New Day, Fresh Start

Today has gone much better than the previous days this week, and for that I'm thankful. It doesn't hurt that it's gloriously sunny outside either. =)

I had one light string cheese and 1 granola bar for breakfast and then chicken, spinach, tomatoes, cucumbers and red pepper on a salad with my good friend Jen. ;-)

I STILL need to go to Costco and get my spinach and chicken. It's been over a week and it's definitely NOT helping matters that I don't have those staples in the house. I just haven't had the energy to go there with all 3 kids. But today is the day. Once the kiddos are up from their naps, we'll head over and stock up.

I feel rejuvenated and like I'm able to begin anew today. I weighed myself and I've gained 3 pounds, up to 170. We'll see what the scale says tomorrow for my official weigh in for the Perfect 10 Challenge.

It is HARD WORK to lose weight. All of you reading this know that. If it were easy, everyone would be fit and thin. I think Americans are at a HUGE disadvantage for obesity, simply because of all the processed foods that are readily available. Walk down any grocery aisle store and there are crackers, cookies, pop, popcorn, sugary cereals, prepackaged meals, pizza, fried foods, etc... Not to even mention all the fast food places.

It's not easy to eat clean in the world today. It's not impossible, but it's certainly more expensive. And more time consuming, as fresh produce and food either is eaten much more quickly or goes bad quicker, resulting in more trips to the store, additional gas, etc...

But it CAN be done. I've realized recently that I feed my own children things that I don't necessarily even eat. Corn dogs and chicken nuggets being the two main culprits. It's easy and fast. But it's also processed and probably more calories than they need!

I do feel good about the amount of fruit we eat, but I would like to focus on eating healthier whole grains (whole wheat noodles, for example) and cleaner food in general. I want to teach my children good eating habits and I want to just be a good example of health in general. I don't want them to see me struggling with dieting, then going over the edge and binging, then trying to scramble back on the wagon.

Which is TOTALLY what I've done this week. Once I introduced carbs, I went way deep into the ditch of eating all carbs, all the time. I totally blew it and it was not in moderation. And I felt crummy because of it!

I can absolutely see how not being prepared, i.e. having chicken and spinach readily available, pushed me towards the chips in the cupboard. Because I was hungry and that's what was there. I simply had to open the bag.

So anyway, that was a lot of rambling but I just want to say I feel more centered, more balanced. I don't want to be consumed or possessed with losing weight. It's NOT the most important thing in life. I have a wonderful, loving, caring husband who finds me just as sexy today as the day I married him. I have three rambunctious, sweet children that I need to set a good example for and BE THERE for.

I don't want to spend all my time exercising and counting calories, but in the meantime push them away. I'd much rather go through life with some extra padding but have a good, solid relationship with my children. It's all about finding balance, and that is something I'm still working on.

For now, like I said yesterday, I'm focusing on my food intake. I'll work in exercise as I can. The thing is, when I think of "exercise" I think of using the treadmill or doing a DVD. But walking with my kids to the park is exercise! Pushing them on the swings and playing chase with them is exercise!

So that's my plan for now. Focus on getting my eating on a healthy, balanced scale and finding time to fit exercise in as it fits, while being there for my kiddos. It's not their fault I'm overweight and I don't want to "ruin" their innocence by constantly being talking about or moaning about or forcing myself to diet and exercise.

So. Although this past week has been a wreck of sorts, I've learned from it. I know now that it is vital to have healthy foods on hand and to keep the processed foods to a minimum. So, even though I've gained 3 pounds as of today and even though I totally fell off the bandwagon and crashed and burned and then burned the bandwagon itself, I'm not giving up.

After all, that's the whole premise of the skinny turtle! Slow and steady. Steady and slow. Keep on keeping on. Never, ever give up.