A Guide

wow! thank you to everyone who reached out to me over the past week or so! i've had many people ask if i cut ALL sugar. or if i followed a guide...

i'm going to be honest, i was wondering if i should look into different programs like the 21 day fix or beach body. and i was questioning whether i should jump back into weight watchers. i did WW about 8 years ago or so. it was a great program, but i knew i didn't have the time to commit to meetings and counting points. i also brought up the idea of buying a treadmill to tim. but then i didn't want to pay for one of those and end up not using it due to working ALL day and then being with my kids. i don't have time. i am nonstop from 5:30 in the morning until 8:30 at night with not a second to myself.

so to answer the question about following a guide. no i didn't. i kind of made up my own guide. i just knew i had a big sugar problem. i finally realized and came to terms with it over the holiday... but i definitely have had a sugar "addiction" for YEARS. my grandmother will be the first to say she is addicted to sugar. maybe genetic? so i gave up all the "fun" sugar. cake, cookies, candy, ice cream, danishes, lattes, etc. i did stop eating rolls and white bread. i also stopped adding sugar to things like coffee and teas.

i have not given up sugar completely. i love ketchup. i love salad dressings. and even my half and half i add to my coffee has a gram of sugar. i eat fruit every day. i know some diets require to give up EVERYTHING sugar, but i couldn't do that... it would be way too hard to stick with and keep track of.

i decided to try this for 100 days... just because i like the number 100! see... my own guide!

there very well could be a diet/guide i am following, but i have no clue what it is...

have you heard of a diet plan similar to the no "fun" sugar diet? Have you ever tried giving up the "fun" sugar and seeing results with your weight loss?

A BIG loss.

Stepped on the scale today for the first time since january. i saw a number that I haven't seen in 5.5 years. since i was pregnant with Landon. i am in a new decade. 169.4 pounds. i lost a total of 25.4 pounds over the past two months.

holy moly. that is a little less than what nolan weighs... and that kid is HEAVY.

this explains why i can cross my legs a little easier when i am sitting. this also explains why i can roll over in bed at night a little easier too! i have over 25 pounds off my body!

i haven't been in the 160s since December of 2012. i was about 16 weeks pregnant when i went into the 170s... and i remember cringing at the scale around christmas time. i remember thinking... once i have this kid, i'll go back to my old weight... little did i know how hard it would be for me five years ago. i still have 14 more pounds to go to get to my pre-pregnancy weight BEFORE landon.

scale is put away until April 3rd. i'll be almost to my 100 day mark of no sugar at that point... i went to wegman's tonight... and let me tell you... that easter candy was SCREAMING at me. ugh.

Happy Friday!

March!

I remember back in January that i thought March 1st would be a great milestone. it seemed so far away and yet it is already here. i wore a dress to school this week that i wore the first week of being sugar free back in January. i couldn't believe the difference in the photos.

I really like doing a picture a day way better than stepping on the scale every day. no obsessing over a number. no getting frustrated when the number doesn't move. or getting angry when the number goes up after eating healthy all week. 

have you ever took pictures of yourself during a weight loss journey?

Over halfway...

I officially made it over 50 days with no sugar. this has been the easiest way to lose weight. no calorie counting. i can still eat some of my favorite foods like chicken wings, cheese, and olives!

i was given some mint mentos as a valentine's gift. i thought about eating one until i realized how many grams of sugar are in ONLY 1 mento! i can easily eat the whole pack in a sitting so i decided to not even go there.

i have been doing daily pictures of my weight loss... which has been much better than stepping on a scale.  i don't really have a goal weight... except at some point i would love to lose my "landon" weight. "nolan" weight came off within a month of delivering him... it's the 60 pounds i gained with landon that has been a challenge for me. Anyone else struggle with getting rid of the baby weight? I can only blame myself because i just love to eat!

(January 3rd) Day 1

(February 21st) Day 50!!

Here's to 50 more days! Weight update will be posted next weekend... stay tuned!

100 days.

Almost a year... I haven't blogged for almost a whole year. life is crazy. being a working mom with two boys... time is seriously flying by.

i decided to start focusing on me a little in the 2017 year. i realized over the christmas holiday that i had been eating way too much junk. especially sugar. i was having donuts and lattes for breakfast, cookies and candy for lunch, and cakes, brownies, and ice cream for dinner. i couldn't stop tossing skittles in my mouth during the day. i was continuously grabbing a peppermint patty from the freezer. i realized that my sugar intake was absolutely ridiculous! i easily controlled Landon's intake of sweets... a hershey kiss for dessert or one cookie. but why couldn't i control my own?

so i took on a challenge. i decided to stop all sugar and sweeteners. no more cookies. no more candy. no more cake. no more brownies. no more ice cream. no more diet coke. for 100 days!

the beginning was rough. really rough. i had headaches for a week straight. cravings were so intense that i literally kept myself away from anything sweet for the first two weeks. nolan's first birthday snuck in on me and I had the TINIEST piece of cake to celebrate. That was the extent of my sugar intake though!

i am now on Day 48... almost halfway to 100! i feel good! I have so much energy. I am sleeping really well. intense cravings are gone and it is way easier to say no to "fun" sugar!

i also decided not to focus on my weight this time around. in the past, i would weigh myself once a week and of course step on the scale every day in between then... but now i am only putting myself on the scale once a month. the scale is put away.

100 days brings me pretty close to easter. easter candy is my FAVORITE. i am still deciding on whether i am going to go back to eating sugar, or continue on this sugar free journey.

but until then... i'll be snacking on almonds, veggies, and delicious fruits!

Dear Nolan

Dear Nolan,

The last three months have been a whirlwind! and how has it already been THREE months?! you are the most chill, tolerant, and smiley baby. Your big brother just ADORES you. he can't wait to see you in the morning and always makes sure to give you a kiss before bed.

you seriously came into our family so easily. i was frightful of what to expect with a new baby joining our family that was already comfortable and set in our ways. you just went with the flow. you nap when you can. you eat when you want. you probably won't have a schedule for a while, but that is something your mommy needs to get over.

you love your bouncy seat, swing, and gym. you could play for HOURS in them. landon loves when you are in the gym. he knows this is the only time he can get down on the floor and play with you. sorry for the personal space thing... don't worry, you can get him back in a couple of years.

you failed hearing tests FOUR times over the past three months.  you tolerated two THREE hour hearing tests in one week alone. and a visit with an ENT to check those ears. i'm not exactly sure what it means, but i know you are hearing me. you smile when i sing. you coo when i talk to you. don't worry... your brother failed all his hearing tests at your age too. and he is doing JUST fine. 

you don't cry often, but when you do... you need us. whether it be to eat, sleep or snuggle. you need us. you have come a long way with your sleeping. you finally are going through the night and i feel GLORIOUS! i know this will change soon... and we will work through it. but thank you for now.

we have some big changes happening in our family again. and nope, you are not getting another sibling. but they are some very EXCITING changes. and i know you will just go along for the ride with your happy smile and calm demeanor.

love you little guy. i am so happy you are my baby. we are so blessed to have you in our family.

Love,
Mommy

Two Months!

two months already... GEEZ! Nolan is weighing in at 13.4 pounds and 23.5 inches!

Raising a newborn.

sometimes i think i should have been a mom thirty years ago. life was simpler. less stressful. no social media. no Facebook mom groups. no research articles at the tip of my fingers. moms went on instinct.

raising a newborn now a days is tough. i never considered myself an anxious person (although tim may think differently especially when i am a passenger while he is driving). however, so many things i want to do with my newborn goes against all research and i am too much of a nervous nelly to break the rules.

landon was put in his crib the day he came home. he had no problem sleeping long stretches and going back down to sleep after feedings. when i brought nolan home, i assumed he would be the same way. i placed him in his crib the night i brought him home... but he fussed and fussed. i thought nothing of it since it was his first day home and continued to put him in his crib for the next three weeks. it took hours for him to settle and fall asleep after each night feeding. very little sleep was occurring. finally i decided to put him to sleep in a rock and play at bedtime. it was the answer to everything. he started to sleep solid four hour chunks and had no problem going back to sleep after feedings.

as weeks went on, i continued to watch nolan's sleeping habits. i constantly laid him on his back to sleep only for him to wake up five minutes later. i was concerned about a flat head with the rock and play so decided to put him on his tummy to nap during the day. he slept amazingly. this is when i realized that nolan is a tummy sleeper. i know what research says about putting babies to sleep on their tummies. it completely frightens me. landon was a back sleeper and still is to this day. he got to sleep comfortably from day one. nolan is a tummy sleeper and i can't let him sleep the way he is the most comfortable.

so as much as my mommy instinct is telling me to let my little guy sleep on his tummy, i will listen to the research. i will listen to social media. i will listen to mom groups. because i am a nervous nelly. and frightened of possible outcomes.

i am thankful for all the research, but life just isn't as simple to raise a newborn as it was 30 years ago.