Week Three: Diet is a 4-Letter Word

My Weekly Update

I don’t believe in diets – I choose to do a live-it. Diets are a temporary fix and by the time you are a week into a “die”t you do want to die. I want my life to not revolve around what I eat, if I make good choices that I can live with and don’t feel deprived – I can live my life to the fullest – no gimmicks, no pills, no miracle shakes, just life. This week was much easier than last week. I utilized my food sponsor and it actually worked really well for me. Instead of eating when I was tired, bored or stressed out, I would call my husband and talk or he would just sit on the phone with me until I felt better. I decided only to weigh myself every 2-3 weeks because really the numbers aren’t that important to me. I would much rather go by how I feel and how my clothes are fitting. I did lose 2 pounds in the last two weeks which is pretty good for me since I am breastfeeding and I can’t lose too fast if I want to keep my supply up. I did have one “bad” meal this week. But it was just one meal instead of giving in to one bad meal and then giving up and eating a whole bunch of bad things after that because I was disappointed in myself. Look at me – I am getting better!! I am looking forward to the weeks to come because I can’t wait to see how I feel.

Tip of the Week

Pick one meal a week to make a splurge meal. Don’t go all out and eat a whole pizza but if you deny yourself of everything that is “bad” - you may end up getting frustrated and eating a whole bag of cookies instead of just one or two. I found this keeps me sane.

Exercise of the Week – Push Ups

DO YOUR BOOBS HANG LOW?

I love pushups!! I have always been pretty good at doing full military push ups having a dad and a brother that were in the Marines – I always wanted to keep up with them, but you can definitely start on your knees if military style is too difficult. I find that push ups help raise the boobies (or as I call them, “the ladies”) - especially after breastfeeding.
Exercise Instructions:
· Push up position- put your hands approx. shoulder width apart and your toes close together
· Make sure when in push up position you do not let your back arch or sag – keep your stomach tight and pulled in
· Keep your head in line with your spine – you will pretty much be looking at the ground in front of you
· Keeping your elbows in lower your chest to the ground
· Push yourself back up - make sure that your back, bum, and legs stay straight
· Do not forget to breath: inhale going up, exhale going down
· Repeat the movement without changing the position of you body
Variations: On your knees, on an exercise ball or with your hands on a bench or stable chair

Goals for the Week

1. Find 30 minutes a day to workout. This may sound like a lot but doing this will improve many things – including your mood.
2. Ok – so we’ve changed one meal and our snacks to be healthier, let’s add another meal to the healthier side of living
3. Make a short term goal for yourself this week. It could be anything from losing 1 or 2 pounds this week to spending more time with your family. Make it realistic and make it happen!!

Recipe of the Week

Berry Good Vanilla Pudding

I like dessert and I love fruit. I enjoy sugar free, fat free Jell-O products. It feels like a dessert without all of the calories and self loathing :)

What you will need:
1 Package Sugar Free Fat Free Vanilla Jell-O Instant Pudding*
Fat Free Milk
Fresh or frozen berries of your choice
Cool Whip Lite

How Much Should I Eat?
½ cup pudding
½ cup berries
4 Tbsp. Cool Whip Lite

Prepare pudding as stated on package. Put your berries on top or mix in, then top it off with the Lite Cool Whip.

The Stats Per Serving:

135 calories
1 gram of fat

*You can also try Fat Free Sugar Free Chocolate or Cheesecake pudding as well – YUM!