And The Winners Are....

Congratulations to Kay, Heidi and Jaelynne for getting 100% of the points throughout the entire competition. That is amazing!! You three have definitely earned the 1st and 2nd place prizes to be divided between each of you.

Jen Matthews will be getting each of you your $136 prize. You all inspire me.

The 3rd place prize goes to.......Becky Pond! You truly were a motivation and inspiration to everyone.

Jen Matthews will be getting you your wonderful prize of $72.00.

Congratulations to everyone for completing the challenge and developing healthy habits.

If anyone is interested in doing another challenge just let me know, I have heard from a few of you that you would like to do another one. If you have ideas of things to do differently let me know that as well. With summer right around the corner I know I would like to set a few more goals myself.

Where did the time go?

I can't believe it's been 9 weeks! When we started March seemed so far away. I apologize for my disappearance. I didn't mean to be so incognito. The second week of the challenge, I found out I was pregnant. I knew I had a few weeks before the sickness set in and thought I would be okay. However, the farther into this I got the more sick I felt. I have been eating for survival only. I should be eating healthier for baby but I am eating anything and everything I can that doesn't make me nauseous or throw up-which is not much! I am so proud of how well everyone has done. It has been fun to stay connected and hear the challenges and triumphs. Thanks for all your inspiration and support!

On a side note-I have a friend who is hosting another challenge beginning in a couple of weeks. The rules are a bit different and so is the length. If any of you are interested in giving another one a try-let me know!

Congrats to you all for your individual successes!!

Health Challenge Wrap Up

This has been a wonderful and challenging 9 weeks. It seems to me that everyone really enjoyed the challenge and hopefully developed some new and healthy habits. I have been so inspired by everyone.

A few final items to wrap up.

1. Please submit your final points to me by tomorrow (Tuesday March 27th).
2. Please email me your vote for third place by tomorrow (Tuesday March 27th). My email is wardjen@ldschurch.org
   
3. Wednesday I will post the final winners!!!!

Thank you everyone for your words of encouragement and motivation.

Thank you!

I am so grateful that I participated in this challenge.  I thought this would be a perfect week for me, however life made other demands on my time AND someone slipped homemade rootbeer in my cup at the ward overnighter.  Dang, didn't give it a second thought.  Oh well.  I got in a lot of exercise that I know wouldn't have happened during these past 9 weeks, so thank you for hosting this challenge.  Good luck to all as you continue to pursue good health.

So, this is it!

I can't believe this is the end. This week's challenge was the easiest for me. It was something I didn't even think about. Every other challenge I have had to remind myself everyday what I have been doing and this week I would go days without ever thinking of it.

This has been a fun experience for me. I know the areas I need to work on and what I need to be more conscientious about. Thanks for including me in the challenge. Good luck to you all!!

I made it to the end!

What a Great Experience!

I am grateful I got to participate in this challenge.  It has been tough, but well worth it.  The lessons I have learned have changed my life.  I am so happy I am choosing better foods and portion sizes, and that I am moving more.  I am enjoying a quality of life that I wasn't before.  Thanks to each of you for your posts and comments.  I have learned from your thoughts and insights.  Good luck continuing on! 

Time Flies

I can't believe that we have been doing this for nine weeks! As I look back, I think the most helpful challenge for me was the first week--keeping a food journal. Myfitnesspal.com is invaluable in helping with this!! It really opened my eyes to the bad choices I was making.

Except for the no refined flour or sugar week, I actually enjoyed every challenge. My kids were also caught up in it..."what's your challenge this week mom?" "Mom, can I have some apple juice? You can't have it though because of your challenge!"

My husband really liked the veggies week. I'm not a huge fan of veggies--I serve at least one serving of them for dinner every night, but since we had to eat so many, I served more. He was in heaven. (I sure wish I liked them as much as he does!)

Thanks to all of you for your encouraging words and helpful posts. It really has been a pleasure!

IT'S ALMOST THE END...

This is the next to the last day, and in some ways it seems as though the entire challenge has lasted a long time, and in other ways it has flown by.   This has been my easiest week--I haven't had to think about drinking soda or juice because it is not a thing I do regularly.  I've been so grateful for this whole challenge--some things have been easier than others (as you all know), and it's especially great not to have to worry about the sleep thing at this point of my life!

I admire each of you and appreciate your perseverance and commitment--both to your own better health and to caring about one another.  It's been a privilege and a blessing.  Thanks.

Thank You

Thank you for letting me join your group and participate in the challenge. I can't believe the nine weeks are almost over. 

I have to admit that I am looking forward to eating and drinking and sleeping without thinking- Is this okay, or Is this enough?

Jen (Matthews) told me about the challenges that she has participated in, so I was excited when she asked me if I wanted to sign up this time.  Some of the weeks have been easier than others, but they have all been eye opening.  I have tried to incorporate all of the healthy habits (drink more water, eat more vegetables, get more sleep etc.) that we have experienced in the challenges into each week. The hardest has been finding time to get 5 hours of excercise. Now the challenge is to keep it up!

Good luck to all of you, and thanks again for letting me join your group.

What a headache

I had an AWFUL headache on Tuesday. Usually, one of the first things I do if I get a headache is drink something with caffeine in it because it sometimes seems to help. But this week I did not have that option. I'm not sure if it would have helped, but I didn't give in and just suffered through the day with a lot of laying down and a few ibuprofen.

Hello Healthy Women!

It has been such a blessing for me to be part of this challenge! A sincere thanks to each of you. I am trying out these new, healthy habits and exercising and feeling much better!

I am not much of a pop drinker but I have wanted juice this week, just because it is on the don't list!

My sister in law is a nurse and has told the pop drinkers in my family that before they drink pop they should drink a glass of water. She also says that it is better to drink the real thing and not the diet versions.

We know we need to drink water and when we drink pop we drink less water so be sure to get your water in and then try to keep the pop in moderation.

Keep up the great work ladies! I hope we keep doing these healthy things forever!!

Rebecca

FINALLY - An Easy Challenge For Me

I struggled again last week because I was on a road trip to AZ and whenever I visit my sister I try so hard to eat well but it was almost impossible to get that many veggies in each day. I did get that total in fruit and veggies every day but not veggies.

Now this week is a piece of cake for me. I gave up soda (specifically caffeine) about 7 years ago. I have never felt better. It was honestly the best thing I have ever done for my body. I also rarely drink juice so I am set there as well.

Best of luck everyone! For all you soda drinkers I highly recommend you keep it going after this week because the first few weeks are the worst. Then you will feel better, you will drop 3 pounds, and you will have twice as much.

With a Little Help From My Friends

I am so grateful I decided to participate in this health challenge.  It has really helped me see ways I can change my habits and improve my quality of life.  I can't believe we are to the last week!  Great job everyone.  We are almost there!

This past week, it was tough facing the fact that I needed to repeat last weeks challenge.  Monday morning, I was still lacking the determination I needed to press on when, Kay Little, my sweet neighbor and fellow challenge member, made and brought me a dozen delicious "kosher" muffins.  Her thoughtful act got me moving forward again.  Then, just an hour or two later, Rebecca Pond, another friend and fellow challenge member, called to let me know she was going to show her support by repeating the challenge with me.  I protested her insanity, but she insisted.  We both passed up some delicious looking homemade pie and ice cream at Relief Society.  What a friend to be there for me like that.

I hope I can be more like these ladies and reach out to others as they reached out to me.  I have felt an outpouring of love and support from my family, friends, and even those of you who only know me through this blog.  Thank you.

Let us all press on!

One more week. This is going to be the easiest of the challenges for me. My beverage of choice is water. I rarely drink soda and drink juice even less. I am amazed it is over after the coming week, it went much faster than I thought it would.

It has been a good thing for me, even though I have grumbled a ton!

Last week here I come! I am so excited for this week to start. This will be my easiest challenge so I think it's kind of perfect it's the last. It has been fun competing with you all.

That's a lot of vegetables

5 servings of vegetables is a lot!  I only got to 3 a couple of days, so low points for me.  But  I can honestly say that the $20 to join this challenge has been some of the best money I've ever spent.  It really has helped me to get out and exercise when, otherwise I probably wouldn't have.  I am feeling great and am noticing little changes in my body composition, which I love!!!  I can't believe how quickly these 8 weeks have gone and that we only have one challenge left.
I rarely drink soda or juice so this week will be pretty easy for me.  I wish you all luck.
And. . . my congratulations to those of you in the 260 point range--what an accomplishment!   That is truly awesome and amazing!

The anti-health challenge

This upcoming week my husband has stated that he is going for the anti-health challenge. That means he plans to drink even more sodas than he usually does. I'm sure he is going to love this week, because he always acts annoyed when I drink "his sodas". He has even got our daughter trained to tattle on me when I am drinking a soda or she says, "Mom! That's dad's drink."

Five a day!

I just finished feasting on my celery--I had thought this challenge would be a little easier than it has been.  I can probably truthfully say I rarely eat 5(!) vegetables a day.  One thing that helped is that I went shopping and got a number of different veggies that I really like--raw or cooked.  I used my left-over ranch dressing and dipped some of them in the dressing.  Hopefully I didn't overindulge in the "dipping."

Hope you all enjoyed the challenge...I'm actually looking forward to no soda or juice.  Since water week I have only had a few sips of soda!  Hope to continue that when we've completed the challenge.

Good luck to all. 

Happy Weekend

It is the weekend again.  I know it is just Friday, but the weekend starts as soon as everyone gets home from school on Friday afternoon.  I especially love the long weekends when we have Monday off.  (For those of you not living in the area, it is the end of the term in Davis County and there is no school on Monday.) However, it is harder for me to remember and stick with the challenge when I have my family home and my schedule is changed.  Meal times are not fixed like they are during the week and I have to be more aware of what I am eating-or not eating.

So, enjoy your long weekend-those of you with children home-pray for at least one sunny warm day, and enjoy your veggies.

A Healthier Cookie

Now that we can have sugar and white flour again, I wanted to share a cookie recipe that is a healthier choice. You can even make it without sugar if you use Splenda and natural peanut butter!

No-Bake Cookies

1/2 cup soft canola spread (butter will work too)
1 1/2 cups sugar (you can use Splenda)
3 tablespoons cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup low-fat milk
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups rolled oats

Mix the canola spread, sugar, cocoa, salt, and milk in a pan; cook on medium heat until the mixture comes to a full boil. Let the mixture boil for 90 seconds (no more!). Quickly remove from heat and add peanut butter, vanilla, and oats. Drop by spoonfuls onto aluminum foil or waxed paper. Let cool for 20 to 30 minutes or eat them warm with a spoon. Makes about 40 cookies.

These cookies are higher in fiber, protein,m and healthy mono-unsaturated fats than your average cookie. That doesn't mean you can eat a whole batch or that you should eat them on a regular basis, but it does mean you can enjoy a cookie here and there without the guilt.

Nutrients per cookie: 110 calories, 5 grams fat, 1 gram saturated fat, 1.5 grams fiber, 3 grams protein

Enjoy and keep up the good work!

Rebecca

A cup of carrots

I'm sitting here eating a cup of carrots while I compose this post. Such a difference from mere weeks ago when I sat at the computer eating chocolate!!

I've learned a lot about myself these past weeks. I committed to do this challenge with every intention of "slipping up" on the no sweets and no sugar/refined flour week. I just didn't think I had it in me to do it--by desire or willpower. It turns out that I do! And you guys are a big part of that. Even though I don't know most of you, I have really been buoyed up by your blog posts.

I really hated last week, I'm not going to lie. As the week went on and I had made it through yet another day, I just kept telling myself that if I could do it for one day, then I could surely do it for one more.

I am in the zone!! People are starting to notice that I have lost weight. I'm usually pretty self-conscious about that, but this time around it is actually motivating me to keep at it! I'm down 12 pounds since we started. My goal was to lose 10-15, so I'm happy about that!

I'm excited about this week's challenge. I am definitely NOT a veggie person. Some of them I love--carrots, broccoli, corn. Some I hate--tomatoes, peppers, peas. Most I just tolerate. I'm trying to include a wide variety of veggies in my diet. Asparagus has been on sale, so I'll be cooking up some of that. I'm also going to add different veggies to my green salad.

Honestly, it's such a relief to be able to eat things without checking the labels! I'd probably choke down a tomato over doing that again. :) Good luck everyone!

My Apology

I am sorry for my most recent post about being honest.  I was so angry at myself for slipping up and that negative emotion came through in my post.  I hope no one read that and felt like I was accusing them of being dishonest because that was not what I meant.  Please forgive me.  I want to just delete that post, but I don't think I can because it was the only post I did for the week.  Now that I have had a day to simmer down I recognize that I was wrong.  I hope you will accept my apology.

Good luck everyone!  We are almost done!

POINT TOTAL UPDATE

With only two challenges left to go, you will notice on the right hand side I have re-ordered the Points Total category by highest to lowest.

I am still missing a lot of points from last week so things could change later today as more people report their points.

I have to be honest

This challenge is based on the honor system.  Some of the challenges have had room for interpretation, while others have been more black and white.  For me, I have chosen to keep my standards strict so that there isn't any question of if I was 100% or not.  Unfortunately my strict standard is eating me alive tonight.  I had a slip up.  It was so minuscule many would think it was nothing, (if they even noticed it at all) but I can't say to myself that I was 100% therefore I am crying over that fact that I am going to repeat this challenge for next week.  If I can do it 99.9% one week, I can do it again, but 100% this time.  I am kicking myself in the pants because this was a difficult week for me.  The only silver lining I see is that the two challenges I get to double up on go hand in hand nicely.

The RDA for sugar is less than 25% of your calories.  For a  2000 calorie diet that is 500 calories or 125 grams.  That sounds like a whole lot after eliminating sugar completely.  And I am looking forward to biting into at least 100 of those grams tomorrow.

I have found that other foods taste sweeter without all the sugar to hype up the tastebuds.  And I have discovered that although I won't eliminate refined flour and sugar completely from my diet, it is a place I can cut back--they are SOOO prevalent in packaged food.

Good luck this week!

Yes! It's over

This week was rough, especially when we decided to have pizza, ice cream and cupcakes for Kate's birthday - I just watched. I wouldn't want to keep to the "no refined flour and sugar" goal for much more than a week, but it did bring awareness to me of how much food contains refined foods. I found myself even questioning some foods and just deciding to not even chance it and I would eat a fruit or vegetable instead - probably a wise and healthy choice. Even though I learned this week about what I should and shouldn't eat, I still have a cupcake waiting for me that I plan on eating Monday morning.

Almost done

Here it is the last day of this challenge and I realize it has not been so bad. I  went into this challenge thinking that it was going to be harder than it really was. The problem is I failed! Not intentionally either. It started on Monday. I made my family a delicious spaghetti dinner.I went to Costco and bought the whole wheat pasta. Usually with this dinner I make some sort of bread to go with it. This time I didn't. On Wednesday as I was reading through the recipe to make dinner, I saw that it required a measly two teaspoons of sugar. So I did the obvious thing, and that was to not put it in. I called my husband in to taste test, and he said it was a little tart. DRAT!!! In goes the sugar. It was then that I realized Mondays dinner had sugar in it!! I was so mad! When I made the spaghetti dinner, I pulled from the freezer my  frozen sauce, and put it in the pan. (I do this with my sauce. I make a huge a batch and then freeze about 12 bags, this makes for an easy meal.) I immediately sent my sister in law Jen a text telling her how ANGRY I was. I was ready to quit!!!

Jen is amazing! She gave me the best words of encouragement to finish the week. I took her advice and ran with it. It would have been easier for me to stop the challenge right then and there, because Friday morning we left for Texas. I have had a doggone road trip planned since Thanksgiving. This is when the challenge got REALLY hard. Snacks in the car are very limited. I can't just grab a string cheese, or a greek yogurt. No cottage cheese, or my home made whole wheat bread, made with kamut and honey. How was I going to survive? Well, here it is Sunday and we are still driving and I am glad to report that I even though I unintentionally messed up at home, I have not on our trip. :)

Can I say I will be glad for tomorrow morning when I no longer have to read a bunch of labels just to see that sugar is one of the top five ingredients on something I want. Ordering at a restaurant, will be a lot less complicated. I really appreciate this challenge and saw how cutting out the refined flours and sugars assisted in some easy weight loss. In the first three days, I lost a pound. What woman doesn't love that?

Some things that did get me through the week, whenever I had the sweet tooth craving was the Annie's Organic snacks, and the costco all natural fruit leather. I also believe that by choosing to eat mostly organic a year ago, it was an easier challenge for me. :) Thanks again for the challenge!

I HATE this week's challenge!!! I know hate is a strong word, but many days that's how I felt. Some of the other weeks were hard but nothing in comparison to this. I just wanted bread so badly I couldn't stand it. I stuck with it and held out but I was pretty miserable. I am glad today is it and we're onto something else.

I can do hard things. I choose not to do this hard thing again. I knew this weeks challenge would be hard long before we got to it I was right! I don't like eliminating things from my diet completely. I want them even more because I can't have them. All things in moderation is a better way for me to adjust my eating. Better luck next week. Like someone else said earlier in this challenge.....i do better with "do's" as opposed to "don'ts"

Not as hard as I anticipated...

This week has been easier than I thought it would be!  Thank goodness for cottage cheese and pears, good "legal" whole wheat bread, lots of asparagus!, and crisp apples.  I passed up the girl scout cookies (of course I ordered the ones with coconut because I don't care for it), but at other times in my life I would have just "forced" myself to eat one, just because.  Some of the things that have happened to me have been completely unexpected.  I've gone from drinking Diet Coke on a VERY regular basis, to having none since our water week.  I like the things that water does for me.  I'm blessed to have been able to walk, even though it might be slower than it used to be...  Not the least of my blessings has been to watch you all and be inspired by the things you are doing and some of the changes I see.  And thanks to Jen and Jen!

Failing Miserably

This has been the worst challenge for me so far. I have had so many things come up this week that made it impossible for me to avoid processed flour. I had signed up months ago for a cooking class at Harmons to learn how to make pasta.

No way did I pay all that money to not test the pasta so that I know what I am looking for in the future when I make it myself. It was worth it for sure but I have messed up a lot this week. I might try to get the makeup points next week but I think that will be even harder as I will be on a road trip to AZ for a long weekend.

Hopefully I have make it through the next few days. Ahhhh

We're on the downhill side...

I think the no sweets week helped me prepare for this week. We have been able to eat all of our meals as a family-the only thing I miss is the treat.  Finding meals has not been hard, but the desire for something sweet to top it off has been the hardest for me. 

We only have 3 more days left after today.  The weekend will be the hardest- I will start planning activities now that will keep me out of the kitchen.  The weather should be beautiful, so it will be a good time to go for a walk or start the garden.

Keep up the good work-

What saved me today...

For those of you who are struggling like me with this challenge...here is what saved me today...100% orange juice popsicles! Just mix up a batch of 100% juice and freeze them into popsicles. It was a great treat!

I also made some whole wheat french bread and ate it with real butter and honey on it. Yum. I got the recipe from the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook and just substituted whole wheat flour for the white stuff.

French Bread:

4-5 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 Tbs. active dry yeast
2 cups warm water

Combine 2 cups of flour with salt and yeast. Add the water and mix until blended, scraping the sides constantly. Then mix for 3 minutes. Gradually add remaining flour until dough is no longer sticky.

Raise in a warm area until double in size.

Punch down dough, divide in half and let rest for 10 minutes.

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and sprinkle cornmeal lightly on it. Shape the dough into long french bread loaves. Cover and let raise until double in size.

Cut diagonal lines into bread, if desired. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes. Take out of oven and butter the tops. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes longer. Butter tops again when finished.

It's yummiest fresh out of the oven.
2 cups warm water

3 days down! We can do this! Thanks for all the encouraging words and great recipes!

Hard but worth it!

Hello! We can do this ladies! I went to a meeting today and was given an Oreo cupcake! I kindly said thank-you and took it home to my insatiably hungry 15 year old! He loved it.

I have enjoyed this challenge so far because it just makes me feel skinny and healthy.

A couple of recipes to share:

Gringo Taco Meat (from the Worldwide Ward Cookbook)
Beef, cut into cubes (can be a cheap cut)            Chili powder to taste
1 8 oz can tomato sauce or salsa                         Cumin to taste
1 onion, chopped                                                Salt and pepper to taste
Garlic to taste
Combine all ingredients and cook over very low heat until meat is tender and liquid is absorbed; you can also cook the meat in a Crock-Pot for several hours. Serve with hard or soft tortillas and condiments such as lettuce, tomatoes, cheese and avocados.

I served it on Whole Wheat tortillas. It was very good!

Yesterday I made legal Peanut Butter Cookies. I was so excited to find a cookie I could make and eat! (My kids loved them but perhaps I like sweet better than them because they weren't my favorite. I think they would be improved with some natural sweeter like Agave which is sweeter than sugar and works well in baked goods...according to the label.)

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c softened butter                                            1 tsp vanilla
1 c peanut butter ( natural)                                 4 c whole wheat flour
1 1/4 c honey                                                    1/2 tsp salt
2 eggs                                                               2 tsp baking soda

Blend butter until smooth. Add peanut butter and blend again. Add honey and blend again. Add eggs one at a time and beat until well mixed. Add vanilla. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Roll into balls and put onto ungreased cookie sheet. Use a fork dipped in cold water to flatten and make a criss-cross pattern. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on the top rack of the oven. Remove from pan immediately and cool.

Have a great week!

Rebecca

Happy Oreo Day!

Today is the 100th birthday of the oreo cookie. Do you know how badly I want an oreo? This challenge is KILLING me! (And could I be any whinier??) I vacillated back and forth about whether or not I was actually going to do this. I finally concluded that I have done it every week and I would be such a wimp if I didn't at least attempt to do this challenge.

I have felt better. I am no longer eating Hershey's mini kisses for lunch or a piece of cake for breakfast. I have to have a little treat every day though (except during the non-sugar weeks, of course). I've found that if I allow myself to do that, I am far less likely to binge on the weekends. I'm on my way to achieving that balance that motivated me to even do this in the first place. But sometimes it is a daily struggle. I think because I even considered sitting this week out, I'm not on my mental game. I'm going to try and conquer that!

The stress levels around my house are running high right now. We are under contract to buy a house in West Kaysville. We close a week from Friday. Plus we are trying to sell our current home. I really need some chocolate! And when I saw that today is the anniversary of the oreo cookie, well that just made my mind think about oreos. Double stuff. Golden. Mmmmm. I'm going to stop.

We have a birthday party for my niece this week, and Sunday dinner at my parents' house. Both are going to be huge temptations for me to cheat. I can do this, right? It would be so lame of me to have worked so hard this whole time only to be taken down by the most difficult challenge yet. Hopefully all of you have more willpower than I do at this point! Good luck!

A little inspiration

Well, I only did slightly worse at getting enough sleep than I did at not eating sugar.  I didn't think I'd have one day with 7 hours, turns out I had 3--woohoo! 

My son showed me this video and I thought I'd share.  It reminds us not to give up when things don't go exactly as planned--just give it all you've got.

Here's a quick recipe:  Steak and a baked potato with a green salad on the side.

Good luck this week! 

Ok, time is running out. I have to get my post in and I have to get to bed in 25 minutes to end the week getting enough sleep. UGH!!!

The coming week is a little intimidating I must admit. I read Jen's helpful hints about the refined sugar and flour and I am feeling a little better, but still worried. When I did the grocery shopping on Saturday I read the labels for everything so I hope I am ok.

This challenge has been great at giving me something to focus on and really try to improve!

Week of seven hours of sleep? NO PROBLEM!

Well this past week has been the easiest and best challenge yet. As a matter of fact, it has been easy peasy. I don't have little littles that keep me up at night. My youngest is 8! She and her sister go to bed about nine every night. My older two kids know when they are supposed to be in bed, so I seem to have it made. Even on the weekends. I tend to be a home body and not wanting to stay out to late.

Something that I have found that works really well for me is to exercise at night. For five of the seven nights I go on a power walk. I live on a Mountain and all roads that lead to my house are up hill. Each night I walk between five and seven miles. I leave my house at 8:30 and get done about 10:00. This makes one like me super tired. I found that since I started to exercise in the morning and evening, I feel so much better. I recommend trying it, if you continue to have a hard time falling asleep in the future. :)

NOW on to this week......

Sleeping is never a problem for me and this week was no different. I wish all weeks were sleep weeks. I guess that wouldn't be much of a challenge then, huh? Bring on the next challenge....I hope i'm up for it. I think this is going to be the hardest one yet. I guess it's only right that I go from my easiest week to my hardest. Wish me luck! (it can't be any harder than no sweets week can it)? i hope not.

I thought I would send you into next week with a couple of news articles and a little inspiration thought from Thomas Jefferson:
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."

What are refined sugars
The ugly truth of white flour

Good Luck and good digestion!

Sleep Review and Lunch Idea

I didn't know how this past week would go for me.  I tend to stay up late, not wanting the day to end.  This was a good way to get me to go to bed at a decent hour.  I was so paranoid about getting all the hours in that I woke up a lot each night just to check the clock.  It was nice to have a non food challenge this week, so I could gear up for next week.

And speaking of next week, I am already nervous that I am going to slip up with some silly lick of a spoon or something.  This will be a challenge for me.  As for a meal idea, veggie burgers on wheat bread.  I was at Costco and they had samples of Dr. Praeger's all natural California Veggie Burgers.  They are tasty.  That burger and some strawberries make for a nice lunch.

I did a google search to learn more about refined sugar and wheat.  These pages had some information.

http://www.noflournosugardiet.org/

http://www.noflournosugardiet.org/unrefined-sugar/

Good Luck!

I have decided this has been my hardest week--I've barely made the required time each night as I usually have to get up to help my husband at least twice and sometimes three times a night.  Fortunately there have been a couple of nights when he's only awakened once!  Wouldn't be too bad if it was a short time, but sometimes it takes up to 40 minutes.  Makes it hard to plan!

Been thinking about the coming week (hasn't everyone?).  I received the latest Taste of Home Simple & Delicious magazine and decided to try a recipe out of it as I realized it would work for next week. 

Slow-Cooked Fruited Oatmeal with Nuts

Prep:  15 min.   Cook:  6 hours   Serves:  6
3 cups water
2 cups old-fashioned oats
2 cups chopped apples
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup fat-free milk
2 tsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp. chopped almonds, toasted
6 Tbsp. chopped pecans, toasted
    Additional fat-free milk

Combine first eight ingredients in a 3-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.  Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or until liquid is absorbed.  Spoon oatmeal into bowls.  Sprinkle with almonds and pecans; drizzle with additional milk if desired.

Nutrition Facts: 1 cup equals 306 calories, 13 g fat, 4 mg cholesterol, 28 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 6 g fiber, 8 g protein.  Diabetic Exchanges: 3 starch, 2 fat.

I tried the recipe out and have several observations.  I used grannie smith apples because that's what I had but I would use a different apple as they were just too tart for my taste.  I also had my cooker on slow for overnight and it turned out it was about 10 hours.  That was really too long, because it stuck to the bottom.  In the morning I realized that my Ocean Spray Cranberries were sweetened, so would need to get unsweetened ones.  I have some golden raisins that are not sweetened and I think I'll try them next time.  My husband didn't like it--wasn't sweet enough for him--and I did add sugar to his bowl.  I'm looking forward to making it again!

I think I can do okay next week because I don't have a family to please, so I wish you all a great week.

Love This Challenge

I love sleeping, especially in the winter when it is cold. I love curling up in bed and getting cozy. This week will be no challenge for me whatsoever. I love sleeping and I have no life so getting 7 hours is no problem-o.

I do have to remember to put my phone on silent or I might get a call around 9:45 which is when I have to go to bed in order to get 7 hours.

Sleep tight everyone!

Someone suggested that we all share a menu idea for next week, mine is Stir Fry.  You can add whatever veggies you like and serve them with a little rice or soy sauce.  I like it because my family can eat it too, so I'm not making two seperate meals.  They will probably smother it with sweet and sour sauce, but we can eat together. I noticed that there are a lot of veggies on sale this week at the different stores.  Or you can always buy a bag of fresh veggies at Sam's Club.

So far getting to sleep on time hasn't been an issue; but I still have the weekend and it will to be the hardest. 

When the challenge first started I wondered why the blog was so important.  I have come to realize that the blog has made me more committed because I have to report to all of you! Thanks for your support and encouragement.

Busy!

I'm suprised at how easy last week was for me. I didn't see that coming at all. With that said, I'm positive that I won't be saying the same thing about next week's challenge. I have a lot going on in my life right now (good things!), and I don't know if I will have the time or patience to figure out what I can or can't eat and then implement it into cooking for my family. We'll see how it goes.

Because I am crazy busy, it's nice to be "required" to sleep for at least 7 hours each night. I get up at 5:30 to work out every morning, and I'm often up past 10:30 or 11:00 at night. When that happens, I really feel it the next day. I'm making sure that I am in bed by 10:00. I felt so refreshed this morning! It was fantastic. And thank you for the counting tip. It worked great for me!

My current motivator for getting up so early is the BBC's tv show Robin Hood. (On Netflix). I just want to cheer after every episode! There are only three seasons because the writers did something IDIOTIC at the end of the second season, but I am still very entertained. Richard Armitage (of North and South fame) plays an evil/sometimes good guy. Love it! Seriously, finding something like a good flick or a good friend to motivate you to exercise is key. Good luck everyone.

Good Night! Sleep Tight!

I wanted to give you a tip if you have a hard time falling asleep or getting back to sleep after being woken up.

Count backwards from 300 by 3's.  300, 297, 294.......etc.

My mother has a hard time sleeping and shared this with me!

I am blessed to be able to hit the pillow and be out. Being able to get renewed and refreshed for a new day is so important. My heart goes out to people who have a tough time with sleeping! I will be praying that you will all get a wonderful nights's sleep this week!

Rebecca

No refined flour and sugar-

I know next week has a few of you a little worried. So, in an attempt to answer questions and calm fears ;) I will try to clarify and give ideas. May I also suggest that everyone post one recipe or meal idea so we have a lot of different options. The purpose is to recognize how much we rely on our processed (and therefore less healthy) foods. Natural is of course always the best choice but the main idea of the challenge is small changes. So, give this week a try and see what small changes will work for you!

Many of you know I have done this before. So, rather than reinvent anything I will repost the information from the last time I did this. It may get kind of long but hang in there!! Hopefully it will clarify everything and you will find some very helpful information. If you still have questions or concerns please ask here or email me at jen.matthews@comcast.net.

Basically, it's no refined sugar (white, brown, powdered..), but honey, agave syrup, pure maple syrup, evaporated cane juice syrup are all still okay. Anything that just sugar or any form of fructose corn syrup is out. No refined flour, so anything whole grain is still fine. Whole wheat pasta, whole wheat tortillas or wraps, whole wheat bread would all work.

So, for example, you could have plain yogurt with honey or vanilla, but the flavored types (with a lot of added sugar) would be out. Greek yogurts are okay but be careful because some can be very high in fat. Many of the Kashi cereals would be fine - they are made with all whole grains, and cane juice as a sweetener. Oatmeal with honey or maple syrup would work for breakfast also. Any natural sugar or sweetener is still okay - fruits and juices are all acceptable. Tortilla chips - as long as they're corn, would be fine. Again, as long as there's no refined flour or sugar in there you're good.

Another post from my last challenge that was really helpful-

I have found some yummy snacks: Kashi makes a dark chocolate oatmeal cookie that is totally whole grains and un-refined sugar. They aren't the best cookie I've ever had, but they do help to fill that sweet need I have. Also, Lara bars and Trio bars. Lara bars are just fruit and nuts and spices (like cinnamon) made into a chewy bar. Also helps hit the sweet spot with out refined sugars or flours. Trio bars have 3 nuts, 3 seeds and 3 fruits in each bar. They are definitely sweeter because they are made with some un-refined, yet natural, sweeteners. I found all 3 of these products at Costco, not some health food store. I actually don't know any health food stores in my new area, but I'm finding that normal grocery stores carry many healthier choices. I've also been looking at a lot of canned items - if you look you can find ones that don't have sugar. I've found it's often the cheaper generic brands that don't add in the sugar.

I went through my fridge and pantry today to see the list I could come up with of items that are okay for this "no refined" challenge. I was surprised how long it was:
milk, cheese, eggs, Parmesan cheese, hummus, spinach, carrots, apples, pears, lettuce, garlic, mustard, whole wheat tortillas, plain greek yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, butter, salt, grilled chicken, salsa (the green kind I happened to have in my fridge), soy sauce, onion, chopped green chilis, fruit juice (no sugar added)
natural peanut butter, honey whole wheat bread ( you'll really have to read the labels on bread. I'll probably bake some for this week, but it is possible to find!), cornmeal, rice, vinegar, nuts,
oil, Kashi cereal, oatmeal, corn tortilla chips, tuna, diced tomatoes, popcorn, fruit crisps (Freeze dried fruit)
Whole Wheat pasta, ranch dressing mix (mix with sour cream for a dip, or buttermilk/milk and sour cream for a dressing), many canned veggies - just read the labels.

I also looked through my recipes to find ones that would work.

Baked Cream Chicken Taquitos (these are a family favorite - so yummy. Just make sure you use corn tortillas or whole wheat tortillas.)
Cafe Rio style food - I have a shredded chicken recipe that I'll have to change up a little to make homemade dressing for (store bought always adds sugar) but I found one here. Then you just cook the chicken breasts in the dressing with some chili powder, cumin and garlic, on low for several hours, serve on a bed of lettuce with homemade pico, gaucamole, sour cream, cilantro lime dressing, made with sour cream, instead of mayo, and corn tortilla chips. YUM!
Spaghetti Carbonara (with whole wheat spaghetti)
Homemade spaghetti sauce - my recipe has canned tomatoe puree (Great Value makes one that is only tomatoes, nothing added), carrots, onion, celery, Italian sausage, italian seasonings and salt, cooked all day, and then processed until smooth. I find it's a great way for my kids to get some veggies without complaining. Then serve with whole wheat pasta. I sometimes cook myself whole wheat separate from the family, and let them have white pasta, but not all the time...
Cheeseburgers on a whole wheat bun with gaucamole and veggies
Grilled chicken with steamed veggies and a whole wheat roll.
Black Bean and Corn Salad - one of my all time favorite dishes. I like to add grilled chicken and chopped romaine lettuce. Serve with sour cream and corn tortillas. A great way to increase your veggie intake as well.
Baked Potatoes topped with cheese, ranch dip (see above), bacon, scallions, butter, salt, I could go on and on...

White chicken Chili. I LOVE this soup. Just check the labels on your canned foods to make sure there's no sugar in there. And corn tortilla chips to top it off. I love to throw some avocado chunks into mine.
Black Bean Soup Another fave. Can you tell where I go to find great recipes?
Taco Soup - again, you'll have to check out your labels to make sure you're going sugar free on this one. I also found a recipe for taco seasoning that looked really easy, in case yours has sugar or flour. Again serve with corn tortilla chips, light sour cream, cheddar cheese, avocado, etc.

Hopefully you will find this helpful and make next week a little less intimidating! I must say I am so proud of everyone for working hard and sticking it out!! Please don't give up! If you have fallen back recommit and start where we are now. We are almost there!

Well, 4 out of 7 ain't bad.  This week we had 2 birthday celebrations and a mission 'farewell' and, yes, I succumbed. And, may I say, it was delicious!  This week has taught me that I'm very glad the best adage for nutrition is all things in moderation.  We don't have to give up sweets, we just have to be mindful of how much we eat.

I know that this coming challenge--get 7 hours of sleep--will be extremely difficult.  Life is just too crazy.
Oh well, at least this challenge keeps me exercising, thanks for that!

Not so bad

I dreaded this week but now looking back, it wasn't so bad. I discovered that I probably mindlessly eat sweets because they are there but by declining i realized that I didn't miss eating the goodies. In reality, very few desserts and sweets are worth the calories, so now I will be better at deciding if the calories are worth it.

It's Almost Over!

This challenge has been my least favorite so far. It's probably the best one for me but that doesn't mean I like it. I can't believe how often I wanted something sweet this week. Even while I'm typing this I want to go eat something sweet. That would be totally dumb since it's almost bedtime on the last day of the challenge (yes, I go to bed early).

I'm surprised at how much fun I am having doing this. Thanks again for challenging me!

Small Triumph....sort of!

I have done this week of no sweets before...a couple times. The first time was the hardest by far. It seems everyday there was something deliciously out of the ordinary I had to resist. The second time was easier for sure. I wasn't too worried this time because I knew I could do it. Monday we were out of town with family. I had sent all our treats and temptations home with Spencer so there would be nothing for me to tempt me. Well, I started out just fine. As the day progressed, I was talking to my nephew who is currently at BYU. He was telling me about a project he had done in his entrepreneur class. He proceeded to tell me about a project one of the other groups had done....cake bites. One girl had made 900 cake bites to sell. As he was telling me this, he pulled them out and told me to try it. They were cherry which doesn't appeal to me at all but just to be polite, and clearly without thinking, I took one and had a bite. As I took my second bite, it occurred to me what I had done and I spit out the second bite. Here's where the small triumph comes in-although I had already blown it for the day-I did not have another sweet for the rest of the day. (this is where you ooh and aah) I'm not going to lie-I don't know if I can go another week for the make up points-one week is hard enough....but we'll see what Monday brings!!

Happy Sleeping!!

Keep up the Good Work!

You are all doing an amazing job! You are great examples to me and are helping me stay positive. Thanks friends! This week has been really hard for me...full of stress and temptation...but I am staying the course and hanging in there.

I have had to avoid the doughnuts and chocolate milk my son had Monday am, the Peanut Butter Bars at Family Night, the homemade chocolates my daughter made,  lunch out with Grandma and a box of chocolates my mom brought over. Yikes! For some who don't like sweets this week has probably been a breeze but for me it has been really tough. I am just grateful that I haven't slipped as I've made treats for the family or walked in my sleep to the choclate stash :) We can do this ladies! Thanks for reminding me we can do hard things!!

A quote from a friend: " Never underestimate the power of doing the simple things the right way in a consistent manner." Janalyn Holt

Keep up the good work!

Rebecca

I'm obviously not the only one!

So, in just scanning the entries this week, I am not alone. I agree that being told I can't do something is much harder that being told I can. Monday was the longest day EVER! Probably because I had the day off and didn't have my normal schedule to follow and really wanted junk. I made it through the day somehow and then have made it through the week. How, I have no idea. Only two and half more to go. It seems every day I crave something sweet, which isn't like me. Don't get me wrong, I like my sweets, but I have never been a person who has them every day.

This weekend my niece, who is 8, is coming to stay with my sister and me. We usually watch movies, eat popcorn, eat junk food and go and do fun things. Well the movie and fun things will still happen I just have to remember I can't eat the sweets. Her mom told me this morning that she was packing treats for our movie watching. Ought to be fun tonight!

Last week my challenge was to get 7 and 1/2 to 8 hours of sleep a night and continue drinking 64 oz. of water. The sleep was so hard! I felt like I was rushing each night just to make it to bed on time. I did make it, but it was difficult. The water has been easy for me, I have continued to drink at least 64 oz this week.

This is the longest week...

I've sure appreciated what you all have been sharing.  It's so helpful to know that some of you have been having some of the same feelings that I have.  I never realized how often I pick up some little piece of something sweet just because it's left-over, the only one there, or I don't know what to do with it.  Yesterday was a friend's birthday, and on Tuesday I thought I would make her some special cupcakes!  Then I quickly realized I couldn't do that--couldn't taste the icing to make sure it had enough of something in it, etc.  So I went to Sugar Daisy and bought her some cupcakes!  This has been hard enough--not looking forward to two weeks from now with no sugar or white flour. I'll have to try Rebecca's bread!

I can do this right?

Can I just say how hard this challenge is for me? I am struggling like none other. I am looking for ways to get a food fix without eating "sweets." I am the girl that ALWAYS has a little hershey kiss after every meal. I was just telling my husband how hard this is for me. I am dying. (okay not really, but it is sure feeling that way!)

I have found that I am eating more all-natural fruit leathers. The ones from Costco. They give me a half serving of fruit and I am able to stay away from sweets.

I asked for a definition of what this challenge was to one of the other participants, and after talking with her, I realize that her view is not my view. With that said, I am avoiding candies of all kinds and then baked goodies; brownies, pies, cookies, bars and cakes. I can handle this a little easier. Maybe other's feel like it needs to be more, but for me, this is what works.

Here is to three more days of this. I can do this! I know I can! I KNOW I can! I KNOW I CAN!!!!!

You're not alone-We can do this

Sundays are pretty slow at my house. Our church doesn't start until 1:00 and my husband is gone most of the morning, so we read and play games.  We have a late breakfast and then eat dinner after church.  Fast Sunday is not so slow, by 9:00 my son is counting down the hours until we get home from church so he can eat.  In February I teased him.  I reminded him that we didn't normally have breakfast until 10:00 on Sunday-and at 9:00 he was starving.  We laughed, it is a mental game.

So last night I told my daughter that I couldn't wait until Monday.  She laughed and said she couldn't believe it was so hard because I didn't eat a lot of treats anyway.  I just smiled and told her it was like fast sunday.  I had even picked out the candy bar I was going to eat for breakfast on Monday.  Funny thing, I never eat a whole candy bar by myself. When you can't have something it seems like you want it evern more.

I have learned that it is easier for me to 'do' an activity than 'not do' an activity.  I can count water and write down food, but if it is a don't do week I am constantly asking myself, "Can I do/eat this?" 

--Yes we can do this.

Any menu suggestions for week 7?  I am starting to collect ideas-potato bar, taco salad (with corn chips), omelets, haystacks...

Mental Health

I don't know about the rest of you, but I feel as though I am mentally exhausted from this challenge.  We are halfway through it and I am beginning to lose the initial excitement that kept me really motivated.  I am hoping I can keep pushing forward.  

This challenge has opened my eyes to negative habits and tendencies I didn't know I had.  On the positive, it has made me see that I do have inner strength and discipline.  This week in particular, I am realizing that this challenge requires an enormous amount of mental strength.  Various circumstances have come up this past week that have added an increase level of stress to my life.  I feel I do a decent job with managing stress, but this week I am coming up short.  It hit me that I am probably more uptight because I can't turn to food to ease the tension in my life.  Surprisingly I look forward to the time I get to workout, knowing it will help lift my spirits.  I know that if I continue to do these hard things, they will get easier, and hopefully become second nature.

I have always loved this quote:

“That which we persist in doing becomes easier to do, not that the nature of the thing has changed, but our power to do so is increased.” 

― Heber J. Grant

To quote Frasier Crane, "wishing you all good mental health."

No Sweets Update

I needed to share with everyone how proud I am of making it 3 days (almost) of no sweets. I guess I can't fully count today because it isn't done yet, but I still can't believe I have made it this far.

I grew up in a house where we had dessert after lunch and dinner. My body is trained to have a little something sweet after every meal. I do find my body wanting that sweet ending to my meal. But I have resisted the urge so far, even with Red Vines staring at me in my cupboard last night.

Now I just have to make it 4 more days.

Whew

I barely made it through last week. Last minute, my family and I decided to go away for the weekend. I had chosen to drink 64 ounces of water, not eat after 8 and keep a food journal. The journal was the easiest part. Because it was a long drive, I didn't want to drink too much water during the day. That left the night time to catch up. But I did it!

Not eating after 8 was also a challenge, being on vacation. This was probably the hardest. One night I really really wanted an E.L. Fudge double-stuffed cookie after 8. Luckily, my husband is my biggest cheerleader, and he convinced me it wasn't worth it to slack off. I used to think that I wasn't capable of mustering up enough willpower to do things like this. I'm proving myself wrong and it feels great!

So....with a weekend of indulging in sweets behind me, I enter into this week having convinced myself completely that I am ready for a break from them. (I'm convinced that this is a mental, not physical battle). It was hard riding in the car on the way home and keeping my hands off the Swedish fish and m&m's, but I did it. One day down. I'm taking this one day at a time. I've never gone an entire week without sweets before. I'm fairly certain of that. There's a first time for everything!

I'm a little worried about my weigh-in at the end of this week. Sometimes I over-compensate the lack of sweets with eating other unhealthy things. I am not going to do that this time! I have lost a little bit each week so far, and I hope it will continue.

Go for this!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

No Sweets? No Way..

This is going to be a tough week for me. I love sweets! And most of you know that my favorite thing in the world to do is recipe test desserts. Since I work with a bunch of you I will help you out this week by not testing any recipes and bringing in sweets.

It doesn't help that I have 3-4 slices of Sour Cream-Lemon Pie at my house right now. I am going to throw it in the trash unless someone wants to come claim it tonight for their family.

It's a good thing I have not realized my dream of owning a bakery. There is no way I would make it through the challenge this week. But I am determine to stay strong and stay away from the cookies in my cupboard and the Red Vines and the Tootsie Pops and candy bars. Maybe I should just stay away from my house all together.

My solution for this week is to have tons of fruit on hand so that when the cravings begin I can eat an apple, nectarine, blueberries, banana. The other thing that has helped me in the past has been to eat one teaspoon of peanut butter when the cravings start.

Fruits and Vegetables and Brownies

I picked the challenge to eat 3 fruits and 3 vegetables a day because I wanted to work on eating more healthy foods.  It was tough for me.  I did find myself eating less "other stuff" because the serving of fruit and the serving of vegetable each meal really helped fill me up.  Confession...I had family over this evening for some games and I ate a bunch of brownies.  It was partially because I knew I couldn't have sweets this next week, but it was also because I tried a new recipe, that made me feel less guilty.  I made the brownies with a can a pureed black beans instead of using the oil and the egg.  I found the idea online and it worked great.

Healthy Mind, Healthy Body

What should I blog about? I guess my challenge this week was a mental one. I tried to feed my mind with positive thoughts. About me, about others. I tried to push myself in my workouts harder than I have in the past, and try to reach my limits. Follow through with the decisions I was to make. It is soooo mental. Making decisions is, and it takes practice. A lot of trial and error. I ran the mile and 800m at Simplot. I had a goal that would push me, and I achieved that goal! I am really working hard to develop mental strength and health... It really all starts in out thoughts- sow a thought, reap an action; so an action, reap a habit; sow a habit, reap an eternal destiny. "IT" being everything. Keeping positive thoughts is, I think, the beginning to achieving a healthy life. ;)

Eating together

So my health challenge this week was to sit down as a family and eat our family dinner meal together. I fixed some good meals and the family (when we were together) enjoyed eating together. They seemed more satisfied with their meal and I think we snacked less.  Sometimes there was only three of us but it still was just as important to sit down and eat together.  I want to continue this again this coming week. Have a good week everyone and keep up the good health challenge.

I can't believe we are already to week #5.  It's hump week - next week starts our downhill slide.  That must mean it's gonna get easier, right?  This past week I have been grateful to be participating in this challenge with all of you.  It has gotten me out to exercise when I probably would not have had it not been for this challenge.  Thanks!  This week's challenge is going to be a challenge for me.  Good luck everyone!

Glad the week is over

Doing the Special K challenge was rough. It is difficult to limit yourself to a few food choices. It taught me that it is just better to eat healthy and in moderation. Plus, I pretty sure it is a marketing ploy to get you to eat the cereal.

A Funtastic Week

I absolutely loved this week! I learned so much from my challenge of health tips. I learned so many new things. I posted what I would be doing the night before so that I had to be accountable and follow through. I found some fun challenges that went along with the days of the week. I posted about my experiences each day. I'm sure it was a bit wearisome to see me posting so much but due to the fact that it is challenging for me to be blogging I found it very helpful!

I am loving this challenge and even looking forward to this week which is one I have been dreading. :) Best of luck everyone! Having friends to share this Health Challenge with is SWEET and I will be focusing on that!

Rebecca

Goal Update

It has felt a little strange this week with everyone working on individual goals, but a good opportunity to work on something we feel is important.

My goal was to track my daily fiber intake and take steps to improve where needed.  I learned two things: 1- I was not doing as bad as I thought, I was getting about 2/3rds of what I needed 18 out of 25 grams, 2- There are little things I can do to improve.  I thought eating a green salad at lunch was good, it is only about 3g of fiber, but if you add 1/4 cup of craisins it doubles.  Multigrain bread is better than wheat, and a bowl of fruit with breakfast usually double the fiber in multigran cereal. By the end of the week I was closer to 23 grams. The shift to 25 this week shouldn't be a problem.

Today I am cleaning my kitchen of all the half empty boxes and bags of treats.  If the bag is open it is easy to sneak a snack, but if it isn't open it won't be as much of a temptation. 

Good luck with the goal this week. 

My challenge this week!

I decided for my challenge to continue to eat a balanced diet all day. Eat a treat when craving one to see if I could Maintain all week. It was a success! Ok course I need to lose more but maintaining can be a challenge after losing 30 pounds.

My Challenge Day 7

For today it was fun to teach the kids that they could watch a movie and enjoy a healthy and fun snack! I provided grapes and the 1/4 cup of M&Ms recommended in the post. My kids thought a 1/4 cup was PLENTY!

For Sunday...Tip #74 from Melanie Douglass

Spiritual Motivation

"Most of us know what steps we should to improve our health. Eat more fruits and veggies. Drink more water. Eat less fat. Eat less every-thing. Exercise more. Does any of this sound like breakthrough science? Likely no. We've heard all this before-so why is it so hard to follow through with these basic health principles? Life is busy; that's for sure. Sometime you just don't have the time or the resources to make the healthiest choice. But let's be honest-sometimes we simply lack the motivation to make better choices.

     If you suffer from lack of motivation today, read Doctrine and Covenants section 89. It's only twenty-one verses long, and it teaches and reminds us about our great "principle with promise": the Word of Wisdom. The Word of Wisdom clearly tells what we should eat in order to be spiritually and physically strong--helping us to feel our best and live to our full potential. Verses 18 to 21 explain the benefits of obeying the Word of
Wisdom; those verses are especially inspirational, encouraging, and motivational."

I'll be reading this section again on Sunday to motivate me and remind me of the real benefits to healthy living!

Rebecca

I have to admit that for me this week has been the most difficult one so far--and it's really my fault!  I really wanted to do this challenge--not for the hope of winning some money--but to get myself on track and be able to accomplish some of the other things I needed to do. 

One of my life challenges at this time is to get my hip back to normal so that I can walk without a limp and so that I won't get so tired before the day ends.  So this week my own choice of challenge was to faithfully and COMPLETELY do my "hip" exercises.  Oh, I've been doing them since I got home from rehab, but not as faithfully as I should, so I thought this would help me be more diligent.  You've heard of self-defeating behavior(!) and that's kind of what I've been doing this week.  Instead of getting up and doing my exercises when I'm "fresh" and not tired out, for the most part I've been waiting until day's end (even as late as 11:00 p.m.) to do them.  I will say that I have done them, but it has been hard and definitely not a pleasant experience.  If only walking or riding the bike would fix it, I'd have it made!

I plan to continue on next week with my exercises, so wish me luck.  "No sugar" will probably be equal to this week's challenge. 

I wish you all a wonderful sugar-free week!

If only it were that easy!

French fries.

Potato chips.

Apple pie.

Chocolate covered strawberries.

Peach cobbler.

5 servings of fruits and veggies-check!

If only it were that easy!!

I can do this!

Here we are nearing the end of the fourth week and I am wondering how I am going to fare this weekend. It is President's weekend and going to be beautiful here in sunny St. George. Now for most people this wouldn't pose any sort of a problem, but for me it is going to be HARD!!!! All of our extended family lives along the Wasatch front and we have three families coming into town and my in-laws. How in the world am I supposed to be having fun when I continued the "no" eating after 8:00 at night? I have to admit that I am praying for the will power and self control to do this. It is going to be interesting. I have to remind myself about the monetary reward to keep me going. I hope to get to the point that it is the "good" feeling that I get from being healthy!

My Challenge Day 6

Today's challenge was fun because I got to eat at a Mexican Restaurant! I used a couple of the tips...on my salad I picked off the tortilla strips and I ate half the salad which was just the right size!

Now for Saturday's challenge. Tip #148 from Melanie Douglass

Movie Night...with Healthy Snacks!

Watch a movie with your family tonight. There is one rule, however: you have to serve healthy snacks. Seriously your body will appreciate it! When you barely move a muscle for two hours and top it off by eating a bunch of high-calorie food, your poor body has to find a place to use or store all those extra calories.

     Here's to the healthiest movie-watching experience of your life. Try one or two of these ideas:

• A bowl of mixed fresh fruit: grapes, cantaloupe, berries, and so forth
• Plain popcorn: with a dash of salt and a little spray butter
• Veggie tray: dip with ranch dressing, but not sour-cream-based ranch dip
• One portion of one treat per person: one-quarter cup M&Ms, two small cookies, and so forth (allow one portion; then put the rest away--out of sight)
• Hard candies: try four to six per person (they take longer to eat and can satisfy a sweet tooth with a small amount of calories)
• Sugar-free frozen yogurt: skip the ten to twelve teaspoons of sugar in regular frozen yogurt
• Ice water

I'm doing this on Saturday!


Rebecca

My Challenge:



This week I decided to do portion control. My goal is to not eat more than 500 calories in one sitting. This challenge will force me to spread my caloric intake throughout the day instead of eating a lot at lunch time. It has been going really well. Soups are my go to food for lower calories and feeling just as full as eating a regular meal.
Thanks Rebecca for all the recipes!

My Challenge- Day 5

Report on today...I enjoyed some healthy fat...20 walnuts for a snack. Yum.

For tomorrow, Friday, tip #229 from Melanie Douglass

Eating in a Mexican Restaurant?

Mexican food is one of the most popular cuisines in America today. And like many restaurants, the wrong menu choice can conjure up metabolic mayhem thanks to a huge portion of food laden in calories, fat, saturated fat, and sodium.

If you'll be gracing a Mexican restaurant with your presence today, try to make it a more helathful visit by following these rules:

• Order one entree. Skip the combination platter.
• Order black beans, not refried.
• If the main entree is served in a hefty portion size (sensible portions fit in the palm of your hand), skip the rice.
• Don't eat more than ten chips with salsa.
• If your entree contains cheese, skip sour cream and guacamole.

For Salads

• Skip fried tortilla strips.
• Pick one of these high-fat toppings: cheese, guacamole, or sour cream.
• Order baked taco shells or fresh tortilla "soft shells." No fried versions.
• If the salad has rice and beans in it, top with a low-fat or fat-free salad dressing.

I'm going to try this great tip Friday!

Rebecca

My Challenge- Day 4

The wheat bread was fabulous! I ground the wheat and usually I make it half white and half wheat but this whole wheat was very good. My whole family enjoyed it!

On to tomorrow's challenge...

"A Matter of Fat ( Tip #328 Melanie Douglass)

Eat something that's a good source of one of the healthy fats today. We Americans need a bit of retraining to realize that the right kind of fat is a necessary part of a healthy diet. Monounsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids are the healthiest fats; they promote cardiovascular health, and omega-3's can actually reduce the risk of dying from a heart attack. People often get confused about which fat is healthy and which fat is bad so check out the list below-- if you eat it, you'll remember it! Eat one of these healthy fats today:

• 1 ounce almonds or walnuts (1 handful or about 20 nuts)
• 1/4 of an avocado
• 1-2 tablespoons ground flax seed (add to any baked item or cereal)
• 1 tablespoon flax seed oil or fish oil
• 6 ounces fatty fish ( salmon, trout, herring, etc.)
• 1 tablespoon peanut butter".

I'm going to try one of these healthy fats on Thursday!

Rebecca

My Challenge- Day 3

Report on today...i have never savored a piece of chocolate by letting it just melt in my mouth. It was great.

For Wednesday, ( Tip #11 by Melanie Douglass)

Baking for Busy Moms: Wholesome Whole-Wheat Bread

Try this simple and delicious homemade whole-wheat bread recipe.

Homemade Whole-Wheat Bread
Stir the following together and set aside:
1/4 cup warm water
1 T yeast
1 t sugar
In a separate bowl, mix together:
2 1/2 Cups hot water
1/4 cup canola oil ( i use olive)
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 T salt
3 cups whole-wheat flour
Add yeast mixture and mix for 5 to 10 minutes.
Next add:
1/2 cup potato flakes (optional)
3 to 4 more cups whole-wheat flour
Mix until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl.
Divide the dough into 2 loaves and place in bread pans coated with cooking spray. Let the dough rise ntil it doubles in size; if you're in a hurry, let it rise for about 30 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Makes 2 loaves.

Enjoy! This is what I'll be doing to stay healthy on Wednesday!

Rebecca

My Challenge- Day 2

Today I followed through on teaching my family about health. We had a brief demonstration, did Jen Ward's fitness set (once) and then went on a walk! It was excellent to share what I've been learning with my family!

For tomorrow, a fitting tip. (#35 by Melanie Douglass)

Valentine's Day: For the Love of Chocolate

Nothing means Valentine's Day more than chocolate. Enjoy some chocolate today, but keep it under control:

• Go for darker chocolate. If you've heard the rumor that "chocolate is good for you," you need to know it's dark chocolate that actually contains more of the beneficial antioxidants (in the form of flavonoids) that are good for your heart and blood pressure. Dark chocolate is richer but is usually more satisfying, so you'll eat less chocolate overall.
• Let it melt in your mouth.  Let the chocolate melt in your mouth so you fully taste it. If it takes you longer to eat, you'll eat less of it.
• Spread it out over a few days. See, I'm doing you a favor-now you get to eat chocolate for more than just one day. Really, it's better for you to not overload on a bunch of chocolate at once. You can't buy a bag or box of chocolate and expect it to "serve one". Every bag or box of chocolate will give you more than you need in a day, so eat small amounts and spread it out."  

Happy Valentine's Day!

Rebecca

I am running a race in June that I am supposed to be training for and haven't been. I am most definitely NOT a runner so I really need the training. So, for my challenge this week I am going to train everyday. I was supposed to start training 3 weeks ago and have only run 1 day. This is going to be very challenging for me. I hope I am up for it!

So, trying to come up with a challenge that would actually challenge me but that I could actually reasonably do has been difficult. I think I have figured it out though. I want to continue with last week's challenge of 64 oz of water a day in addition to getting 7 & 1/2 -8 hours of sleep a night. I have been worn out the last two weeks and complain every morning how tired I am. I need more sleep. So, lets see if I can be successful. It's not good to fall asleep at work!Good thing the challenge starts today, I would have lost out last night!

Fresh Food and an Inspiring Story

As I have been thinking about this "choose your own challenge" I thought it would be good to increase my awareness of serving sizes by measuring out all of my portions.  However, before I posted my goal, I decided to look back at my food journal to see if there was anything else that would be better to focus on.  As I looked I noticed I had little to no fruits or vegetables in a day.  Instead my meals were full of pre-prepared boxed and frozen foods.  I realized that having good portions isn't going to help if I am not eating the right foods.  I need the vitamins and minerals that come from FRESH FOODS.  This week my goal is to eat 3 servings of fruits, and 3 servings of vegetables each day.  I hope I will learn to like the natural sweetness of fruit, so I can use it as a substitue next week when I can't have sweets!

On a separate note, I wanted to share a brief thought from the LDS Worldwide Leadership Training on Saturday.   We watched a video that told the story of a deacon (a boy age 12 or 13), Spencer,  who felt responsible to care for the other boys in his quorum.  One of these boys, Dayton, had cerebral palsy and could only communicate through blinking.  Spencer wanted Dayton to be able to do things like other kids and invited him to do a triathlon.  Dayton blinked a "yes," so Spencer pushed and pulled Dayton through the entire triathlon.  Spencer said it was more difficult than the other triathlons he had done alone but he knew a good friend was only 5 feet away from him the whole time, and that kept him going.  This is a very inspiring story of love and service.  I was also inspired when Spencer said that he felt good knowing he could do hard things.  This health challenge is a hard thing but I know we can do it and that we will all feel better having done it.

Here is the link to the video.  Spencer and Dayton complete triathlon together I encourage all of you to watch this story.  Its only a couple of minutes long but is very moving.  The actual video begins at the 24:00 minute mark and goes to 26:41.

WE TOO CAN DO HARD THINGS!

This week

Last week was definitely eye opening for me as far as my water consumption is concerned. Despite the frequent bathroom trips, I'm going to drink 64 ounces of water again this week. And for good measure I'm going to tack on keeping a food journal and not eating after 8:00 as well. These things have really kept me in check. The water thing is difficult for me, and therein comes the challenge part.

I'm gearing up for next week. No sweets! Aaah!! I'm already beginning the mental battle for that one. I always joke that I exercise to support my habits. It's true. And I could never give up sweets altogether, but what's a week in the grand scheme of things, right?

I'm just glad it's not this week. My ward's RS is having a "Chocolate Appreciation" night on Wednesday and it would have been a shame to miss it. :) Good luck with your individual challenges everyone!

Fiber Anyone?

Last week I realized that I didn't get as much water as I should, so I wondered if there was anything else that my diet may be lacking.  Because of thyroid issues I make sure I get plenty of calcium, and we are really good about eating fruits and vegetables.  One thing I don't know about fiber.
My challenge for this week is to keep track of what I eat and see if I am getting enough fiber in my diet.  I originally thought I would say get 100% of daily fiber-25g.  Then as I was reading about it this morning I read that if you dramatically increase the amount of fiber in your diet it could have undesirable side effects-bloating, gas, cramps etc.  Doesn't sound fun, so I will monitor my fiber and if necessary make small increases daily.  But for now, I need to know where I am.

Good luck with your personal challenges!

Hardest challenge yet

This was the hardest challenge yet for me.  I started out great, but the week got stressful early on and I went down hill from there.  MAYBE I'll try a double challenge week this week, but maybe not. 

For my challenge this week I am going to be mindful of having protein, fruit/vegetable, and whole grains for breakfast every day.  Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so best to make it healthy!

Good luck everyone!  hope you have a successful week!

better skin

I loved this week's water challenge.  Sometimes I forget how much I love water and what it does for my skin. I drank little milk and mostly water and I noticed a good difference. At first it was hard to get it all in but as time went on I started to crave and enjoy just water.

So my new challenge for the coming week is to eat dinner together as a family at a regular time.  That might sound funny for those of you with small children but, where we have youth going in every directions this is a real challenge.  Tuesday evening dinner will be else where so I thought breakfast as a family. But we are committing to every other evening.

WOW what a week!!!!

What a week ya'll!!  Wasn't it great!!! I love drinking water!!  64oz a day it's great!!  So I like to post the adventures i go on and this past week for one of my adventures, I swam a mile!  It was so fun!!!  Swimming is great exercise, nice on the joints and very relaxing too!  I'm also learning how to do the butterfly stroke, that is a challenge but it's coming along:)  I also went on a 30 mile bike ride!  That was great!  This winter has been so accommodating, I love it!!  I rode from my house to the top of antelope drive and then just rode my bike down the road all the way to antelope island! and then back to my house!  It was a great day for a ride!  Needless to say, I'm training for a triathlon for this summer. Does anyone want to train with me? It'll be fun!!!  Well have a great week!  Keep up the good work ladies!!!

You are what you eat...

Food. We love it. It fuels our bodies; we eat it when we're sad, we eat it when we're happy. Sometimes we don't even know why we're eating it. Sugar, fat and salt are what fuels our appetites to eat more sugar, fat and salt. For next week, the challenge of my choosing is to stay away from them and eat for fuel. WOO! I am a firm believer in "you are what you eat."

My very "special" challenge

I was stumped on what to challenge myself with this week when I realized I had quite a stockpile of Special K cereal (there was a good sale on them last month) and decided to take the Special K Challenge. Meal 1 is a bowl of Special K and some fruit. Meal 2 can be another bowl of cereal or a protein shake plus fruit. The third meal is as I normally would. They allow 2 snacks. I'm hoping it will teach me about portion control and being satisfied before I get too full. I also hope I don't hate cereal by the end of the week.

Next Week's Challenge - Day 1

For today I am going to have a Family Night Health Lesson ( Tip #345 from Healthy Living)

"It's shocking and horrifying. We are now seeing children and teenagers with early signs of heart disease, high blood pressure, and full-blown diabetes. Your children or grandchildren are growing up in times that are different from your own childhood! Technology and time-saving devices are robbing us of the daily physical activity we so desperately need to be healthy and strong.

Have one of your children sit on the couch. Ask him to change the TV channel by using the remote. Then ask him to get up and walk to change the TV channel. Let him sit back down, get comfy, and ask him yet again to get up and walk to change the TV channel. Have fun with it and repeat as many times as you like.

This object lesson will help your kids understand how the little chances to move muscles can add up to make a big difference through-out the day. Give a short lesson on the value of exercise and make plans to go for a walk or play a game of sports as a family. Kids need at least sixty minutes of moderate to vigorous activity every day. And every bit of activity counts!"

I'm in charge of the Activity tomorrow so this will work perfectly!

Rebecca

I'm glad it's over!

So last week I posted about choosing to be happy, and then I had a rough week. That will teach me! I am so happy this week is over. It was a long, hard week at work. Good thing there are weekends!!

The challenge wasn't a hard for me this week, 64 oz of water a day. I did have a few more interruptions during the day for those restroom breaks, but I felt good drinking water. Then again that is all I drink.

I have been thinking a lot about what challenge I would choose for the coming week. I think this will be the most difficult of all because I have to choose it and then stick to it. Hmm.........what to do?? I need to think about it a little more, I'll post tomorrow with my decision.

I choose - 3 meals 2 healthy snacks and nothing else

When I was first dieting a few years ago to lose 25 pounds, I was so strict and dedicated to my plan. Lately, probably because I hate being at work, I have become a muncher again. I'm not even hungry but more bored so I pop something in my mouth.

My challenge will be to eat 3 meals and 2 healthy (no more than 100 calorie) snacks and then eat joint else. Three years ago this would not have been a challenge but now it is going to be tough.

Drinking water isn't really a hard thing for me. It is my beverage of choice. I do really well during the week with drinking water all day while I am at work. The weekends are a little bit more difficult. It's almost 6pm and I still need to drink 18 oz before I go to bed. I bet if I wasn't counting the amount I was drinking it wouldn't be a big deal to drink 64 oz/day. Since I am counting I am a little nervous about getting the rest if it in tonight and not being up all night going to the bathroom. Wish me luck!

Looking forward to next week!

Next week the challenge is open for you to do what you would like. You can choose to do one of the challenges we have already done or one we will soon be doing. You can also come up with your own challenge. Something you need to work on. Keep in mind the key work is "challenge". It should be something that will challenge you and help you feel better. We'd like you to post what you are planning to do on Monday (unless you already have). That way we can be accountable to each other.

I do a lot better with the "do" challenges-ie, drink more water, keep a food journal. During the weeks of "don'ts" I find myself panicking mid-bite wondering if I am breaking any rules-ie-no eating after 8, no sweets. So, for my challenge this week I am going to eat 5 fruits and veggies. Although I am really good at making sure my children have fruit/veggies for every meal, I realized during the food journal week I am not good at getting my own. So, this will be a good week to prepare me for 5 veggies week.

Let us know what you are going to do!!

Tough Week

Well, this has been a tough week.  I have not done very well on ANYTHING!!! I am going to really try this next week. 

H2OHHHHHH!!!!

So, I thought that this was going to be the easiest challenge yet. I KNEW with out a doubt that I drink more than my share of water. I knew I didn't have to measure it out, because the consumption was a natural part of my life, as natural as going to the bathroom. :) I cannot leave my house without my water bottle. Grabbing it is as natural as grabbing the keys for the car. I actually feel lost if I don't have it. (can I just say, Fast Sunday is the worst!!)

So to cover my bases and humor myself, I decided that I was going to measure out my water each night. I pulled out the pitcher and measured my TWO quarts!!!! In the fridge it went, especially since I love my water cold. As a matter of fact, every glass I drink is filled with crushed ice. I have practiced my drinking like this for years. And, as an added bonus, I learned on "The Doctor's" that my body could burn up to 500 extra calories a week for drinking it cold. HOORAY!!!!! That is some great news!!!!

So even though the extra calories burned were an added bonus, I got a HUGE slap in the face with this challenge. I realized that I struggle with getting in my 64 ounces a day. What an eye opener. I don't drink any thing else, and haven't for about six years. For at least three of the days, I still had a lot to drink at 10 at night. Let the chugging begin and let the urinating come.

Needless to say, I am grateful for this week's challenge and the eye opener it has been for me. As for next weeks, I am going to combine this past three weeks for next. :)

Tip to Share

I wanted to share a tip from a book I've been reading on Healthy Living.

"Lost Your Motivation? It's Right Here

We all go through this. Feeling overwhelmed, feeling like you're not up to par, feeling tired, or just plain ready to give up. It's a natural part of the ebb and flow of life. But if you want to change your health for a lifetime, it's something you have to work on for a lifetime. All you need to do is be willing to try, try again. Try one of these tips to help you get back on the right path:

• Talk to a positive friend. The conversation doesn't even have to be about you. Hearing a positive spin on life is always inspiring.
• Listen to your favorite music
• Invite a friend or family member to work out with you. Set a time and date-and don't cancel it!
• Invite somebody to enjoy a healthy meal with you. The invitation will force you to follow through with making and eating the healthy meal.
• Ponder your true intentions. Tell yourself you "have" to do it in order to feel your best. You have no choice other than to fight for your health in this unhealthy world."

Loved this weeks challenge x 2 since I did last week's again as well. I am learning so much about these simple, healthy choices. They do make a difference! For next week I am going to choose a new health tip for each day, do it and post it! 

Have a great week everyone!

Rebecca

I have to admit, of the first three weeks this is the challenge I feared the most.  I know I don't drink enough water and I pictured myself sitting in bed with a bottle of water trying to get it all down before midnight.  Not so...  I like the benifits and now-after the last post- I guess I better chill my water.

Last week I tried to keep my pantry doors closed and my counter clear of junk food.  I walk through my kitchen so many times during the day and it is too easy to grab a quick snack without thinking.  My children are the culprits-yes I can blame them-, I gave up years ago reminding them to close the doors. So, now I just close the doors when they leave for school-out of sight out of mind.

Have a great weekend!

I'm Drowning

When I gave up caffeine about 7 years ago I swapped my Dr. Pepper for water. I am used to drinking a lot of water throughout the day. But 64oz is somehow just enough more to double my trips to the restroom (sorry for the over share).

The one benefit I get from drinking lots of water is I tend to snack a little less because my stomach is so full of fluid. I am liking this challenge but to be honest I am looking forward to it's end.

Here is an interesting tip about drinking ICE COLD water (which is my personal favorite)

Believe it or not when you drink cold water, the first thing your body does is heat that water up to the body temperature. This process takes approximately 50 calories to rise the temperature of 8 ounces of iced cold water to body temperature. It means that if you drink 8 to 10 cups of COLD water each day, you’ll burn an extra 400 to 500 calories. How about dropping 1 pound per week just by drinking water? Isn’t that fabulous?????