Striving for Health & Simplicity

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...

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 don't know about you, but sometimes I have a really hard time staying on track with my goals! I need a good kick in the butt sometimes! Now is one of those times. This coming Monday to Friday I will be heading back to the strict eating. I ask you to consider joining me on this challenge, today is a perfect day to work towards tomorrows goals! My goal this week is to go completely refined sugar free. I'm going to provide you with the meal plan I'll be using for the week, along with some additional snacks that you might like if you're a snacker! Monday: Breakfast: Smoothie (1/2C Blueberries, 1/2 Banana, 1T Ground Flax & Chia, 1C Almond Milk & Handful of Spinach) Lunch: 6 Bean Chilli, Unsweetened Applesauce & 2 Clementines Supper: Vegetable Stir Fry with Bean Sprouts & Pork Chops Tuesday Breakfast: Smoothie (1/2C Blueberries, 1/2 Banana, 1T Ground Flax & Chia, 1C Almond Milk & Handful of Spinach) Lunch: Bean Chilli, Unsweetened Apple...

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...

We started back on track with the 6-Week Eat to Live plan exactly 8 days ago. It's hard to believe how fast time goes! The results are in for week one and they're pretty amazing! Weight:  -5.6lbs Bust: -1.5" Waist: -0.5" Thighs: -0.25" A total weight loss of 5.6lbs with a total inches lost of 2.25" is absolutely amazing for week one! Struggles of Week One:  -Birthday dinner for my father in law, there was cake! I love cake! I didn't eat any though!  -Sweets around the office. Two of my coworkers brought in sweets, normally I have a hard time saying no but I avoided them!  -Staying on track on the weekend. I always find weekends the most difficult, but with everything carefully planned out I made out okay! Highlights of Week One:  -We had some amazing friends over for dinner Sunday, and they completely supported how I'm eating so we could all eat the same meal!  -Support and understanding. I always find the first two weeks of getting...

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...

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...

A couple of weeks ago I posted the below picture on social media. This photo documents the biggest milestone thus far being reached. I had successfully lost thirty-two pounds and nineteen inches. The journey to reaching this milestone was not easy, but I'm incredibly proud of myself for reaching it. There were days I wondered why I was doing what I was doing. It's all been worth it though. The outpouring of love when I shared this photo was incredible, so thank you! September 19, 2016 vs. April 11, 2017 I wish before I started this journey that I had a better understanding of just how much it would change my life. My eating habits haven't been the only thing to change since starting this journey. There are multiple parts of life that I have noticed changing in the last seven months including my evening routine, weekend morning routines, and grocery shopping trips. One of the biggest aspects of my life to change has been socially. Before this journey it was a comm...

The last seven years have been spent running a marathon, figuratively not literally of course! Seven years ago is when my life changed forever, it's when I was given answers as to why I was gaining weight at a rapid pace but couldn't lose it, why there was facial hair appearing in odd spots, and most importantly why my body just wasn't acting normal. I feel like since that day I've tried many different coping methods some better then others, yet none seemed to provide the results I was looking for. After a summer filled with hospital visits for iron infusions, unsuccessful doctors appointments trying to figure out why I was loosing iron so fast, and my family doctor mentioning my weight multiple times it was time for a change. I began my journey of Eat to Live on September 6, 2016 with the intention of loosing thirty pounds. Reaching that goal would bring me to my lowest weight yet, and with it hopefully health benefits. These five and a half months have seen many p...

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...

As the Christmas season approaches I began getting even more nervous about what Tuesday mornings would bring as Tuesdays are my weight and measurement day. I have a timeline with specific goals that I would like met within a certain period of time. I was really nervous to be on this journey as the Christmas season approached, but I vowed to give it my all and go from there.  My healthier lifestyle journey began on September 6th. It's been fourteen weeks since I made the decision to change my lifestyle. After following Dr. Fuhrman's Eat to Live diet strictly for six weeks I moved onto the life plan. The life plan gives me the opportunity to continue eating much healthier while having slight variations for special occasions. The biggest thing I've stuck to is allowing myself to have very limited amounts of refined and added sugars. I haven't had a glass of pop since September 5th! That's huge for someone who could easily drink four litres a weekend. I have succ...

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...

It's hard to believe that today is the last day of November! I can't believe how fast this month has flown by! My final challenge of the month was to shop the flyers more. My new career provides me with an amazing team to work with, fantastic flexibility, and amazing benefits, but the paycheque is lacking. I knew when I accepted this position I would have to make some sacrifices. One of the biggest sacrifices I have made in the last month is not being as "free" with my grocery money. My parents did an amazing job raising us three girls, and one of the biggest lessons I learned from my mother was how to budget our money appropriately. Especially when it came to grocery shopping. I love looking for a good deal, and couponing! At one point I had a whole binder dedicated to coupons, now that I'm eating real food and making a lot of my cleaning supplies this isn't really needed but I still have to save money somehow! A lot of my diet consists of beans, veggie...

It's hard to believe that we are only eight days away from November being over! This month has honestly flown by. There have been a lot of adjustments happening as an after effect of last months changes, but I still wanted to make sure I accomplished my goals! I have a beautiful kitchen. It was designed and built by my father to fit the space perfectly. Upon walking into the kitchen I feel a great sense of happiness and peace, this is probably one room of my apartment I'll miss most once I'm married. I love spending time in my kitchen, and honestly it's probably where I have the most "stuff". I cleaned out two boxes worth of stuff this weekend by following the below tips. 1) Separate- I separated everything into what I use on a daily, monthly, or occasional basis. I specifically focused on decluttering what I only use on an occasional basis. I asked myself how often I used an item, whether something else I had would fit that purpose, and if someone else(ie...

November has dawned, we are almost half way through November. I always find November to be a very difficult month. It's an in between month as I like to call it. The leaves have fallen off the trees and need to be raked, but we haven't reached the point of significant snowfall yet either. November brings a time of cooler weather, darker evenings, and absolutely no desire to go outside. Last November I had a gym membership so I had no excuse to not exercise, this year I'm not so fortunate. A switch in jobs brought some sacrifices and my gym membership was the first thing to go. I've had to be more creative with how I'm going to get more physical activity into my day, and honestly I haven't been doing great at it. We are going to increase our physical activity slowly, but here's how we are going to start! We spend most of our time at Mr's house, which is within walking distance to a market, pharmacy, and Tim Hortons. Anytime we need something at one of...

Whether we want to admit it not November is officially here! In Eastern Canada this means it's time to make sure our cars are undercoated, put those winter tires on, and pull out all things winter! November started off fantastic for me! I've reached the twenty pounds lost mark. I am incredibly proud of myself for achieving this goal, and super excited to work towards the next goal! I am only twelve pounds away from my ideal weight. Years ago I was told that my ideal weight would help in decreasing the symptoms of my PCOS. I never thought that my ideal weight was achievable, but I'm close enough now to see that I might actually be able to achieve it! November generally brings the start of the Christmas season whether it's through the shopping, parties, or general preparations. This November I want to make sure that I achieve some other goals and not get caught up in the busy times. I've set three goals for the month. Goal One: Increase Physical Activity Goal Two...