I was late to our family Thanksgiving party. I was dressed and ready on time …but as we were about to walk out the door Pea stopped and said, “Mommy look in the mirror. Don’t you think you look fat in that shirt?”
What?! Did you just call me fat?
“No, you aren’t fat but that shirt makes you look fat.”
Did my four year old just say that?
I blame it on the start of kindergarten. Pork Chop has to be at school by 7:30 am and Pea at a different school by 8am. Now I would have to wake up at 4:30am to work out instead of 6:00am. It makes a huge difference because I don’t get home before 7:00 pm.
It makes a huge difference when I try to put on my clothes too. It is amazing how quickly I put the weight I lost back on.
I am passionate about my hobbies, be it blogging, crocheting or knitting hats, or working out. I collected a nice little home set up that allows me to work out without waking up my kids. Now if only I would go back to using it.
But, to be honest with myself, the extra bit that’s done-lapped over the jeans has less to do with my lack of exercise and much more to do with my abandonment of my vegetable heavy diet. I actually love eating clean and plain. (I love sweets too. I’m a complex creature.) I’ve just been lazy. It’s so much easier to grab a hamburger than it is to cook and pack my clean lunches for the week. And I reverted to drinking Coca Cola again. (It tastes so good when it hits your lips!)
And what am I teaching my kids? I’ve spent a year showing them how to eat nutritiously.
After watching me enjoy salads every day, she decided to try it and now she loves it.
My little bout of depression probably contributed my recent weight gain too. I might be getting over it. A co-worker came up to me Monday (I started working out again on Saturday and wrote most of this post on Sunday so this did not influence my desire to get back in shape), and said, “are you sure you lost the baby? It looks like you still have something in there.” 1) I know it was a joke and not malicious in the slightest. 2.) If I was still in the throes of the depression, I would not have recognized it as a joke. But she’s right, I need to tighten things back up. I look better, feel better, and sleep better when I exercise. I joke that it’s the reason why I keep smiling every day. I sweat out my anxiety and aggression.
I am pretty self-forgiving when it comes to my body. I ignore the scale and focus on my clothing size and inches. (Writing this prompted me to step on the scale. I shouldn’t have.) I am also realistic about the time I don’t have so I maximize it with high intensity interval training. I eat a lot more often when I prepare my food and the inches drop off.
I have the Arthritis Foundation Jingle Bell 5k? in less than two weeks and I want to tone it up before Christmas.
When I dropped from a size 10 to a size 4 over the spring and summer, I celebrated by donating all of my clothes and getting a smaller wardrobe. It felt wonderful!!! Now I have nothing to wear.
Oh… and I bake simple peanut butter cookies or enjoy frozen greek yogurt to conquer my sweet cravings.
Baked at 350 for about 10 minutes
- 1 cup natural peanut butter
- 2 eggs
- 1/3 sugar substitute like truvia, splenda, or ideal (my preference)
- 1 tsp of vanilla
I posted this on this blog so I stay motivated and accountable. Do you have any favorite “healthy” snacks/desserts that you use to trick yourself when withdrawing from sugar?
AwesomelyOZ says
When it hits your lips!! 🙂 That is a perceptive four year old, lol. I know the feeling, I’ve gained like 15 pounds and I’m super bummed about it.. I’ve been exercising and try to eat healthy but definitely not strict about it.. Consistency is one of those traits I have yet to develop and conquer. Best of luck sticking to your goals and hopefully your daughter will have something nicer to say next time 😛 -Iva
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Robin @ Farewell, Stranger says
First, I want to smack your co-worker. There is so much about that comment that is not okay.
Having said that, I’m glad you managed to laugh it off. I keep trying to maintain some sort of regular exercise schedule, but for now I’m just doing it when I can.
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Cheryl says
I think it’s awesome that your kiddo eats – and likes – salad! I’m an emotional eater, so when I’m down, stressed, angry, etc., that’s when the junk food reaches an all-time hight.
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Herchel says
Me too. If I had a carton of rocky road, it would be all over right now!
Greta says
I can not even believe your co-worker said that to you. How is that funny?? Ugh. I get what you’re saying, though. As soon as I stop using my fitness pal, I gain back five pounds. I love making “ice cream” with frozen bananas and some milk/almond milk and putting it in the blender.
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Herchel says
I use myfitnesspal too and it really helps keep me on track. I genuinely enjoy healthy eating better than junk food. I just wish it wasn’t so convenient to get fast food.
Rabia @TheLiebers says
I love eating a handful (or two) of almonds as a snack. I get lots of protein and they fill me up pretty well until the next meal.
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Herchel says
I also like hummus and raw green bell pepper. Eating for life (the body for life cookbook) has a great protein cheesecake recipe too.
Martha says
I like a banana with a little peanut butter or fresh fruit with a touch of a sugar substitute when I’m craving fruit-flavored candy. It’s a good way to give myself something sweet that will still be nutritious, and will also actually sate my hunger!
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Herchel says
I love avocado with skim milk and a touch of sugar substitute. This is one of the things that I think is normal based on my childhood (my mom made it all the time) but people always get shocked when they see me eating it!