Yay!

I'm down a few more pounds and feeling amazing these days about my body! It's not perfect, and never will be, but I'm finally to the point where I'm satisfied with what I see in the mirror! HUGE breakthrough. Now, I'll just be more and more diligent about proper nutrition. Optimal nutrition means OPTIMAL health. It's all about what you're choosing to fuel your body with. These days, we are bombarded with so many convenience foods that we can forget just how wonderful and satisfying and convenient an APPLE can be. Throw some natural, unsweetened peanut or almond butter into the mix and you've got yourself a DELISH and oh so satisfying snack.

My food life lately has taken on a different form. I'm looking for the simplest possible ways to feed my body. I want it to be fast, packed with nutrition, and of course I want it to taste great and fill me up (keeping in mind that I'm eating 6 times a day, so I don't want to get too full). Seeking out these perfect little power meals takes some practice and some patience. Eeek!! That means sometimes I have to prepare ahead of time-very hard for me to do. The thing that sounds the EASIEST is actually the most difficult thing for me to do. Be ready. If I know I'm going to be out of the house for a while, I should bring a snack with me. Like I mentioned before, simple is best. I don't mean a microwave meal or a quick stop by Subway (not healthy at all), I'm talking some good quality protein powder  and a small piece of fruit...or a few hard boiled eggs and some fruit....apple with peanut butter. Small, satisfying and complete. My husband will eat handfuls of raw spinach and hard boiled eggs for every single meal...throw in a piece of Ezekiel bread from time to time and he's perfectly happy. I, on the other hand, can't seem to keep it THAT simple, but still simple compared to how I used to be. Thinking all day about what kind of super delicious meal I was going to have next. All that cooking and prepping....well, it's just plain exhausting. I LOVE to create healthy meals, but in real life-I'm only going to cook a few times a week and it's usually a simple one-pot soup or stew creation.

I lost my point. Again. Hmmm....ok. So I got this RAW Garden of Life Meal Replacer protein powder stuff today at Health Nut Nutrition. Talk about POWER-PACKED nutrition in a glass...this stuff delivers! I had a few scoops about an hour ago and it got right to my head...(JAWS-no? kidding) anyway-I'm really surprised at the lack of digestive involvement thus far, if you catch my drift ;) EVERYTHING hurts my sensitive tummy, especially protein powder. Not this stuff!! I didn't enjoy the taste of it though (very earthy/grassy/thick/gritty texture), so honestly-I have to defile it with some xylitol packets and add a few frozen blueberries and strawberries. Not perfect, but so much better for us than that wal-mart protein garbage we've been ingesting. I'll see if I can't find a link to the new stuff (Garden of Life® | Foundational Nutrition | RAW Meal), and you can see why I'll gladly doctor it a bit to make it more palatable and take all the nutrition it has to offer:) I think I'll test it out on the kids. They love "grass" (Naked juices) so I think they'll be able to handle this. I'll just put it in a smoothie with some greek yogurt and lots of berries. I get excited when I think about all the good this will do for my little growing eating machines. I can't keep them satisfied!

Almost forgot! My other deliciously healthy purchase was some Tulsi tea! I went for Chai flavor and it's just wonderful, doesn't need sweetener at all. Still has the caffeine that I need early in the day so this may be a good one to take over my morning coffee habit. We shall see...until next time-remember to keep things simple and develop a healthier habit!

Please Research and Educate Yourself!

10/10/10 is NON-GMO Day!!!

Please click on the above link to discover where you will learn more about the dangers of Genetically Modified Organisms. This is seriously damaging our health, ESPECIALLY OUR CHILDREN! Please don't miss this.

A Little at a Time

I'm really struggling with self-image. I need to stop this behavior like right now! I have a 7 year-old little girl who watches and mimics me. I don't think I've ever looked into a mirror and smiled or said something positive about myself:( I really don't want my beautiful little girl to be this way. 


This behavior must change. I need to figure out where that balance is. I've heard some people just focus on one feature that they're happy with or a particular part of their body that they like. Ummm, yeah. Can't really do that. I've got a new body after these kids. And it's not a pretty one if ya know what I mean! And 5 years after my 3rd pregnancy, I still can't 'embrace' it. Please don't get me wrong, I wouldn't change it for anything. The gift and joy of having my children far surpasses my issues of feeling upset with an ugly tummy. And I wish it could just end there, but surprise, I'm a woman. 


Here's the thing: We eat well and exercise mainly to be healthy and for overall improved quality of life. We pull up and push up weights, squat and run, sweat and ache, prepare and cook. We eat, breathe and live in a re-vamped world where our focus is on well-being. Obviously, things are going to change in a positive way. Our bodies are healthier, our minds are sharper. 


So, when am I going to see enough changes in my physical appearance? When is it that I'll be satisfied when I see myself naked? When will the moment come when I see just ONE positive thing in the mirror? I don't think it will happen until some deeper changes are made. I'm at this point, no better than people who have multiple plastic surgeries in search of perfection. And who the HECK do I think I am anyway?? There is no one out there that I need to impress. NOT ONE PERSON. So why does this chew up so much of my focus!?! 


I sound ridiculous, I'm aware. I'm just eagerly awaiting that peace of a positive self-image. When am I gonna grow up in this area? I recently had my husband throw out our scale. That was a HUGE thing for me to give up. You see, I've got a touch of OCD. I would weigh myself multiple times per day, KNOWING that I'd be upset by the end of any given day. Setting myself up for a let-down. I finally confessed my psycho behavior and got some help. Something that seemed so impossible to me in my cycle of wanting, expecting, and actually 'needing' to fail in order to stay motivated (sick, I know), was a total no-brainer for my husband. Thank God that he cares about me and also cares FOR me. 


So what's next? Will I need to resort to throwing out my full-length mirror? After all, if you don't have something nice to say...










A few questions for you: If you've been eating clean, how long did it take for you to reach your weight loss goals? Did you automatically experience a better self-image?