Exercise

Exercise is a key component to weight loss. In the past couple of years I have found this very difficult as I have been in so much pain with my back. It was all I could do to get through my day and take care of my kids. This summer I finally got the answer to what is wrong with my back and was referred to a great physical therapy clinic that concentrated on active therapy. I basically worked out 30-40 minutes a day. It has made such a huge difference and has motivated me to continue working out on my own. We really can't afford a gym membership and finding the time to go would be a challenge - so I have a great routine that I do at home. I bought a stationary bike as this is the safest way for me to get the cardio I need. I ride it for 15-20 minutes, then I work with a resistance band that my PT gave me. He showed me how I can do almost anything that you would do with weights at a gym with the band. I also do some other exercises that he had me doing that are simple and I am able to do them at home without equipment. After I do that for about 5-10 minutes I do a 1 mile Walk Away the Pounds video. This also has some resistance band exercises with it. That takes me about 15 minutes - so in all my workout takes me about 45 minutes.
I love when I am done and feel good that I have spent some time exercising. I love that I can do it as well and that my back, along with the rest of my body, is getting stronger and healthier!

What do I eat - now that I am eating differently?

I am not sure that anyone is reading over here still but just thought I would continue to blog so I have a record of my journey to this new way of eating.

Today I will give you a brief glimpse of what I am eating on a daily basis. As I walk this out I am sure my repertoire will grow and expand and even become a little more exciting - but for now I am liking it :-)



For breakfast I usually eat eggs. I like mine fried, over easy - so I fry them in a little olive oil. Over the years eggs have gotten a bad rap - but they are really not the beasts everyone thought they were. It has taken me a while to bring myself to eat eggs about 5 mornings a week. The other two mornings I usually drink a smoothie lovingly prepared for me by my husband :-) We use the Quest Protein powder in our smoothies because it is low glycemic, lactose free and yet uses no artificial sweeteners. We use almond milk for our base (we use almond milk for everything - including cereal for the kids which they only eat one or two mornings a week) and add frozen mixed berries, frozen blueberries from our garden and sometimes some banana or other fruit we may have around.
Another favorite for breakfast which I have not fixed for awhile is a veggie "omelet" When I get home from the grocery store I cut up my veggies and put them in ziplocs in my crisper - green onion, red pepper, zucchini (from my garden in the summer), asparagus (in season) and anything else that might sound good. In the morning I just grab all the baggies and throw a little handful of each in my frying pan with some olive oil. I saute these until they are just a little tender and then add a huge handful of spinach. I cook it down and then pour a couple of eggs over and it and let it cook. Yum and it is filling and satisfying as well.

Lunch is almost always the same - I am not a big salad person but I think a lot of times it has to do with not finding the right dressing. With the way I have been fixing my salads I find I am craving them! I buy already prepared lettuce - usually romaine - and put a little in my bowl. To it I add the above mentioned veggies and a cut up grilled chicken breast. (I try and buy chicken on the weekend, marinate it and grill it. I do enough for Troy and I for lunch for the week.) If I have an apple I chop up half and apple and add it as well - just went apple picking so will have plenty for awhile :-) I then mix about a tbsp of olive oil and tbsp of red wine vinegar and a little fresh ground pepper together and toss it with my salad - yum!



Can't wait for lunch! Tomorrow I will probably have salmon with my salad instead as I did not have a chance to buy my chicken yet.
As the weather gets cooler I will probably have veggie or chicken soup for lunch some days. I have been cooking chickens when they are on sale and freezing broth - nothing better than homemade chicken soup!

This post is getting rather long so I will end now and talk about dinner another time.

Changes in our Kitchen!

For the past few months I have been convinced through different things I am learning that our eating, though seemingly pretty healthy, needed a great overhaul. Honestly with all I have had going on in my life over the past two years - two international adoptions and they ensuing bonding and transition issues, a father who relied on me for transportation and attendance at all of his doctors appointments and then his final illness and death this summer and my severe back pain which made me almost unable to stand for more than 30 minutes - I was a bit overwhelmed. Add to that being overweight and not having much strength or energy.
Well, things are changing for me and with those changes I am feeling more energy, clearer thinking and a desire to overhaul our eating once again.
My preschoolers are now in preschool two mornings a week which gives me just enough free time to feel like I am getting a little break. I finally got a diagnosis for my back and some real help from active physical therapy. I basically got to work out with a personal trainer all summer and get an exercise routine that has helped me sooo much!
Last year while we were waiting for AJ I felt led to really concentrate on loosing weight. There is a whole story behind that and God really did a supernatural thing in my life which we later realized was necessary for our adoption - but that is another story. One of the things that I felt led to do at the time was to go off of all wheat. I really believe it was a key. Over time I began eating wheat products again and gained back almost all the weight I had lost.
I have been trying for a few weeks to get myself psyched up again to get off wheat - I have always been a bread and pasta person and at first could not imagine giving them up but did it last year so knew I could.
About two weeks ago I went off wheat again. The transformation has been amazing. I have been virtually pain free with my back, I am not retaining water (by evening my ankles would be so swollen it was really scaring me) I have dropped 6 pounds (probably a lot of water - but can feel the difference) I am not feeling bloated. I was diagnosed with a spastic colon when I was young - do not have issues related to that when I am not eating wheat. I am feeling much more energy - last week I actually cleaned both bathrooms thoroughly and then the next day spot scrubbed my carpet and had no ensuing back pain. This is amazing - I have not been able to clean my house much at all because of pain. I am thinking more clearly and more positively. I feel like I can think through these changes I need to make.
There is a lot of research out there about wheat and it's affects on our body. A lot of it has to do with the way it is processed and prepared and I am not going to expound on it because I don't understand it all yet but if you are having any of the above symptoms and cannot find answers I would encourage you to check it out.
I am not sure anyone is even checking my blog anymore but I am going to write some more about this and how we are eating now and the changes we are making. It will still be a process and learning new things all the time.
What I used to think was healthy has changed - drastically! I am excited to see what develops over the next few weeks and months. I will be posting some links to some great blogs and sites with more information - so stay tuned if you are interested :-)