I got behind. No really... I have a lot of behind.

Ok... so I got a little behind.  Life... Apathy... etc.   I still tracked all my food and stayed within my "bites" (points) but I just didn't sit down and journal.  So let's play a little catch up shall we?

Friday-  It was Independance Day!  Ahh... Independence from the tyrannical brits and independence from the tyrannical hold that food has on us.  I had planned on telling you how strong I was at the picnic and how to make good choices and all that baloney but one of my clients called me out to deliver a baby so I got to skip this holiday! I was a little bit sad because I love hanging out with friends and fireworks but I also love seeing a woman power through labor and bring a wee little one into the world.  So... it's all good.  No picnic food for me!
The Healthy Strategies that come out of this is to really come to a place where food is secondary to the celebration.  This is HARD for me. I LOVE pot-luck.   Come on... sampling 30+/- different delicious dishes?  It's like tapas! But I like hanging out with friends too.  I may also have a spoon of 'tater salad.

Monday - Complete Food Journal.  

Tuesday July 1, 2014

Breakfast - Yogurt and a protein bar  9pts

Lunch-  Turkey Wraps 4pts

Dinner- Cabbage and noodles - 3pts

Snack- Skinny Cow ice cream bar 2pts

After workout smoothie - 9pts

UNDER- 8pts

Wednesday July 2, 2014

Breakfast - eggs, toast 6pts

Lunch - chili and baked potato 10pts

Dinner- Steak, mashed cauliflower and carrots  6pts

Snacks - apple, PB2, tic-tacs, watermelon 7pts

UNDER 2 pts

Thursday July 3, 2014

Breakfast -  Yogurt and Cereal 4pts

Lunch - Low Fat Pasta Salad  and watermelon- 5pts

Dinner- Pasta salad, mashed cauliflower, green salad and fish - 12pts

Snacks - Popcorn, skinny cow and watermelon 8pts

UNDER 6pts

Friday July 4, 2014

Breakfast- Egg, yogurt, toast and an orange 6pts

Lunch- Grilled Nuggets, lentil chips, laughing cow cheese 4pts

Dinner- (Working... missed dinner)
Snacks (SNACK ATTACK when I got home) Lean Cuisine Spring rolls, Pretzels, popcorn, skinny cow dreamy clusters 23pts

UNDER 3pts

Saturday July 5, 2014

Breakfast- Salad, avocado, turkey  3pts

Lunch- Chili and baked potato 9pts

Dinner- Turkey burgers, olives, Corn on the cob, salad  12pts

Snacks - SC ice cream sandwich, blueberry protein bar 5pts

UNDER 6pts

Sunday July 6, 2014

Breakfast- Waffles, strawberries, egg 7pts

Lunch- veggie roll 4pts

Dinner- pork chop, green beans, cucumber 3pts

Snacks- almonds, SC ice cream sandwich, fruit leather, lentil chips and cheese, 1 piece of pizza 20pts

UNDER 1pt

Monday July 7, 2014

Breakfast- yogurt and cereal 4pts

Lunch- Chipotle BBQ snack wrap grilled 6pts

Dinner- Taco Salad 11pts

Snacks- pretzels, V8 fusion, laughing cow and lentil chips, SC ice cream 12pts

UNDER 1pt

Tuesday - Weigh in Day! 

So I weighed in this morning and I'm only down .2 for the week.  You can see by my log above that I stayed in my points but I also started walking pretty hard!  I read a great thing about why you're not losing weight in Fitness Magazine : 

You Work Out Regularly

I know, I know. How can an exercise routine make you gain? For starters, people tend to eat more when they work out, either because they feel they've earned it or because they're overestimating how much they've burned -- or both. "This is especially true in the early stages of a fitness program, when your body is getting used to the decrease in calories consumed and the increase in calories burned," Finger says. (Read: You're freaking hungry.)

But here's the real shocker: Working out can make you retain water. "To ensure that you don't get dehydrated, the plasma in your bloodstream will store an extra two to four pounds of water," explains Michele S. Olson, PhD, a FITNESS advisory board member and professor of exercise science at Auburn University at Montgomery in Alabama. "You'll always carry that extra water unless you become inactive; it's not fat or muscle, but simply superhydration. It's a good thing." It's also a good thing to keep chugging H2O, which can, counterintuitively, help minimize additional water retention. So I'll take Olson's advice and stay active, well-hydrated...and off the scale.

So, it's all good.  Instead of pouting about my .2 weight loss, I'm going to rejoice that my body is working the way it should and I'm sure I'll get a crazy woosh! of weight loss sometime in the next few weeks that will make me glad I kept at it.
I thought of something else this morning "I know what quitting looks like... let's see what NOT quitting looks like"
So I'm not gonna quit.  You have to treat your bad days like your good days!

Healthy Strategies June 27 edition

Stay thirsty my friend....

And hungry.  
WHAT?   Stay hungry?  Yep... you heard me.

So one of the many hats I wear is that of a Midwife's apprentice.  Being a homebirth helper I do all matter of things.  We act as wiper... scooper... holder... wrapper... hander... pumper... deflater... comforter... cheerleader and rarely but sometimes... catcher.   In this modern age, most mama's first concern when discussing labor is pain control.   Our mamas though... they're doing this au natural.  Pain is part of the game.  When we talk to them about how to handle the pain we tell them to welcome the pain.  Seems insane doesn't it?  I know, I know but hear me out.
In labor... Pain is not dangerous.  Pain is not unexpected.  Pain will not kill you.  Labor pain is the result of your body doing the work that it's supposed to do and every pain brings you that much closer to the end result.  When a contraction comes, your uterus is literally pulling upwards to pull itself over the baby's head. Each time you feel this, imagine your cervix being pulled over the baby's head.   It's a kind of creative visualization that actually works for some moms.
Other moms?  Not so much but hey... we're keeping it real here right?

Hunger is the same way.   Normal hunger is not dangerous.  It is not unexpected.  It will not kill you.  You may kill someone else but that's a personal issue.  ha ha.  So embrace what hungry feels like.  Study it.  Realize that your stomach doesn't have to be full all the time.  Give it time to rest.
We all hear and we've all said "but will it keep me full" when we're talking about meal plans but let me propose that maybe, just maybe.... we're looking at this all wrong.   Was the food I ate an hour ago easily digestible?   Did it nourish me?  Am I hungry because my body is recognizing that I'm more active?   These are all great things!!  So welcome the hunger! Embrace it!  You can also ask yourself "why am I so afraid of being hungry?"  Someone told me once "every negative emotion is based in fear".  Think about it... it's so true.

And while we're at it, here's a little tip that helps me a bunch!  

Keep a stapler in your pantry.  When you open a bag of chips?  Take out what you're gonna eat and staple it closed.  You're gonna think twice before you open it again! 

Non-Scale Victory June 26 edition

Non-Scale Victories.  

I'm going to have to dig deep this week.   I haven't seen a lot of difference in how my clothes feel, I haven't gained a notch on my belt, I haven't received any compliments lately but you know what I have done?

*kept this blog up every day.

*logged every bite I've taken... for real.

*had only ONE HALF of ONE PIECE of cheezy bread.

*stayed within my points range for 23 days in a row

*made an effort to get more steps in whenever I can

*noticed that my hair feels softer.  YES!  I'm counting that!  I think I'm actually getting enough vitamins to affect how my hair feels! 

None of those things has an affect on how I look but they're all so important.  This is about a mindset and a lifestyle, not only about losing weight! 

Healthy Strategies

If you'll notice on the sidebar, I've set myself a schedule.  Maybe it'll help me with writer's block?  I'll follow it loosely and break pattern often.
DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!!
Ok... that's out of my system.
So today is "Healthy Strategies" day.  I keep hearing from successful people that I need to surround myself with motivation.  I'm doing my best to do that.   I love Pinterest of course but what I love most is reading other people's success stories and ideas.   I've been amassing a list of blogs to read on the sidebar and that will continue to grow but what I'm loving right now is Bloglovin' for my phone.  I even added a wittle widget on the side bar of my blog! yay!
I can read all my favorite blogs wherever I am, whenever I need a boost, anytime.  That sounds like a healthy strategy to me!
Other things you can do are:
* Watch healthy documentaries on Netflix
* Surround yourself with helpful people
* Find some helpful apps (may I suggest iTrackBites? LOL)
* Find a helpful online community or local support group
* There may even be weight loss pod casts! (ohhhh! new idea! I'll have to look!)
* Youtube!  I don't have a list of youtube channels yet but Weight Watcher Girl is great!

Netflix watch list (not endorsements... just suggestions)

• Forks Over Knives
• Food Matters
• Hungry For Change
• Vegucated
• My 600lb Life

App list:

• iTrackBites
• My Fitness Pal
• Argus
• DietBet
• Map My Walk
• Lose it!
• FitBit  (requires fob or iPhone)