Sooo... it has been awhile.

 So I've noticed that it's pretty difficult to keep up a blog with two kids!  I've stopped typing up what I eat each day because I get so far behind and then I feel too lazy and too time crunched to type up a weeks worth of food I ate.  I'm still eating pretty healthy.  I've snuck in a few little treats here and there, however I'm still below 1800 calories a day so I'm pretty happy with that!  I've been working out every other day, however I'd like to get in the daily routine of it.  Today I completed day 1 of Jillian Michaels 30 day shred.. I feel amazing!  I used to be so intimidated by cardio work outs due to my asthma, however I feel myself getting through them pretty well now!  In fact, I'm starting to LOVE cardio!! Something I've hated for a long time.  In the past I would do 20 minutes of cardio followed by 4 hours of coughing due to my asthma. However I feel like it's not as bad as it used to be!  Maybe I'm growing out of it?  My lungs do feel a little irritated after work outs every now and then, but it's not consistent like it used to be.  It all really depends on the amount of sleep I've had and how much energy I have.  On nights that I haven't slept well, they seem to get irritated after working out.
 So anyway,
   I'm still doing Zumba Fit on my Wii and loving it! The other day I was a bit discourage though.  I stepped on the scale to only see that I'm back to my starting weight. :(  Very discouraging.  However, I can tell that my thighs, waist, arms, butt, and face are getting smaller.  My clothes fit better and (Warning TMI alert!!)  my butt fat and lower back fat don't melt into one another anymore! I actually have a curve in the small of my back now!  I'm actually getting a butt!!!  NO MORE MOM BUTT!! Yay!!  My energy is still high, my spirits are up, and I feel great.  I'm just staying away from the scale for a bit.  I do build muscle mass rather quickly and easily (must be the Norwegian in me) so that could easily be why I'm up a few pounds since I last weighed in.  I do have muscle definition in my thighs again, so that's a plus!
 My TJM and back pain have subsided a ton!  Also my IT bands in my legs are now longer inflamed! The other day my cat walked on them and it didn't kill anymore! :)  I am so excited about that!  Imagine how it would feel if you fell on your keys when they were in your pocket.. that's how it felt every time I even bumped the side of my leg on something.  My lower back feels great and I sleep a lot better now.  So I know there has been some big changes!  Just not on the scale. However, that will come with time.  What matters is that I'm losing inches and feeling great!
 So that's my update.  I apologize for any run on sentences, infractions, or any other grammatical errors. :)
 Ciao!

Still trying to catch up....

 Ok, so I was wrong about Thursday's intake..  I did not have a bowl of cereal for breakfast.. I had a whole wheat tortilla filled with ground beef, black beans, and brown rice.. with a little bit of cheese, salsa, and light sour cream.  I had a total of only 36 oz of water that day.. And my lunch/dinner was in the previous blog.. Oh, and I had a cup of coffee with creamer.
Friday:
 Breakfast.. 1.5 cups of Cheerio's with 1% milk.  10 oz coffee with 2 Tbsp cream and 12oz of water.
Lunch: a 6in sub on whole wheat with ham, lettuce, and mayo.. with 24 oz of water.
I had 16 more ounces of water and an 4oz cup of coffee with 1 tbsp cream.
Dinner: 2 cups spinach, a chicken breast, 2 tbsp balsamic vinaigrette and an apple.
I snacked on 9 Mike and Ikes while watching a movie with Nathan.. and had 22 more ounces of water.
 No work out on Friday.. I had a horrible headache and nausea.  Ick.

Saturday's breakfast wasn't much.  I had a few bites of scrambled eggs with salsa on them, 1 slice of bacon.. 8oz coffee with 2 tbsp cream.. I didn't finish it though.. 12 oz of water and a 12oz fruit, milk, and wheat grass smoothie.

Lunch: 3/4 of a whole wheat tortilla with natural peanut butter and sugar free preserves. and 12oz water.
 Plus 1/2 of a graham cracker that I snatched from Jovie. :)

Dinner: 3 slices of frozen pepperoni pizza.. I picked off most of the pepperoni.. 12 oz water.
 
At the Surprise party I had 2 peach martinis ... so delicious!  5 16oz glasses of water. A piece of B-day cake, and some smoked cheese fondu with chicken, grapes, apples, and beef..  about 7 carrot slices with veggie dip, 2 peach candies that were in my drinks.. and 1/4 of a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie that my Mother in law baked with Nathan..
 I over did it a bit on Saturday that's for sure.  Not so much with how much food I consumed.. but what foods I chose to eat.
 Sunday was tons better however.  I got an amazing work out in!  I worked legs, lower and upper abdominals, lower back.. did some stretching, shadow boxing, jump rope, and jumping jacks and high knees.
I had 62 ounces of water, 12 ounces of coffee and a total of 3.5 oz of creamer.
Breakfast, I had 1 package of Oat Revolution oatmeal.
Lunch: BP&J and an apple. And an oatmeal choc. chip cookie.
Snack: a banana
Dinner: 1 Serving of pork roast, with a spinach and arugula salad topped with craisins, almonds and balsamic vinaigrette.  Plus, a mix of fresh green and yellow beans.

Whew!  Moving on to today.
 Breakfast: 1cup Multi grain Cheerio's with 1% milk and 12 oz of water.
Snack: Banana, another oatmeal choc chip cookie, and 12 oz of water.

Lunch:  A turkey sandwich on whole wheat with Miracle Whip (1tbsp) and mustard and colby jack cheese and romaine lettuce.  And 12 oz of water.

10 oz coffee with 1.5 Tbsp of creamer and 12 oz of water.

1 piece of chewy peppermint candy 1/3 of an oatmeal choc chip cookie (DAMN THOSE THINGS!!)
and 12 oz of water.

Dinner:  Cream cheese chicken.. yes, it's as unhealthy as it sounds believe me!
 A chicken breast stuffed with 1.5 Tbsp of cream cheese wrapped in 2 slices of bacon.. delicious.. but evil! However, I love it!
 Along with that, I had green beans with almonds and my usual salad and 10 oz of water.
 
So, that's that.

I just wanted to clarify that this isn't exactly a diet, it's a life change.  I'm not using food for an emotional need anymore.  I'm not cutting anything completely out.. If I want McDonalds some day, I'll get some.. I'm just not allowing myself to over do it like I used to. I'm also working out regularly.  My clothes are already starting to fit differently. I haven't weighed myself yet because I don't have a scale.. I usually jump on Mandy's when we're at Mom's group on Mondays :) .. but it was canceled today. I can tell that my mid section is already going down and it has only been 10 days.  It's probably all the water weight that left.  Anyway, I feel amazing! My body doesn't get horribly sore after work outs anymore.  I still feel it the next day, but I can still move and work out.  I've done 30 squats already today when the Bender ball between my legs.. Wow, that makes my muscles burn like crazy!  I love it!  I'll probably throw in 20 minutes of Zumba before bed too.

Well, time to go tuck Nathan into bed!

Ciao!

Trying to catch up on the blogging! :)

 Ok, so this past week has been very, very busy so keeping up with my blog was next to impossible!  Thursday we were gone most of the day, Friday I wasn't feeling well at all.. I had the headache from HELL and a stomach ache to go with it.. and half of Sat I was out of commission with stomach issues.  But, I'm feeling much, much better now!  Sat was by far the hardest day so far.  Due to not feeling well physically, and emotionally (I was really crabby) I was just having a flat out crap day from the start.  It got better towards the evening though! (Thank goodness!)  I didn't really eat much of anything on Saturday until the late evening.. NOT GOOD!  However, it was wonderful food, at a wonderful surprise party, for a wonderful woman, so no regrets here! :)  In all honesty I'm way, way too lazy to type out everything I ate since Thursday on here..  I'm just going to try to keep it simple..
 Thursday, Not enough water.. I was gone for 3.5 hours in the middle of the day and didn't have access to water.. (I was at a funeral)  I could have gotten up to grab some water, but it would have been difficult.  Anyway, Thursday I did not put in nearly enough calories either.  I had 3/4 c cheerios with milk for breakfast, a cup of coffee, and two glasses of water.. then it was off to the church for Pat's celebration of life ceremony.. I had a delicious sandwich there and had 3 more 12oz of water the rest of the day.. oh and I had 1 little bar for desert.. The old Jen would have had 6 of those puppies! They were so darn good!! That's basically all I had on Thursday.. which started the downward spiral NO ENERGY... I'll continue the rest of the weekend tomorrow.. I have to get Nathan to bed and Dan will be heading to bed now so it's off of the computer for this gal!  So... TO BE CONTINUED.. :)

Update

  I just wanted to say that I'm still sticking to my life change fairly easily and incredibly happily.  I just haven't blogged about it due to being out of commission for the majority of the day with a headache and upset stomach and today I still have an icky stomach and no appetite today... I had a few bites of scrambled eggs and 1 piece of bacon for breakfast with a fruit and wheat grass smoothie today.. nothing sat well.  So we'll see how the day goes.  When I have the time, and I'm feeling better, I'll type my meals out from the past couple of days.
  Thanks!
 Jen

Feeling better every day!

 Yesterday was an amazing day for me! My calorie intake was healthy, and I burned almost 400 of them away by working out.  I felt so happy and energetic, rather than tired, crabby, and bogged down. I had some awesome prayer time in the morning before Jovie woke up, had some wonderful company over for a couple of hours.  Had a healthy lunch, had a blast doing Zumba fit on my Wii for 30 minutes while Dan napped, had some delicious Cold Fusion, and got to join God in doing some of His amazing work in this fallen world.  It was all out a wonderful day.  I can't remember the last time I felt so happy and full of life!  I also watched some videos on crocheting and starting practicing.  I'm not going to wait for things to fall into my lab anymore, if I want to be healthy, I'm going to make the changes to do so, if I want to crochet, I'm going to learn, if I want to be a better mom and wife, I'm going to love more, be less selfish, and open to change.  Period.  I feel so motivated and I feel the help, love, and encouragement from my loving heavenly father ever step of the way.  It's awesome!
 So here's my menu from yesterday:

3/4 C caramel cheerios with roughly 1/3 cup whole milk (we ran out of 1%)
8-10oz coffee with 2 tbsp creamer
12oz water

Snack was skipped because I was chatting with a lovely friend. :)

Lunch:
Black beans, ground turkey, and brown rice wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with 1 1/2 tsp of light sour cream, a pinch of mozzarella seasoned with taco seasoning, and 1 1/2 tsp salsa with about 1/3 c baby spinach.  A small apple and 24 oz of water.

Insert 30 minute zumba workout here..

Snack:  Herbalife (cold fusion) shake, with PDM, tea and 1 shot of aloe.. Oh I love Cold fusion!  I forgot how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE Cold Fusion!
 and 12 more ounces of water.

Worked my arms for about 10 minutes or so

Dinner time:
1c raw spinach, 1/4c shredded mozzarella, 1/8c sliced almonds, 1/4c craisins, and 1 1/2 tsp of balsamic  vinaigrette.  Joined with what I had for lunch minus the spinach on the wrap because I forgot to put it on there. (It was left overs night for dinner)

I honestly don't know if I'm putting down enough calories a day, I don't feel starved by any means, however I read that with working out, I should eat 1880 calories to lose weight at a healthy pace, however, I don't think I'm putting in that much.  I'm not sure if I should go by what the books say, or by how my body feels.  I won't let myself go hungry, I want this weight loss to be healthy, especially since it's not just about losing weight, it's about being healthy. I should probably throw a chicken breast in with my salads to add a few calories and more protein to my day.  Any suggestions would be great!
Thanks!

It has only been 4 whole days and I already feel the difference!

  Yesterday and today have been awesome!  I feel more energetic, I feel happier, and I can totally tell that the Holy Spirit has been really helping me through this!  It has been amazing!  It feel so good to be eating healthier. I don't feel sluggish nor do I have the constant guilt that crappy food leaves behind after it's ingested! :)  I'm not really cutting anything completely out of my diet.  I fully believe that everything is ok in moderation and judging my the way my underwear has been fitting lately, I can tell it's working for me! :)  (Too much info?)
  Yesterday's menu
While getting Nathan's lunch together, I ate 3 grapes, 3 craisins, and 10 gold fish crackers.
Later on for breakfast I had 35 grams (1pkg) of Better Oats Oat Revolution oatmeal mixed with 1 package (28g) of plain Quaker oatmeal.  The Better Oats is way too sweet alone.
 12 oz water.
10oz of coffee with 2 Tbsp of cream at Mom's group.
Snack: 3 oz light yogurt and 12 grapes with 2 oz of water
Lunch: 2 cups raw baby spinach, topped with 1/4 cup craisins, 1/4 cup sliced almonds, 1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese.. finished off with 11/2 Tbsp of Balsamic Vinaigrette.  I had 3/4 cup cottage cheese and 2 baby dill pickles on the side. A small apple and had another 24 oz of water.  Then I had about 1/3 of a candy cane.
Snack: 24 oz of water, and Nutri Grain bar and 1/4 cup goldfish crackers.
Dinner: 1 cup or maybe a 1 1/2 cups of fresh cut green beans.. no salt or butter added.. 1 1/2 cups spinach with 1/8 c slivered almonds and 1 Tbsp of vinaigrette. And about 1/2 a serving of Stouffers lasagna and 12 more ounces of water.

For exercise I went on a 2 mile walk with Dan and Jovie.  Did 30 crunches on the medicine ball (abs were way too sore from Sunday to do any more)  and 70 squats as wells as shadowboxing.

Today I also went on a 2.5 mile walk and hope to do some Zumba once Dan hits the sack for the night.
As far as what I ate today...
Breakfast.. same as yesterday minus the snacks beforehand.
10 oz of coffee with 2 tbsp of cream and 24 oz of water.

Snack: Med apple and 12 oz of water.

Lunch 3.5 Cups of baby spinach, 1/4c Craisins, 1/4c sliced almonds, 1/4c shredded mozzarella cheese 3.5 total Tbsp of balsamic vinaigrette.. (I had two salads today and two different times)  and 1 half of a small grilled chicken breast.  I should have had Dan grill 2 chicken breast so we could both have a small one,  but instead I had 1/3 a serving of last nights left overs of stouffers lasagna along with my salads.
Also 6 oz of delicious coffee topped with 1 Tbsp cream.  24 ounces of water and 10 gold fish crackers.  This meal is a combined meal.. I had one salad and the gold fish before my walk, and the second salad with the chicken after my walk.

12 more ounces of water with lunch and another after my walk.

Dinner:  Tatter tot hot dish made with ground turkey instead of ground beef, mixed veggies, cream of mushroom soup, tatter tots and cheese.. about 1 serving of that with 24 ounces of water.

And that's that folks.  I feel a little icky after dinner.  It tasted amazing!! However it was high in sodium.  I feel great and happy with my progress so far.  One day at a time!!

Food journal for Sunday.. and a little side note. :)

 I guess I'll start off with the side note.  This is a little reminder to me as to why I'm trying to make this change.  After having Jovie my abdominal wall became pretty weak, so now I'm bothered with back and pelvic pain, which also leads to leg pain.  Not only that, I have TMJ syndrome so basically something on my body is always inflamed and in pain.  By eating right and working out my belly will shrink and my abs will become stronger, therefore creating less body pain. :)  So yay for that!  Also, for years and years I've hated my body.  The first time I was called fat was when I was 5 1/2, and it stuck with me.  I've always carried my body fat in my midsection and was picked on about it all through school and even for a few years after.  Boys would call me "beer belly" behind my back.. Yell down the hall at me "Jenny Maida is chubby" and so on and so forth.  Well, I've always made excuses to not working out.  Whether it was my asthma and tachycardia, or just being flat out tired, there was always a reason why I didn't work out.  I've heard someone say on TV one night "You can either make excuses or make a change," and I'm choosing making a change.  Do avoid being overwhelmed and setting myself up for failure, I'm starting off gradual and going from there.  I usually end up failing which leads to quitting, starting off slow will prevent that.
 With all of that being said, here's my food journal for today.

Breakfast: 1c peanut butter multigrain cheerio's with roughly 2/3 c 1% milk
         8oz coffee with 2 Tbsp creamer
        6 oz Kemps lite yogurt.
        7oz water
I skipped snack since I was at church and had a late lunch..
 Little munching while waiting for lunch though...  1 kiwi, and 2 mandarin orange slices
3 "Smiles" fruit snacks
 Lunch: 3 slices of Papa Murphy's Delight pizza.  Toppings: Cheese, chicken, bacon crumbs, and spinach. With garlic sauce. .. I know, I know, not healthy.. and I felt a little yucky afterwards.
28 oz of water.
Evening:  Heartburn (gee, I wonder from what!?) and a headache have kept me from eating a whole lot tonight.  I snacked on 3 teddy grahams and 1/4 of a graham cracker.
I've also had 34 more oz of water

For a work out today.  I did 30 squats, 100 sit up's on the medicine ball, and about 10 minutes of balancing to strengthen my core and lower back.
 So that's that for today!

PS. I apologize for my lazy grammar. :)

Food Journal for Fri-Sat

Ok, Friday was a way more successful day than today.   Like I said, I'm going to be completely honest so here's my complete food journal for Friday and Saturday.

Friday
Breakfast: 6oz Chobani 2% Greek Yogurt
12 oz Water
Total calories 160
Snack: 1/4 cup Nut Harvest nut and fruit mix 150 calories
24 oz water and 8oz cup of coffee with 1Tbsp Coffee mate french vanilla creamer
Other niblets: 11 Gold Fish crackers 2 slices of mandarin oranges and 1 graham cracker.
Another 12 oz of water
Lunch: French dip sandwich with swiss cheese from JB Schneider
  3 french fries that I stole off of Dan's plate :)
12 oz of water
More nibbling: 6 mandarin orange pieces
 5 squares of frosted cinnamon toast crunch and 8oz cup of coffee with 1Tbsp Coffee mate french vanilla creamer
1 truffle
24 more oz of water
Dinner-ish: 6 noodles from pasta salad.. it was gross.
1/2 of a Gerber toddler meal.. chicken, mash potato's and gravy, and carrots. Total, 5 bites. I wasn't going to let it go to waste.. haha
12 oz of water
and 1 cup of cinnamon toast crunch with 3/4 cup 1% milk.
Oh yes, and I had 5 little crunchies.. toddler food is so easy accessible when you have a snacking toddler!

So that was my Friday.  Not incredibly healthy, but not too too horrible.  I have worse days let me tell ya!  Now onto today.

Saturday


Breakfast: 1c Peanut Butter Multigrain Cheerio's with 3/4c 1% milk
8oz coffee 1Tbsp Coffee mate french vanilla creamer + 1/2 tsp sugar
12 oz water

Snack:  small hand full of caramel cheerios approx 12 pieces
12oz water

SET BACK ALERT!!
A LOT of blueberry muffin mix. :(  Like enough to fill a muffin cup.  Yikes!

Lunch: 3/4 of a homemade chicken pot pie.  Not a massive one.. just a single one.
12 oz of water.
I also tested the chili I made on a cracker with a tiny bit of sour cream and a pinch of cheese.  It was delicious!  Made with ground turkey. :)
12 more oz of water.

Another cup of coffee.. made same as above without the sugar though.

Skipped a real dinner and just snacked with my hubby.  NOT a good idea.
3/4 cup Fruit and nut mix.  5 Teddy grahams.  and 1/2 of a homemade chocolate chip cookie.

So today was not the greatest day.  Definitely snacked way too much.  The blueberry muffin mix was a disaster, and obviously not enough water! Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day with stronger will power.

I also haven't worked out the past two days.  Not because I didn't want to, it's just difficult when everyone is home and the only place set up for a work out is our living room.  We need to set something up in our basement.
So there you have it folks!  It's a step in the right direction and I'm going to keep moving that way.
Goodnight!

It is time to start being healthy.

 So, yes, it's that time of year where just about everyone is dieting for their resolutions.  I am indeed one of them.  I'm taking a different approach to it this time around though.  I'm making it public.  I will track everything I eat, write it down and publish it on my blog.  I will track down how often I exercise, good days, bad days.. EVERYTHING.  I will be completely honest and hopefully through all of this, I'll become a healthier person.
  I have already started writing down the foods and beverages I ingest.. I started yesterday.  Yesterday was BY FAR a lot better than today let me tell ya!  I think my choice of exercise will be Zumba Fit for our Wii, at least until we get a Y membership. (hopefully)
 My current weight is 140 lbs.  I'm hoping to get to about 125 or until I feel a lot healthier than I do now.  It's not so much the weight that bothers me as much as it is the body fat.
 Any words of encouragement would be welcomed :)  I'll post my list of the foods I ate today and Friday most likely tomorrow.
 Until then,
 Ciao!