Striving for Health & Simplicity

Wow! Today is the start of Week Three of our Healthy 2019 challenge! It's hard to believe we're already a third of the way through the strict 6-Week Eat to Live plan! The last two weeks have been amazing. They've been filled with hard work but the results have shown that that hard work has paid off! Non-Scale Victories: Loser Fitting Clothes More Energy Mood Stability Decreased Aches & Pains Measurement Victories: Down 3.8lbs  Down 1.25" The measurement victories are most likely a little bit off. I wasn't able to weigh in when we started on January 1st so my last weight/measurements are from December 24th. I know I gained weight and inches between Christmas and New Years so I would guess I've lost more weight and inches then my numbers are showing me. Here's to another successful two weeks!

It's hard to believe Christmas is almost here! Christmas is a time to be spent with family and friends. A time when I don't want to worry or obsess about my waistline. I'm aiming to have my full plan put together before Christmas in hopes of being 100% prepared Below are the resources that I'll be using for my Healthy 2018 Eat to Live Challenge! Hello Nutritarian Website Eat to Live Book Eat to Live Cookbook Pinterest! Eat to Live 6 Week Guidelines In addition to the above resources I will also use a spreadsheet to create meal plans, a weight loss map to track how much has been lost, and a measurement tracker all of which I've created myself. If you would like to receive a copy of anything above please let me know! 

It's hard to believe that it's been six months already since our bundle of joy came into the world! He's changing each and everyday. It's amazing to watch the different skills developing. The time is just flying by! Prior to getting pregnant I succeeded in loosing a very large amount of weight. It was the first time for as long as I can remember that I was happy in my own body. I felt confident in how I looked, my skin was in the best condition it's ever been, my emotions were the best they have ever been, and the number on the scale was just a bonus! During my pregnancy I gained 60+ pounds, my emotions and skin were a mess. I unfortunately had the mentally that I was pregnant and could do whatever I wanted to. That was wrong, I've been paying the price since giving birth. My struggle with body image in the last six months has been at one of the highest points since I was a teenager. When life gets chaotic or messy we all seek comfort in something, unfortuna...

September is often treated as another time to make resolutions and goals. It's the time of year when we are settling into new routines. One of the new routines that's often started is eating healthier. It was my original plan to join those in starting out a new routine in September, things change and I started changing my eating habits two weeks ago. Restarting my Eat to Live during while there were still a few weeks of summer left was difficult. Many opportunities to stray from my guidelines presented themselves, each time I was successful at avoiding them though! One of my biggest challenges in terms of eating within my guidelines right now is eating out. I thought that trying to stay within my guidelines while being home on maternity leave would be difficult. It hasn't been as hard as I imagined, thankfully! I've watched the scale drop 6.8lbs and 4.25" in the last two weeks, that's enough motivation to keep me going! 

One week ago I had no desire to begin the Eat to Live 6-Week Journey before Labour Day. I wanted to enjoy the final weeks of junk food before getting serious about my nutrition again. My mind and body had other thoughts. I will be beginning the journey once again on August 20th. During the six weeks I hope to focus on the below goals, instead of the number on the scale. Wedding Bands-Be able to wear my wedding bands again. Facial Hair- Decrease amount of unwanted facial hair. Clothes-Fit into Pre-Pregnancy clothes more comfortably.  PCOS Symptoms-Reduce the symptoms from PCOS(hair loss, irregular cycles, etc). Emotional Health-Reduce anxiety and regulate postpartum hormones.  Cooking/Baking Skills- Expand skills and knowledge to include healthier alternatives.  I will once again post my weekly menus, weekly results, and recipes that I find helpful that aren't in the Eat to Live cookbook. I hope you'll join me!

The first week of our Summer Edition of Eat to Live is complete! I managed to have salads with both lunch and supper every night, have zero treats from Tim Hortons, and increase my water consumption. Those are all the things I was targeting for last week! Let's hope I can keep it up this week. Groceries are bought and week two meals will be prepped tomorrow! Monday: Breakfast: Smoothie(1/2C Frozen Blueberries, 1C Almond Milk, 1/2 Banana, Handful of Spinach, 1T Ground Chia Seed, & 1T of Ground Flax Seed) Lunch: S: Chick Pea Salad & Unsweetened Apple Sauce R: Leftovers from Sunday Supper: Tossed Salad & BBQ Steak Tuesday: Breakfast: Smoothie(1/2C Frozen Blueberries, 1C Almond Milk, 1/2 Banana, Handful of Spinach, 1T Ground Chia Seed, & 1T of Ground Flax Seed) Lunch: S: Chick Pea Salad & Unsweetened Apple Sauce R: Leftovers from Monday Supper: Tossed Salad & Bean Chilli Wednesday: Breakfast: Smoothie(1/2C Frozen Blueberries, 1C...

There are seasons for everything in life. Whether it's extra curricular activities we're involved in, projects we have on the go at home, or what's going on in our career. Our eating lifestyle should be a consistent but is often a season that comes and goes. The goal when I first became pregnant was to continue our Eat to Live lifestyle. Unfortunately with pregnancy exhaustion and pain quickly setting in this was the first thing to be dropped. It began taking too much time and effort to not only think of meals but prepare them. We never did pick the pieces back up. The weight gain from pregnancy shows that I let myself fall off the bandwagon. Individuals would say that's okay because breastfeeding helps to burn so many calories. For a variety of reasons E isn't a breastfed baby, although heartbreaking at first I've come to find great peace in this. Robin and I are gearing up to once again begin the Eat to Live Challenge. We will be making adjustments for the...

I know it's been quiet around here lately, more on that in another post! I wanted to put together a list of just a few of my favourite healthy recipes. These are recipes that I found had wonderful taste, they could even please a crowd! Salads: Chick Pea Salad Spinach Salad Main Meals: Lentil Soup Easy White Bean Soup Whole 30 Lasagna Taco Pie Slowcooker Hamburger Stew Sheet Pan Fajitas Anything Oh She Glows  Baked Goods: Banana Muffins Chocolate Chip Cookies Strawberry Banana Oat Bars Banana Bread I cannot take credit for any of these recipes! They are all created by extremely talented people, and I've been blessed to find them!

It's hard to believe that 6 weeks has come to a close! It's amazing how fast time flies. The last 6 weeks have had their ups and downs. They have been filled with both scale, and non scale victories. Non-Scale Victories: There were times in the last 6 weeks that I fell off the wagon, but it became so much easier to get back on! I might have eaten out a few times, but I always made sure it was close to guidelines, and my next meal followed the guidelines. Before the Eat to Live Journey I would often fall off the wagon and it would last a couple days. I can walk out of a store without a dark chocolate bar/bag of chips. I had gotten to a point in my journey that I would convince myself that as long as I had a dark chocolate bar, or the "healthiest" chips I could find that I was okay to buy myself a treat. Every single time I went to the store. I haven't done that once in the last 6 weeks!  Towards the end of our Magdalene Island trip(right before my 6 week jou...

Thanksgiving is one of my favourite times of year! It's an opportunity to reflect on the things we are blessed to have, and a time to gather with loved ones. I'm extremely thankful for a wonderful supportive hubby, amazing parents, equally amazing in laws, and such a wonderful group of family and friends. That's just a touch on everything I have to be thankful for this year! Thanksgiving often comes with a family gathering or two which can make it difficult to stay on the healthy eating track! This is my second Eat to Live Thanksgiving, I am taking some of my experiences last year and turning them into positive learning experiences for this year. 1)Arrive Prepared: Make sure that you're prepared with beverages you can drink (flavoured water for me). Either make sure you are full enough that you won't partake in any snacking before the meal, or bring some snacks that fall within your guidelines. 2)Offer to Bring Dessert: Dessert is always my biggest weakness! I...

September is here! I absolutely love September! Whether it be New Years or the fall both are wonderful opportunities to set some goals and make some lifestyle changes. The fall is an opportunity to redeem routines that were lost when summer came a calling. A beautiful summer is often filled with eating out, BBQ's, and social events revolving around food. This was the case for my summer! Over the course of the summer I gained eight of the thirty-two pounds I lost back, along with a couple of inches. Not only have I noticed a weight gain, but also a mood change. Both the weight gain and mood change are caused by enjoying summer foods a little too much! It's time to set some goals and get moving! As of September 11th I will begin another 6 week Eat to Live journey. Eat to Live is an amazing nutrient rich program for quick and permanent weight loss. During the six week plan there are limits on how much you consume of certain foods, but unlimited amounts on others! Dairy produ...

No one could have prepared me for how quickly things can change with PCOS. Beginning my Eat to Live journey helped many of my PCOS symptoms become regulated. Yet, all of a sudden everything went wonky. My symptoms of PCOS suddenly started popping up again. I attributed this to stress with the wedding, basically pushing it aside. The wedding has passed, I have settled into married life, and into our home yet more PCOS symptoms keep arising. Unfortunately the referral process to get in to see a medical professional could take months. It's up to me to once again figure out what my body needs. Two of the top ways PCOS can affect a women is through fertility and weight issues. Both of which I'm currently experiencing. It's incredibly hard to be a newly married twenty-three year old who without reason suddenly gained eight pounds, and stopped having a period. Nothing I was doing before has drastically changed. I am frustrated. I feel like giving in to all my cravings and eati...

A few weeks into summer, and I've fallen off the bandwagon. One of the reasons I originally changed my lifestyle was that during summer of 2016 I gained a substantial amount of weight. A quick stop at a fast food joint when it was nice out, an ice cream here, or a gallon of pop there quickly added up! I swore that Summer 2017 was going to be different.  We're only a couple weeks into summer but it's already proving to be the same! I feel hope that I'm catching it early enough to ensure that the rest of summer doesn't follow suit. Unfortunately between getting married and the beginning of summer I've seen a weight increase. In hopes of combating this I have set four summer goals.  Goal One: Get back down to and maintain a weight range within 150-153lbs. Goal Two: Follow Eat to Live Monday-Friday and stay within boundaries on the weekends. Goal Three: Bring healthy options to all social events. Goal Four: Physical activity for at least 30 minutes...

Have you ever had the desire to spend hours in the kitchen creating a new recipe? I definitely have not! I'm not the type to experiment with cooking. I just don't feel comfortable enough in the kitchen. Thanks to many wonderful people for sharing the recipes they make I don't have to! Transitioning from eating the way the world does to a more natural healthier way is difficult, especially when you're not creative in the kitchen. I contribute a lot of my success in changing my diet to my wonderful significant other who does most of the cooking. I have become braver with trying new recipes as I discover a love for flavour. One of the most difficult parts about trying new recipes is knowing whether or not they will give you what you're looking for from that recipe. Below I've linked up to some of my favourite recipes that can be found being cooked/baked on a regular bases in our household! These are my go to recipes for lunches, gatherings, or just a treat. B...

One of the most annoying facts about PCOS is that it affects every woman differently. I was never one to share my journey with PCOS or even the fact that I had it. I felt incredibly alone in my journey with PCOS. I did not know any others around my age struggling with PCOS. This has changed recently, which in turn has helped me to be more open about my personal journey. Each of us will have our own individual journeys, but there are common parts of the journey for most of us. Often times the affects of PCOS are within our bodies, making it hard for others to understand there is something different about our bodies. These affects don't always impact our day to day life, but at times have the ability to do just that. My greatest personal struggle is the additional weight and how that affects me physiologically. Until recently I struggled on a daily basis with my body image, I never felt like I was beautiful, and I didn't feel that I could be completely loved because of how I wa...

Have you ever gotten frustrated when you feel like you aren't moving anywhere? The last few weeks have been that way for me in regards to weight loss. Before getting into the struggles I'm facing with my weight loss, let's do a little recap! It's been a crazy couple of weeks with many changes. Shortly after Christmas I made the difficult decision to begin searching for a position outside of the company I was working for. It was not an easy decision, but it turned out to be a good one. I've been in a new role with a new company for two weeks, and things have been going extremely well! After three months of feeling like I was struggling to keep my head above the water I finally feel as though I am above water. I have been frustrated over the last few weeks with the plateau I've hit in loosing weight. Instead of seeing a consistent decline in weight I've started to see small decreases one week, and then gains the following week. For the most part I have sta...

Have you ever stood on the scale but the number hasn't moved? Yet you feel like something changed that week. The year 2017 has started off with a bang! I can't believe we're already half way through January. I don't always want to be sharing the scale victories because I believe a weight loss or life style change journey has many different parts. My journey to a healthier life was brought on due to medical reasons, so the one goal I had was to get to the weight recommended, I didn't think about all the additional bonuses that would come along with that. Presenting you with my top five non-scale victories! 1) Awareness- As mentioned above my journey to a healthier lifestyle was brought on due to medical reasons. I did not realize when I started that I would have such success in creating a new lifestyle. It's a lifestyle I want others to know about, especially those with PCOS. Often my response to being asked why I'm doing this is just for health reasons...

Friends, have you ever been in a social situation where you're constantly offered food and saying no feels awkward? I think we all have! Especially when celebrations are taking place. The Christmas season is quickly approaching with many parties, and social gatherings. Not to mention a lot of food! This time can be extremely difficult for those who are on a restricted diet or trying to keep up with eating a healthier diet. The Eat to Live lifestyle isn't one that many people know about so it can be incredibly difficult to follow the eating style at social events. After completing the six week strict diet you move into the lifestyle plan. The lifestyle is very similar to the stricter diet but with some more flexibility. I tried to treat the lifestyle plan like the stricter diet but allowed there to be some flexibility on the weekends, this was working fine until recently. As the Christmas season started to approach we began to get very busy, and I started getting lazy with m...

September is Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS) Awareness Month. Even though this disease affects about 10% of Canadian women it is so little known. I want to talk about my journey with PCOS, particularly how it has affected my weight, cravings, and my overall self worth feeling. As a young child when asked what I wanted to be when I grew up I always answered that I wanted to be a mom, even as a teenager I didn’t understand that I might not have that opportunity. The reality sunk in at the age of sixteen as an endocrinologist explained to me that I was one of the 10% of Canadian women that had Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.   I had never heard of the disease before, but the symptoms all lined up to what I had been experiencing. Over the year or two before the diagnoses I had been experiencing a lot of weight gain, irregular menstrual cycles, and irregular hair growth. All of these symptoms added up to be the initial signs of PCOS. PCOS is a hormonal disorder. It’s someth...