A Summer break

I would like to think that the summer break I have taken in my "get healthy" program is about to end. The kids are getting back in school (one today and one next week), so I have more time on my hands. I even have a fitness program picked out (Couch to 5K) and a goal of running a 5K in November (Will's Run). Unfortunately, it is still SO HOT outside here, that I can't realistically run during the day. (Before you try to tell me how it can be done, I realize others can do it but I am starting from my couch and I know myself.) I think I am just going to have to do another program for now. I may not be able to do the 5K in November, but there is a Fun Run 1K that I should be able to do at the least.

In good news, I haven't really put on any weight over the summer, but I do think I have lost some muscle mass. I have been somewhat moderate with my eating, too. I have been eating out a little more and indulging in sodas, but that is about to end. (If I write it will it happen?) We have been eating healthier at home and not keeping the "bad" foods in the house. In fact, we had some leftover cake from an event Saturday night. After eating some yesterday, I made the rest into cake balls and put them in the freezer - in the garage. I was proud of myself for getting them out of the house! I also used the extra peanut butter frosting to make peanut butter balls (with oats), that have some redeeming value, instead of using it for another dessert.

So, my goal for this week and next is to get back on track with the exercising. Of course, this week I will have Joel with me every day so I will be easing into it and spending lots of time with him. We may do some special things together before he starts back to school, too.

In the words of Major Seth Adams. "Wagons, HO!"

A new picture ...

Unfortunately, the latest picture of me is not very flattering, so I will not be adding it here. Instead, I am referring to a new picture for this blog. The message is still mostly the same - traveling a road. This pic doesn't show the mountains and valleys that are in the distance. In fact, it doesn't show a destination at all. Does that mean something? Hmmm ... I am still not sure about that. I am trying a different template to see if the updates will show up on my blog list on my family blog now. But I do like this picture.

Unlike the beautiful blue skies in this picture, I have had a stormy few days. I found a new thyroid doctor, and overall I am very pleased with him. He tested more things in my blood than I think I have had tested at one time - ever. He said everything looked good (even though I feel l like something is wrong somewhere in my body), except for my T3. There is a drug that is a synthetic T3, which I have never been prescribed before. (Apparently it is very "controversial" in endocrinology circles. Some people love it and others say it is unnecessary.) He put me on the lowest dose. Instead of giving me instant energy it made me sleep! And I was more irritable. And my heart rhythms seemed faster. And it made me itchy. And I couldn't sleep at night. And it made my brain fog worse. Basically, it made everything worse. Not what I was cheerily anticipating on Thursday. After consulting the doctor/nurses yesterday I am taking the med every other day now. I feel so much better today! Granted, not better than before I started taking this med, but better since I began taking it. I also did some research online yesterday, and some people reported worsening of symptoms for a week, and then improvement. I hope that is what happens with me!

I heard about a workout program from some friends at church last Thursday. I was wanting to start it this week, but since I have been so sleepy that hasn't happened. This is a program that works you up to running gradually. I have always been a walker, not a runner. Even walking I sometimes get shin splints. I am interested in trying this program since it builds up your bones and muscles to be able to run. As Steve reminds me, running burns more calories. And it seems to have given Kate Gosselin beautiful abs.

I am not sure how the diet is going. I seem to be doing okay during the day, but then (with this new med) I get really hungry right before bed. The first couple of nights I ate way too much. I have gotten a little better at putting some food in a bowl and eating just that amount, but it is still too much, I think. I am trying to eat a little to take off the hunger edge so that I can sleep, but I need to get better at portion control.

I tried to cut back on my iced coffees, but that didn't go so well, either. The past few days I have been drinking hot coffee, because it is quicker. I do think that I have consumed less coffee over the past week or so, but I have not gotten down to the level that I would like to be at. (Being tired makes me want to drink more coffee, too.)

So, not such a great week or two, but there is still time for this week to get better. I really hope that it does!

Moving in the right direction

When it comes to getting healthy any movement is in the right direction ... right?!?

I have been getting more movement (and exercise) in this week, although it has been in unique ways. One day I took the kids to the water park. One day I cleaned house (vigorously so that it was a workout). One day I picked blueberries. (Scoff at that if you will, but one of my arms is really sore from that). Today I took a walk with the family, but I am not sure how long it lasted. That is definitely an improvement over the last few weeks!

I realized that after a little trip out of town I had broken my soda fast way too many times. I managed to resist the sodas better this week. Unfortunately, I have also been drinking too many iced coffees in a day (homemade, but still not so good for the body). By the end of this week, I can say that I am doing better in that regard, too.

I am glad to say that I was able to recognize my destructive behaviors, and take steps to stop them. Unfortunately those iced coffees are still calling my name. I think I need more self-discipline, more prayers, more water ... but probably not more coffee. Until the morning. ;-)

I may be eating at this hour, but at least it's almonds

That does make it better, right? Please say yes!

Well, last week was the much-anticipated wedding weekend! We all traveled to Tyler where the boys and I got be in a wedding for our good friend. I was a little scared to put the dress on the day of the wedding, because it was a little tight when I got it back form the alterations. I hadn't really worked out a lot in the meantime, like I had planned, so I was nervous. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the dress fit really well! I didn't have bulges sticking out of the dress, and it didn't come down (since it was strapless). I actually felt very comfortable in it.

Of course, being out of town for the weekend - and for a celebration - meant that I didn't stick to my diet. I had gotten better about the number of iced coffees I drank in a day and I hadn't had soda in a while. That changed after last weekend. By the end of this week I was getting some better about my eating choices, though.

I am looking forward to playing in the pool with the boys this week more, too. That was about the only exercise I had really gotten before the wedding - and beating the stores to find new clothes, too. ;-) Anyway, last week we started swim lessons and the boys just weren't behaving that well. This week we already have plans for 2 playdates at the pool, so I am looking forward to getting more activity in at those playdates.

I also have found a new endocrinologist that I will be visiting for the first time this week. I think that my levels are quite off again, and that might be contributing to some of the weight loss. I am hoping that this doctor will be better, and that I can get my thyroid levels back on track. I am looking forward to a promising week!

No time for stagnation

A lot has been going on, and unfortunately my fitness plan was not one of those things.

I was trying to remain steady until after I got my bridesmaid dress back, so that I could see if I could lose any inches before the wedding while not losing my dress during the wedding (or reception). I got the dress back and found out I could still lose a little before the wedding and be okay. It would be nice if I could decide exactly where those inches were going to be lost, but that's not how it works with me.

However, the past few weeks have been a flurry of other activity*, and I put the plan on the back burner. I was still trying to be moderate with my eating on most days, but exercise just wasn't happening regularly. I might have snuck a few inches back on, but if I am very good the next two weeks, I think that all will be well by the wedding. After the wedding, I will hopefully be able to work hard to get those last pounds off by the end of the summer. (I can't believe that I just put that in writing, but now that I have I am really going to go for it!)

*In case you were wondering what some of these activities were: both boys were sick one week, Joel's spring program, Joel's last day of school, Evan's second field trip of the year, Evan's field day, Evan's final awards day, Evan's birthday, Evan's last day of school, Evan's birthday party, visitors at our house (extended and short visits - not bad things by any means, but just out of the routine), a day trip to Granbury, and maybe more that I can't remember right now. Again, a lot of these things were really good, but I just got out of a routine with the variety of activities.

I love bread!

I know that it can be bad for you - or healthy, depending on how it's made. That's one reason I have been trying to make it for our family. I like knowing exactly what is in our bread (and that there are no preservatives). I love smelling the bread as it cooks. I have a hard time waiting for it to cool, but I love smelling it while it does.

I was having a lot of success with the artisan bread. Unfortunately, it's not the best for sandwiches. It can be small, and the hard crust can make it hard to eat. This week, I tried some new recipes for softer, sandwich-style bread. I thought that both recipes I tried turned out well, but I absolutely loved the buttermilk bread. The recipes did not use any whole wheat flour, so now I am going to try to add some whole wheat to the recipes. If anyone has any advice on what else to adjust to compensate for the whole wheat, I would greatly appreciate it.

I would have pictures of my beautiful bread, but my house is a wreck (especially this week with the sick kids). Hopefully the wheat experiments will go well and I will have pictures to share then. Of course, smelling it and tasting it is the best. If you are in the area you should stop by for some! A courtesy call first would be appreciated, though.

How the time flies!

I should have posted more frequently than this, but last week I had a visitor at my house and we had too much fun playing together! I also got to introduce her to some fun foods (like chicken sausage) and places to shop (like Sprout's). I have been meaning to discuss recipes and cookbooks for a while, so I guess now is as good a time as any.

The books I have been pulling recipes from most recently are the Sneaky Chef books by Missy Chase Lapine. (I have the first two books that are linked to in that sentence. All of the books she has written can be seen my clicking on her name. The concept is similar to Deceptively Delicious, but these books explain the science behind the recipes and use some different purees.) My family has enjoyed them all, except for the mac & cheese and the boys prefer the blue box for that. My purpose in using these recipes is to get more variety of vegetables in our diets, more vegetables at all in MY diet, and to lower the glycemic index of sweets and desserts. I will give a little more info on some of the recipes that we have tried.

I made some of the granola bars for the post-game snacks for Evan's last football game and they were rejected by some of the kids outright. I think I needed to bake them longer, because they weren't all that crispy and were falling apart pretty easily. We all liked them, though. They would even make a fun breakfast.

Steve made some chocolate cupcakes from the book for me for Mother's Day and I really enjoyed them! The icing looked a little "different", but tasted fine. This recipe uses a purple puree which consists of spinach and blueberries. When I made the puree the last time, I had too many blueberries for the amount of spinach. You can taste a bit of the blueberries in the desserts that we have made with this batch of puree. Since they have been chocolate desserts, it hasn't bothered me too much. I actually like the bit of blueberry flavor. So, the cupcakes with frosting were fine, but they were also good without frosting. The cupcakes were a little more fudgy (like brownies) and we ate them with fresh strawberries. Yummy!

Another cookbook that I have been using lately is called Cook This, Not That, by the same people who wrote the Eat This, Not That series of books. It gives you healthier versions of restaurant dishes. It also has a wonderful 2-page spread at the front of each section that either gives you quick and healthy ideas for lunch, appetizers, etc. or gives you a reference matrix (like for smoothies and salad dressings). I pretty much don't buy salad dressing, since I can experiment and make up my own now.

I have made the spinach-artichoke dip and it is pretty good! It has much less cream cheese and mayo than normal, but is still tasty.

Steve's favorite from this book is the chicken tenders. They are so healthy and my boys love them, too. Steve likes them so much that I have had to issue a moratorium on making them for a little while. ;-)

I have also been making our bread again, thanks to Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I even tried to make hamburger and hot dog buns on Saturday. The recipe I am using makes crusty bread, so the buns weren't quite as good, unless you ate it "open-faced" like I did. I am going to try a new recipe later this week. There is no recipe for buns in this book, so I get to experiment a little. Thankfully, Steve is patient with me as I experiment with our food. ;-)

I am going to try to go to a farmer's market this week, too. I really need to go by myself and the one closest to us is only open on Saturdays. I have heard about another one that is open during the week and should still be fairly close, so I am going to give it a try this week.

I did a lot of shopping with my sis-in-law, so I feel like I got a lot of walking in last week! I am going to try to be more intentional and regular with my exercise this week, though. I will also try to write before the end of the week to you know how it goes. I am sure you will be waiting on pins and needles to find out. ;-)