after 8pm.  Oh, the agony of mindlessness!

The one frustrating thing, in my opinion is that the first mistake is so painful (4points!) that it causes me to lose motivation in that area.  What's one more point for one more day? 

But I have really enjoyed this challenge, even though it was harder for me than I thought.  I learned a lot, lost my 8 pounds (and a little more), and had fun, too.  Thanks Angela, and everyone else!  Let's do it again sometime!

Extra 20 points?

Did I understand that message right? We get an extra 20 points for giving our feedback again today? Ok. I'm game!
  I loved the challenge. My favorite and hardest one was the not eating after 8. I loved the habits it established. I agree that slipping up one day can be discouraging from a point total point of view, but I don't see another alternative that would be better. I liked seeing how these habits led to to my weight loss goals as well. Thanks for putting this together!
Jen

Just some thoughts on Logistics

So, Angela said we could post any feedback about the challenge and I thought I'd post my two thoughts concerning the logistics of the challenge.

1. Rule in Question: One serving of sweets a day
So, my issue with this rule is the all or nothing bonus points accompanying it. I messed it up on Monday...and then on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday I didn't even try that hard because I knew I wouldn't get the points anyway. Kind of funny (my husband though so anyway). Not sure how I would have changed it, but that one week where I was weak at the beginning ended up making it worse for me the whole week.

2. Rule in Question: Personal Goal
I loved having my personal goal to commit to and work on. It was something I really needed, and this challenge gave me the motivation to really work towards it. My difficulty with it (and really the constant challenge rules), was the points. If I did it all 7 days, I got my 20 points. If i missed ONE day, then I was down to 12 points. That was pretty discouraging almost every week. Plus, it made me feel like I couldn't catch up point wise. There were people who had already gotten more points than I COULD get, even if I did get 100 the rest of the weeks. Once again, that made me feel like, why try? I understand giving additional extra points for getting a 100, but it made the challenge really spread out. Maybe just 1 point per day; or 2 points per day. But make it per day. Maybe an additional third if you get all 7. I don't know. But it just made it difficult for me mentally.

And those are my two points of feedback. They're things I've been saying a lot to friends and to my husband when I talk about this challenge, so I thought I'd share it with y'all. Did anyone have similar findings? thoughts? How did you overcome this?

thanks again everyone! And Angela! :)

-Amber

Good luck!

Just wanted to wish everyone good luck on their health journies.  I've found new healthy recipes and actually prefer to eat the healthy stuff over the junk.  Hopefully that lasts.

I think my favorite habit is drinking more water and not eating past 8.  It feels SO good.

I think this challenge has helped me feel a lot healthier and better about myself, which was my ultimate goal.  So thank you Angela for the contest!!:)

Permanence

Hooray for healthy habits!  I'm hopeful that I can make this permanent.  For the first time I've been consistent enough with exercise and eating well to begin seeing some results.  And I feel that I am motivated enough to keep these results.  I have been surprised that I haven't craved sweets more, don't get me wrong there were times when I wanted my bag of chocolate chips but I realized that I could do something else and I would forget about it.  (Granted my real challenge will be if I can keep this thinking up when the chocolate is back in my cupboard!) 
I am also learning to stop when I'm satisfied.  And to question myself if I am really hungry or if I'm just in the habit of eating/grabbing a cracker, etc.  Most often it was out of habit or "not thinking." 
I think with slight modifications (mostly to allow some occasional treats!) I hope to continue this.  The results are too nice to give back in! 
Thanks for all your support, motivation, and advice. 

Last dinner

For the last meal of the challenge, I made a fruit-and-veggie-full meal. I'm pretty sure we all got our four servings at that meal alone! We had spinach salad, hummus with carrots and bell peppers, and green jello with pineapple. It was awesome.
My perspective on meal planning has changed- I'm definitely seeing fruits and veggies as less superfluous than before. My snacks are soooooo much healthier than they were. (My Costco sized bag of edamame is gone!) I have loved being hydrated. I'm not as hungry as I thought I was in the evenings. Unfortunately, exercise hasn't caught on as well as I had hoped. But I did survive my month without chocolate! (Even though I could've used the therapy a number of times)
Thanks for all the fun ladies!!!

Benefits of external motivation

Apparently I am in desperate need of external motivation to get started on things that I know are good for me, but aren't necessarily easy to do. This challenge, along with another weight loss challenge I am doing simultaneously has given me just that motivation I needed. While some may tell you that the best motivation is internal, one that does not require rewards other than the ones you gain by achieving your goal, I REALLY needed something extra to get me going.

 Now that I have been living these healthy habits, they have truly become habits for me. (Well, maybe not the not eating after 8, but it has gotten MUCH easier) I do find internal satisfaction from doing the challenges that I didn't at first. So, thanks for the extra motivation! And I just may stop feeling guilty about bribing my kids to do things that I hope will establish good habits such as doing chores or eating healthy dinners. Maybe they are just like their Mom and need that little extra to get them started...

A Good Routine

This challenge has been so good for me. I feel like things got into a good rhythm and that is what carried me through. Drinking water and more fruits and veggies led to eating less of "other things." Which helped me gain closer to a pound a month instead of a week with this pregnancy.

And then I decided that instead of my afternoon nap I had to be on the eliptical during my daily lunch phone call with Ryan. By the time we were finished I was awake again and ready to keep going. I would save all my desserts for the evening, but usually finished putting theboys down after 8 pm and couldn't eat it then anyway!

And since I was starving by 10 I would usually go to bed instead of staying up too much later. Having to record my daily thoughts for my personal goal meant I had my iPod, which meant I set an alarm, which meant I woke up before the kids in order to pray and read scriptures.  It has been so great!

That said, I am thrilled to go back to my exercising only 3-5 days a week. And I hated having to shove my fancy dinner down before 7:59 last night because the restaurant took longer than expected to cook our meal (and since we hardly ever go to restaurants I was a bit bummed!!).

A Smaller Loser

I may not win this competition, but I have lost over 10 lbs during it (and we still have another week).  The different challenges have been good for me. I am usually naughty after 8 pm, so I have been a lot more behaved. I have been full with all the water drinking and veggie/fruit that I have been better.

So I like to think I will be a smaller loser at the end of this competion.

Points are up, and so are my kids

I took my own advice from last week, to add points first thing Tuesday in order to give myself the motivation I need. And it's worked! Like Marylynn I was a bit stunned when I added up my points yesterday. You'd think I wouldn't be, since I can tally them up all week. but I didn't. I put off the day of reckoning. I rationalized a bit here and there and then BAM! lowest personal score of any challenge I've done. It was a good wake up call.

Kinda like the "Potty! Diaper Change!" wake up call the kids gave us thirty minutes ago. It's 5:46 am right now and they're in their room awake. Oh well. Not unusual around here at all. I guess all you Midwesterns and Texans are already up anyway, right?

But back to points. I'm glad I've tallied them. You guys are so good. You keep doing this thing and I've loved to hear the "wins." Keep those coming. This is the last push to the finish and it's so fun to hear the successes. Also notice we have a tight race for second place: 4 ladies in the 390s. Keep it up!And Brittany, I think we're all cheering you on!

Good luck this week. My kids are calling out for "More light mama!" and "more books mama please!" In ten minutes, we'll start our day. Have a good one all.

Argh!

I added my points for the week in stunned silence.  I forgot to post something on the blog - missed an easy 10 points.  So frustrating!  But I am setting my sights on a perfect week this week! 

"Winning"

I'm so glad I'm doing this challenge!  Although I haven't done well at all with the exercising bit, I'm very pleased at the other changes I've been able to make.  I'm not going to "win" the competition but working on my personal goal is a definite win for me.  :)

Habits

I am so pleased with how healthy choices made every day can become habits just like bad ones (eating junk every night at bedtime) can.  I also love how my personal goal is a habit now as well rather than having to be a conscious decision every day.  Thanks for the challenge-- it has been so good for me!!!

Final Week!

Hey gang,

We're almost there! I just wanted to rejoice in what I've learned through this. I've learned that I don't like to work out every day (ha!). no, just kidding. Sort of. I guess I've learned that I like to feel active, but I don't like getting all sweaty and having to change into work out clothes and some how fit in a shower EVERY day (okay, maybe that's just because I'm lazy, but I don't generally shower every day (TMI?). It's really hard with kids! How does everyone else get around this working out/showering/kids obstacle?). BUT, I have learned then, that I can do other forms of exercise. Like Yoga. I even did it with my hubby last night and it was so much fun! I found it very doable, even/especially after a long day.

I've learned that I wasn't eating enough fruits/veggies. Not me, so not my kids. I've upped our food budget so that I can buy more of them. It's been great! And they love them. I'm happy for that change.

I have also learned that my body needs sleep. My mind needs sleep. My family needs me to get sleep. :) My personal goal throughout this challenge has really shown me what a different person I can be when I am well rested and prepared for the day. I've repeatedly reminded myself that this challenge is "to make every day intentional." So even if I'm feeling grumpy or bored or whatever some morning, it's a day with my beautiful children and my wonderful husband. And I'm going to LIVE it, not just get through it. I've learned that I can do that if I am rested, so sleep is key for me.

I'm excited for this last week. I feel great. And I'm excited to continue these habits afterwards (with slight adjustments...for weekends...). :) Good luck everyone! Finish strong. Go out with a bang!

Sick....

So we finally caught that stomach bug that is going around. It started with my 3 year old throwing up in the car on the way to get frozen yogurt (I was excited to get in my daily treat before 8!). Selfishly I was so frustrated because it was his brand new car seat! Guess it needed to be broken in... So after he had a rough night we caught it too and both my husband and I are down for the count today. Unfortunately it is really contagious so we can't even farm the kids out.

This kind of puts a damper in my challenge motivation. We'll see how this last week goes...

Grrrr

I never thought I would make it this far in the challenge without missing anything. I usually goof on some small thing and ruin it for myself... but after hanging in there for so long I was starting to get hopeful. 

Until last night, that is. I was hosting a baby shower at 8pm (so the kids would be in bed when we started - which "kind of" worked). I knew eating was not an option, so I made a pina colada slush that I would be able to drink and still kind of participate in the festivities.  All went well, people brought yummy food, I got it all set out on the table and was talking to Amanda about how I was going to be fine without eating anything.

Literally 20 seconds later I went to make sure the table was ready (at 8:20pm), which it was, and when I went back into the kitchen it dawned on me that I had just eaten ONE piece of fresh pineapple (making sure it tasted okay). I was so angry!!  I was so ready to eat  nothing at all, and in a thoughtless moment it went out the window...again.

I know it really is NOT a big deal, but I was reminded once again of how many times I habitually do/eat things without even THINKING first....just pop it in my mouth...   Arg...

Best of luck to Brittany! See if you can pull in that perfect score for the group. :)

Travel and Benefits

So this past week, I traveled down to visit my brother and his family. It was really hard to drink the water I needed (specifically when I was on the road), but most especially to get the fruits and vegetables on a menu that was not my own! It was hard to pass up all the popcorn, birthday cake, cheese dip, root beer floats, chocolate cheesecake, bacon-wrapped chicken and hot chocolate that was served after 8. But I was strong! It felt like a double victory because it was a stretch.

Okay, so I have to say that I've found a benefit I didn't expect from being more hydrated. So I've finally got contacts to work for me; and they're hard ones. Before I started this challenge, I had trouble getting them out at night (they weren't just popping out like they should). This was, of course, because my eyes were dry. Now that I'm consciously drinking throughout the day, that is no longer a problem. A little less panic in my nightly routine is awesome!

SOUP!

So, I feel bad that I haven't posted very many vegetarian recipes, so I'm going to make up for that today.  Yay for naptime! Soup and wintertime go together, so i'm going to post a couple of my favorites.

Vegetarian tortilla soup

1 T. olive oil
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 jalepeno, minced (seeds in or out depending on your heat desires)
1 large russet potato, diced (leave skin on for more nutrients)
2 cans of beans (your choice - pinto, black, kidney)
1-2 small zucchini, diced (optional, I don't prefer them in this soup, but if you want more veggies...)
1 small bag of frozen corn
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes
1 small can green chilies
3 15 oz cans vegetable broth
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
fresh lime juice
cumin and chili powder to taste and desired heat level

Toppings:
grated cheese
cilantro
diced avocado
lime wedges
tortilla chips

1. In a large pot saute the onion in olive oil.  When it is tender add gartlic and jalepeno and saute for two minutes.
2. Add in potato, zucchini and corn. Saute for a few minutes. Add in your cumin and chili.
3. Pour in tomatoes, chilies and broth. bring to a boil and lower to a simmer until potatoes are soft (time will vary depending on the size of your potato pieces).
4. Add in beans and make sure they are heated through.
5. Add in cilantro and lime juice, salt and pepper to taste.  Serve hot with toppings.

Note: This freezes very well, and I usually do a double batch, but you need a big pot!  Also, if you like a lot of broth, you'll want to add more, this is very veggie centric the way it is written.


Creamy mustard and onion soup
(From kayotickitchen.com)

3 small onions (or one big)
2 garlic cloves
1 oz butter
3 T flour
3 cups vegetable broth
2 T coarse mustard
2 T almond milk or whole milk
worcestershire sauce
pepper
salt

Slice the onion in half, then in thin strips. (could do quarter strips also). Grate or chop the garlic.

Heat the butter and cook the onion until soft, about 5 minutes, browning them slightly.  Add the garlic and cook one more minute.  Add the flour and cook 2 more minutes to neutralize the rawness.

Pour in broth, bring to a boil.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes until onions are nice and soft.  Season with salt, pepper and splash of Worcestershire sauce.  Stir in mustard and milk.  Serve with crusty bread and big green salad.

will power

A friend of mine read a book on will power and made a you tube book review which I watched and learned a LOT from.  One thing I'm trying to be mindful of since is how beating up on yourself really impacts your will power.  When you feel bad about yourself it weakens your will power as the strong urge to feel better leads you to quick fixes like a snack, staying up late to watch a movie, killing time on the computer, skipping exercise (etc.)  Which, in turn makes you feel worse and further weakens your will power.  Now that I know how strong that pull can be I'm trying harder to talk nicer to myself in an effort to bolster my will power and thus be able to make the good choices that only continue to strengthen my will power.  This may be obvious to many of you, but it really clicked for me.  I've also learned that will power is like a muscle that can be exercised and strengthened.  That's a hopeful idea to someone who assumed that she just didn't have will power.  I hope this resonates with someone else.

Points are up: Week 3

Ok ladies, I know I always say this, but you guys really are awesome. There were FIVE perfect scores last week. I should have tallied up the points today before I lost my bonus points to stress on a weak mind. I'm resolved to finish our last week (next week) with 100 points, who's with me?

And what's more, you all reported. That's saying a lot. So keep going strong and have a great night. I'm off to book club and thanks to previous suggestions, I'll just keep water in hand and wrap up something for tomorrow.

Cheers.

Banana Zucchini Cookies

So, I made this recipe up all by myself! I feel so proud. ;)  I would not consider this to be your one treat of the day, because the only sweetner in it is maple syrup, and not much of that!  I put maple syrup in my oatmeal, and I don't count that as my treat. So, consider these breakfast cookies, if you don't add the chocolate chips.  And you're getting fruits and veggies while you're at it!

2 C Whole Wheat Flour
1/2 C White Flour (you could make these totally whole wheat if you like)
1 C quick oats or regular oats that have been pulsed a few times
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 small zucchini, finely shredded, with some of the moisture squeezed out
1/2 C mashed banana (one large usually does the trick, make sure it's very ripe!)
1/2 C maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)

Mix wet ingredients in one bowl and dry in another.  Add wet to dry and mix well.  Put on cookie sheet about 2 tbsp worth for each cookie.  Bake at 350 for 13 minutes.  Enjoy!

I've made these with chocolate chips and without, and they're fabulous both ways.

30 day shred:Level 2

Is it kicking anyone else's butt like it is mine?  I mean, EVERY time I finish level 2, I feel like passing out.  Anyone else out there?  If level 3 is harder, I think I might not make it...

Portion Sizes

Here is an interesting article my husband passed along about portion sizes.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865571216/Portion-Size-Me-producer-reviews-weight-loss-tips-at-BYU-seminar.html

Juice

I'm learning that juice can be a little controversial and wanted to get the group's thoughts.

Do you count juice as a serving of fruit/vegetables?

 Every cup of 100% juice says it is equal to a full serving.  I know eating the whole vegetable is the "best" way to eat a serving as it is more filling, leaving you less likely to eat less healthy foods. But you do get the vitamins and minerals into your diet if you at least drink the juice.

And what about a smoothie. By blending it down are you making the fruits/veggies "less" good for you because they won't fill your belly as full?  Or is it also another good way to get the vitamins and minerals we need.

Anyway, just curious on your thoughts. :)  I want to make sure I've been counting points correctly if I count a cup of V8 or 100% apple juice as one of my servings on occasion.

No planning = missed goal

My mom, aunt, uncle, brother and sister and their families all came to my house after eating out for lunch. It was so fun and we ended up hanging out all day. We decided to just grab pizzas for the kids & take them to a park. I had such a great time that I didn't think about the fact that pepperoni pizza is not a fruit or vegetable. My intention of making myself a salad when we got home fell through when it got late and I had to decide between the after 8 goal or fruit/veggie goal. Since I wasn't hungry I just skipped the salad. I'm bummed that my lack of planning caused me to miss out on a perfect score on a goal I actually enjoy meeting! Arghh!! Note to self: Plan what you'll eat better to avoid this happening again!

First 5K

Thanks for your encouraging blog posts ladies. I'm really enjoying this healthy habits challenge! It's been a good reminder to be more conscious about making healthy choices. The challenge always becomes much harder for me when I am out of town. Last week I made a trip to UT and really had to plan out how and when I would exercise since I don't belong to a gym and didn't want to exercise outside with the inversion. This week will be challenging for me as well! I get to go home and spend a few days with all my family. I'm sure exercise and healthy eating will be far from my mind. Wish me luck haha!

I participated in a my first 5k yesterday, with Shawna! I think I need to sign up for another one! I liked it. :)

I'm still in. . . but barely

Well, week 3 is over and I have gotten progressively worse each week.  I think I did better at the last challenge because each challenge was only 1 week long and I was able to tell myself, "just a few more days", when the challenge became hard.  But I'm finding myself overwhelmed with life right now and instead of being motivated and inspired, the challenge has felt like another burden or obligation to me.  And, lately, something else that I'm sucking at.  My personal challenge has gotten in the way of exercise for me, too.  Or vice versa.  Getting 8 hrs of sleep a night is difficult, I've discovered, if I need to wake up before 6 to exercise.  Through this challenge and the last I've learned about myself that I am a morning exerciser.  I have, through this challenge, pushed myself to accomplish some pretty cool things that I wight never have done like going on a 15 mile bike ride with my husband and making it to a 5:45 am (AM!!!) exercise class at the Y (I seriously, could barely walk the next day).  So again, I will not even come close to winning this challenge, but it may just be another internal victory.  (sigh)

Good week!  This challenge has really made me think about what I am doing, and avoid making excuses.  One example: in the past I have just figured if I didn't get a workout in by 6 or 7pm, I wouldn't do it, because I didn't want to be up all night.  But more than once this week I was on the treadmill at 9pm or later, just so I wouldn't lose those points - and I slept just fine.  I love crossing things off on my 'fridge chart (thanks, whoever made those - I love it!), and I am feeling great!

I also love getting the yummy dinner ideas, so here's one for you.  It's a recipe my friend swears by, but I haven't actually tried it yet (it's what we're having tomorrow night).  Hope you enjoy it!

Greek Quinoa and Avocados

Makes: 4 servings
Ingredients
1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup water
2 Roma (plum) tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
1/2 cup shredded fresh spinach
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Spinach leaves
2 avocados, pitted, peeled, and sliced
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Directions
1. Bring quinoa and water to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15 minutes, or until liquid is absorbed.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together quinoa, tomatoes, spinach, and onion.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, oil, and salt. Mix with quinoa.
4. Place spinach on plates with avocado slices and quinoa. Sprinkle with feta.
Nutrition facts per serving: 332 calories, 7g protein, 27g carbohydrate, 24g fat (5g saturated), 8g fiber

Small and not so small victories

Earlier this week, I decided to try on my snug pair of jeans. Usually, lately, I have been wearing leggings to avoid wearing snug jeans that used to not be so snug. To my surprise, they were not snug at all!  In fact, they fit just fine!

It made me consider what 2 weeks of this challenge have done for me. By trying to get 4 servings of fruits and veggies in, I'm eating huge salads and feeling great. By eating breakfast daily, I'm not feeling the grumpy low-blood-sugar feeling during my son's lunchtime, making lunch and nap time much nicer for us both. By exercising 30 minutes 6 days a week, I'm getting out of bed earlier, which means I'm accomplishing a bit more during the day, and I'm getting to incorporate yoga which is making me feel a bit more limber and relaxed (typically, my workouts are somewhat intense, 60-90 minute deals done 3 days a week). And, with only 30 minutes of exercise, even if it's while my son is awake, it isn't so long that he feels ignored. Not eating after 8pm has been remarkable; combined with only one treat a day, I can't believe how much less sugar I'm eating. And, this week, I finally stopped stressing about the 8pm deadline as I started getting dinner back around 5pm or so.

Last week, I was ready to give up. This week, I'm amazed at all of the differences, large and small, that I'm experiencing thanks to this challenge!

Healthy Yumminess

Baked Spaghetti Squash and Cheese
Skinnytaste.com 

Basically, I am obsessed with Skinnytaste.com.  She has so many yummy low calorie recipes that have been crowd pleasers in my house.  I was introduced to this website by the Skinny Minny Club.

Servings: 7  • Serving Size: 1 cup • Old Points: 4 pts • Points+: 5 pts
Calories: 165 • Fat: 8 g • Protein: 10 g • Carb: 16 g • Fiber: 2 g • Sugar: 6.5 g
Sodium: 278.5 mg (without salt)
 

Ingredients: 

• 5 1/2 cups cooked spaghetti squash (from about 2 small)
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup fat free chicken broth
• 8 oz Sargento 2% reduced fat mild cheddar
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 4 cups (about 4 oz) baby spinach
• 1/8 cup grated parmesan

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise; remove and discard seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet. Bake until tender, about 1 hour. Separate the strands of squash with a fork and place in a medium bowl; discard shells. Maintain the oven temperature.

Heat butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in flour. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring continually 3 - 4 minutes.

Add milk and chicken broth and continue whisking, raising heat to medium-high until it comes to a boil and becomes smooth and thick, about 2 minutes stirring; season with salt and pepper. 

Once it becomes thick, remove from heat, add cheddar cheese and mix well until cheese is melted. Adjust salt and pepper to taste, add cooked spaghetti squash and baby spinach, pour into a baking dish and sprinkle parmesan cheese on top. Bakeuntil bubbly and golden 25 to 30 minutes.

Makes 7 cups.

It's OK to feel hungry...

My mom has told me this a few times the last 2 weeks.  :)  It was advice I needed to hear.  I don't like to be hungry.  Come week 3 I am finally accepting this statement and eating my snacks when I should (between brkfst/lunch and lunch/dinner) and not saving one of my snacks for right before 8pm.  And you know what?  For these 3 days this week I've felt way better during the day and at night.  Yes I'm hungry come 8:30, but it doesn't keep me awake at night.  The last 2 weeks I was eating to eat because I  still had a snack left and I was taking it...yet I was starving in the morning.  So we're making progress and that is good.  Now I'm off to clean a shower...more advice from my mom.  When you're hungry (and don't need to eat) or wanting sweets, or want to stress eat, etc. go clean a closet or shower or something.  Great distraction method! 

Do Over

I feel like I'm starting from the beginning. In the middle of week 2 I had surgery on my mouth. I had prepared for this and knew I'd miss a couple of days in the world. Then I woke up with bronchitis and a double ear infection. That's when I knew I'd be outta the world for a while. So as this week started and I'm still not feeling the greatest, I feel like I'm starting all over again. Well, here goes nothing!

Points are up: Week 2

Well I got points up, a day late. Sorry 'bout that. We were gone all day and then after the kids went down, well I was just irresponsible. That's why I should never leave important tasks until evening. My mind goes blank of all things responsible and I either read or watch something with my husband. Anyone else read "Nothing to Envy" about North Korea? It's intriguing, haunting, baffling and just very, very sad.

But back to the points, the ones that are now up. Well done people! It seems like week 2 was a rough one for many of us, but look! we're still at it. And some of you improved your scores which always motivates like none other. On to week 3! A stronger and hopefully less crazy one for us all.

Cheers.

Stress, It's A Killer

This, right here, is causing me Big Time stress!

Why?  Because it's not mine.  Not yet anyway!  This little beauty is my husband and I's wanna be first house.  We love it!  It's perfect for our little family!  It's where we feel we need to be and it's...stressing me out!  If it's not Sallie Mae goofing up our documentation so we can't submit it to our loan officer for almost 3 weeks (not a typo!  I almost stabbed someone today through the phone before we actually got the correct documentation we have been needing) it's having to document every ridiculous moment of our lives on paper and negotiating the tiniest things.  Gotta be honest, I almost gave up one day and ate an entire 2 lb. tube of Pillsbury chocolate chip cookie dough...raw.  If it weren't for the rockin' awesome 7 mile run I'd had earlier that day then I might have done it.  Can't waste a 1000 calorie burn like that!  And I knew I'd have to be accountable to you all so I didn't.  Small miracles!

Too Cold for Anything

Today I woke up to a very chilly morning. 4 degrees out. And negative 8 windchill.

We most definitely won't be going on our walk today.
And instead of the hot chocolate that I really want, I'll have hot milk with nutmeg. Which is almost as good.
Almost.

What was up with that week two?

So, next time I'm having a rough go of this challenge business, I'm writing about it to see how many of you are experiencing the same thing, because it seems many of us were having a pretty rough time with this challenge last week! I wanted snacks almost every night after 8pm (eating dinner at 7:30 wasn't helping as I gobbled as fast as I could to squeeze in a treat before 8!), I kept wanting to hunt for chocolate and then find some way to justify my desire for lots of treats (honest - I made an apple crisp that only used sugar in the topping and merrily started telling myself it totally didn't count as a treat because the brown sugar topping was so little compared to the sugarless filling). I even wanted to give up on exercise a few days then just started moving and found 30 minutes gone in no time (thanks in part to our Xbox, Dance Central game, and a fitness game because I didn't want to tell myself what to do for my workout). I was cranky, tired, and just wanted sugar.

*whew* Glad that week is over!!

I kept reminding myself you all were also in this challenge, which helped me many, many times!

Here's hoping week 3 is a little (okay, a LOT) easier!

You're not alone...and neither am I!

Reading so many of your posts made me realize that this is hard for everyone! As I read through them I thought, "Yeah, me to!" or "I thought the same thing!" or "No way! really? wow!"

Saturday we gone all day and I definitely did not get exercise in; and then I made a conscious decision to stay up late and work on a project. And strangely, it's hard to eat veggies and fruits when you don't go to the grocery store...which did not happen until this week. So week two was rougher, but I kept saying to myself similar bits of motivation that you all used, "I want this to be a habit; I have to do this longer than just one week!"

I think one of the best thing about this exercising is that it's forced me to do some days at home (not at the gym). Which has given me an opportunity to talk to my kids about exercise and why it's good for them. Not that I haven't before (because frankly, they go to the gym with me, so we've talked about it, but it's different in the home). And tonight was my favorite. Mackenzie, my sweet 4-days-of-being-20-months-old girl, totally did it with me! Sometimes my 3 year old will jump with me during jumping jacks or do the warm-up march, but she got into it! She was doing her version of lunges, and leg lifts, and push ups, and was just having a blast. It certainly made my work out so much more fun!

I hope you all find some joy in this challenge, even on the hard days! I know I am!

Here's looking forward to a better week

You guys are rock stars.  Man, this week was hard for me.  I just gave up on exercise a few days, and consciously decided to eat a big bowl of popcorn with my husband on Saturday night. (Date night at home, watching MIB III, love it!)  The only truly difficult thing for me this challenge is the exercise.  I don't even have the good excuse of being tired because I'm up with the baby, because she sleeps through the night now.

I think that laziness begets laziness.  I spent a few days this last week just reading all day - only taking breaks to feed my kids - and by the end of the day, even though I had done nothing physically difficult, I felt really tired.  Isn't that weird?  I guess I can understand a little more how people working all day at a desk feel, and why they wouldn't be interested in going to the gym at night.

I often feel like a yo-yo.  One day I'll be incredibly productive, and the next a complete lazy bum.  If I wake up with a lot of energy i'll just go go go and then crash.  Does this happen to any of you?  How can I overcome this weakness?  I need to find balance in my life, for my families sake as well as my own.

Well, lots of random thoughts for today.  I've already done my exercise for the day though, thankfully!  I'll have to try to do it in the morning more often. :)

Back in the saddle again, not just dragging by a rope

You guys are so great. Thanks for all the encouragement and advice last week when I wanted to quit and feel sorry for myself. So I'm seconds away from starting my workout, in the morning, hurray! The kids are awake drawing and reading, we'll see how this goes, but I'm excited about trying harder and doing this for real. Thanks for your motivation by words and example!

ps. Anyone ever done BYUtv workouts? They have lots and are free and vary up my limited workout options. Cheers.

http://byutv.org/watch/a7c76338-daa6-4c3d-ad33-ba0de4308d73/total-body-workout-aerobics-stability-ball

Molly

Hi everyone!  I'm bad at intros, so let's just jump into it: I have a little girl, a husband and I live in the boonies of North Carolina. I also take lots of photos.   I decided to accept this challenge because I've always been a wanna-be health nut.  I constantly talk about living a healthy lifestyle, but don't actually LIVE one.  This past Christmas my sister-in-law mentioned how she admired my love for healthy food and healthy living (she told me that while I was, honest to goodness, woofing down my second large piece of pie) and it clicked that I can't just act like I love to eat and live healthily--I have to actually live it!

And so, here we are two weeks after the start of the challenge, and it's been rough.  I'm currently PMSing, I hate that I set a bedtime for myself, and I'm SICK OF WORKING OUT! But I keep thinking, "Once you do this, you'll feel so much better!  You'll look so much better! And you want to be healthy for Reese's and Andrew's sake!" So, just ten minutes ago I consciously decided against going to my cupboard to grab some chocolate chips for a late snack (the only sweet food I am keeping in my apartment to cut down temptation!)--and get this! I drank water instead!

This is hard, ladies.  I want to stop, but I don't want to go back to how I was living before.  I'm excited to have more energy, be happier, and live healthier.  Best of luck to everyone!!

A recent photo of my little family and I...

too much

So yesterday I was ready to throw in the towel on this whole challenge business. I've been very disciplined so far in this challenge so I don't know what was so special about yesterday. I didn't find the time to exercise or even do some daily abs and I was hungry after 8 and made a conscious choice to eat a snack. All these rules seemed too much. I'm glad today was a rest day and I'm hoping tomorrow I am ready to jump back on the exercise train. This is about establishing good daily habits so I do need to make it more than 2 weeks...

I didn't think I could do it, but I did!

Book Club was on Thursday and didn't start til 8:30. Sure enough there was a tempting treat--a relatively healthy apple cake (applesauce instead of oil, ww flour instead of white, etc) that was calling my name. I simply asked the hostess if I could take a piece home for the next day. She was pleased I wanted it and I was able to stay strong knowing I could still have some the next day. Yeah! Then, Saturday night, I fully planned on having one small treat once I got the kids to bed as a reward for eating well this week. But, when I came downstairs, it was 8:10! I was so bummed and really wavered on how much I wanted to be "all in." However, remembering how I was able to succeed at book club and how you all are also working hard, I decided to stick with it. I won't pretend I wasn't grumpy, but I made it and feel much better about myself today. Plus, I had a treat before 8 tonight so I am much happier all around. Thanks ladies!

Week 2

If I didn't know it before (I did), I know it now:  my weakness is my sweet tooth.  The other habits come fairly easily to me, I just have to remind myself that I need to get in my exercise, or it's almost 8, or whatever.  But the sweets are killing me!  It seems like everything I have done this week has involved food and people giving me treats.

I am counting calories, though, and my weight goal is actually ahead of schedule.  I just need a plan for avoiding treats, especially in social situations.  Maybe I need to stay home more this week! 

Still enjoying this challenge, although after last week's multiple 100 points, I can see you are a bunch of fitness superstarts, and I have no chance of winning!  But it's a great way to focus, so I am sticking to it.  Hope you all are feeling great and seeing results, too - thanks Angela!

I'm shallow

So I've realized that it's harder for me to exercise when I don't have the motivation of losing weight or training for a race or something. Maybe that's why I've never been great about exercising while pregnant.  Except that awesome water aerobics class we took 4 years ago, remember Amber?

But anyway, exercising for a healthy and strong body? You know motives like taking care of our body and preventing future health problems? Yeah, doesn't push me through a hard workout. Like last night, I did one of the 30-day shred workouts and kept saying "Why am I doing this?" and "This is stupid."

So I need to grow up and mature. In the mean time, any suggestions to keep me actually trying while working out?

Thankful for 30 min. of Exercise

I couldn't make it to the gym this morning, my treadmill is not working, and I am taking Loratab for a tooth that needs a root canal.  I would have talked myself out of exercising normally, but I put on my shoes and headed out the door to run with my mouth shut to keep the cold air out.  When I got home, I drank a luke-warm of glass water.

Exercise?

Can 3 hours of painting count as my 30 min workout? Thoughts?

2 hours later let me rephrase that. I meant 3 hours of painting preceeded by 20 minutes of VIGOROUS floor scrubbing. Not the whole floor, just the section where the gallon bucket of paint slipped out of my hands and splattered everywhere.  Ugh...  So grateful for wood floors!

Neighborly Conundrum

So last week, I borrowed some flour from some neighbors I hadn't met before. They were super gracious about it too.
Now, I would like to thank them with food. I would normally bake chocolate chip cookies or something similar and take a half batch over. But I really have almost no self control. I'm not sure I could not snitch chocolate or dough during baking or much less have any at home for my husband or kids to enjoy.
Yes, the way I am keeping my personal goal of no chocolate and of one treat or less a day is just not to have anything tempting in the house. Then when I am out at a party, I can limit myself to one cupcake or whatever. But smelling cookies all day it is hard to have one, instead of a nice even half dozen!
I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and do some baking tonight!
Wish me luck!

I Can Do Hard Things

Ok, last week was hard.  Really hard.  The hubs had a raging strep infection and missed the entire week of work, I was feeling under the weather, but I think a flu shot saved me from my hubby 's fate (maybe next time flu shots come around he will listen to me and get over his fear of needles for .2 seconds and just get the shot) but I still felt crummy.  Not to mention both of my little girls decided to play the "are you sleeping" game all night long every night so I got no sleep at all.  I did, however, work out, eat well and take my vitamins so I survived.  My run on Sat was extra challenging as my buddy picked a spot new to both of us that contained more than a few hills.  Sunday was a welcome rest.  Hopefully this week will not be so tough.  I'm still hanging in there knowing you lovely ladies are right there with me!

Lentil and Chicken Stew

With all these recipes going up, I thought I'd add one that I made last week. I think it's so good and my 3 yo even ate it and said "mmm"! Winner in my book!

Lentil and Chicken Stew (I'm assuming you can omit the chicken...but I like it in it)

3 tsp Extra virgin olive oil, divided
8 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced (I like to sprinkle mine with a little bit of seasoning salt)
1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp coriander seed, crushed
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 14oz can reduced sodium chicken broth
1/2 C French green/brown lentils, sorted and rinsed (I honestly don't know what French lentil are; I just use what I have in my house)
1 6oz bag baby Spinach
1 Tb Lemon juice
1 Tb chopped fresh dill (I don't think I've ever actually had dill when I've made this...)

1. Heat 1 tsp oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook, stirring once or twice, until no longer pink (about 2 mins). Transfer to plate with slotted spoon.
2. Add the remaining 2 tsp oil to pan and heat over medium-low heat. Add carrot, garlic, coriander seed, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly 30 seconds to 1 minute.
3. Stir in broth and lentils, and increase heat to med-high and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to maintain simmer and cook for, stirring occasionally until tender, 20-30 minutes.
4. Add chicken broth, lentil, baby spinach, and lemon juice. Return to simmer and cook 1-2 minutes more. Add dill. Enjoy!

New Recipe with Veggies

Skillet Ratatouille
Ingredients:
3 TBSP. olive oil
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, sliced
2 zucchini, sliced (or to your liking)
2 yellow squash, sliced (or to your liking)
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 tomatoes
16 oz. noodles
salt and pepper to taste
some grated Parmesan if desired

1. Cook noodles and drain.
2. Cook sausage and drain fat off.
3. Heat your oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant.
Add the onions. Cook until browned and softened. You may go as far as
caramelizing it if you choose. While that cooks, prepare your squash.
4. Cook squash and zucchini until softened. Let some of it
caramelize/burn brown a bit. Those pieces taste the best!
5. Add your tomato and season with salt and pepper. Plum tomatoes are
ideal for this recipe because they don't have a lot of juice in them.
Cherry or grape tomatoes would work great as well. If you use another
kind of tomato, cut them in half and squeeze out most of the juice
before slicing them up.
6. Cook for a few minutes more. Add sausage. Serve hot over noodles.