Gratitude, and the expression and deep feeling of gratitude, is one of the most transformative powers in the universe. As my life feels "stuck" in so many areas right now, it has come to my attention that I have not been spending enough time expressing and feeling gratitude, and too much time allowing worries and fears take over. SO I am committing right now, today, that right NOW and for the next 28 days I will count my blessings. For 28 days I will list ten things each day that I am thankful for, and WHY I am thankful for those things.
However they will be on my Gratitude blog, so each day I will post the link to that day's gratitude list on this blog (rather than re-blog it all over the place). So today's gratitude list can be found by clicking here on my gratitude blog.
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Monday, June 11, 2012
Very cool series
I was finishing up the Healing with the Master's Volume 9 inspirational webinar series, and I happened up a link to another series that started in Early May, but goes through most of the summer, so there are still many speakers to go. It is free to sign up and get on the calls. Even if you can not be on the live call, they record them and have them available for you to listen to for 48 hours after each speakers call. I never seem to be able to be on the live calls, but I greatly enjoy listening to and learning from them as I have time later in the evening. It is usually 2 calls a week, so just 2 hours a week of power and profound spiritual, mental, and emotional guidance and teachings for self empowerment and growth from some of the best in their fields.
I have placed a banner at the top of my blog that links to the site. You just sign up and they will send you email reminders of upcoming calls. NO pressure, no cost, no obligation to listen to all of the calls--Just an offering of amazing teachings, philosophies and techniques to help you grow.
Enjoy!
I have placed a banner at the top of my blog that links to the site. You just sign up and they will send you email reminders of upcoming calls. NO pressure, no cost, no obligation to listen to all of the calls--Just an offering of amazing teachings, philosophies and techniques to help you grow.
Enjoy!
Friday, June 8, 2012
Wow--what a week!
Okay, so I am really tired today--it has been one long week....
So there was an insurance glitch and so A did NOT go into rehab on Monday and was at my dinner table Monday night (and Tuesday and Wednesday night...) But thankfully the insurance glitch got straightened out and A left for rehab yesterday and has started the journey towards a new or renewed life. I will have to figure out when I can clean out A's apartment and arrange to move all of A's furniture into storage (in my garage)
The carpet is down in the daycare area of the house as of Wednesday--YAY!!! it has been professional cleaned and has dried, thus ready for the room to be set up as of today. I have been getting the base boards together and need to cut a few to fit, so hopefully tonight I will have the big room's baseboards done after work. And today will be the last day of babysitting outside of my home, as this weekend I should be able to get the daycare area all set up and ready to roll, so the two kids I currently babysit can come here and play. AND I will hopefully be able to be ready for upcoming inspections in the day care licensing process, which will allow me to more than 2 children in addition to my own. You can watch up to two children at any given time in NYS without a license, but need a license to watch more--the license I am applying for will allow me to watch up to 6 kids in addition to my own. If demand is great, I will hire on a co-worker and apply for group family licensing, which allows up to 12 children with two adults. For now I will start with the smaller one, as that is what I have been working on, and I will have a licensed alternate provider and a couple of approved substitutes who will be able to take over if I am running around to appointments with my kids.
Yesterday was a crazy day as Josiah had his Neuropsychological evaluation, which was an hour and a half away, and took 6 hours (9:30am-3:30pm). He spent most of that time working with the psychologist solo, while I had my own forms and paperwork to fill out in the waiting room. He did very well and worked very cooperatively with her. She really was a wonderful person, and made both Josiah and I feel very at ease and comfortable. A genuine, kind human being--so she was very easy to like and Josiah took a liking to her right away. That made things much much easier. So I am hoping that the information that she was able to get yesterday combined with the information I had provider earlier, and the information from the school, as well as her observations from the day she came to observe him at school, will help be enough for her to determine what is going on with him and how best to help him with the behavioral and emotional issues that have been developing and worsening over the past year. I am putting a great deal of hope into Dr. McCabe's lovely hands.
Coming up next week--Josiah sees his pulmonary doctor, Gonzo sees his allergist (on different day, both of whom are nearly 2 hours away--the joys of specialist), and at Josiah's school it is heritage week, so many various activities including a trip to the museum, which I need to figure out a Way to attend or else he can not go. Actually, he really just needs a family member to go with him, so maybe I can ask my father or my nephew Jess--Can you believe it, my little Jessi is 18 years old!! and heading off to college in the Fall!! WOW time flies--and I feel old, I was an adult (19) when Jessi was born and now he is an adult--just amazing to me some days.
I will post later about how the eating life style change is going--lets just say for now that changing habits is a challenging thing, and it takes 21 days to establish a new habit, so it has to be conscious effort during those 21 days to embrace the new lifestyle habit, after that it gets easier. Eventually it becomes second nature an you don't even have to think about it. I need to get more sleep on a regular basis, I think that would go a LONG way to helping me maintain the focus and will to change habits a bit more successfully--I have not given up, just have had a couple of days where old habits have superseded fledgling new habits, but that is for another post later....
So there was an insurance glitch and so A did NOT go into rehab on Monday and was at my dinner table Monday night (and Tuesday and Wednesday night...) But thankfully the insurance glitch got straightened out and A left for rehab yesterday and has started the journey towards a new or renewed life. I will have to figure out when I can clean out A's apartment and arrange to move all of A's furniture into storage (in my garage)
The carpet is down in the daycare area of the house as of Wednesday--YAY!!! it has been professional cleaned and has dried, thus ready for the room to be set up as of today. I have been getting the base boards together and need to cut a few to fit, so hopefully tonight I will have the big room's baseboards done after work. And today will be the last day of babysitting outside of my home, as this weekend I should be able to get the daycare area all set up and ready to roll, so the two kids I currently babysit can come here and play. AND I will hopefully be able to be ready for upcoming inspections in the day care licensing process, which will allow me to more than 2 children in addition to my own. You can watch up to two children at any given time in NYS without a license, but need a license to watch more--the license I am applying for will allow me to watch up to 6 kids in addition to my own. If demand is great, I will hire on a co-worker and apply for group family licensing, which allows up to 12 children with two adults. For now I will start with the smaller one, as that is what I have been working on, and I will have a licensed alternate provider and a couple of approved substitutes who will be able to take over if I am running around to appointments with my kids.
Yesterday was a crazy day as Josiah had his Neuropsychological evaluation, which was an hour and a half away, and took 6 hours (9:30am-3:30pm). He spent most of that time working with the psychologist solo, while I had my own forms and paperwork to fill out in the waiting room. He did very well and worked very cooperatively with her. She really was a wonderful person, and made both Josiah and I feel very at ease and comfortable. A genuine, kind human being--so she was very easy to like and Josiah took a liking to her right away. That made things much much easier. So I am hoping that the information that she was able to get yesterday combined with the information I had provider earlier, and the information from the school, as well as her observations from the day she came to observe him at school, will help be enough for her to determine what is going on with him and how best to help him with the behavioral and emotional issues that have been developing and worsening over the past year. I am putting a great deal of hope into Dr. McCabe's lovely hands.
Coming up next week--Josiah sees his pulmonary doctor, Gonzo sees his allergist (on different day, both of whom are nearly 2 hours away--the joys of specialist), and at Josiah's school it is heritage week, so many various activities including a trip to the museum, which I need to figure out a Way to attend or else he can not go. Actually, he really just needs a family member to go with him, so maybe I can ask my father or my nephew Jess--Can you believe it, my little Jessi is 18 years old!! and heading off to college in the Fall!! WOW time flies--and I feel old, I was an adult (19) when Jessi was born and now he is an adult--just amazing to me some days.
I will post later about how the eating life style change is going--lets just say for now that changing habits is a challenging thing, and it takes 21 days to establish a new habit, so it has to be conscious effort during those 21 days to embrace the new lifestyle habit, after that it gets easier. Eventually it becomes second nature an you don't even have to think about it. I need to get more sleep on a regular basis, I think that would go a LONG way to helping me maintain the focus and will to change habits a bit more successfully--I have not given up, just have had a couple of days where old habits have superseded fledgling new habits, but that is for another post later....
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
thoughts and day 2 recap
So, I guess I could call this day 2 of this particular journey of the rest of my life, even though, as I made the point yesterday, EVERY day is the first day of the rest of our lives. Within the context of this renewed focus on moving forward in healthy ways, I will call this day 2.
Well, I am actually finishing this post on Day 3.
The hardest part about changing eating habits--or any habits for that matter--is the fact that habits are unconscious, we often are on automatic pilot, and so we make choices without realizing that we are. When I got in the car yesterday, there were a couple of skillets left in a little dish that Josiah had snacked on, and without thinking I just popped them in my mouth. When trying to change my eating lifestyle, to reduce my intake of processed food and refined sugars, it was definitely NOT on the menu. What has surprised me most is how often I have caught myself doing the same thing over the past few days--
-pouring a bowl of Apple Jacks for Jos and almost sampling a spoonful
-setting out snack of goldfish crackers and almost popping a few in my mouth
-getting a cup of juice for Gonz and taking a few sips
-searching around the kitchen for a healthy snack and almost grabbing a couple of saltines from the counter as I was searching
All of these little unconscious eating habits that are not even part of what I would have looked at in the scheme of "what did I eat today" because they were not on my radar, they were just a taste here and a taste there while I did other things. I am sure, given the current awareness of it, that it added many calories and sugars to my day.
As I focus again on transforming my life through habit change, I am becoming more aware that my default, habitual thought patterns have gravitated towards more negative veins than positive. So, it is time for an attitude shift as well as a nutrition shift...
Well, now for a recap of day 2:
My DAILY goals:
-Eat 2000 calories a day or less
--Day 2 total 1721 calories
-Drink at least 100oz of water every day
--Day 2 total 104oz water
-Eat 120 grams of carbohydrate or less per day (as per diabetes educator rec), at least 1/4 of which are from fresh veggies
--Day 2 total 129 grams carbohydrate
-Eat 35 grams of fiber or more a day
--Day 2 total 27 grams fiber
-Eat 120 grams of protein or more per day (at least 25% from vegetable protein)
-- Day 2 total 79 grams protein, 24% from plant sources
-Eat 80 grams of fat or more per day (at least 10g from saturated medium chain veg fat (yes saturated, yes from plants))
--Day 2 total 103 grams fat, 45 of which were saturated--all from animal base sat fat
-Eat at least 3 grams of Spirulina per day (max 20 grams)
--Day 2 total zero grams
-Eat at least 7 servings of vegetables(2 servings of Leafy Greens) per day
--Day 2 total 6 servings of veggies, of which 2 leafy greens
-Reduce refined sugar intake to less than 30 grams/day (incl. table sugar, candy, and sugars IN foods)
--Day 2 still trying to figure out how much was in the processed foods I ate.
-Eliminate wheat and wheat based ingredients
--Day 2 --no wheat that I am aware of
-Walk at least 1.5 mile per day at least 5 days per week
--Day 2 did not walk
-Meditate and/or pray for 20 or more minutes a day (can be broken down into 5 min segments)
--Day 2 meditated on William Linville's Awaken to your True Purpose through Healing with Masters, a one hour audio program
Well, I am actually finishing this post on Day 3.
The hardest part about changing eating habits--or any habits for that matter--is the fact that habits are unconscious, we often are on automatic pilot, and so we make choices without realizing that we are. When I got in the car yesterday, there were a couple of skillets left in a little dish that Josiah had snacked on, and without thinking I just popped them in my mouth. When trying to change my eating lifestyle, to reduce my intake of processed food and refined sugars, it was definitely NOT on the menu. What has surprised me most is how often I have caught myself doing the same thing over the past few days--
-pouring a bowl of Apple Jacks for Jos and almost sampling a spoonful
-setting out snack of goldfish crackers and almost popping a few in my mouth
-getting a cup of juice for Gonz and taking a few sips
-searching around the kitchen for a healthy snack and almost grabbing a couple of saltines from the counter as I was searching
All of these little unconscious eating habits that are not even part of what I would have looked at in the scheme of "what did I eat today" because they were not on my radar, they were just a taste here and a taste there while I did other things. I am sure, given the current awareness of it, that it added many calories and sugars to my day.
As I focus again on transforming my life through habit change, I am becoming more aware that my default, habitual thought patterns have gravitated towards more negative veins than positive. So, it is time for an attitude shift as well as a nutrition shift...
Well, now for a recap of day 2:
My DAILY goals:
-Eat 2000 calories a day or less
--Day 2 total 1721 calories
-Drink at least 100oz of water every day
--Day 2 total 104oz water
-Eat 120 grams of carbohydrate or less per day (as per diabetes educator rec), at least 1/4 of which are from fresh veggies
--Day 2 total 129 grams carbohydrate
-Eat 35 grams of fiber or more a day
--Day 2 total 27 grams fiber
-Eat 120 grams of protein or more per day (at least 25% from vegetable protein)
-- Day 2 total 79 grams protein, 24% from plant sources
-Eat 80 grams of fat or more per day (at least 10g from saturated medium chain veg fat (yes saturated, yes from plants))
--Day 2 total 103 grams fat, 45 of which were saturated--all from animal base sat fat
-Eat at least 3 grams of Spirulina per day (max 20 grams)
--Day 2 total zero grams
-Eat at least 7 servings of vegetables(2 servings of Leafy Greens) per day
--Day 2 total 6 servings of veggies, of which 2 leafy greens
-Reduce refined sugar intake to less than 30 grams/day (incl. table sugar, candy, and sugars IN foods)
--Day 2 still trying to figure out how much was in the processed foods I ate.
-Eliminate wheat and wheat based ingredients
--Day 2 --no wheat that I am aware of
-Walk at least 1.5 mile per day at least 5 days per week
--Day 2 did not walk
-Meditate and/or pray for 20 or more minutes a day (can be broken down into 5 min segments)
--Day 2 meditated on William Linville's Awaken to your True Purpose through Healing with Masters, a one hour audio program
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Day 1 recap
So yesterday I did a somewhat sloppy start to keeping near the general guidelines I had set out for myself in my preparation post (the more in depth rational for which can be found in through a variety of previous posts, too many to link to).
My DAILY goals:
-Eat 2000 calories a day or less
--Day 1 total 1990 calories
-Drink at least 100oz of water every day
--Day 1 total 76oz water
-Eat 120 grams of carbohydrate or less per day (as per diabetes educator rec), at least 1/4 of which are from fresh veggies
--Day 1 total 131 grams carbohydrate
-Eat 35 grams of fiber or more a day
--Day 1 total 24 grams fiber
-Eat 120 grams of protein or more per day (at least 25% from vegetable protein)
-- Day 1 total 131 grams protein, 16% from plant sources
-Eat 80 grams of fat or more per day (at least 10g from saturated medium chain veg fat (yes saturated, yes from plants))
--Day 1 total 109 grams fat, 45 of which were saturated--all from animal base sat fat
-Eat at least 3 grams of Spirulina per day (max 20 grams)
--Day 1 total zero grams
-Eat at least 7 servings of vegetables(2 servings of Leafy Greens) per day
--Day 1 total 8 servings of veggies, no leafy greens
-Reduce refined sugar intake to less than 30 grams/day (incl. table sugar, candy, and sugars IN foods)
--Day 1 still trying to figure out how much was in the processed foods I ate.
-Eliminate wheat and wheat based ingredients
--Day 1 the only wheat base was on the onion rings breading
-Walk at least 1.5 mile per day at least 5 days per week
--Day 1 did not walk
-Meditate and/or pray for 20 or more minutes a day (can be broken down into 5 min segments)
--Day 1 meditated using Mary Hall's Accessing Your Divine Message through Healing with Masters, a one hour audio program
My DAILY goals:
-Eat 2000 calories a day or less
--Day 1 total 1990 calories
-Drink at least 100oz of water every day
--Day 1 total 76oz water
-Eat 120 grams of carbohydrate or less per day (as per diabetes educator rec), at least 1/4 of which are from fresh veggies
--Day 1 total 131 grams carbohydrate
-Eat 35 grams of fiber or more a day
--Day 1 total 24 grams fiber
-Eat 120 grams of protein or more per day (at least 25% from vegetable protein)
-- Day 1 total 131 grams protein, 16% from plant sources
-Eat 80 grams of fat or more per day (at least 10g from saturated medium chain veg fat (yes saturated, yes from plants))
--Day 1 total 109 grams fat, 45 of which were saturated--all from animal base sat fat
-Eat at least 3 grams of Spirulina per day (max 20 grams)
--Day 1 total zero grams
-Eat at least 7 servings of vegetables(2 servings of Leafy Greens) per day
--Day 1 total 8 servings of veggies, no leafy greens
-Reduce refined sugar intake to less than 30 grams/day (incl. table sugar, candy, and sugars IN foods)
--Day 1 still trying to figure out how much was in the processed foods I ate.
-Eliminate wheat and wheat based ingredients
--Day 1 the only wheat base was on the onion rings breading
-Walk at least 1.5 mile per day at least 5 days per week
--Day 1 did not walk
-Meditate and/or pray for 20 or more minutes a day (can be broken down into 5 min segments)
--Day 1 meditated using Mary Hall's Accessing Your Divine Message through Healing with Masters, a one hour audio program
Monday, June 4, 2012
Okay...the first day of the rest of my life
I know, EVERYDAY is the first day of the rest of our lives, but it is still good to remind ourselves of it from time to time. You can always reset to a "first day of the rest of your life". OH...I have added a page to this blog that I will use exclusively for food tracking, in case anyone wants to follow my eating habits in the event that this new endeavor to change my eating lifestyle proves to be wildly successful--click on the "Food Tracking" tab near the top of the page).
I am feeling freer today than I have in a long time...that is due to a number of things:
1) --A is entering rehab today for 28 days, and then on to a halfway house program for six months, and hopefully will find the help and strength to live a sober and responsible and HAPPIER lifestyle. It also gives me a reprieve for the week as A can not have phone privileges for a week, so it will be a week without having to actually deal with A--which is a relief. I still have to deal with A's apartment which needs to be packed up and put into storage and then cleaned, and A's car and bill payments, and all of that--(honestly you wouldn't know that I left A over 2 years ago, as I am still always picking up the pieces that A leaves behind). I know it sounds awful that I find great relief in knowing that I have a solid seven days without contact from A, and I am VERY happy FOR A at this step in a right direction, as A needs to be able to see the competent, capable, amazing person that she can be, AND I need my space, space to be who I am, space to live a life free from unnecessary stress (there is enough stress that is just inherent in living my life as it is). I know there have been times A's sister has asked me if I will ever get back together with A, and the answer is no, even if A gets sober, and stable, and goes on to have a wonderful life, my time as A's spouse will not return. Too much water has gone under that bridge--enough of a torrent that the bridge has completely washed out and I will not rebuild that bridge. I will be A's friend, and do what I can to help A to grow and mature, and for the kids to be able to have both of their parents in their lives, and hopefully A will be able to stand alone one day and see the first day of the rest of life. For me, A being in rehab gives me the chance to finally breathe and awake again to the rest of my life.
2) --The carpet is being laid down in the other half of my house today, which means that sometime this week (after it dries as it will be cleaned after being laid down, being used carpet), I will be able to start setting up the main day care area, and my dining room, and I will be ready to start setting up a make shift pantry (as we have not built one yet, but I needed to wait until O could move things before I could really even try to set up a makeshift pantry, as I do not want to unpack and repack and unpack again multiple times, twice is enough...So the prospect of being able to bring the house to a point of "complete' (even if there are still ongoing projects to make it exactly what I want), brings me much joy and peace.
3) --I have managed to get all the kids doctors appointment scheduled with various specialist, some which I had missed and needed to rescheduled. So I will be catching up on specialist appointments and making sure that the kids health and medical needs are all being met.
4) --Knowing that I am starting on a new round of improving my health and my life in a focused and concentrated way gives me a renewed sense of peace, joy, and openness to the many blessings that I have in my life, some of which I have not focused enough on in recent months.
5) --I am making the choice, day by day, moment by moment, to choose to feel better--to think better feeling thoughts, to focus on better feeling things, and to choose happiness over despair, joy over sorrow, and hope over fear. It is a conscious choice to see the good in life and not focus solely on the bad--yes the bad has to be managed and dealt with, but it does not have to be the focus on my life, my mind, or my heart. So today, I am remembering to focus on that which is good, that for which I am grateful, and to just roll with what life brings. i am where I am for a number of reasons, and from here, and only from here, can I start a new chapter in my life. Which reminds me, I think it is time to get out Pema Chodron's book Start Where You Are: A guide to Compassionate Living and reread that, as it is a very good book with wonderful guidance on moving forward to become who I really AM.
I am feeling freer today than I have in a long time...that is due to a number of things:
1) --A is entering rehab today for 28 days, and then on to a halfway house program for six months, and hopefully will find the help and strength to live a sober and responsible and HAPPIER lifestyle. It also gives me a reprieve for the week as A can not have phone privileges for a week, so it will be a week without having to actually deal with A--which is a relief. I still have to deal with A's apartment which needs to be packed up and put into storage and then cleaned, and A's car and bill payments, and all of that--(honestly you wouldn't know that I left A over 2 years ago, as I am still always picking up the pieces that A leaves behind). I know it sounds awful that I find great relief in knowing that I have a solid seven days without contact from A, and I am VERY happy FOR A at this step in a right direction, as A needs to be able to see the competent, capable, amazing person that she can be, AND I need my space, space to be who I am, space to live a life free from unnecessary stress (there is enough stress that is just inherent in living my life as it is). I know there have been times A's sister has asked me if I will ever get back together with A, and the answer is no, even if A gets sober, and stable, and goes on to have a wonderful life, my time as A's spouse will not return. Too much water has gone under that bridge--enough of a torrent that the bridge has completely washed out and I will not rebuild that bridge. I will be A's friend, and do what I can to help A to grow and mature, and for the kids to be able to have both of their parents in their lives, and hopefully A will be able to stand alone one day and see the first day of the rest of life. For me, A being in rehab gives me the chance to finally breathe and awake again to the rest of my life.
2) --The carpet is being laid down in the other half of my house today, which means that sometime this week (after it dries as it will be cleaned after being laid down, being used carpet), I will be able to start setting up the main day care area, and my dining room, and I will be ready to start setting up a make shift pantry (as we have not built one yet, but I needed to wait until O could move things before I could really even try to set up a makeshift pantry, as I do not want to unpack and repack and unpack again multiple times, twice is enough...So the prospect of being able to bring the house to a point of "complete' (even if there are still ongoing projects to make it exactly what I want), brings me much joy and peace.
3) --I have managed to get all the kids doctors appointment scheduled with various specialist, some which I had missed and needed to rescheduled. So I will be catching up on specialist appointments and making sure that the kids health and medical needs are all being met.
4) --Knowing that I am starting on a new round of improving my health and my life in a focused and concentrated way gives me a renewed sense of peace, joy, and openness to the many blessings that I have in my life, some of which I have not focused enough on in recent months.
5) --I am making the choice, day by day, moment by moment, to choose to feel better--to think better feeling thoughts, to focus on better feeling things, and to choose happiness over despair, joy over sorrow, and hope over fear. It is a conscious choice to see the good in life and not focus solely on the bad--yes the bad has to be managed and dealt with, but it does not have to be the focus on my life, my mind, or my heart. So today, I am remembering to focus on that which is good, that for which I am grateful, and to just roll with what life brings. i am where I am for a number of reasons, and from here, and only from here, can I start a new chapter in my life. Which reminds me, I think it is time to get out Pema Chodron's book Start Where You Are: A guide to Compassionate Living and reread that, as it is a very good book with wonderful guidance on moving forward to become who I really AM.
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Starting Monday
Okay...As things with the house wind down to a steady pace of projects, unpacking, and setting up (instead of the frenzied, insane, all consuming pace that it has been over the past couple of months), I have turned back to looking at the other areas of my life that need to move forward in their transformation.
So I have stocked my fridge and cupboard with correct food, and have been working on preparing mentally and physically for the shift I need to make in continuing to work on my health. I have lost another few pounds over the past couple of months even though I have not had much focus on good eating habits. I think the physical labor of the house helped a great deal.
Anyway...so going back to prepping for a new start of the weigh loss and physical health focus starting Monday. So I have been doing reading and research for inspiration (I already am solid on the life style choices I need to make, I just stretch time by finding more inspiration to make the changes I need to make.)
So I have been reading the emails from Blobmosis through his 28 day 10% total body weight loss, enjoyed reading the weight loss journal of musicpisces.
I have also been re watching some favorite documentaries:
--Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
--Food, Inc.
--Forks Over Knives
--Foodmatters
--Fat Head
I am revitalizing the list of basic guidelines that I posted on here on 8/9/2011:
With a couple of revisions--I am going to go zero wheat (not gluten free necessarily). I have just been trying to observe my body's reactions to certain foods, and I have had this problem on and off for a while, where I will suddenly be exhausted and have to lie down for like 15 minutes. So I have been trying to be aware of what precedes these times--is it only after I have had a short night of sleep? Is it a certain food, or a certain activity? I have noticed that it is usually about 15-30 minutes after I eat a meal that is heavy on wheat--Like a bowl of shredded wheat for breakfast, or a plate of whole whet pasta for dinner. So I want to try a month of wheat free eating and see if I have any more issues with the sudden, short lived exhaustion times.
As planned, and what I have been slowly transitioning to in general is a drastic reduction in processed foods. I am hoping to get more of the dyed foods away from the kids as time goes on--like the sweet cereals and such which are so brightly colored with artificial dyes. I am cutting processed foods, like ready to eat cereal, out of my diet. I am hoping to eventually move that over tot he kids eating habits too.
So these are my goals (rules) to live by for a healthier, better life (assumes 4 meals/day B, L, D, S=28m/w):
-Eat 2000 calories a day or less
-Drink at least 100oz of water every day
-Eat 120 grams of carbohydrate or less per day (as per diabetes educator rec), at least 1/4 of which are from fresh veggies
-Eat 35 grams of fiber or more a day
-Eat 120 grams of protein or more per day (at least 1/4 from vegetable protein)
-Eat 80 grams of fat or more per day (at least 10g from saturated medium chain veg fat (yes saturated, yes from plants))
-Eat at least 3 grams of Spirulina per day (max 20 grams)
-Eat at least 2 servings of Leafy Greens per day (can be in a smoothie)
-Eat Legumes at least 5 meals a week
-Eat Fish at least 3 meals a week
-Eat Oatmeal at least 5 meals a week
-Eat Eggs at least 3 meals a week
-Reduce refined sugar intake to less than 30 grams/day (incl. table sugar, candy, and sugars IN foods)
-Reduce ALL commercially processed foods to no more than 2 meals a week (incl. RTE cereal, box food, sausage and other processed meats, etc...)
-Walk at least 1.5 mile per day at least 5 days per week
-Add in Strength or tension training for muscles 3 times a week
-Meditate and/or pray for 20 or more minutes a day (can be broken down into 5 min segments)
-6 "Free Pass" days a year where anything, any food, any calories, anything goes...
So I have stocked my fridge and cupboard with correct food, and have been working on preparing mentally and physically for the shift I need to make in continuing to work on my health. I have lost another few pounds over the past couple of months even though I have not had much focus on good eating habits. I think the physical labor of the house helped a great deal.
Anyway...so going back to prepping for a new start of the weigh loss and physical health focus starting Monday. So I have been doing reading and research for inspiration (I already am solid on the life style choices I need to make, I just stretch time by finding more inspiration to make the changes I need to make.)
So I have been reading the emails from Blobmosis through his 28 day 10% total body weight loss, enjoyed reading the weight loss journal of musicpisces.
I have also been re watching some favorite documentaries:
--Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead
--Food, Inc.
--Forks Over Knives
--Foodmatters
--Fat Head
I am revitalizing the list of basic guidelines that I posted on here on 8/9/2011:
With a couple of revisions--I am going to go zero wheat (not gluten free necessarily). I have just been trying to observe my body's reactions to certain foods, and I have had this problem on and off for a while, where I will suddenly be exhausted and have to lie down for like 15 minutes. So I have been trying to be aware of what precedes these times--is it only after I have had a short night of sleep? Is it a certain food, or a certain activity? I have noticed that it is usually about 15-30 minutes after I eat a meal that is heavy on wheat--Like a bowl of shredded wheat for breakfast, or a plate of whole whet pasta for dinner. So I want to try a month of wheat free eating and see if I have any more issues with the sudden, short lived exhaustion times.
As planned, and what I have been slowly transitioning to in general is a drastic reduction in processed foods. I am hoping to get more of the dyed foods away from the kids as time goes on--like the sweet cereals and such which are so brightly colored with artificial dyes. I am cutting processed foods, like ready to eat cereal, out of my diet. I am hoping to eventually move that over tot he kids eating habits too.
So these are my goals (rules) to live by for a healthier, better life (assumes 4 meals/day B, L, D, S=28m/w):
-Eat 2000 calories a day or less
-Drink at least 100oz of water every day
-Eat 120 grams of carbohydrate or less per day (as per diabetes educator rec), at least 1/4 of which are from fresh veggies
-Eat 35 grams of fiber or more a day
-Eat 120 grams of protein or more per day (at least 1/4 from vegetable protein)
-Eat 80 grams of fat or more per day (at least 10g from saturated medium chain veg fat (yes saturated, yes from plants))
-Eat at least 3 grams of Spirulina per day (max 20 grams)
-Eat at least 2 servings of Leafy Greens per day (can be in a smoothie)
-Eat Legumes at least 5 meals a week
-Eat Fish at least 3 meals a week
-Eat Oatmeal at least 5 meals a week
-Eat Eggs at least 3 meals a week
-Reduce refined sugar intake to less than 30 grams/day (incl. table sugar, candy, and sugars IN foods)
-Reduce ALL commercially processed foods to no more than 2 meals a week (incl. RTE cereal, box food, sausage and other processed meats, etc...)
-Walk at least 1.5 mile per day at least 5 days per week
-Add in Strength or tension training for muscles 3 times a week
-Meditate and/or pray for 20 or more minutes a day (can be broken down into 5 min segments)
-6 "Free Pass" days a year where anything, any food, any calories, anything goes...
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