Week 1 of the Ultimate Reset

Alright - tomorrow is day 7!  That makes ONE WEEK in for the Ultimate Reset!   Really - it hasn't been to bad.   It does help that I love the program though.  It works for me. Yes it's strict  but I need it!  I don't know about you, but I've been seeing repeated commercials regarding Dairy Queen and their new menu!   This included the Cotton Candy Blizzard. 

It was my absolute favorite and was also discontinued a few years ago.  Now it's back.  And I want one so stinking bad.  I wish that I was one of those people that hated food.  You know - the ones who wont eat bananas or watermelon because they are to sweet?   I love it.  I love food.  Food is AMAZING.  And for the past 10 years - it has owned me.  At one point in my life I ate healthy and often.  Then I gained weight - 20 lbs in 2 months! And that was with a 1200 calorie diet and running 3-4 times a day.  That's when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

As much as I would LOVE to blame all my weight loss on my thyroid - I can really only blame those first 20 lbs.   If you don't deal with hypothyroidism, consider yourself lucky.  I gain weight quickly and it takes FOREVER to drop it. Once I was diagnosed I thought it would get magically easy again.  But it didn't.  It was so hard.   I remember trying.  So. Hard. And not getting anywhere.  Eventually, I gave up.  I watched my weight climb steadily until I got pregnant.  Then giving up went to a whole new level.

I took the "eating for two" to a whole new  level.  When my son was nearly a year, I decided to come back and fight.   I wasn't going to sit down  and let food control me.  It's not been easy.  I've learned that I do better when I'm following something strict - like the Ultimate Reset.  I'm so addicted to sweets - and craving them bad.  Seeing commercials about my favorite past food doesn't help!  But I keep pushing forward.

I'm not going to stop. One week in and I feel so much better.  I am reminded how food effects me.  I am tired sooner and fall asleep faster.  I am feeling a little exhausted and find myself wanting to reach from something sugary to give me that boost.   I am just happy to be getting back on track.  Better to fall down then fall out.  Fall down 7 times get up 8!   :)  


Keep pushing!

- Rose

Depression Sucks

Literally.  It literally sucks the life out of you.   I have nothing to be sad about.  I LOVE my family.  My family loves me.  My kids are comical, loving and mischievous.   I've got AMAZING friends.   My husband has been so supportive.  So what's wrong with me?  Why am I so dang - NOT ME!  I am NOT a depressed person.  It's simply not me.  Especially when I have NOTHING to be depressed about! 

I recently took a trip to Michigan with my good friend Alison.  She's also a Beachbody coach.  We are not on the same team but we met at an event in Chicago and just clicked.  You know how you meet someone and it's like you've known them your entire life?  That's us!   We are there for eachother (she more than me I'm afraid) but we are close.  We get together about once a year.   Hopefully I'll get to see her again because this trip was way to short.  And honestly - I was EXHAUSTED!  Felt tired all day, didn't help that I left my Shakeology at home!  But I am thankful she's my friend. He we are after our Super Sunday in Grand Rapids.  We ate at PF Changs. :)

While she did brighten my mood, there was still something off.  Still is.  Beachbody is coming out with an exciting new program called Cize, by Shaun T.  It's a dance program that looks AMAZING!  After our Super Sunday we were going to do that.  I got HORRIBLE anxiety!  I left.  Couldn't do it.  I can't help but wonder if my thyroid is causing all these issues again.  I was doing so well!  And now - it's not.  :(  It sucks.   It's not like me to skip out on something like that.  Dancing is not my favorite but I am usually willing to try something new!  For some reason the idea of me doing it made me go through the whole heart racing - fast breathing - dizzy thing.  It was awful.  Now I look at this picture and wonder - WHY did I not do it?  What happened?   Why is it that I couldn't just do something that normally wouldn't have even bothered me?

And now I'm home.  With my boys.  <3  Right now they are playing in the back yard while I type.  Earlier I was watching them roll down the hill.  It was like  a dark cloud was hanging over me. Ironically, I'm feeling better after typing this and sitting in the evening sun.   My boys are my everything.  I do not want to be the mom that has no energy.  That can't get up and do anything because she is so depressed.  I don't want to be the mom who misses out on the best years of her children's life. I don't want to be the mom who doesn't play tag with her little boy because she's to embarrassed to run with him due to her size.  Or because she simply can't get up for the day.  Currently I'm on the search for an endocrinologist  who is willing to work with Armour.  That is a natural thyroid medication that is made out of dessicated pig thyroid.  It's made me feel better and until recently I haven't "felt" bad.  I hope this doctor is willing to work with me and help me figure out what my problems are.   Until then, the only thing I can do is make myself get up.  I'm not going to miss my boys' life.  And I'm not going to have them grow up to resent me because I was to depressed to get up for the day. 

Happy Monday ya'll -  May your week be blessed!

- Rose

Making Strawberries Last

How many times have you gotten some beautiful, juicy strawberries only to find that they spoil the next day?  It's frustrating and I hate the wasted money and fruit!  I recently received 10 lbs of fresh Florida strawberries!  YUM!  My kids love these so much they ate a pint the first day!  While some will be frozen, others will be used for baking, I want majority to munch on.  And that means I need them to last more than a  couple of days! 
 

Don't these look absolutely SCRUMPTIOUS!

 I was given a little tip by the woman selling these so I thought I'd share my helpful little nugget of information.  The key to having strawberries (or any berry really) last longer is to kill the mold spores.   This is super easy.  All  you need is white vinegar and water!  I used 2 cups white vinegar with 6 cups water. (Half this if you have a smaller amount of berries)   I put the mixture in my salad spinner (but a colander in the sink works as well) and added in the berries! 

I let them soak about 5 minutes, giving them a swirl or two with my hand.  Once they've had a good soak, I rinsed them off and set them out to dry!  You want to make sure they dry completely before you put them away.  If you plan on using the same container you bought them in, make sure you wash and dry that as well.    Enjoy your berries!   

Squeaky clean and ready to EAT!

Vinegar Bath Solution for Berries

1 C vinegar

3 C cold water

Berries

Combine all in sink or salad spinner.  Let soak for 5 minutes, rinse and dry. 

Why I can't accept the Body Acceptance Movement

The Body Acceptance Movement - There are so many articles about accepting ones self the way you are.  But I can't help but feel that this is less of a positive body image movement and more of an unhealthy acceptance of our unhealthy bodies.  As an overweight mom of two, there are things I love and accept about my body.  It's an amazing thing really.  My legs have carried me miles and miles of walking, hiking, and running with my children.  My belly has carried two healthy, very beautiful little boys.  My arms have provided hundreds upon hundreds of hugs that they so desperately needed.  My breasts have nourished their tiny little bodies and provided them the best food I could offer.  My lips have kissed ouchies, tear stained faces, and sleepy eyes.  My words have whispered "I love you's"    My eyes have seen them grow from infants to little boys exploring the big wide world we live in.   My ears have heard them love themselves and others.  My body is beautiful. But unhealthy.  And yes, it's what you can see.

I see my body - my thighs are large - no thigh gap there!  My belly protruding more than it needs to be.  My derriere more rotund than I'd like.  My arms have angle wings that could fly to the heavens.  I look unhealthy because I AM unhealthy.  I have come far - that's true - and I'm grateful my body is working with me.  But I am still unhealthy.  I cannot blame people when they see me and think I'm unhealthy.  After all, I got myself into this mess.  (Hey, I can't blame it ALL on the hypothyroidism)   But looking at myself in the mirror is a daily reminder of how unhealthy I am and how unhealthy I don't want to be.  I believe that my healthy lifestyle change (in progress) has helped me avoid some much harsher ailments that others in my situation may be facing.

When a person is overweight, they face the possibilities of sleep apnea, heart disease, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, increased chance of stroke or heart attack, Metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, abnormal blood fats, increased risk of cancer, gallstones, reproductive problems, obesity hyperventilation syndrome,  increased chance for early death, and possibly worst of all, passing this to their children.  Why is this a good thing?  Why are people accepting this? 

I don't get it.   Being overweight does not make you ugly.  It does not make you a bad person.  It does not define you.  Let me say that last one again.  Being overweight DOES NOT DEFINE YOU.  Everyone of us has value and is valuable to someone else.  So why are we accepting overweight, unhealthy bodies?  People say "well if I worry about my weight to much, what is that teaching my children?" More important, what are we teaching our children by accepting our overweight, unhealthy bodies? 

I'm 32.  I'm 5 ft tall.  And according to the doctors chart - obese.  I get winded easily.  I'm not as strong as I once was.  I can't keep up with my kids crazy fast energy.  I find myself embarrassed to the point of tears as I struggle through another day of P90X.  I hate eating out in public, I hate shopping and I hate gyms.  I hate my unhealthy relationship with food.  And I battle all of this every. single. day.  Why?  Two reasons.  First, I don't want my kids to go through what I'm going through.  I don't want them to be at risk for health issues or struggle to do daily activities.  I want to provide my kids with the gift of health.  And the second reason, I love myself. 

Yup.  I sure do.  Despite the mess I got myself into, I love myself.  I love myself enough to take care of myself. I love myself enough to make the necessary changes to take care of my one and only body.  I love myself, but no, I do not accept my unhealthy body.   Underweight or overweight, do just settle.  Don't just accept.  Love yourself!  And damnit - love yourself enough to take care of yourself!  To give yourself the gift of health!  Don't let yourself become comfortable with being unhealthy.  Love  yourself.  Love your family.  Don't give up.  You can always be a better you.

Source: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/obe/risks

Cuties Play Date!

Recently I was given the opportunity to host a cuties Play date!  My kids love these little clementines so I couldn't turn it down.  They set me up with a nice package for each child attending.  Pretty sweet set isn't it?  It was very cold the day we hosted the party so all the kids loved their hats!  It was the perfect going home gift!

 I also received some coupons for some Cuties - can't have a Cuties play date without some Cuties!  Turns out, when you are reviewing a product, you notice a few things. Like the fact that they are GMO free!  This made for one happy momma!  I've been purchasing Cuties for quite some time now and this is the first time  I have noticed this little gem! 

 The kids were so excited for these! I was happy to see so many kids happy over something healthy and delicious.  One of my favorite things is how easy these are to peel.  My 4 your old can grab one of these when he's hungry and peel it himself.   We even had the kids do a Cutie curl!  They had trouble at first but they eventually caught on!

Want to try your own hand at the cutie curl?  Head on over to The Cutie Curl and get yours in - while your there - don't forget to vote for the cutest cutie curl!  

Overall it was a great success - kids had fun, loved the gifts and at the end of the party - that 5 lb box of Cuties was GONE!  I think my favorite thing was watching the kids have so much fun while eating healthy.  In a day in age where kids are inclined to grab processed junk, it was nice to see them excited about eating healthy. Kids are our next generation and we have to keep them healthy.  And speaking of eating healthy, stay tuned later this week - I'll be making a few recipes  using Cuties! 

Emotion Eating

I am an emotional eater.  There.  I said it.  I hate admitting it but I have come to realize it's what I do.  This past month has been particularly hard.  I've dealt with a loss in the family followed by guilt of not being able to go to the funeral.  Then a loss of a pet.  And the guilt of not being there when he died.  I've dealt with anger, sadness, grief and understanding.  And I've dealt with everything with...food.   In all honesty, I've sort of had this inkling before.  But I've never wanted to admit it.  Who would want too?  I mean - I deal with my emotions with food.  It doesn't always happen when I'm upset either.  I'm happy around food. People are happy.  Good food, happy people.   I've been spending the last few weeks thinking over why I am the way I am.  How my habits became my habits.

Growing up, we would celebrate with ice cream from the local dairy queen.  Holidays were filled with smells of amazing, home cooked meals and family.   Picnics, bbq's, parties, just because...happy food memories.  But it's not just that. Look at media.  From childhood women are told to eat some ice cream and drink some wine after a break up.  Pig out when your pregnant.  Dine on Chinese take out when we are single or alone.  Why can't we incorporate healthy habits?  Take our frustrations out at the gym.  Eat healthy while pregnant.  Take healthy cooking classes when were single?   Of course we can't take away everything - like holiday meals and every family outing.  But we can change.  We can make healthier habits.  We CAN change those habits of emotional eating and turn them towards something positive.  Emotional bicycling perhaps? 

In all seriousness, emotional eating is a real problem.   There are something that can help though. 

• Identify the Trigger - Stress? Bordom? Anger? Depressed?
• Are you REALLY hungry?
• What are your habits? Do you eat when you get home from work, late at night, during a particular movie? 

When you get to the point where you want to emotional eat, try the following:

• Go for a walk, run, bike ride
• Garden
• Play a game with your kids
• Call a friend
• Drink some water
• Be mindful of what you eat
• yoga  

With a little time and a lot of practice, emotional eating can be beat.  Eat for the long term goal, not the short term satisfaction.

Having a Supportive Partner

Recently I was sitting down watching junk tv.  While scrolling through the guide I found TLC's My 600 lb Life.  Sometimes I watch these shows out of curiosity.  What is their life like?  What got them to this state?  Or simply - to watch their transformation.  This particular episode was a woman whose spouse was incredibly unsupportive..  She worked very hard and was making progress.  Her husband was not saying nice things, going to fast food joints - it was hard to watch.  My heart ached for this woman who was changing her life for the better.  Not just for herself but for her daughter.  Mostly, it made me grateful.

My husband has been far from perfect.  He has said hurtful things in the past.  He has a dry sense of humor and doesn't always realize when he's crossed the line.  I guess it's like treating me "like one of the guys." or something.  Anyways - thats another story for another day.  At one point many years ago, I sat him down and told him how hurtful his jokes were.  I know he was trying to make me laugh but...they didn't.  He felt bad and apologized - he really didn't think it was hurting my feelings. I also told him that food is such a huge struggle for me.  I explained to him that I needed his help.   If I was going to do this journey, I needed him to be on it too.  To my surprise, he agreed.

He has been wonderful ever since and I can honestly say he is to credit for some of my weight loss.  Just having his support, encouragement, understanding and love has been a big help to me.  I couldn't imagine doing it without his support.  In fact, I'm pretty sure I would have given up. He has been there for my ups and downs.  My weight loss and my weight gain.   My food binges and my health nut stages.  He's done it all.  I am so grateful for his support, even when I'm yelling at him because "I'm on my period and damnit I'm going to eat this piece of chocolate!"  I truly am lucky.

In fact, he's currently helping me by following the 21 Day Fix program with me!  It makes a difference having someone you live with be your very own accountability partner.  He's even following along with the meal plan.  We took pictures of each other, measurements and encourage each other daily.  It will be interesting to see the results when we are done.  And it's nice doing it together.   Lately I feel like there is not a lot we have in common anymore.  But getting healthy together is a goal of ours so...here we are.  And it's been eye opening. 

His support is priceless.  If your partner is not supportive, I truly encourage you to have a heart to heart with them. They really may not realize that they are being hurtful.  If your partner is going through some changes or struggles, support them.  Changing, be it health, career, lifestyle, is hard.  It's even harder when the person you love does not stand by you.