MOUNTAINGIRL41's SparkPeople Blog

Here I am....

Thu, 4 Oct 2012 10:28:34 EST

I can see the stress on me. It is in every extra inch, roll, and jiggle. I can feel the stress in me. My head hurts, I am struggling with vertigo, and I am dealing with a stress-induced illness. I cannot really control the things causing me stress but I CAN control how I eat. I cannot continue to eat so poorly -- it only exacerbates my issues and creates a vicious cycle. I need to reread this post every day to remind myself of how important it is to manage my health.

Ugh!

Sun, 19 Aug 2012 12:37:42 EST

Can't believe how lousy I feel yet I still keep eating and eating. Emotional? Don't know but can't take feeling this yucky. I am trying to really focus on the web site side of things to get my head on right. Reading posts, making posts, adding blog entries, etc to keep my head in the game.

Time to get back on track!

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 06:29:50 EST

Well, after a crazy week of end of year stuff for the 3 kiddos and trekking across country with all three to join up with DH, we are trying to get settled in at our summer place for the next 2 months. Although, I did not do terribly, I have been having a very difficult time getting back in the groove of things.

The main issue has been not finding (or making?) time to get on the Spark website and really work the program the way I have the past almost 2 months. This I know is the...

With a little help from some friends....

Mon, 21 May 2012 15:05:08 EST

I had a few "moments of truth," where I could see myself falling into some bad emotional eating habits. I stayed on course though. Why? By checking in with Spark People. Reading some motivational blogs and message board posts. By getting some spark friend help, I made it over this hurdle.

Wish I could thank each person whose posts made a difference but there were so many.

I know these moments will come again -- I guess I am still hard wired that way right now? At...

Borrowing a catch phrase....

Tue, 15 May 2012 19:04:50 EST

One of the popular blog posts last week discussed the idea of having "Faith in the process." I took from the post the idea of not overthinking this whole lifestyle change. Don't get hung up on trying work the system. Track your food and fitness. Stay within your goals. And it will work. Maybe not overnight but it will work. It will certainly work better than the alternative of hunkering down with a bag of Cheetos and the TV.

The post last week spoke to me. For some reason, ...

Great weekend

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:09:05 EST

Wonderful Mother's Day! Went mountain biking in the morning and then hosted a couple of other families for dinner -- I am one of those who doesn't mind cooking on Mother's Day. Did not track anything. Enjoyed my food, friends, and most of all my family.

Today was back to business with my food tracking. I was a little worried I would back slide into taking more days off but I find comfort in the routine of my new eating habits and it makes me feel so much better when I eat hea...

They're back!!!!!!!!

Mon, 7 May 2012 21:20:58 EST

Just in case I was worried, here came the cravings this afternoon. Late afternoon is always the danger zone for me. Today, after picking up 2 of the three kids and a tagalong friend, I was a little hungry and very tired. The kids cracked open the Cheez Its I had picked up at the store as promised. Normally, snacks are had after school and are portioned out and put away but....

Anyway, I immediately wanted to reach in and start in on the crackers but I held strong. Came home an...

No more cravings?

Fri, 4 May 2012 14:22:28 EST

Although I am sure this can't last forever, at a little over 2 weeks into Spark and pretty much eating clean for 97% of the time, I have found my cravings for certain items have really been reduced to almost eliminated. In the meantime, my desire for fruits and veggies has really increased.

Could it be true? Is this going to prove to be a cruel twist of fate and the cravings will return with a vengeance when I least expect it? I am not sure but I will take what I can get and a...

What I am looking forward to.....

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 13:42:44 EST

So I am trying to not focus on the scale -- although, so far, the numbers have been nice. No weighing in every day, etc. I am weighing in once a week on Wednesdays. I am trying to focus on how I feel as my weight decreases and what I have to look forward to as I lose weight and/or inches.

What I am really looking forward to is shopping in my own closet. I have lots of cute clothes that I don't wear because they haven't fit since I became pregnant with my daughter 4 years ago....

Trying to remember what works...

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 17:36:33 EST

After having my first 2 children, I got down and maintained a healthy weight and was very fit. My third child -- my surprise blessing -- came at age 38. No regrets with her but really regret not getting back to where I was before. (It's not "baby weight" when your baby is 4!)

As I begin this spark journey, I am trying to remember what habits I had developed in the past that contributed to my previous success.

1. Meal planning - every week I sat down and planned the fa...

Tuning in.

Fri, 27 Apr 2012 19:22:31 EST

I think, like a lot of people, I would overeat in response to something other than hunger. Bored, tired, sad, mad....I guess I was always trying to eat it away. Add in the times I was eating in celebration, etc. and you can see how things can get off track.

I am now really trying to let myself feel whatever is going on. Like tonight. It's Friday. DH and oldest DS are off for a weekend camping trip. Just me and the 2 younger kiddos. I am very tired after my long week. What I...

My favorite "Fast Food."

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 08:02:08 EST

Mondays and Wednesdays are not kind to our family's dinner hour. I have 2-3 kids in soccer practice (depending on which day,) from 4-7:15pm. It would be so easy to go through drive thru or hit Subawy. There are even healthy options to be had at each. However, my favorite fast food for those nights is a healthy, hearty concoction that lends itself to reheating and can be prepared quickly. I sauté bell peppers, onions -- and sometimes add some extra veggies in -- add a chicken smoked sausa...

Oh, well...

Sun, 22 Apr 2012 13:57:23 EST

Did my best but definitely did not stay on track last night. But since my usual response is to keep doing poorly after "blowing it," I will pick myself up and go back to my healthy routine today. Interestingly, I slept poorly last night and today have very low energy. I think it is from overindulging in rich food -- especially the sugars/processed carbs.

Going to try mountain biking for the first time this season and enjoy the beautiful weather. Hopefully that will renew my sen...

Planning, planning.

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 22:33:24 EST

Have out of town guests/family coming for afternoon and dinner tomorrow. I have planned a meal that allows me to stay on track if I keep my portions in line and skip the birthday cake and stick to fruit. This is "go time," for me. This is when I get off track. Going to drink a lot of water/club soda and put the appetizers far away from me.

I would like to enlist my family to remind me not to start on snacks, etc. but I don't like them to get involved in micro-managing my diet. ...

Where is my "Before" picture?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:37:15 EST

After looking over the web site I decided I wanted to be true to myself and embrace where I am starting from on this journey. So, I decided to add a picture to mark my start. Surprise, surprise! I don't really have any pictures of myself. As my weight has crept up, I have become so adept at making sure I am the one taking the pictures NOT the one in the pictures. I have been hiding. Hiding in food -- eating to numb. Hiding in comfy clothes -- if it still fits my weight must be stable (n...