How I lost over fifty pounds!

I want to share with you how I lost over fifty pounds. First, itty bitty back story. I have had three cesarean sections (not by choice, and yes I did try to vbac). I never fully got down to my pre baby weight. I was a 10/12 when I met my husband, and weighed around 145 pounds. I never exercised, ever. After delivering my first baby, the weight piled on. We were not able to get pregnant for four years. I gave up on having another baby, and decided to get healthy first. I started one of the mlm weightloss programs to no avail. Then I  decided I couldn’t  snap my fingers and have a new body. I would have to work for the body I wanted. I begin to exercise vigorously and eat clean. Soon I had lost nearly 25 pounds and became pregnant. Once we delivered our second baby, our doctor said not to waste time if we wanted another one any time soon.  Apparently we were more fertile than I previously had thought. By the time our second son was nine months old I was pregnant again.

I am so happy to have my three little darlings, but I was gaining weight fast. This weight was different. It was stubborn, and higher than ever before. I knew from my previous weightloss attempts that I had to work at it. I began with a clean diet, but in our family it’s not always practical. My friend introduced me to a diet that helped, but I wasn’t fully comfortable with. I began using my knowledge with other plans integrated for my goals.

First I  counted calories with the free myfitnesspal app. Second I ate cleaner. I began using sprouted bread, and less of it. I ate things not normally in my diet, chia seeds, collagen, greek yogurt, stevia, etc… Third, I cut out sugar (not fruits, and maybe a few grams were allowed, but I was pretty strict in this area). Fourth I ate something every three hours. Fifth I  drank water, or herbal teas, and coffee only. Sixth I cut out regular milk. I would substitute with a little heavy whipping cream, or half and half. Yes these are dairy, but I didn’t cut out dairy all together. I just chucked the  jug. I did use cream cheese, cottage cheese, and other dairy items with milk in them in moderation. Lastly, I exercised a little. I used free exercises on YouTube, apps, or just jumping jacks. Some days I would only exercise for one minute, others an hour or more. The point was to do something, anything to keep moving forward.

The Trim Healthy Mama diet is what really helped jumpstart my motivation. It’s full of healthy recipes. However without counting my calories I was under eating. I love the recipes and use them daily, but I keep track to make sure I am where I need to be. It wasn’t a perfect plan for me, and I  made rules that helped me. I don’t really separate my S and E meals.

Any questions, and I would love to answer them. I am now in size 6/8 and working on toning vs. weightloss. I would be grateful for any advice that helps you. Each of us are different, but this helps me.

Last little tip would be the Robert Irvine  Peanut Butter Fit Crunch Bars. These are high in protein, low in sugar, better than any protein bar I’ve tired and around $2 each ($8 a box). Bonus, they are even at Wal-Mart.

 

Communicate with me. It motivates me to continue. There will be a follow up post soon about what got me out of slumps in my health discovery.

Homemade raisin paste a date substitute!

I made this! Me, I did it. I made an amazing and kind of healthy recipe. Imagine Apple Butter with more flavor and no added sugar. This stuff rocks. I’m going to put two recipes here. The first is for this amazing “paste”, and the second for a yummy smoothie with raisin paste. Now I don’t mind reading a little before a recipe, but typically when I find one I have to search through paragraph after paragraph of explanations first. Not you, my intelligent reader. No, you are just getting a simple easy to follow no nonsense recipe. Here you go.

Raisin Paste-

1&1/2 cup of raisins

Boiling water (enough to cover raisins)

1/2 tsp Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground cloves

Directions-

Soak raisins in boiling water for ten minutes. Drain liquid, but save about half a cup. Pour just the drained raisins in a food processor. Add spices and turn on. Add a little liquid at a time until you’ve reached your desired texture. It should be smooth, but if you prefer it a little dry, or runny that’s up to you. That’s it!

 

Yummy smoothie-

1/2 cup pineapple (can in juice or water is fine, but drain first)

1 banana

2Tbs raisin paste

1 Tbs chia seeds

2 cups water

Directions-

Add everything to blender, and blend until smooth. Add ice of you want and blend some more. Drink it up!

 

That’s it! No drawn out condescending mumbo jumbo. If you have any yummy tips let me know. I can’t wait to hear from you.

 

 

Motivation

I am happy to say I found my motivation today. I downloaded this app called Fabulous, and it has really helped me. I have been in a rut. I just got over an upper respiratory infection, and all of my little ones were sick too. My fitbit was screaming at me to move, because I was taking around 1,000 steps a day. Long story short, our home was a disaster, I was a disaster, I was weak, tired, and sad. When my house is in “chaos”, I get depressed. Finally I felt better, but defeated. I can handle the day to day stuff when I’m ahead, but a week behind and I give up.

I had this “what the heck” attitude about everything.  I’m over my calories, “what the heck” I’ll get a cookie too, I’ll do dishes tomorrow, I’ll shower tomorrow (gross, but true), etc… Today though I looked through the benefits of this fabulous app. It has a one minute exercise. One minute “what the heck”. It also has a make me fabulous button. Inside it had a chance to do a short exercise, task I’ve been procrastinating, yoga, stretch, nap, etc… I chose the procrastinating option and found myself washing all of the dishes. In fact in 25 minutes my kitchen was clean. That accomplished feeling took over, and I found myself tackling other rooms. I couldn’t believe it! I just needed the nudge.

This works for me, because I hate failing. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, and sometimes when things aren’t going right I throw in the towel. Give me a time limit to accomplish something, and a motivational quote, and I will get up and go. It was the idea of not clicking the finished button that really helped. Checking things off makes me feel proud. Not checking anything off, and I’m in the dumps again. I love this app. I have the jump start I needed to have everything “perfect” for my little M’s birthday party this weekend. I can say I’m happy about Christmas coming, and I am going to keep making me fabulous. Thanks for reading, and I’d love feedback on what motivates you.

 

It’s coming…

Our family always looks forward to Christmas. Sweet smelling spices, cookies, presents, togetherness, etc… This year I want to bring the focus from presents to Christ. I purchased an advent devotional from Love God Greatly, and am hoping to bring the children into the study. We will also be incorporating a Jesse Tree this year. We will make an ornament to go along with some of the more well known history of the Bible, and reading the story from the  straight from the source.

Somehow I still feel a deep need to do more. I want to give to others, and share the love of God with them. I had an idea a couple of weeks ago to wash some coats and sweaters that won’t fit our family, and leave them in the trunk. When we see someone in need we can help warm their day a little. I feel so distant this year. I should feel full of joy and warmth, but instead I find myself feeling far away. I feel far from my goals, dreams, motivation, energy, etc… I hope as I make my to do lists and force some good habits, I’ll get back on track. It’s ok to admit I’m not feeling very Martha Stewart right now. My plan is to keep moving forward. I’ll update you with any changes and our holiday activities.

Him,me, and our littles…

I am E. I have a wonderful husband (Mr.B), and three precious little children (J,M, and A). We have been married for around nine years now, and I wouldn’t change one second of it. I homeschool my oldest, and help my younger two with everyday life challenges. In my spare time I knit, sew , crochet, paint, read, bake, sculpt, and learn. I love to learn new things and teach them to my little ones.

My husband works hard five days a week, and supports me any way he can. I am so blessed to have him. Me. B is a good provider, listener, father, husband, and man of God. I can be a challenge at times and he’s always kind. He is a Trekkie, and quick to tell you the differences between a Star Wars fan and a Star Trek fan.

J is the oldest little. He is so smart, and kind. J loves protecting his little brother and sister. He makes his mama proud with just servant heart, and overall good nature. J was first, and I try to remind him that our family is bigger,  and our love is bigger too. He gave me my first mothers day, and taught me what being a mom is.

M is my funniest little. He makes jokes, and is very quick witted (which at times gets him into trouble). Like his brother before him, he also is a nurturing and protective brother. M is very sensitive and thoughtful. He will quickly tell you not to laugh when he is cute, but also enjoys being cute.

Last is our little A. She is our youngest, and a spitfire. Although loving and kind, she is the toughest of the three. A will not be pushed around, and asserts herself with grace. She brings so much joy to our home, as do they all.

This is a very small intro into our family. I’m glad you spent this time learning about who we are. Come back and see us soon.