Eat what you want

This may seem like backwards advice for someone trying to be healthy and lose weight. Actually, it's not—at least not when you add this clarification: Eat what your body wants.

My mom has a friend who has lost 110 pounds and discovered the great "a-ha" for making it happen. The friend wrote a book, and my mom wrote a great article about it all:

What the diet industry doesn't want you to know - ksl.com

I've been to a class by this friend, Tres Hatch, and what she teaches is so intuitive. It's not an earth-shattering concept, yet for some reason it's a message that's too often lost in the mad dash for weight loss. There's really no secret combination for healthy eating; it's simply a matter of fulfilling your body's needs. While it can be tricky to learn to listen to what your body wants, it's a skill worth having.

Some things I've realized after listening:

• When I'm craving salt, I'm actually dehydrated and thirsty.
• When I'm craving sugar, I've had too much salt and not enough fruit.
• When I'm craving carbs, I'm in need of an emotional boost (it's my sad day, PMS go-to).

Take a few days and listen to yourself. I know it's hard to ignore the screaming-for-chocolate cravings, but this is a skill worth developing. Though it's not 100 percent easy to stick to this method—especially if your cravings are raging out of control—it's a wonderful natural blueprint to follow for learning how to fuel your body properly and getting it to function at its highest levels.

This is perfect for me now, as I start my new regimen. I started halfheartedly yesterday but didn't have all the necessary ingredients. So today, it's on. Wish me luck!

Sicky

Bleh. Today is not wonderful.

I got sick over the weekend—a nasty cold in the middle of the summer. I was improving and thought I'd be better by now. Alas, I am not. I'm still sicky.

I was all set to start my new plan, but I'm not sure if that's the best idea when I probably should be swilling OJ and chicken soup. It will have to wait.

Until then, I'm going to go lay on the couch with a box of tissues and a stack of chick flicks. I hope Evan likes "Pride and Prejudice."

It's on like Donkey Kong

OK, done with moping and feeling stressed. Now that Evan sleeps and has a consistent schedule, it's time that I work on mine. I have no more excuses for stagnating here. It's time to get back on the horse. And I have a plan.

First, I've gone back to putting on my workout clothes first thing in the morning. My son has become quite the mama's boy and has a lot of separation anxiety, so even if he's happily playing, when he catches sight of me he whines and scurries on over and starts climbing me until he has my full attention. I'm working on easing that, but until then, if we're in the same room and I'm not occupied, I'm going to be doing strength training exercises. That way, at the very least he'll get the message that he can't climb on me and expect the desired result, and if it works, I'll be motivated to keep it up.

Now, on with the healthy eating. My dear friend Melanie messaged me a while ago about juicing. Since it's essentially the same thing as my green smoothies and she has a structured daily meal plan that I desperately need, I'm going to give it a whirl. Here's her basic daily rundown:

• 7:30 a.m. - Cooked oatmeal and fresh fruit: As much fruit as you want, like grapefruit, apples, berries, oranges, etc. Oatmeal must be the kind you cook, not instant.
• 9 a.m. - Water (always 8 oz.)
• 10 a.m. - Juice (always 8 oz.)
• 11 a.m. - Water
• 12 p.m. - Veggie wrap: Fill with spinach, cilantro, fresh basil, tomatoes, cucumbers or anything else that's fresh and tasy. You can also add brown rice or beans in the wrap, but no meat or dairy.
• 1 p.m. - Water
• 2 p.m. - Juice
• 3 p.m. - Water
• 4 p.m. - Juice
• 5 p.m. - Dinner: Eat small portions of the family meal, which should be light and healthy with plenty of steamed veggies, good carbs and other wholesome foods.
• 6:30 - 7:30 p.m. - Juice

This isn't too far off from what I already do, except for two notable differences: No meat at lunch, when I usually eat dinner leftovers, and I'm substituting my smoothies for the juice and will split it into four servings instead of two.

For those of you who want to try juicing, here's her basic recipe for an 8 oz. juice:

• 7-10 carrots
• 1 apple
• 1 lemon wedge
• 1 beet wedge
• 2 leaves of greens
• 1 orange
• A few berries

My fridge is all but empty right now, which is good. I've purged the junk (and the moldy leftovers of dinners gone by) and I can start over with just the good stuff. Tomorrow I'm hitting up the farmers market, and starting Monday this meal plan IS ON.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you'll know that I'm the queen of big motivated starts and slow fizzling out. I hope this time is different. Maybe it will be because of Melanie. She's one of the most driven people I know, and it's contagious. Not only that, but she used to be my running partner years ago and she had me awake and jogging faithfully at 6 a.m. every day, even though I didn't have to be awake for hours. That is an enormous accomplishment! So Melanie, if you're reading this, keep pushing me!

And that goes for all of you, especially if I see you in real life (or if we're friends on Facebook). Please PLEASE push me to keep it up! If not this specifically, help me stay on the wagon in general. That's why I started this blog after all, so don't be shy. I can do this, but I need help.

And here I go...

In a haze

Ho-hum.

That's how I've been feeling about this whole healthy living thing. The main reason is, we've been sleep training our very obstinate, very vocal child. At the beginning of this process, the time he spent shrieking and throwing toys (and even throwing himself out of the crib, once) has surpassed the time he's been napping. At one point I'm sure I shed more tears than he did. Needless to say, it has not been a good week.

But the sleep gods have finally prevailed upon us, and lo, he slumbers! Though the night! And during naptime! We are at last a happy family.

But here's the irony: Just as he's learned to sleep, I've forgotten. My insomnia is back, and I've been up until 1 or 2 a.m. every night. I just can't catch a break.

So even though he now has a consistent schedule and he's keeping to that schedule, I'm having a hard time doing what I need to do. Maybe it's the lack of sleep. Maybe it's this heavy heat. Maybe it's because the newness of being at home all day has worn off and a little melancholy has settled in. Maybe it's all of the above, and something else I have yet to identify. Who knows.

Whatever it is, progress it not being made on this project, or really on anything other than my now-happy baby. The sacrifices of motherhood.

So, now that his major hurdle has been crossed, it's time to focus on me for a bit. It's time to bring back the personal goals as well as the fitness goals. This should not only get me back on track exercise-wise, but pull me out of the stay-at-home funk. I hope.

Here we go...

For the week of August 15 - August 20:

Personal goals: Laugh every day, "clock out" and relax every evening, try a new activity (big or small) with Evan every day

Physical goals: Crunches daily, drink 64 oz. of water a day, walks 3 times a week


That will get me started. Until then, carry on, my friends.

Don't give up because you gave in

I read an article yesterday that not only motivated me, but gave me something great to try when I feel like giving up.


Columnist Loa Blasucci wrote in the Deseret News about people who are doing well on a weight loss program, then they hit a bump, give in to foodie temptation and fall off the wagon, then give up because they stumbled. She writes,

"A client said to me, 'I was doing great. I was on program, and then I ate a cupcake. I felt so guilty I spiraled out of control. I’m angry with myself because I let it all go.'

Does that sound familiar? It does to me. And how silly is it that just because we give into an indulgence we give up on our entire goal or consider ourselves lost? We don't judge our eternal salvation on one indiscretion; we correct the behavior, seek forgiveness, vow to be better, and then try again. Why should weight loss be any different? Loa writes,

"Our bodies are in a perpetual state of recovery and healing. When we eat well, exercise and maintain a calm, content disposition, we are thriving. But in the day-to-day of it all, life isn’t perfect. There will be bumps along the way. How we deal with the bumps determines whether or not we can manage our weight."

That's a new perspective I haven't dwelt on. It's not just about how hard we work out or how faithfully we stick to a program; it's about bringing ourselves back after we fall and staying committed to picking ourselves up, again and again if necessary.


Loa has a solution for helping us stay positive and get back on track quickly after we make mistakes. She suggests dividing the day into thirds rather than an entire 24-hour chunk. She says to write down what you think a "good day" is within in section, comprised of morning, midday and evening. As you go through that section, check off as many of those good things as you've completed. Assess where you need to try harder, then move on to the next section and leave the shortcomings behind. That way, if you do have a cupcake-related indiscretion, you won't feel that you've ruined your entire day and may as well finish a baker's dozen.


To get the full effect of her method, read her article here. It's wonderful and gives good ideas as to what we can fill our sections with. This is particularly helpful to me now, as I'm trying to figure out a day's routine for my little guy and myself at home. This post may be amended to show that, but I'll just end with this thought:

"Forget about being on a diet; feel enjoyment in your life and gratitude for the chance to slim down and care for yourself. When you marvel at the gift your body is and find gratitude for all the systems that keep you up and running every day, guilt — or, anger turned inward — slips slowly away."