Mother Hen and Chick

Day 7 It has been a week filled with sneezing & tissues. I'm trying to let my body fight off my sinus woes but I finally gave in to meds today. Tonight I plan on using the Neti Pot. My point is that I didn't add anything new Tuesday or Wednesday. Today I am replacing my creamer with Vanilla Almond Milk. The first time I tried it in my coffee I wasn't sure but it is winning me over. I needed a lower calorie creamer that had at least some sort of benefit unlike my typical creamer. This switch has moved me from 180 calories to 80. A daily savings of 100 calories can definitely add up. I would eventually like to drink my coffee black but I am happy with the current avenue.   Changes: Day 1: No drinks with sugar. (Current exception is creamer). Day 2: No donuts & little debbie type snacks. Day 3: No added salt. Day 4: Add 50 Jumping Jacks per day. Day 5: Smaller meat portions. Day 6: Two meatless meals per week (at least).  Da...

Choices Day 6 I was rather successful this weekend. I have decided to kick day 5 up a notch and also do at least two meals a week without meat. I ate a chopped salad for lunch today using as little dressing as possible. I love chopped salads and normally I eat them with chicken. Today I went without. I noticed I don't feel sluggish since I haven't indulged in empty carbs today either. I already feel better and it is just day 6. Amazing what a few changes can quickly accomplish. I'm thankful for quick results because I need all the motivation I can get. My favorite chopped salad is Dole Sunflower Crunch. I love it and as stated earlier I use as little as possible (at most half the dressing packet). I wish they would add nutrition info for the dressing separately. Or sell it without dressing. I'm sure there is a brand out there not available at my rural grocery store. Changes: Day 1: No drinks with sugar. (Current exception is creamer). Day 2: No donuts & littl...

Happy Friday! Life changes are starting to add up. Im looking forward to life long results. I love salt. I even salt watermelon. So Im cutting back on salt. With a long family history of heart disease & my high blood pressure this is no doubt a good addition to the life change list. The weekend is about to hit so I better decide on the next two days now or I will skip them. For Day 4 I will add 50 jumping jacks to the daily routine. Day 5. This one pains me to type. Smaller meat portions. Ugh. I love meat. We raise our own beef & pork. Having all this farm fresh raised meat in my freezer is a blessing. I need to simply eat an appropriate serving size. Stopping: Day 1: Drinks with sugar. (Current exception is creamer). Day 2: Donuts & little debbie type snacks. Day 3: Added Salt. Day 4: 50 Jumping Jacks Day 5: Smaller meat portions.

Today I am giving up donuts and little debbie type snacks. Sadly this is another bad daily habit. Im sure I will see noticeable results dropping these items from daily consumption. Working next to a grocery store is a big part of why this is an ongoing battle. I have managed to avoid delicious donuts in the office break room. Small victories. I am switching to fiber one bars. Overtime I would like to go to something different but going from a 300+ calorie snack down to 140-150 calorie snack is an improvement. Stopping: Day 1: Drinks with sugar. (Current exception is creamer). Day 2: Donuts & little debbie type snacks.

Why do I fight losing weight so dramatically? Ive fought with this for years. Discipline and an iron will seem to be hard to summon these days. I have lost over 40 lbs before so why cant I do it again? This question has been buzzing in my brain the last few weeks. I have decided to take it day by day as of right now. Today I will stop drinking sugary drinks -which I am fairly reliable at but I have fallen back into the bad habit. I will limit my pumpkin spice creamer habit which is currently adding 180 extra calories per day. So today I am committing to cutting sugary drinks. Hopefully breaking these changes down into small steps will make for longer lasting success. I need long term success.

Oh Zucchini you are a prolific garden wonder. But what will I do with you? We planted over 20 zucchini plants this spring and are reaping the harvest. Zucchini is a sturdy squash with great bug resistance. A summer staple. Here are a few great ideas for utilizing your abundance: 1. Grated. Grate and freeze zucchini for baking breads, pancakes, or for sneaking veggies into anything. 2. Diced/chopped. Stir fry is a go to meal for us and zucchini is a healthy veggie to put in the mix. Great for roasting in the oven as well. We freeze lots. 3. Noodles. For a lower carb option run the zucchini through a veggie noodle maker. Bake the zucchini for a short time and pour off the water. Stir fry in oil at higher heat until tender then add spaghetti sauce. Shocked me that this was actually good and not a pinterest lie. 4. Apple replacement. Replace apples with zucchini in pies, crisps, and cakes. 5. Pineapple replacement. My MIL cans zucchini in pineapple juice. Zucchini takes on th...

I have disappeared from blogging for a few months. I met my 10lb goal in March. I have let a couple pounds start to creep back on including bad habits. Ive started again to get closer to my long term goal weight. I will be on beach vacation in two months so Im planning on pulling 2 sessions of 4 weeks of dieting with a weekend break. Starting weight of 171.4. Goal of 141.4 for vacation. 30lbs is a tall order for two months! Today's Menu Lots of water! Breakfast: Wonderslim Oatmeal Cookie Coffee (with creamer. I forgot to use sugar free.) Lunch 6 oz. Tyson Fajita Chicken Strips Dole Chopped Salad Teeny Tiny Smidge of the Dole Dressing Snack: Wonderslim Chocolate Cream Pudding/Shake Dinner: 2 cups okra sauteed in olive oil. Wonderslim Hot Chocolate Im not sure why I begin things in the midst of activity but Im hoping it will be a welcome distraction from food deprivation. I will be decorating the church foyer and hallway for VBS this week. Then leading cra...

MobiSave My sister is wonderful about sending me great grocery savings app. This one has more options for "any brand". Although the pay out may not be big it is still something and it is deposited directly into your PayPal account. I laughed at all the prunes currently on rebate but we are having to feed my gal prunes on a regular basis so I cashed in lol. You do not have to scan each purchase. Unlock deals, shop, then upload your receipt. Hurray! https://www.mobisave.com/

I may have fallen off the weight loss bandwagon but I have thankfully kept running. With fluctuating temps, lack of daylight, and painful hips I have still tried to fit runs in. I am in the second week of couch to 5k app and slowly plugging along. My last run felt great and I was proud that the 90 seconds of running with 2 minutes of walking was a great next step. Ive been feeling rather bummed by my need to ice my shins and hips but it has definitely helped relieve soreness. Weight loss. I was doing great and started to fall back into old habits. I'm going to go ahead and get on a quicker diet copied from Ideal Protein. I should lose 3-5 lbs a week which is more attractive number. I ordered my food and plan to start this week. I want to be 40 lbs down. I plan to go in 5 week increments with a short break then back into 5 week push. I've asked God for discipline. I cannot do this on my own accord. Im searching for my copy of Made to Crave. The author understands the struggl...

I have mixed feelings about running. When I was in dynamite shape in high school I still didn't enjoy long distance running. I love sprints. I feel like it is a metaphor for my life. It is harder to pace yourself and follow a task through when you would rather put forth a burst of effort and be finished quickly. Five years ago two of my friends and I started the Couch to 5K App. There are several free versions. We all kept the course with a 5k race and a girls night planned at the end of the 8 weeks. We did it. We were proud. Sadly I didnt do well keeping up after the race. Partially due to shin splints and plugged ducts(breastfeeding) but mostly due to lack of discipline. Fast forward. Now we are all moms and one of us is facing a family health crisis. We all were thinking we should give this another go. Yesterday I started the app. I love the Couch to 5K. It starts of alternating walking and running and eventually the walking lessens and lessens. There is a week or two that I...

I am down 1.6 pounds in two weeks! It may now sound like much but I have accomplished this with a couple simple changes. No more daily doughnut and a better afternoon snack. These are two areas that I have failed miserably at over the years. I wanted to get them under control for long term weight management. I am currently eating a bacon, egg, and cheese croissant for breakfast. I have not decided what I should replace this with. I need something incredibly simple. I am considering doing diy breakfast bowls on Sundays for the week. Freezing if necessary.  Praying for lasting changes in my life. Have a great day.

My sweet gal broke into a large rash at 5 months old. We took her into the pediatrician to discover she had very dry skin. All the extra baths during the hot humid summer dried her out. We started trying eczema creams. I bought Aveeno and Eucerin brand. Aveeno brand baby eczema cream felt like a slightly thicker lotion and did little to conquer the extremly dry skin. My daughter is sensitive like me so I had been rooting for Aveeno. Then I tried the Eucerin brand baby eczema cream and was very pleased. Thick and not as greasy as I feared. Her skin began to heal with twice per day applications. We also cut baths down to 2-3 times per week.  motherhenandchickar .blogspot.com   Fast forward to my now 23 month old during the winter months. She started to get dry again so I have been putting the Eucerin eczema baby cream on every night with pjs. Her skin has completely healed in a week. We have only given her baths 2-3 times per week since she was five months old. Unles...