My personal FitBit Review

***If you don't struggle with weight, this post will probably be very boring to you; just a warning*** :)

Confession time: I’ve really struggled with my weight this year. After I had Nathan, I started tracking my calories at 2 weeks post partum and working out at 6 weeks pp and lost the weight within 2 months. He was a very hungry baby, nursing every 2-3 hours during the day until he was almost 6 months old, and every 3-4 hours at night until close to 7 months. My others slept through the night at 6 and 8 weeks—not him. Needless to say, I could pretty much eat whatever I wanted (which was a clean diet) and keep the weight off without trying.

 However, as soon as I stopped nursing I expected to keep eating the same amount and it was not happening. Over the past 10 months I’ve slowly gained about 10 pounds. Now, I’m sure you know how health conscious I am, so I haven’t done it by eating cake and cookies and ice cream every day, although I have had my days like that. You see, you can eat healthy and gain weight, because healthy foods still contain calories.

 Anyway, after a frustrating few weeks of carefully tracking every calorie on loseit (something I’ve had success with in the past) and working out like crazy, I wasn’t seeing any results and was beyond frustrated. I knew I didn’t want to do a crash diet like no carb, no grain, juicing or only fruits and veggies, because I would just gain it all back. The way I lose weight MUST be the way I maintain it—that’s just me.

 After a little research, I discovered something called fitbit. Basically it tracks the calories you burn throughout the day so you can know exactly what you are putting out from walking around your house, doing laundry, laying on the couch, going up stairs or working out. It also tracks your sleep patterns, which is a big part of weight loss. Manually, you can track the calories you eat and the water you drink. I don't even notice I'm wearing it, which I like too!

 What I loved about it was watching my calorie count go up throughout the day, which allowed me to eat more as the day went on—woohoo! For example, I started out my day at around 1100 calories. At the end of the day I was over 1600 because of simple activities, and I’ve been really sick this week so I didn’t even work out. This is 300-500 calories MORE than I was getting before, just because it knows exactly what I’m doing. I love that! I am now thinking that my problem was I wasn’t eating enough so my body went into “starvation mode”. I was going to bed really hungry and waking up almost sick feeling because I was so hungry. After one day wearing this I haven’t felt like that at all. I’m down almost 3 pounds in 3 days after eating a lot more than I normally do and not working out! Yay!

 As soon as I read reviews about it, I looked on Craigslist for one. It just so happened that there was one that had just been posted that day that had only been used once and was 50% less than buying it new. Of course I felt that it was a sign ;) and my very sweet and generous husband bought and programmed it all for me!

 I know I don’t normally write about products on my blog, but I wanted to share because I know there are a lot of people out there who struggle with weight and this is a great tool. Weight Watchers taught me so much about eating, and I loved doing it, but it’s very pricey. For the cost of a few months of Weight Watchers this product is helping me get back to my goals, while using a lot of what WW taught me. And for what we paid, it was about one month of Weight Watchers. Well worth it!

 So, in case you’re interested, here is my current weight loss plan:

11)   No white flour or sugar (I do this on a pretty regular basis, but it’s nice to get “strict” again)

22)  Tracking every bite 6 days a week. One day a week I give myself a break from tracking, but still don’t eat white flour or sugar..

33)Work out 4 days a week. With 3 kids, this seems to be about all I can manage right now! On off days we usually take evening walks.

4 4) No eating after 7pm—unless I have a lot of calories left that I need to eat, because NOT eating them will slow down weight loss.

I’ve lost 4.5 pounds in 2 weeks and already feel so much more toned doing Jillian Michaels 30 day shred (level 2), 2-3 days and my elliptical on the other days. Another one of Jillian’s dvd’s I enjoy is Ripped in 30, level 3.

 Maybe if you are struggling right now, this will be the tool or motivation you need to start your weight loss journey, even if you’ve just crept up a few pounds. Hope this helps!

Healthy Living Tips: Planning Ahead

At the beginning of the year, I bought a marker board and it changed my life. True story. I have everything in one place--my meal plan for that week, grocery needs that come up so I don't forget to put them on my main list, upcoming events, etc, etc. I'm learning that to eat the way I want and need to, it doesn't just happen. I have to plan out how my week will go.
 For instance, I have music practice once a week on Tuesdays at 6:00pm. That means I have to be out the door with the kids at 5:30 and this interferes with us eating dinner at a normal time. If I wait until afterwards, I'll be starving and tempted to pull through a fast food drive-through and blow it on a burger and fries. So Tuesdays is my Crockpot or soup day. I make a meal in the morning and it either cooks in the crockpot or simmers on the stove all day. That evening, we'll eat a little earlier than normal but this way I know dinner will be ready, I can get out the door when I need to and stick to the food that I want to eat.
 Sunday's are the same way. We eat a big lunch after church and then leave for the evening service around 5:00. At that time, I'm not hungry, but after church I'm famished and more than willing to eat the first thing that comes along! So I've started snacking on the way to church. It might be veggies and dip, fruit and some cheese or crackers with peanut butter. It's always small, but it's something to curb the hunger so after church I can eat a normal sized meal rather than gorging on everything in sight. ;)
 Eating and living a healthy lifestyle is not always convenient. It's way too easy to grab pre-packaged, processed foods to snack on or run through a drive-through and have a meal in 1.8 minutes. Making a well rounded, nourishing meal takes planning and time, but if we are willing to think and plan ahead, it will be well worth it in the end!

Healthy Living Tips #2: Portion Control

Welcome to installment #2 of healthy living tips! This week we learned about portion control and I thought I would share a few pointers that might help you learn what a true portion size is. When eating out, it's hard to know exactly how much you are getting. Here are ways you can measure when you're out:

Our fist is equal to one medium fruit or one measured cup

Your palm minus the fingers is a 3 ounce portion of cooked meat

Your thumb (whole thumb, from tip to base) is equal to one ounce of meat or cheese

Your thumb from the tip to the first joint is about 1 tablespoon

Your index finger from the tip to the first joint is about 1 teaspoon

When you are at home, use measuring cups and spoons for cereal, milk, rice and pasta, mayonnaise, butter, oil, dressings, peanut butter, etc. If you have a nutritional scale, use it for meats (weigh after they are cooked), lunch meat, fish and even chips! You'll be surprised how many chips 1 ounce (which is one serving) really is! (Hint--it's not half the bag ;)

Healthy Living Tips, #1: Rearranging the Refrigerator

I'm so excited to bring you my first entry of "Healthy Living Tips"! I've always been very conscious of my weight, tried to eat healthy and work out almost every day, but in the past 3.5 months I had gained about 15 pounds. I spent a lot of time with my family (almost 2 out of the 3 months) and when I'm with them I'm very happy--therefore, I eat. I still work out but I eat more than I burn. Not good.

  It really bugged me that I had gained that much and not been able to take it off--instead, I just added on about 5 more over the holidays and my birthday.

  Anyways, I felt that I needed a little extra motivation because obviously what I was doing was not working. My husband surprised me with a weight watchers membership--because I had been talking and asking about it-- for my birthday and I couldn't have been more thrilled. Not only have I lost 9 pounds in a month, I am learning so much in the meetings each week that help me stay motivated and encouraged.

"Hi, my name is Jenna and I have a problem with FOOD..."

Anyways, I thought that I would share what I learn with you all when I can, thus my first installment of "Healthy Living Tips".

 This week we learned about how to arrange your refrigerator and pantry. You come home at 4pm, you're tired and ravenous. You open the fridge or pantry and what's the first thing you see? If it's last night's take out,  the kids leftover macaroni and cheese, chips or cookies? Chances are, you're gonna grab whatever is easiest to get your hands on and stuff in your mouth. All 8 cookies that are left. Or at least that's what I would do. Which is why I packed on the pounds in the first place!

 So, arrange your fridge so that healthy foods are easily accessible. Take some time at the beginning of the week to chop up some fruit and veggies and place them in clear containers and baggies so you see them as soon as the afternoon munchies sink in. 

 Here's how I arranged mine--strawberries, grapes, celery, peppers and carrots are what I see when I first open it. The kids homemade leftover macaroni and cheese is in the back.

Or I guess I could eat this little guy... ;)

The chopped up fruits were perfect and easy to throw in cereal...

...or to give my crazy little kiddos a mid-morning snack when they are dying of hunger at 10:30 am. 

Needless to say, we have been eating a lot more fruits and veggies around here, simply because they were chopped, ready to go and in clear view! 

I hope these tips will help you all and I'll be sharing more of what I learn with you soon. Please let me know if what I write is helpful to you! :)

A New Discovery

I've heard for a while that you can substitute cauliflower for potatoes--mashed, that is. I've just never tried it until now. And let me tell you--it's wonderful! I love recipes that are high in taste and nutrition and low in calories!

Start with a head of cauliflower

Chop it up into pretty good sized pieces--not too small

Put in water and bring to a boil. You will boil it until it's pretty tender, but not too mushy. (About 20 minutes)

In the meantime, take pictures of your sweet little babies who are already in their pajamas...

...And who are helping scrub the floor :). Sorry. Just couldn't resist adding pictures of my sweeties!

When the cauliflower is tender, drain it and add whatever you would to potatoes and mash it the same way. To save on fat and calories, I added about a heaping TB of "I can't believe it's not butter", salt, pepper and garlic powder. You won't need to add milk as cauliflower is a lot more watery than potatoes.

And there you have it! That creamy, buttery side dish that you crave without the extra carbs, fat and calories! It's not as thick and starchy as potatoes, but it kicks that craving for sure. I've had it twice so far this week. Once with chicken, once with fish. YUM!

ENJOY!

**UPDATED*** Link at the bottom of this post is now working :)


I just wanted to share a wonderful website with all of you! I actually used it 2 years ago when I was trying to lose the weight from Brookie, but didn't use it faithfully and it took me almost a year to lose all the weight.
This time I got on again, have been very faithful with it since the new year, and only have 4.5 pounds to go to get to pre-Joey weight! I'm very excited about that, because I don't lose weight easily from breastfeeding like some people. I have to work at every ounce.
I'll quickly sum up the site in case you want to check it out for yourself.

• It's FREE! This is the best part!
• You put in your gender, weight and height and how much you want to lose. Based on that, SparkPeople gives you how many calories a day you can eat and how much you should burn.
• You track every bite of food. This helps you be successful! They have a huge database of foods, so chances are, anything you eat is in there. That way you know the calories and all nutritional information of what you eat.
• You track exercise minutes and how many cups of water you drink
• You can have a blog page, write on message boards for support or connect with buddies in your area (All Optional)

Yes, it takes time to track everything every day. But if you really want to get serious about losing weight, it's worth it.

Plus, if you know you have to record it, you won't eat seven and a half cookies in between lunch and dinner.

True story.

So, go to http://sparkpeople.com/ and check it out today! Believe me--it's worth it!

I am Addicted!

One of my favorite times of the day is when Brookie is napping, and it involves the following items:

(Except mine are green, but I liked the pink ones better ;)

I'm thankful that my parents have always faithfully worked out and encouraged me, just by doing it. I almost feel like it's ingrained in me. :)

I'm also incorporating more stretches after I'm done because my lower back is really bad when I'm pregnant. These stretches totally relieve the pain I feel when I get done with my routine. My doctor encouraged me to always do it through pregnancy because it drastically helps with fatigue. I have found this to be so true.

What do you do to get yourself moving??

I just Love These!

I have to put a plug in for one of my favorite snacks. :) I know how hard it is to find healthy snacks, especially on the go, but these are awesome! Quaker mini rice cakes have become a real staple around here and I can eat them pretty much guilt free! I'll eat the sour creme and onion or cheddar ones with a sandwich at lunch instead of chips. Because they are small, they give you the same crunch and salty flavor you want when you eat a bag of Lays, just WAY better for you! The rice is puffed, so it's way less calories that most other munchies like this that you can get--including pretzels and sun chips. And the great thing is when you want something sweet, they have apple cinnamon, caramel (tastes like caramel popcorn!) and chocolate.

Give them a try and let me know what you think! If you already eat them, let me know your favorite flavor! Mine are sour creme and onion and apple cinnamon!

'Twas the Month After Christmas!

I got this from a very good friend of mine and just had to post it! It's so true! :)

'Twas the month after Christmas,
and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.

The cookies I'd nibbled,
the eggnog I'd taste
At the holiday parties had gone to my waist.

When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."

As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt.
I said to myself, as I only can
"You can't spend a winter disguised as a man!"

So--away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
Till all the additional ounces have vanished.

I won't have a cookie--not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.

I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore,
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

Celebrating Labor Day

So, I finally did it: I lost 5 pounds last month. Those 5 pounds have been haunting me for months! I literally worked my bottom off for this, I feel so much better and mostly I'm just so happy to have conquered my flesh! :) I'm hoping to lose 5 more in the next month, but we'll see how I do. In the beginning I wanted to lose 10, but I am trying to set more realistic goals for myself by doing it in 5 pound increments. Now I only have 5 more to lose! So, on this labor day, I am celebrating the victory of my labor to lose this weight! :)

Benefits of H2O

I have finally started drinking 8 glasses of water a day. I have always loved water, but knew that I never drank enough. Now I have been drinking more because I know it is so good for me. To drink the right amount of water a day, you really have to make a point of it.

Drinking 8 glasses of water a day (or 1/2 of your body weight in ounces) can help:

• Hydration of internal organs, enabling them to function properly
  
• Hydration of skin, keeping it looking fresh and healthy (I like this one!)
  
• Weight control
  
• Increased energy
  
• Alleviating/preventing a variety of ailments and keeping the immune system healthy
  
• Regulating body temperature
  
• Flushing out waste and toxins
  
• Maintaining overall health
  

We are made up of 70% water, so water is vital to our being! When you drink something caffeinated, drink an extra glass to rehydrate your body. Caffeine can dehydrate you, so make sure you drink extra water if you have a Starbucks or even a tea!