A May Goal.

it has been almost four whole months since i gave up sugar. i'll be posting a weight update on may 3rd... but until then i wanted to share that i have been having the "itch" to exercise lately. i've been going on walks with landon and nolan on trails around my neighborhood... and i can picture myself running through them. i haven't had the feeling to want to run in years. not sure if it is because i have more energy and running doesn't sound exhausting... or maybe deep down i know that i won't have to run with an extra 30 pounds on my body anymore...

but, before i decide to hit the pavement, i need to strengthen my body. the only exercise it has gotten in the past year is picking up nolan. i've tried running a few years ago at 190 pounds and it caused a stress fracture in my knee. and i don't want to go to the orthopedic doctor again for MRIs and knee braces. 

i am going to take some time and do some strength training before i start running again. i am going to do the 30 day shred starting on May 1st...Monday! i plan on working out for those 25 minutes for 30 days straight and wrapping up the program by the end of may. 

i am sharing this because i hope it holds me accountable to get my exercise clothes on and do the shred every day in may! i've had great results in the past... and hoping to tone this body and maybe prepare it to start running again. 

here is to getting this body moving for the first time in a WHILE... it's going to hurt. bad.

Boring dinners.

dinners are tough in this house. i pick up the kids around 4:30 at my mom's house... by the time we get packed up, loaded and then unloaded from the car... it is 5:00. At this point, Nolan is usually starving and CRANKY. 

dinners have to be quick. i have a menu i pick from weekly when i go shopping. tacos, pasta, chicken, ham steak, and mac and cheese are always in the rotation. i usually throw in a veggie which can be cooked carrots, corn, peas, or beets. and i end dinner with some kind of fruit and a small sweet treat. 

dinners are boring. i am not a cook. i wish i was. but i don't even know where to begin to become a better cook. i've tried pinterest. i've tried doing other people's recipes. i just don't have the talent to brainstorm and concoct wonderful family dinners. 

tim is a good cook. but he isn't home until 6:30. and the kids have no patience and will absolutely become hangry if they have to wait until 7:30 for dinner... not to mention it is bedtime! so i try to feed the kids simple, quick meals and then tim and i will eat leftovers of the dinner when the kids are in bed.

tim gets bored of the same dinners so he suggested a dinner delivery service (Blue Apron) so we could have a change in our menu. i agreed... and am very thankful i did! the dinners are really delicious. sometimes i think the dinners could be served in a restaurant! and the even better news... they don't take long at all to make! Tim usually cooks them up when i am giving the kids' baths and putting them to bed. 

last nights dinner was spiced beef pitas and garlic labneh with some arugula... it was one of the best things ever made in my kitchen!

it is so nice to sit, relax, and eat a delicious dinner after the kids go to bed... it is also nice not to be eating leftover and heated up ham steak, mash potatoes, and corn.

**Day 113 with no fun sugar! Monthly Weigh-in is coming soon!**

Candy cravings.

this has been a very difficult week for me.  i wanted to eat sugar more this week than any other time during the 100 days. there is so much easter candy in this house... and it is killing me. i just love ALL easter candy.

easter baskets sat on our counter all week. those baskets ended up pretty full because of family giving easter candy and of course all the egg hunts landon has gone on over the past week. i kid you not... he has done four egg hunts! i think the kid found 10-15 eggs at each hunt. oh. and nolan of course toddled around and picked a few eggs up too!

so this left a MASSIVE amount of jelly beans, reese cups, chocolate bars, and peeps.

i have been tempted to grab a loose robin egg so many times out of the basket... and the stale peeps! those things has been staring at me ALL week.

i decided today to dump the baskets and put all the candy in a bowl out of sight. best decision i made. out of sight. out of mind. or so i hope.

this made me realize just how much of an addiction to sugar i have! the cravings have been so intense. and i thought the cravings were pretty much gone...

come on may. i am ready for you. i am ready to move on from chocolate bunnies, cadbury eggs, and jelly beans.

More than 100.

the hundredth day has come and gone. i celebrated with a night out with a friend... we went to one of my favorite restaurants (On the Border) and a movie... Beauty and the Beast... which was OUTSTANDING. i didn't want the movie to end!!

when i made the goal of eating no sugar for 100 days, i never expected to see the results i did... i can honestly say that i feel healthy. my body feels so different in a good way. i have energy. i have hardly any cravings anymore. i can walk away from sweets and sugar.

and because of this, i think i am going to continue with the not eating fun sugar. i know if go on a binge, this would tempt me to eat more. and then more. and then get back in the old habit again. its an addiction i know i have. i am amazed at the people who can eat a just a dessert at night. or treat themselves on the weekends. i've done diets before where i do that... and then i seem to fall off the wagon again shortly after. i don't want to get off the wagon... i want to stay on for as long as i can.

it has gotten so easy to just not eat the sweet stuff. so i am going to stick to it for as long as i can. i'll continue to do monthly weigh-ins so i can earn my monthly leggings! i will also be taking the daily photos because that holds me accountable as well!

finally, the easter bunny stopped by tonight... he got the memo that i was no longer eating sweet things anymore... even though easter candy is my favorite! he put a pair of leggings, mascara, chapstick, and a couple candles for me in the basket this year!

Happy Easter Everyone! 

Day 99

the final change i saw with my body is weight loss. i keep telling people if i would have known that not eating "fun" sugar was the secret to fast weight loss... i would have tried it five years ago. never did i think my body could drop over 30 pounds in 100 days. i assumed i would always be on the heavier side and i almost kind of accepted the 180s/190s. 

i think losing almost 18 pounds in the first month alone made me want to stick with it. i was so shocked to see that number... it even scared me a little! the next few months i think i lost an average about 1 to 2 pounds a week.

i am so happy to be a few pounds from a healthy BMI! probably no blog update tomorrow... i'll be out celebrating with a friend!

i did it!

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(Day 96)

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Day 98

Oh boy... only two days to go! i'm getting excited to hit the big 100 day mark! this is one of the biggest accomplishments i have ever had... it is almost up there with training and running a marathon!

another change i wanted to share about going "fun" sugar free is my appetite. i had a problem with feeling full. i seriously never ever felt "full." i could eat and eat and eat. and then eat some more and never have a satisfied feeling. this is probably why i could consume huge amounts of food. this is probably why i was never able to lose weight and instead just packed it on.

my appetite has completely changed. i FINALLY feel full! just tonight, i had a pretty solid dinner and left the table pretty content. i also am understanding better when my body is hungry. i am no longer eating out of boredom, stress, or exhaustion. i am eating because i feel hungry. this is all new to me since giving up sugar. when i did weight watchers, i felt hungry and stayed hungry because i ate my allotted points...  i am no longer counting calories or points, i am listening to my body and the hunger cues... something i have never done before!

Day 97

Hard to believe it has been 97 days... it really did go so fast! well... maybe from the month of March on. the first few weeks went slow, but once i hit Day 50... time seriously flew.

another change that i have recognized over the past 100 days is how much better food tastes. so many people have asked me about how do i drink my coffee without sugar. i can honestly say that i think it tastes BETTER without the sugar. and this is coming from a girl who dumped at least 6 teaspoons in her mug. or added six or more sugar packets to my travel cup. 

healthy food has also been tasting so much better to me. fresh vegetables have had such a refreshing taste. avocados have been a craving... instead of a reese cup! there is nothing better than a creamy avocado!

i also have been enjoying fruit for the first time. i honestly have never been a fan of fruit. the fruits that have been standing out to me over the past 100 days are strawberries, blueberries, oranges, grapes, and grapefruit. i will have a strong craving for a grapefruit some mornings instead of a donut! and that grapefruit tastes amazing!!

finally, cheese. i think if i didn't have cheese in my life, giving up sugar would be really hard. all cheese has tickled my tastebuds over the past 100 days. i have done cheese sticks, cheese and crackers, cheese and olives... if it is cheesy, I LOVE IT. 

giving up sugar has definitely made my tastebuds appreciate foods that i have never enjoyed in the past... expanding my palette has definitely been successful over the past 100 days. healthier food just tastes better without the sugar in my life.

Day 96

My plan this week is to blog about the different changes that happened to my body over the past 100 days. and there were many!!

one of the biggest changes i have had over the 100 days is my body and brain having more energy.

this could be because i am sleeping better at night. this could also be because sugar just made me tired and gave me no energy.

before the challenge, i would barely be able to keep my eyes open when i got home from work. i would race to bed after the kids were tucked in. it was so difficult to enjoy the boys in the evening because i was so tired.

one night in march i was telling my mom how much more energy i have at night. i do laundry, clean the kitchen, wipe bathrooms down...  i told her i thought it was because of my student teacher taking on more responsibilities in the classroom. she said she thinks it is because i am no longer dragging extra weight around. i NEVER even thought about that being a reason. but it makes sense. Nolan is a little under 30 pounds... i couldn't imagine dragging him around all day without a break. good point mom.

so giving up sugar has given me extra energy at night and i am a much more productive human being at home. this change has helped me be a better wife, mom, and teacher.

Weighing-in

Weighed in this morning. the new number is 163.4 pounds. i lost six pounds total in march. that means i lost 31.4 pounds over three months... this is the most weight i have ever lost in my thirty something years!

i am only 7 pounds away from my landon pre-pregnancy weight. i am also only three pounds away from being in a healthy BMI range. i have been hesitant to set weight goals because i have not been focusing on the numbers this time around...but it would be pretty great to see 159 pounds by May 3rd.

scale is put away until the beginning of May. i am starting to have a plan on my sugar eating habits as i inch closer to the 100th day next thursday.  will i eat every coconut egg i see on easter sunday? will i nibble on a chocolate bunny? or toss a handful of jelly beans in my mouth? will i house a whole bag of cadbury mini eggs, you know, the ones in the purple bag? stay tuned........

what is your favorite easter candy?

Final stretch.

I made it to april with no fun sugar. no cakes. no cookies. no candy. no ice cream. no added sugar. it will be day 90 tomorrow. it will also be 3 months exactly that i took on the challenge. i'll be posting a monthly weigh-in to see how it went over the long month of march.

today, we had an awesome get together with family. and anytime there is a family get together... there is food... and LOTS of it. i stuck with the veggies and dip for snacking. i ate a pretty solid meal with fried chicken, cole slaw, and asparagus. and for dessert. fruit salad. and that fruit salad was the LAST thing i wanted to eat for dessert. it took all my might to walk away from cupcakes, cookies, brownies, and candy. 

i came home tonight and told tim how hard it was today. and i think the hardest part were the cupcakes. they were beautiful cupcakes. an amazing amount of icing. and the colors. oh the colors were so bright and vibrant. i wanted one of those suckers so much. but i ate a grape. 

on to the final stretch. ten more days and i have met the 100 day sugar free challenge!