Bad Habits

Cody was off yesterday, and we decided to make a trip to Grand Rapids.  We went shopping and decided to have Sushi for lunch.  While I know that sushi isn't the healthiest thing in the world, I didn't feel like I went overboard and was proud of how I did at lunch.  We finished our shopping and went home.  Around that time, it was time for dinner so we talked about what sounded good and we both decided that a place that serves great burgers was where we wanted to go.  When we got there, instead of trying to find something healthy, I ordered my favorite burger and fries and ate the whole thing.  Normally, Tuesday or Wednesday would be my cheat meal, and eating a burger like this wouldn't necessarily phase me too much.  But I had my cheat meal on Sunday with my parents, so this was not a good choice for me. 

I realized that it's such a bad habit for me to go to a restaurant that sounds good, and order whatever I want off the menu.  I need to really put thought into the places we decide to go, and make sure that there is something on the menu that I can order that won't throw me completely off track.  We tend to eat out more when my husband is off, because we like to go on day trips where we're gone shopping or exploring all day, and I don't want to give that up.  I just need to pay more attention to where we're going and what I'm ordering. 

"Cheat Days"

Cody has been off the last two days.  

This really only means one thing.

Cheat Days.

My goal was to go 7 days without having a cheat day. I didn't want to eat great for 2-3 days, have a cheat day, and then try to get back on track. When Cody is home, my days aren't planned out as well.  Ellie and I have a routine, but on Cody's days off, it throws everything off.  And we tend to eat out a lot when he is home.  

Yesterday, Cody had to travel for work in the morning, and didn't get home until about 2pm.  So breakfast and lunch were great and we stuck to our normal routine.  When he got home, we decided to go out to eat.  We got mexican, and even though I ordered a salad, I ended up eating chips and salsa too and went over my calories.  Today, we had to bring Ellie to the doctor, and then we had our home inspection all afternoon on the new house.  So we weren't home and I didn't plan to bring any good foods to eat.  We had applebees for dinner, and I thought that by ordering a salad, I was doing a good thing.  And it would have been, but then I had breadsticks and soup.  And then Cody wanted to get ice cream.  

Side Note: I know that ice cream places think that you're doing you a favor by giving you an extra large amount of ice cream...but I ordered a small cone today and I was given basically a gallon of ice cream on a waffle cone.  Thank goodness I found some self control and ate about 1/2 cup of it and threw the rest away.  

I guess what this whole post is about is how hard it is to eat healthy when you get thrown out of your routine.  And how important planning is.  We will be doing a lot of running around the next few weeks on Cody's days off, trying to get stuff ready to move.  I need to figure out how to plan out my meals and snacks for when we're on the go, 

How do you keep yourself in check when you're out and about, or when your plans change?

Frame of Mind

So, I got thinking today about weight loss and how much it consumes my mind when I am consciously trying to eat healthy enough to lose weight.

 And then it hit me.

I honestly think part of the problem I have with being able to lose weight is that I can't imagine myself doing it.

It's like winning the lottery.  You can buy lottery tickets every day, with hopes of winning, but when it comes down to it, you know that the likelihood of you winning the lottery are very slim.  You like to imagine yourself winning millions of dollars, and what you'd do with it, and the house you'd buy, etc., but when you're honest with yourself, you know that you will probably continue along the path you are currently on, without any major thing like winning the lottery happening. And eventually you will talk yourself out of wasting money on the tickets, because you most likely won't win, anyway.

That is exactly how I feel about weight loss.  I can buy healthy foods, and I can go to the gym....I can take all the necessary steps to lose the 100+ pounds that I'd like to lose, and I can imagine what life would be like to be thin and fit and be able to wear a size 4 pants.  But when I'm honest with myself, I can't ACTUALLY see it happening.  And I get discouraged, and stop trying.  Because why bother?  Why put the effort into something that I can't actually see myself getting results from?

I think that's my biggest struggle when it comes down to it.  I don't mind eating healthy. I like healthy foods.  And I don't mind going to the gym. I like the "me" time I have when I'm there.  But because I can't actually see myself succeeding, I just want to give up and just go back to not caring.

I need to figure out how to flip my frame of mind.  I need to learn how to have enough confidence in myself to know that I CAN lose weight, and I CAN get to my goal weight.

Have any of you felt this way?  How did you overcome it?

Grocery Shopping...and good news!

Why do groceries have to be so expensive?

Back when I wasn't being very careful with what I was eating, I could buy groceries for the week for under $100.  I could buy 5 boxes of mac and cheese for lunches, a box of cereal would give me breakfast for the week, I'd get a couple of pounds of ground beef for dinners and we'd be good for the week.  I know that eating healthy is better for me, but I won't lie, I miss the simplicity of grocery shopping back then.

Grocery shopping now not only means having to spend more money, but I also have to be more careful of what I'm buying.  Being a Stay at Home Mom means I am home for every meal, unlike when I was working and I'd be at the restaurant during at least one meal.  I also have to make sure that I'm getting healthy foods for Ellie.  She will usually eat what we eat, but sometimes I have to make small adjustments to it to make it easier for her to eat, since she only has 8 teeth.  Mostly, my shopping trips revolve around trying to make sure that I am getting a large variety of healthy foods that we all like.

So, we got some good news today.....

Our offer was accepted on the house!!!

We are so excited to be moving to a new house with much more space!!  We have a lot to do in the next few weeks, including a garage sale to purge some of the extra crap we've acquired, picking out paint and new carpet, hopefully buying some new furniture.....I can't wait!!  I also am so excited to redesign Ellie's room into a big girl room, and not so much of a nursery anymore.

Pinterest has become my new best friend! :)

I'm baaaaaack!!

Hi all!! (if there is anyone still out there.....is there anyone still reading this blog???)

I've decided to resurrect this blog! I have been wanting to start blogging again, and have been contemplating whether or not to just start all over, since I'm at a way different point in my life and have much different goals than I did when I first started this blog.  IF I do decide to start a new blog, I will let you all know.  But for now, I will be back to blogging right here! :)

So, just to give you a quick recap on what has been going on in my life.....

*Our daughter Elliot is now 19 months old!  I am so, so lucky that I get to be her mom.  She is the best little girl ever and I can't imagine my life without her.  My entire day revolves around her and I absolutely love it.

*My husband and I bought a restaurant!  He has been the General Manager and Head Chef at a restaurant since it opened 5 years ago.  Last year, the previous owner decided he wanted to sell and it worked out perfectly that we were able to purchase it!  It was a completely terrifying decision, but so far it has been nothing but a blessing for our family.

*We are currently working on purchasing a house!  We have been in a weird situation with our current house and have decided that we need more space.  We have been looking online for a while now and have looked at quite a few houses over the past couple of weeks, and we put an offer in on a house this morning!  Fingers crossed everything works out well and we are in a new house soon!

Other than that, we have been just living life day by day.  Being the owner of the restaurant, my husband is home more often, which is great for all of us.  I am working on getting out and meeting more moms in the community, trying to make sure that Elliot gets the socialization she needs.

I also have decided that I need to once again start focusing on myself.  I have spent the last year and a half (well, much longer than that if you count the whole pregnancy) focusing on raising our little girl, and I realized that I need to also focus on myself.  I joined a gym back in October and have been trying to go as much as possible.  I also have been seeing a personal trainer once a month. I really like having the accountability of working out with a trainer once a month.  She has given me some great ideas oh different work outs. Now, I just need to get my diet in check and hopefully I will start seeing some results!

If you are still around, please comment!  I'd love to see who all is still interested in reading about my journey, and I'd love to see where you are in your journey!