I want to be completely real about all of this. For the past 10 years I had just come to accept that I was going to be fat mom. When I had to buy clothes for myself I knew how to buy loose & big clothes that don't hug any part of my body. The name of the game was hide within my clothes. I didn't want to be overweight. I didn't want to be the frumpy, sloppy mom. But life seemed to be getting away from me & though I had tried anything & everything I heard about, I was stuck in a depressing cycle. It seemed that I could only lose 10-15 pounds, hit a plateau, get frustrated, then go back to eating, ultimately gain back what I had just lost. I knew I needed to try harder, but I did the typical mom thing & I put myself dead last on the priority list. Honestly, I didn't love myself enough to do what needed to be done. I didn't realize that I had to take care of myself first in order to take the best care of my family. In the past year, that has changed. My family is still my number 1 priority. BUT taking care of myself & getting healthy is also my number 1 priority & it helps me accomplish the other number 1 priority. I'm still not where I want to be, but I'm so much better than I was even 6 months ago!! And what's more, I've got a drive & a reason to get to my ultimate goal. Not only do I want to get there for me, I also want to get there for my girls. I want to be a strong, healthy role model for them.
You know, we can all go along making poor decisions & enjoying lots of junk food & empty calories. And you'll be okay for a while. But trust me, this will catch up with all of us!! I mean, let's face it, in our society it is so easy to do. We are all so busy that it is much easier & more time efficient to by the processed, pre-packaged food. I'm not sure how we got to this point. And I don't even know how to undo this. Everyone that I talk to is in the same predicament!! Most families have multiple children involved in multiple activities. This in turn keeps us away from home a few evenings a week. So, there is a need to grab food on the go. It really is just a sign of the times. In order to maintain control of our health, we have to figure out how to manage all the activities & still consume the right kinds of food to fuel our bodies. So, how do we do this?
You know, we can all go along making poor decisions & enjoying lots of junk food & empty calories. And you'll be okay for a while. But trust me, this will catch up with all of us!! I mean, let's face it, in our society it is so easy to do. We are all so busy that it is much easier & more time efficient to by the processed, pre-packaged food. I'm not sure how we got to this point. And I don't even know how to undo this. Everyone that I talk to is in the same predicament!! Most families have multiple children involved in multiple activities. This in turn keeps us away from home a few evenings a week. So, there is a need to grab food on the go. It really is just a sign of the times. In order to maintain control of our health, we have to figure out how to manage all the activities & still consume the right kinds of food to fuel our bodies. So, how do we do this?
We started making some of these changes in January 2013. We decided to tackle this with baby steps.......first, we
decided to try to get rid of all high fructose corn syrup,
preservatives, & other chemicals that are in our foods. So, we
started making our own bread. Then we moved on to making everything
else from scratch. It was completely overwhelming in the beginning but totally worth it in the end. I quit
buying bisquick & "cream of" soups & butter substitutes &
the list can go on & on. Honestly, there were days that ended with
lots of tears shed because I was so overwhelmed & felt that I
couldn't keep up with. And I wanted to so badly..........I truly
believed it was what was best for my family. Well, time marched on
& it eventually all got easier & now our diet was mostly "clean".
I consider my family to be a very not busy family by regular standards. My girls are not athletes & they don't participate in too many extra curricular activities this year. We did more last year. This year my girls are both taking dance classes & have both signed up for cheerleading. Now, the days that they both have lessons/practices keep us busy & away from home. I have found the best way for me to deal with this is to meal plan. Now, I'll just let you in on a little secret.........I've ALWAYS been a planner. Sometimes this is a good thing, a lot of times, in fact. But sometimes it can be a bad thing if things don't go according to "the plan." ;) So meal planning just really fits well into my personality. I try to sit down every week or two & plan our meals for the next couple of weeks. Thankfully my family is one that eats & loves leftovers. This really helps me out & most weeks & can cook 2-3 times & we eat leftovers. Then on the weekends Jim mans the grill. That will usually provide us with a lot of lean, healthy protein to use during the week. 
Protein & healthy fats are essential for a healthy life. I love to use Young Living's protein powder. I use this as a meal replacement after I exercise a lot of times. Chocolate deluxe is my favorite. And, IMO, it is its yummiest when I prep it with 1 cup 1% milk, 1 cup spinach, & 1 cup frozen dark sweet cherries. It tastes like a chocolate covered cherry!!! YUMMO!! My entire family has grown to love smoothies. This is a wonderful way to get a serving of fruits & veggies in. Now, fruits are no problem for my girls. But veggies is another story entirely. They both have certain veggies that they like but they are FEW. With smoothies, the girls just know that whatever flavor they choose, a cup of spinach will also be added. It provides a veggie serving without changing the flavor. This has been a game changer for my girls!!
And my new favorite healthy fat is the lovely avocado. Jim recently made homemade, fresh guacamole. Now, I've never liked guacamole. But I decided to give his a chance. Boy, am I glad I did. It is delicious & has become our go to on the weekends. Jim also enjoys using avocado in his banana, pb & YL chocolate deluxe smoothie. The avocado makes the smoothie extra creamy.
And my new favorite healthy fat is the lovely avocado. Jim recently made homemade, fresh guacamole. Now, I've never liked guacamole. But I decided to give his a chance. Boy, am I glad I did. It is delicious & has become our go to on the weekends. Jim also enjoys using avocado in his banana, pb & YL chocolate deluxe smoothie. The avocado makes the smoothie extra creamy.
Finally, I'm discovering these amazing supplements from Young Living to support my health & wellness journey. I love my essential oils, but these supplements are quickly becoming a top priority for me. A few of my favorite supplements are Super B, Multigreens, Digest & Cleanse, & Detoxzyme. These supplements keep me feeling my best & my body operating at optimal energy & wellness. I'm so thankful to have found Young Living.
My favorite thing about this new journey that my family has been on is watching my body conquer & do things that it used to be incapable of doing. Once you find your body changing (& I'm talking about capabilities way more than looks) it does truly become an addiction. Last week I ran completed my couch to 10k program. What does that mean? Well, it means I finished the 14 week training & can now run a 10k. For the first time in my life, last week, I ran for a solid hour. I was in awe of the fact that I finished it. Not only did I finish it, but my pace didn't stink!!! After that run, a new fire was lit in me. All I want to do now is RUN!! I say all this not to brag, but to hopefully inspire others who may be struggling with body image & self doubt. YOU are worth it & YOU can do it!!! All you have to do is decide to go for it. I would love to hear how you accomplish your goals & take care of yourself!!
