Day 80: Building Trust in your own Body

Trust is a funny thing. It can take years to truly build it up. Just a moment to destroy it.

For years I didn't trust my body. I didn't believe it could do the things that it's actually capable of doing. My health was so poor that I just didn't trust myself to get over-exerted. I think some of this fear can be related to people, who like me, who have suffered panic attacks before. If you've ever been through that, you don't want to do ANYTHING that makes you feel that way again. An experience that exerts your body so forcefully, so angrily, without your permission. It's a horrible feeling.

When I look back at the few months I spent working out in a gym a few years ago I now realize that one of the reasons it didn't "work" for me, was because I didn't trust my body. My trainer tried to force me to trust my body, but that just doesn't work. She knew my body could do more than I was allowing myself too, but no one can just make you have that trust. You have to learn to trust your body.

It's been 80 days since I started walking back in August. I started by walking every day of the week, but as the weather has changed and my 8-5 has become more challenging, I now average about 4 days a week. I generally walk between 2-3 miles just depending on how I feel. Some days I try to power walk and do it as quickly as I can, to help me train for upcoming 5K's. Other days however,  I just want to enjoy the walk, feel the air against my face, and watch the changing of the seasons.

What I didn't realize was slowly happening over these past 80 days was that I was building endurance and learning to trust my body. I am a creature of habit and change does not come easy for me. "Change" for me (for the most part) works best in small, manageable stages. Trust, apparently, can happen the same way. Little by little, step by step.

It wasn't until Michael and I participated in the media day at Cherry Point that I realized just how much stronger my body had become. The day was very physical from just being in a hurry going from one place to the next, to climbing up into a very small, tight helicopter space, to practically running up and down many, many flights of steps on the USS Kearsarge.

When the day was over and Michael and I were finally getting a bite to eat for dinner, it dawned on me how much I did that day. How I completely trusted my body to perform without even thinking about it. That would not have happened 3 months ago. And truly, I would not have been able to do it well. I was not in the mental or physical shape to do those activities without a second thought.

But when we signed up to do this event, it never even dawned on me how physically challenging the day would be, and that very fact... that I didn't even THINK about it... was a huge accomplishment in itself.

When you don't trust your body, you think about every single activity beforehand... from just heading to the grocery store, to driving your car, to your route from the parking lot to your office, to planning vacations around simple, easy activities with no steps, etc... You think about every physical activity your body can handle. Everything. Sometimes not even consciously, you just automatically find an easier way to work around a situation. And hear me out on this... This is NOT necessarily a bad thing, we have to be able to know what we can and cannot do physically and emotionally... but when you don't trust your body, you aren't often willing to test the limits of what your body can actually do. There's a fine line between real ability and challenging yourself to gain strength and endurance.

In the past I've been a big fan of shows like "The Biggest Loser" and "Extreme Makeover," but what those shows don't tell you is weight loss and regaining health is about so much more than just losing weight and having an exercise routine.

It's about slowly taking the time to trust your body, it's about slowly, SLOWLY changing your mindset towards food, (and much more importantly) towards how you deal with difficult situations, and how you handle life each and every day. This kind of change just doesn't happen overnight.

To change your weight permanently, means changing your entire frame-of-reference in terms of how you comfort yourself, how you handle stress, and how you face challenges. It means truly changing how you think, how to handle your feelings, and how you live every day.

• Which is why diets in general don't work.

• Which is why extreme makeovers rarely last. 

• And why shows like "The Biggest Loser" often do not result in lifelong change. 

Real change takes a lot of time... not just weeks or even months...it can take years. This means it takes a lot of patience as well. True patience in your whole-self, not just your physical body. Real change means learning how to safely build trust in your body and eventually being able to accept new physical and mental challenges.

In a nutshell, it means other people can't force us to change or to trust our bodies. (At least in my personal experience!) Learning to trust your body enough to test it's limits and build endurance takes TIME. It also takes practice and the willingness to keep going... little by little... step by step!

An October Food & Exercise Update & Kittehs

October has been a busy month! We participated in another 5K, this was focused on Autism Awareness in Greenville, NC. We participated with a BUNCH of kids who were part of a running club (I had no idea such a thing existed for kids!) and it was so inspiring to see these kids take part of a 5K (and completely kick our butts along the way! lol)... It was a really fun event! Michael and I both finished around 49 minutes which was a record for us! I had burning lungs, but it felt really good to shave 6 minutes off my time from the September 5K! 

This month was also a milestone for us as Michael and I celebrated 10 years of marriage! It's gone by so fast, and it's fun to look back on the blog, because we had only been married 3 years when I started writing Ginger Lemon Girl... so we've grown along with this blog! 

It also marked a month of a huge change in our way of eating. I decided to start following a "whole-foods-plant-based-low-oil" eating plan. Basically the "McDougall Plan" if you're familiar with vegetarian/vegan doctor programs. Of course I follow the plan the best way I can with a gluten intolerance and a soy allergy, so I'm definitely not 100% McDougall, but very close. I decided with my Dad's medical history of heart problems and other health issues that it was time to make a permanent change. And somehow, it's been relatively easy. Much easier than I thought it would be. 

I also had a recent check up at my doctor's office and I had lost 11 pounds since my visit in late August and my blood pressure was the lowest it's ever tested in the past 10 years. My doctor said that I may even be able to go off one of my blood pressure medications very soon! So I feel very good about this dietary decision. I feel like I'm headed in the right direction to regain my overall health and I feel like I'm truly feeding my body well. I'm also incredibly thankful my husband is so supportive and willing to eat most of the "new" foods in our menu rotation! :-) 

I thought I'd share a sample of some of the things from our kitchen the past few weeks. Most don't have a specific recipe... just things I threw together to make a quick meal. I have not used any animal products in over a month and for my spiritual and religious beliefs...along with my health, it's just been a really great decision. 

 Rice chex with almond milk, sliced almonds, and blueberries... loaded cereal is always a favorite breakfast or snack! 

One of my favorite snacks right now is just plain 'ol drained & rinsed canned chickpeas (garbanzo beans). I could make them from scratch, but the canned variety from Harris Teeter is so easy! This snack is what seriously pulled me through the first week of being vegan. I think I probably ate at least 3 cans!

 In some ways after I had spend so much time and energy writing cookbooks the past few years I was "over" cooking and prep work. I just didn't want to do it anymore, it was major burnout... but changing my way of eating has given me a new energy in the kitchen and helped me to enjoy cooking again! This is the prep for kale & potato hash, one of my favorite breakfasts! Chopped potatoes, mushrooms, kale, green pepper, onions, and there's garlic in there somewhere!

The finished hash! I served it with salsa and half an avocado per serving. One of the keys to following a "McDougall" type plan is to eat as many whole-food, plant-foods as possible with no added oils. McDougall recommends that the fats in your diet come from whole food sources such as avocado, seeds, or nuts. I limit these foods because I'm trying to lose weight, but include one or two servings a week. 

A rare treat! I doubt these muffins were actually vegan or oil-free, but they WERE GLUTEN-FREE and this was from a meal out at Sweet Tomatoes in Raleigh, NC! Recently they have started offering a limited selection of gluten-free baked goods occasionally and these were gluten-free maple nut muffins. They were absolutely delicious and I was so impressed with Sweet Tomatoes offering a gluten-free baked good for those with celiac or gluten sensitivity.

My salad from our meal out at Sweet Tomatoes. It's amazing to me that I can enjoy a salad without eggs or cheese on it. I honestly never thought that was something I could do long term. But I feel SO GOOD with this way of eating, that I really don't miss the animal proteins at all. They even had gluten-free chilled brown rice pasta on the salad bar! This salad was early in my journey, so the dressing was not dairy-free (at least I don't think it was)... now I'm usually dressing salads with red wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar, or a homemade tahini lemon dressing... and freshly ground salt & pepper.

 This was a "no-meat" loaf... in which Michael was seriously heavy-handed on the ketchup! haha! This recipe was from the Happy Herbivore cookbook, it was called "The Hippie Loaf" created for a friend who had celiac disease. We honestly were not big fans of this version of a no-meat loaf. I prefer this version that I tried several years ago... however, the mashed potatoes were made from yukon gold potatoes and simply mashed with Harris Teeter vegetable broth, a little nutritional yeast, and lots of added garlic and onion seasoning... we ate the entire pot. I love not feeling guilty about eating mashed potatoes!

For breakfast and sometimes lunch I often have veggie sandwiches loaded with hummus, sliced red peppers, sliced mushrooms, alfalfa sprouts, sliced tomatoes, sliced cooked potatoes, spinach, kale, etc... all put between two slices of gluten-free bread for me... it's filling, healthy, and is a perfect vegan "fast food" meal. McDougall recommends making your own hummus without any added oils and limited tahini (or no tahini)... because I live in the real world and I'm just trying to get through my 9-5 everyday, I use Food Lion's Taste of Inspirations types of hummus. They don't have a lot of added oil (and are definitely not swimming in it like some brands) and I use gluten-free bread from the store that does have egg whites. It's important to me to share this because while it doesn't follow the McDougall plan completely, it's close and it's still a very healthy way to eat and it works for my personal time limitations. I truly believe you have to make a plan work for you the best way you can. Otherwise, how will you stick with it? For these sandwiches, I try to slice & prep any ingredients and have them ready in the fridge for a quick meal anytime during the week. Hummus has become my mayonnaise and I LOVE slathering it on these sandwiches!

This was a meal I made a few nights ago and it would be a really great idea for the holidays. I had bought two medium-sized acorn squashes and I wanted to fill them with something other than rice (I've eaten a lot of rice! lol)... so I decided to make a stuffing with some of the gluten-free bread we had, chopped spinach, chopped & roasted chestnuts, celery, onions, sunflower seeds, and poultry seasoning. I used vegetable broth as the "binder" for the stuffing and this meal was THE BOMB! It would definitely be a great meal for the holidays, it tasted a lot like my favorite Thanksgiving stuffing, without feeling guilty about carb overload!

This was a comfort food night. I wanted something soupy with potatoes, so we made an easy succotash stew. Just peeled & boiled red potatoes and added a can of corn, tomatoes, and lima beans to the potatoes and cooking broth. I actually made this at my mother-in-law's house and everyone seemed to enjoy it for a late dinner that night.

Dinner out for our anniversary! I can't give up sushi, so I made the decision to have veggie sushi that night and it was delicious! I had two orders of avocado sushi, and one order of a veggie roll which included avocado, cucumbers, and two types of Japanese pickles. I was a very happy camper. This was a cornerstone meal to me because I really wanted to "cheat" and order my favorite Philly roll with smoked salmon and cream cheese... but I stuck to my plan and it worked and I felt great after our dinner. 

Along with the food changes, walking has become my favorite form of both meditation and exercise. I walk 4-5 days out of each week and it's easier on some days than others. But it's slowly becoming a habit I love and something I look forward too. At first I walked most mornings around 4:30am because my work schedule had changed and that forced me to get up earlier. However... as it's gotten colder in the mornings, I've gotten lazy and become a wimp... and now generally walk at the duck pond at work around 10am. Either way... it's happening and I'm glad! I love getting that daily dose of fresh air, stretching my legs, and having that time to be thankful and meditative for the day ahead.

And last but not least... PIZZA! And that's a vegan pizza no less! This is definitely a treat because it has Daiya vegan (and gluten-free and soy-free) cheese on it, and the crust has added oil, but I can't give up pizza out occasionally and I'm just thrilled I can still get it and enjoy it and not feel guilty about it. My favorite place to get pizza is Zpizza, but Mellow Mushroom now has a vegan, gluten-free crust available as well. To be MORE McDougall compliant, I can easily leave off the Daiya and just have a tomato sauce & veggie pizza. It dawned on me about 2 months ago that over the past year I had not ordered a pizza with meat. There have been many small changes in my eating along the way that have enabled this change to come at the right time. And apparently over the past year, I've preferred a veggie pizza every time! This must be why! :-) 

*********

And because I've been suck a slacker in my posting schedule, I thought I'd share some kitteh pictures with  you! Enjoy! 

Mollie in her favorite place lately, snuggled next to Michael in his chair.  

Max & Maya, lifelong snuggle buddies

 Max is not so much of a lapcat, but he will sit in the cat tree and stare at you intently for hours! It can be kind of creepy some days... lol!

 This is my mother-in-law's cat Tobie. He loves to sit in the fabric between her foot rest and chair when she's dozing in the living room! 

Charlie & Whiskey... these boys are bestest buddies and it's a rare day to find one not next to or on top of the other! 

Have a wonderful week! 

Thankful Thursdays: Walking the Duckpond

This is Fred & Ned. I've just named them. Cheryl says that Fred looks like he needs some moisturizer on that shell!  I see them nearly every time I walk at the duck pond at work.  They love to get sun on this spot every day. There's a small bridge above it and it's fun to stop and look down at them enjoying the warm weather.

Depending on the time of year you can see all sorts of wildlife at the pond. From turtles to ducks to squirrels, etc... it's a fun place to go when you need a walk or to take a break from the work day.

It's a relaxing place in the midst of a busy medical campus. I've been trying to walk here several times a week when I'm work. It breaks up the day, it lets me enjoy the sunshine, and along the way see these furry and feathered critters every week, which definitely makes my days better.

photo from ECU Division of Health Sciences

I'm really thankful to have a beautiful place like this to retreat too during my work day! The pond is about 1/3 mile around so 3 times around (or 3 laps) makes 1 mile. I keep track of my laps by using this string of beads that I made when I visited my friend Amy a few weeks ago.

It can be the most simple things that bring us great joy every day! I'm thankful for the pond, my string of beads made with good friends, and all these wonderful critters I see on each walk!

What are you thankful for today?

July 2012 Virtual Self-Care Retreat

This month I'm honored to be participating in Cheryl Harris' July 2012 Self-Care Retreat. I feel like in many ways my blog has morphed from being a food blog into one that's more centered on holistic wellness and self-care. In many ways that transition has been due to the amazing coaching I've received from Cheryl Harris of Harris Whole Health (and author of the blog GF Goodness) over the past year and a half.

I will be writing a post for Saturday July 21 on how simply being creative can share a huge role in self-care. Until my post rolls around, I hope you'll visit the other incredible bloggers who are participating in this event.

More information about the July 2012 Self-Care Retreat
--borrowed from Valerie's latest post! Thank you for such a thorough write-up Valerie!

Our fantastic group of bloggers and themes:

• June 30th Food: Cheryl of Gluten-Free Goodness 
• July 7th Support and Connection: Valerie of City Life Eats 
• July 14th Movement : Shirley of Gluten Free Easily (GFE) 
• July 21st Creativity: Carrie of Ginger Lemon Girl 
• July 28th Inward Reflection: Iris of The Daily Dietribe 

These posts are to inspire you all to make July a month of reflecting on self-care and the many ways to nourish ourselves. We would like everyone to participate in this event in a way that feels appropriate to them, whether that’s through personal reflection, journal or other self-care. If you would like to share your experience with self-care, we would love to include you in the experience, whether you join us for one week or every week. You can write generally about self-care and how you include it in your life, or “try on” one of the practices we’re blogging about over the course of the next week (food, support and connection, movement, creativity and inward reflection). We ask that you link back to this post so that more people can learn about this retreat, and leave a comment for the weekly theme host, too! At the end of the month, we’ll include a roundup of all the self-care posts you write to inspire others to work on their own self-care.

As a little added incentive, for each post on your goals and your progress you link back here or one of the other co-hosts, you’ll be entered to receive a $50 gift certificate to Nuts.com (they are not sponsoring, Cheryl is donating this gift and wanted something with healthy gluten-free, vegan, sugar-free, etc. options).

Valerie updated last year’s badge to use for the retreat; feel free to use it in your posts. If you would like to be included in our roundup and the drawing, please email a link to your post, along with your name and blog name, to us at selfcareretreat at gmail dot com by July 30, 2012.

Non-bloggers who would like to contribute, please e-mail the full text to the same address and it will be included in the roundup.

 For a “flavor” of previous retreats, here’s a link to the July Self-Care Retreat and the December Sanity Challenge.

Gym Hamster - Week 9 Update - Lifestyle Changes

It's week 9 at the gym and that's no April Fool! My workout is pretty routine now. I rotate equipment every day I go so that work outs aren't completely the same... but I'm also interested in trying some classes now!

I've noticed when I work out at home with "Leslie" I often push myself harder than I would at the gym because she encourages me to do so. And sometimes all we need is a little push!  So next week I want to try one or two classes at the gym and see what they "feel" like, I really want to be challenged.

Weight loss for me has been slow but steady. As much as I would like to lose weight more quickly I feel like this is the first time in my life I'm truly understanding what it means to eat healthily for my body for LIFE. That this change will have to be lifelong. It can't just stop once I've lost the weight I need to lose.

When I lost weight "the first time" in my adult life, it was just before I got married. And it wasn't because I was getting married... we had super quick engagement and decided in two months to plan a wedding and get married... because we roll like that. (lol since Sally thought "shot gun" seemed inappropriate since babies weren't involved!)  But previous to those decisions I lost fifty pounds.

I lost weight initially by using the Leslie Sansone Walk Away the Pounds videos (and they were literally VIDEOS back then! lol), then joining Curves and meticulously watching what I ate. I used several methods to keep track of my food. I used a "Food Mover"  from Richard Simmons... I attempted Weight Watchers... several times... I cut out ALL carbs for a few weeks (that didn't last long)... I don't remember everything I did... but it was never consistent. I never learned how to make healthy eating (or exercising) a LIFESTYLE. 

And that's what is different this go around. I lost weight quickly five years ago... but I didn't do it in the right way. And it didn't "stick."

On this journey, I want it to "stick." I want working out just to be a part of life, not something I do to lose weight. I want healthy meals and keeping portions in check to be part of every day... not just for a few months "this time."

So really today, it's just about realizing this is life. I've never going to be someone who can eat "anything they want" and be healthy. It just doesn't work for my body that way. But it doesn't mean I can't have a cupcake when I want one. It means to simply have ONE, be mindful of eating it, and remember that it's not something to be eaten every day. But it doesn't mean I have to cut it out completely as I did in the past. That wasn't healthy either.

What is something that's simply part of a healthier lifestyle for you today? Something not necessarily about weight loss, but just something that you know you have to do to be healthier forever?

Gym Hamster: Week 6 - Learning to Breathe

I love this little contemplative hamster! Life has been challenging this week. I've made it to the gym... but stress hit an all time high on Tuesday. I had to deal with a family crisis. In the past I'm not sure I would have been bold enough to share about this publicly... but we all need to share our struggles. While details can still be private... it's important to know we aren't the only ones who deal with very hard and very personal family challenges. Alcoholism is a silent disease that is all too often ignored or avoided. It's time to stop avoiding the issues and face the problems that alcohol can cause.

Alcoholism has deep roots in my family. It's the reason I hate the smell of beer or liquor on anyone's breath. It's the reason I get nervous around anybody who's drinking. Alcoholism can tear families apart. It causes unnecessary worry, stress, and health problems. Even (maybe especially) when you're not the one drinking. It's like a cancer that just will not go away... It's especially hard when it effects the people closest to you. It's hard not to blame. It's hard not to be angry. It's hard not to want to shake sense into somebody... even though you know that's not really possible. It's hard to realize sometimes people are absolutely responsible for their own actions and they have to learn how to deal with the consequences. It's hard to realize that sometimes people do not want to change. And as much as you want to help them and as much as you wish things were different... you have to deal with life as it is and always hope for the best.

The crisis hit Tuesday night. We were supposed to head over to a GF support group meeting, but it was disrupted. I spent a good part of that evening on the phone with family members until I knew things were okay for the moment. Often incidences like this can move me into a panic attack. While I'm in the midst of the situation I can be calm, controlled, and directive... but once the wind has blown and settled... the panic can set in. The anger, the frustrations, the sadness, it all can just come to a head...and all those emotions balled up into one can result in some serious emotional eating. That's my alcohol... the food.

But with the help of my husband... I took a different approach that night. I did eat a few chips (it was 9 -I counted! lol) for some crunch action. Then I stopped and thought about what I could do to immediately help myself deal with the situation. My husband made me a cup of hot tea sweetened with honey... and I pulled out the laptop and went online to a wonderful site called "Step Chat" which is an amazing site that provides free, online "AA" and "Al-Anon" meetings. These meetings are held in online chatrooms, but they are run by volunteers in a very, very professional manner and it was exactly what I needed. By God's amazing timing there was a meeting just a few minutes after I logged onto the site. I felt such an immense sense of relief after sharing my story with the support group that I just felt the frustrations and stress simply release away. If you know me well you know I'm a very private person... it's hard for me to share such deeply personal things... but I wanted to share this with you because it was so healing for me. I will continue to attend these online meetings several times a week if I can.

I was proud of myself for not immediately turning to food. I was proud of myself for being willing to deal with the situation right then and there and not ignore it. I was proud of being able to be strong enough to cry and know it was okay. I know that's a huge step for me... and I'm thankful for friends who have been brutally honest with me about getting help with my emotional struggles.

So I've done a lot of breathing this week. A lot of listening to my body. In a way I'm thankful for the crisis that happened this week. Sometimes we don't know how strong we can truly be until we are put to the test and have the patience, strength, and faith to get through it. Breathe.

It's been a great week at the gym. While I don't officially have a weigh in until Saturday I know I'm down at least a pound this week! A WHOLE pound! I was really stalling there for a few weeks so to see that kind of progress is incredibly encouraging and invigorating.

I've also turned to exercise this week not only to get healthy, but to get serious stress relief. Punching it with every step on the treadmill, every turn of the recumbent bike, every knee lift with the ark trainer I dealt with some serious issues on those machines. And I'm thankful. And I still deeply love my family despite the struggles.

I'm breathing.  I'm blessed and I AM STRONG.

Gym Hamster - Week 4 Update

I am convinced a treadmill and/or recumbent bike is nothing more than a human hamster wheel. Of course hamsters run in hopes of not only exercising, but hoping they end up somewhere else... and really it's what you do on a treadmill too. You want to end up somewhere else. You want to be in a different place. For a while it seems absolutely silly. It certainly doesn't look like you're going anywhere... but you are. It's just slow. It takes a lotta miles on that treadmill (or my favorite recumbent bike) to actually see where you're headed.

Overall my weight loss has not yet been significant. I hope in the next few weeks to be below the 200 pound mark. And that will be awesome... then I'll start looking forward to getting below the 190 mark... but I know this will be a slow process. It can be all too easy to want to focus on the numbers when I know I'm making progress in other areas.

A major off-the-scale victory this week is my blood pressure... Literally the day before I started going to the gym my doctor started me on a 2nd blood pressure medication. Having to get on another medication was a serious wake up call. I was already extremely frustrated by my weight gain... but having to go on a 2nd blood pressure medication at 32 was just crazy. I HAVE to stop this cycle. I have too. I already have high cholesterol and high triglycerides. Those diagnoses along with being obese are primary indicators of metabolic syndrome. Meaning my body doesn't process sugars well... it's called being insulin resistant. You can read more about that here. Another common indicator of metabolic syndrome is diabetes...and I do NOT want to head down that road. So it's time to stop the cycle.

When I checked my blood pressure at the gym before exercising yesterday it was 117/79. That is the lowest it's been in YEARS. IT gives me real hope that I can eventually lose enough weight and get healthy enough to possibly get off the medication completely! And that's an off the scale victory I will celebrate!

I've been journaling my progress on a little blog called "Gluten Free Strawberry" feel free to read the blog if you'd like. It's more of a way for me to quietly journal and figure this thing out... and it's helpful. It also helps keep me accountable.

This week has been easier than I thought it would be. I've just been going to the gym. I don't even really think about it. It's also my date with Dr. Phil! :-P I listen to the show on my mp3 player while I'm exercising (we all need excuses to watch Dr. Phil right?) and I almost feel like it's really becoming just a habit. Just something I do during my week. Just another part of my daily schedule. And that is huge.

I really appreciate all of your support and prayers in this journey. I really couldn't do this without the support from so many friends & fellow bloggers. The support of my online community is amazing and I am so blessed! Thank you!

How's your week going?

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

Gym Hamster Recovers - Week 3 Update

Gym Hamster & hubs spent a LOT of time sleeping this week. Constant coughing, headaches, sinus pain and drainage, nausea... you name it we had it. Hubs actually is getting over a double whammy of bronchitis and pneumonia... so it's been a rough week for us. I haven't made it to the gym once... but that's okay. I'm ready to start again next week.

Honestly, I was scared to get sick. I thought if I get sick and I miss my "routine" of going to the gym, I'll never get back into it. That's it... I can't stick with anything once I break my "routine" I'm done for.

But through the whole time of being sick and now being on the mend... I know I'm not done for. Throughout this whole week, while I didn't go to the gym, I still was very careful about what I was eating. While I didn't write things down in my journal (which can be dangerous) I listened to my body. I ate only when I was hungry. I stopped when I was full. It was pretty amazing to me actually. I did have an afternoon when I REALLY wanted to munch and I wanted it to be chocolate... but I realized that I was just hungry since I hadn't eaten anything since an early lunch, so I had an apple with 2 measured tablespoons of peanut butter.  Craving gone. Solved. I listened.

I'm learning how to make this a lifestyle. What's so different about this approach to everything I've done in the past is that I'm seriously taking it step by step. Day by day. I'm changing small things, which lead to bigger things.

I know a 70 lb. weight loss is a LONG way away... I have an unofficial goal of hopefully meeting that number by next year. But more importantly I'm focused on the routine. Make it to the gym when you're well. Stay home when you're sick. Eat well regardless of how you feel. Listen to your body. Celebrate every tiny off-the-scale victory. You're worth it.

Thoughtfully,
Carrie

Gym Hamster - Week 2 Update

So I'm not exactly a "gym rat" yet... but we'll settle for gym hamster with itty bitty weights... I'm getting there.

It's week two. The novelty of the gym showers has worn off, but I do look forward to going! My goal is 3-4 days a week: 45 minutes of cardio each time + this week I'm adding a strength training routine for at least one day a week.

This gym has a cool system that tracks your progress & keeps a routine scheduled for you.. so basically you just have to show up and do it.

If anything, this is something huge I'm learning: Just show up. Don't think about it, don't question it. It doesn't matter if you don't want too.  Just do it. Nike makes a lot of money for a reason.

I've already had several days when I really haven't wanted to go. I'm tired. It makes my already busy life even busier... it means less time with my husband in the afternoons. It means meals are even simpler than they already were and not anything exciting. It means this week I haven't been able to keep up with those dishes that are always haunting me... but I also know eventually I'll figure it all out.

I know eventually I'll figure out how to balance all of it and it will eventually just become a way of life. But it doesn't happen immediately. I think most of my life I've expected "immediately."

Sign up for Erin's Newletter & Updates here: GlutenFreeFitness.com

One person who has really helped me over the past two months is Erin Elbertson of GlutenFreeFitness.com. She's been a constant email support. She's answered every question I've had. She's been my cheerleader & advisor. She's an amazing woman. I will soon be sharing my absolute praise for her & her gluten free nutrition and wellness program. I highly recommend her program if you need help getting your fitness & nutrition back on track. Trust me, it will be worth EVERY penny. Erin, I can't thank you enough my friend. You are such an inspiration to me.

So, as life changes, so will this website. I apologize in advance that I won't be able to update you with new recipes nearly as often as I have in the past... I will as I have time and as always, I'm ever thankful that you are reading, baking gluten free, and enjoying the recipes here. There will be more!

I hope you are all having a wonderful week!

Thoughtfully,
Carrie