A year since we decided to get healthy...

Okay.  So this is me last summer.  Nearly one year ago.  Twenty pounds ago.  Mostly around my face, from the looks of this photo.  Now don't get me wrong... its not a terrible picture, nor did I feel like I was overweight, really.  But I definitely felt sluggish and uncomfortable and out of shape and, really, really self conscious about my figure.  I had a hard time chasing after my kids.  I just didn't feel like it. Ever.  Our bonding activities were baking cookies mostly.  We love cookies.  Yum.  Cookies.

Anyways...

Mike and I had a "come to Jesus" talk with ourselves last summer.  We decided that eating dessert every single night probably wasn't the best choice.  We also felt like we were getting lazy about our meals.  Because our dinner time is often a fifteen minute stint between when Mike walks in the door and I walk out (to work), we often needed a quick fix.  Frozen pizzas and mostaccoli and chicken nuggets were pretty commonplace.  Then Mike would eat three bowls of cereal later on after the kids went to bed because he was still hungry and I would grab a bag of peanut M&Ms at work telling myself that peanuts were nutritious and chocolate was a treat.  You can see how easy it is.

Many of you have heard bits and pieces of our "story" over the past 12 months, but I thought I could share some of what has worked (and not worked) for us.  I'm not a trainer or nutritionist or expert at all. I am still working out the kinks and making wrong choices all the time.  Just because I work at a health club doesn't mean squat (pun intended) though I do pick up on things, I suppose.

Here we go:

1. Sweets are a treat not a fourth meal.  They are not a snack and they are not a filler.  They are a reward.  Something to get excited about.  We actually had to cut out sweets cold turkey for about two months when we started this. No pop, no juice, no jello. Nothing. Then, we found that "holidays" such as birthdays or Thanksgiving or Christmas, tended to arrive once a month.  We allowed sweets on those days (and only on those days- we literally threw out a ginormous bag of halloween candy before we went to bed that night).  After about six months, we slowly worked treats in.  Like, "we just worked all day around the yard and got all hot and sweaty- let's get ice cream!" kind of treats.  We have weeks where I bake something, or we go on vacation or like last weekend, where it was hot and I wanted Ben and Jerry's, and we blow it, but for the most part we've really made an effort.  I don't keep sweets around.  That helps. A lot.  I can't tell you how rewarding it is for me to hear how excited Jonah gets about the idea of running out for ice cream.  Its not a requirement after dinner, rather, its an honest to goodness surprise!  That's so amazing to me. Which leads to my second one...

2. Get rid of processed junk food.  This is a toughie.  Its soooo easy with kids especially, to buy quick junky snacks.  Fruit snacks and crackers and chips... to be able to just grab a little baggie from the cupboard on the fly is awesome.  My kids are super active, so I wasn't worried so much about the sugar or whatever else.  However, if we have the snacks, Mike and I would eat them.  And they are expensive.  And, really, my kids don't need the sugar, even if it wasn't really affecting them that I could tell.

So what do we do?  I air pop popcorn.  I give them raisins in those little boxes. We buys fruit in bulk.  Mike and I will eat chips and salsa or hummus.  Not completely healthy, but a better option. I started making my own granola (very easy by the way, and you get way more than if you buy it in the store).  Mike will have a bowl of that with skim milk or yogurt at night if he's craving something.  I'll buy dry fruit, if the season isn't conducive to good, cheap fruit.  Sometimes, I'll buy a big bar of dark chocolate and freeze it and break off bits when I need a fix. 

For meals its the same principle.  I'll be the first to admit, that being home during the day helps.  I can prep veggies and defrost chicken while kids are napping.  Usually I try to have dinner waiting for when Mike gets home (not because I'm so house-wifey, but because I have to leave for work)  I have found some pretty delish and easy crock pot recipes online, though, that are totally doable for those who work 9-5ers.  Also, I've learned that doing things on the weekends is best... making granola or baking bread or making big meals that take a long time.... we do that on Saturdays if we can.  we use as much from our garden as possible.  We buy brown rice and wheat tortillas and because Alice has a dairy allergy, we'll use avocados instead of sour cream, or ditch the cheese toppings that I put on EVERYTHING before she was born.  One huge blessing out of having a child with an allergy is that it makes me rethink food in general.  All our meals have to be specially made.  You have no idea how much dairy you eat until you can't have it any more!  It causes me to be creative, for sure.

3. Stay active.  Sounds so generic, but its the truth.  It would be so easy for me to veg out when the kids take a nap.  Sit on my bum and read or write or play mah-jong on my kindle.  But instead I clean the house, do laundry and then hang it on the line.  Do youtube exercises.  Seriously. Or if I need to relax, I sit outside.  I don't snack when I am sitting outside.

On weekends, when we're all together, we go places.  We go to the zoo or to the farmers market or swimming or to the botanical gardens or strawberry picking.  Mike works with the kids in the garden (which helps when you want to get your kids to eat veggies!  If they grow it themselves, they are way more willing to try).  I run every other day by myself.  Just me and my ipod.  I've considered getting a jogging stroller, since I feel bad leaving Mike on our only nights at home together, but I've found that I have to be alone.  I NEED to be alone.  And when I come back, I'm a better wife and mom because of it.  I've also found some great thirty minute videos on youtube for pilates and yoga.  I do those on my non-running days. 

I've learned that diet will help you lose the weight, but it won't get you fit.  You need exercise for that.  That's my newest project for myself- toning up.  I've tossed around the idea of signing up for a race of some sort- a half marathon or maybe even the whole enchilada... but I run very, very slow (just ask my brother in law) and I just don't have it in me to be competitive.  Even with myself.  :)

So there you have it.  Lots of people have asked us what we've been doing to lose the pounds and that's it in a looooong nutshell.  :)  Its not perfect.  And its taken a long time.  Probably longer than if I was more dedicated, but eh.  Most importantly, I feel awesome.  I wear shorts and tank tops because its hot out, instead of hiding my arms in cardigans or wearing my jeans rolled up.  I don't censor pictures of myself.  You know what I mean... the whole "grab the camera the second someone takes a shot and double check the double chin?" I don't do that anymore. 

I tried to find a recent pic to post, but I honestly don't have a camera right now and I couldn't figure out how to get one from my phone.  My phone isn't of the "smart" variety and anyway, they say a machine is only as intelligent as the one operating it... so... 

This is all I have.  Hopefully you get the jist.  :)

I'd love to hear your ideas or suggestions or recipes or whatever... like I said, its been a looong work in progress.  I've also enclosed a recipe that's a big favorite of ours... http://allrecipes.com/recipe/black-bean-and-rice-enchiladas/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=black%20bean%20and%20rice%20enchiladas&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Let me know what you think if you try it out.