Week 41 of Healthier Living in 2015

10/28/2015
For week of: 10/21 - 10/28/2015
Weigh in Weight: 161.8 lbs
Previous Weigh in Weight: 162.0 lbs lose of 8 oz.

Goals for Week 41:
1) Sell 1-3 books this week and continue to build $1000 emergency fund by various avenues
2) Daily exercise/physical activity
3) 15 to 20 minutes of writing, including timeline project, 3 days this week
4) 30 minutes to 1 hour of reading daily
5) Do fun preschool activities and speech therapy homework with my son

It gets harder and harder to want to do anything as I progress in my pregnancy.  Only 4 weeks and 5 days to go, unless baby boy decides to show up earlier than November 30th at 10 am.

Again, despite my discomfort, I was able to accomplish quite a lot during week 41.  My goal of selling 1-3 books and continuing to build our $1000 emergency fund went really well.  I ended up selling 5 books both full price and through book consignment getting 70% of the retail price of my book per copy.  For week 42, it looks like I will easily be able to sell a couple more books through consignment so to stay motivated, I am going to include this goal in my goals for week 42.  By selling the 5 books this week I am almost half way to $1000 for our emergency fund.  I am so excited about this that I am going to keep going with my current endeavors of book selling.  I also am strategizing how to sell my scarves that I am planning to make or have made online.  I'm leaning towards eBay, but Facebook might be a good avenue too.  I haven't decided yet, but am going to by the end of this week.

Every day during week 41, I walked or did some for of daily physical activity so I could get some form of exercise.  I did skip Sunday, which I have no excuse for doing.  But since daily physically activity has become a major part of my daily routine, I can confidently say that I can take this off my goals list, unless I back slide and have to add it again. :)

I finished my timeline project this week and wrote for 15 to 20 minutes at least 3 days during week 41.  I will have some revisions to do on the project over the next few weeks, but I am confident it will be completely done before baby boy is born.  Writing in my journey was my other main writing activity as well as writing this blog, so overall, it has been a good week of making intensional time to write.  I plan to continue to make finding intentional writing time a priority and one of my goals each week until it becomes part of my daily routine.

I have made reading each day such a part of my routine that I am actually catching up on my reading I have been behind on for a long time.  I am for the time being going take reading off my goals list.  I am happy to say that reading is now routine and I make sure I have time to do it everyday. :)

Throughout the week, I have made a great effort to not only have story time with my son, but to do a fun preschool activity with him each day as well as work on his speech therapy homework.  I want to keep it up even though my energy level is at an all time low these days.  So I am going to keep doing these activities with my son as part of my goals so I hold myself accountable to do it even if I don't feel like it some days.

So there you have it.  That's all I have to add for now.  Until next time, Keep on keeping on! :)

Goals for Week 42: 10/28 - 11/4/2015
1) Sell 1-3 books this week and continue building $1000 emergency fund by various avenues
2) Do one fun preschool activity with son each day as well as speech therapy homework with my son
3) 15 to 20 minutes of writing at least 3 days this week
4) Try to get at least 7 hours of sleep each night

Week 36 of Healthier Living in 2015

9/23/2015
For week of: 9/16 - 9/23/2015
Weigh in Weight: 160.6 lbs.
Previous Weigh in Weight: 159.6 lbs. gain of 1lb.

Goals for Week 36:
1) 30 minutes to an hour of writing daily.  Includes writing for the big project I'm working on for the Montana Synod of the ELCA and parish newsletter.
2) 30 minutes to an hour of reading daily
3) Work on speech therapy homework and some other educational activities with my 3 year old son
4) Upload more photos on the site for my side money gig
5) Daily walking either on treadmill, outside or both (weather permitting)

I posted late for week 35 so I ended up discussing a little bit about how stressful the first half of week 36 of my healthier living journey was.  It is too personal to share on this blog, but the situation is much better and my mental and emotional status are much better.

Unfortunately I am starting to deal with some water retention issues again mostly stress related, which will hopefully ease up by drinking more water, getting more sleep, and continued exercise.  Some of the weight I put on is baby boy and that is good because it means he is growing like he needs to be. :)

Despite the extreme stress I was under, I was able to work on and complete all of my goals except uploading more photos onto my iStock account, otherwise known as my side money gig.  I was especially proud of the work I've been able to do with minimal time on the Reformation timeline I am working on for the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation for the Montana Synod of the ELCA 500th committee.  I was intellectually stimulated which helped my mental and emotional health.

I wrote in my journal quite a bit as well.  My daily reading consisted of doing research online, reading blogs on various subjects, and catching up slowly on my TIME magazines.  Again, with this goal I was able to feed my intellectual side, which in turn helped my mental and emotional health.

Working on my son's speech therapy homework and doing fun educational activities together has been such a blessing for us.  We have had some wonderful binding time and he seems to be feeling much more confident with his verbal skills.  Working with his speech therapist has helped him even more than what we can do with him at home, but I love watching him bloom when he learns a new skill and can express his excitement about it now.  Slowly but surely he'll be speaking and people will understand him in turn. :)

I either walked on the treadmill or walked outside each day.  Some days I was able to do both.  The weather has mostly been favorable to do so.  What will happen when it gets too cold to walk outside, I have no idea, but for now, I am happy to be able to continue walking outside with my family or just my son, when my husband can't join us.  The physical activity has really helped me with my energy levels.  Though I am in my third trimester and exhaustion is creepy back in, getting some form of daily exercise helps me a great deal to keep going each day.

My goals will continue to be similar to previous weeks for week 37.  Until next week, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for Week 37:
1) Preschool activities and speech therapy homework with my son.
2) 30 minutes to an hour of reading a day
3) 30 minutes to a hour of writing a day, including working on my timeline project
4) Daily walking on the treadmill, outside or both (weather permitting)
5) Start working Baby step #1 of the Dave Ramsey method, save $1000 for emergency fund.

A Pastor's Spouse Perspective, Part II: The Season of Lent with a Toddler Son

The Lenten season is quickly coming to an end with Holy Week upon us.  Lent has been a bit of a blur this year for me.  These are some of the things that I remember happening, in what I like to call my "Lenten hazy".

I know my husband and I had a date night on a Sunday evening.  We went to see the newest Cinderella movie and went out to dinner afterwards.  I know my in-laws bought a new house that they will be moving into sometime this summer.  I know we have practiced for the Good Friday and Easter cantata every Wednesday since Ash Wednesday after Lenten services.  I know that the farmers are getting ready to seed their fields because of the burning and move their cattle to their summer pastures.  I know that my son is growing in so many ways and it is amazing to watch.

All of these things have happened and continue to happen, but it is all a blur to me.  I think the "lenten hazy" is a coping mechanism to get me through the chaos that is typically part of Lent for pastors.  But what people don't always realize is that it is just as busy and chaotic for pastor's spouses.  Whether we work and don't have kids yet, work and have kids or stay at home without kids or stay at home with kids, we are dragged along on our spouse's crazy journey.  I may be alone in this, but I personally can't wait until Easter Sunday at 12:30 pm when I know all of the Easter services will be done and we'll be getting on the road to head up to my in-law's house for Easter dinner and several relaxing days afterwards.  In our synod, the pastors and spouses (if able to) get together for a few days after Easter at Chico Hot Springs, which is about 45 minutes from the Montana/Wyoming border.  The border is in Yellowstone National Park.  Let's just say, it's amazing.  I typically use these days to recoop from the chaos of Lent and Holy Week, taking the time to sleep in and read through my TIME magazines that I am way behind on reading.  My wonderful in-laws take care of our son for the week, so my husband and I can get a break, and frankly, my son needs his grandparent time.  They always have a great time together.  :)

I used to love Lent and Easter.  But now that my family is in the thick of all the behind the scenes stuff that goes into planning each service and the time and energy it takes to deal with a 2 year, 8 month old is exhausting.  I just want to go to sleep and wake up at 12:30 pm on Easter Sunday.  Lent and Holy Week has become more of a season to survive, to get through.   But I have also discovered some things about myself during this Lenten season.  I discovered that even with my son being a menace the vast majority of the time during Wednesday services, I can still enjoy the services.  I enjoy them in a different way than I did before when I would go and sit in the pew and leave right afterwards.  Now, I go and sit in the pew, pay attention when I can, and try to see the service through my son's eyes, which is a mix of awe and just wanting to be in the thick of it.  He gets so excited that he wants to be right up front and involved.  It is just so wonderful to see him grow in his faith and be excited about what is going on.  And of course, he wants to be up front with his dad too. ;)

Despite seeing less of my husband, feeling like a single mom sometimes, being alone at services with my son who depending on the day behaves or doesn't during worship services, Lent, Holy Week and Easter are still some of my favorite times of the church year.  Now I am going to re-enter my "lenten hazy" so I can survive Holy Week with my toddler son.  I just have to make it until 12:30 pm on Easter Sunday and then I can breathe a huge sigh of relief that we all made it through another crazy, chaotic Lenten season.

Week 10 of Healthier Living in 2015

3/25/2015
For week of 3/18 - 3/25/2015
Weigh in Weight:  149 lbs  gain of 2 oz

Week 10 especially Monday and Tuesday, was a much better week than the previous few weeks.

I got to hold my first published book in my hands for the first time on Monday.  In a few weeks I will be getting copies of my book that I can pre-sell before it comes out nationally in stores in a couple of months.  Monday was amazing.

On Tuesday I got some wonderful news and we started planning our box garden for this year.  We are going to plant herbs this year too, which will be a fun experiment.

Every morning of week 10, I practiced mediation and prayed about what I am grateful for in my life.  I also prayed about things that I need help with.  I prayed for patience for the things I can not change quickly in my life.  I asked for guidance so I can be the best version of me to my husband and son.  I prayed for calm and graciousness towards myself; to allow myself to take a break when I need one.  On Monday, instead of working out, I decided to give myself the day off and started watching a show on DVD that I think I'm really going to like, "The White Queen".  I'm trying to decide if I am going to make watching one episode on Monday mornings a routine, so I can relax.  As long as I get 3 days of speed walking on the treadmill in a week, along with all of the less intense exercise I get from daily life, it will be okay to take Mondays off for a little while.  My practice of daily prayer and meditation has been wonderful for my well-being.

I made time to journal 3 times during week 10.  Between writing blog posts, which I am doing more of to hopefully build a bigger audience, and everyday life, I'm impressed that I found time to journal.  I mostly reflected about my morning prayer and meditation.  Journaling is so therapeutic for me all the time.

Despite my lack of sleep (yes, I failed to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night again), week 10 was a great week for me.  I am back to 149 lbs, but with healthy eating and staying active, I think I can get back to 148 or even 147 by next Wednesday.  Good things are happening!  Until next week, Keep on keeping on!!!

Goals for Week 11: 3/25 - 4/1/2015
1)  Eat low-sodium meals and foods
2) Make a least one new recipe/meal
3) Speed walking on the treadmill at least 3 times a week
4) Journal 3 times a week
5) Continued morning prayer and meditation

Week 9 of Healthier Living in 2015

3/18/2015
For week of 3/11 - 3/18-2015
Weigh in Weight:  148.8 lbs. lose of 4 oz.

Week 9 was another emotional week for me.  I was home alone a lot with my toddler son as my husband was needed for pastoral care with the family of the senior high student who died in a car accident last Tuesday and for those in the community who knew her.

Needless to say, I didn't do as much speed walking on the treadmill, but I got creative about getting exercise, while taking care of our son.  My goal each day was to break a sweat being active.  On Thursday evening, I hopped up and down with my son on and off for an hour.  I definitely broke a sweat doing that.  My legs felt it for a few days afterwards too.  :p  That is just one example of my efforts to get a sweat breaking exercise daily while raising a toddler.  I plan to work on this more for week 10.

I journaled a lot during week 9.  I definitely completed my goal of writing in my journal 3 times a week.  It was very therapeutic and helped me to get a lot of sadness over the accident and frustration of being alone a lot off my chest.  And in the process I discovered something very important.  All I want to do for a living is write.  I want to write articles for academic journals, for magazines that I find inspirational like the MOPS magazine I get weekly.  I also want to write histories, novels, children's books and short stories.  I just want to write.  I have begun to set aside time daily to write and to search out avenues to get more of my writing published.  And I will be posting more on this blog on different topics, so stay tuned.

I have decided to permanently keep my goal of getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night on my list.  Week 9 was a disaster in the sleep department.  Between my own issues getting to sleep and my son not sleeping through the night every night, I am definitely sleep deprived.  I am going to make more of an effort this week to get more sleep.

Update after 2 months:

It has been two months since I started blogging weekly about my journey for healthier living in 2015.  So far I have lost 4.6 lbs and am keeping the weight off after yo-yoing for the first few weeks.  I have learned a lot about myself, my resilience and my determination to see things through once I have started them.  Believe me, I have wanted to quit this yearlong exercise many times, but I just can't.  I've blogged weekly about my journey for 2 months, why stop now.  So here's to the next 2 months and beyond.

Goals for Week 10:
1) Journal 3x a week
2) Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
3) Find creative ways to exercise (break a sweat)

Week 8 of Healthier Living in 2015

3/11/2015
For the week of 3/4 - 3/11/2015
Weigh in Weight:  149.2 lbs  lose of 4 oz

Week 8 was emotionally tough for me.  I was plagued with feelings of loneliness and boredom.  Week 8 ended with the death of a student from a car accident.  She was a senior in high school in Fairfield and was baptized and attended Grace Lutheran, one of the churches my husband is Pastor of.  She was supposed to graduate at the end of May and have many more years of adventures.

It brought memories of my senior year flooding back to me.  It released the dormant demons in the part of my memory bank that I keep shut tight so I don't go crazy.  In one fell swoop, I saw in my minds eye every detail of the day I graduated from high school.  How it rained in the morning and then cleared up so it was beautiful out for my graduation party a few hours before the ceremony.  How the clouds started to come back and suddenly grew darker and darker as we waited to march to our seats.  How the downpour started just minutes after we found out that a fellow graduates younger brother was killed in a terrible car accident.  How we were forced to sit in the downpouring rain through the entire graduation ceremony.  The terrible parent speaker.  And afterwards, soaking wet, turning in our destroyed gowns surrounded by mourning people.  The decision to go to others graduation parties despite everything that just happened where we stood in shock not knowing quite what to do until someone made a witty joke and we all laughed, breaking the awkwardness.  And eventually without realizing it, actually having a good time in the end.

I feel for the kids in Fairfield who are going through something similar now.  A needless death of a young, kind, wonderful person is just tragic.

So, I guess I better write about my goals now.  The only goal I completed for week 8 was working on portion control and tracking my daily food intake.  For week 9 I am keeping the goals of getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night and journaling 3-4 times a week.  For week 9, I am adding back daily morning prayer and meditation because I need to continue to ground myself in the Word and focus on the good things in my life giving to me through the grace of God.  So, until next week, Keep on keeping on!

Goals for Week 9: 3/11 - 3/18/2015
1) Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
2) Journal 3-4 times a week
3) Daily morning prayer and meditation

Week 7 of Healthier Living in 2015

3/4/2015
For the week of 2/25 - 3/4/2015
Weigh in Weight:  149.6 lbs.  lose of 2 oz

I did really well with my goals I set for myself in week 7.  I only lost .2 oz but considering on Monday when I randomly weighed myself I was 151.6 lbs I think I did pretty well, as I lost 2lbs in two days.

I made dinner with my husband Jason a couple of nights using a recipe I found for roasted eggplant, spinach, quinoa and feta cheese on pinterest and then we made a crab and corn chowder that was mostly healthy and delicious.

As part of our health insurance, every year we do activities to earn wellness dollars.  This year I chose to do a double activity.  Everyday I have to record what I eat and my activity daily.  I have found that by logging in my food in take, that I don't eat enough calories each day.  Therefore my body has started to go into starvation mode and keeps everything I eat stored in my body, which prevents me from losing weight.  So I've made a goal of eating at least 1400 calories a day.  Between playing with my child (yes this is an activity category) and speed walking 4 days a week on the treadmill, I am logging quite a bit of exercise daily.  I think 1400 calories a day is a good goal.  I can add more calories per day if I need to, but I'm going to work my way up slowly until I get to the recommended 1800 calories per day from the program I'm using.  By doing the wellness activities, I've been rocking my portion control goal.

I still need to work on getting enough sleep.  Someday my son will sleep through the night and my husband will stop enabling him by getting up and sleeping with him out in the living room every night he does wake up.  When that happens, I will finally get 7-8 hours of sleep.  Until then, I should just go to bed earlier and/or take mini naps during the day.

I think I rocked my week 7 goals.  Some of them I'm keeping for week 8.  For week 8, I'm adding journaling 3 to 4 days a week.  Lent is a stressful season in our household.  Journaling helps me to process my thoughts, vent and realize the good things in my life.

I'm going to sign off for now because it has been a long day and I am actually going to take my own advice and go to bed earlier tonight.  So until next week, Keep on keeping on!

Goal for week 8: 3/4 - 3/11/2015
1)  Get 7-8 hrs of sleep each night
2)  Journal at least 3-4 times this week
3)  Continue to focus on portion control
4)  Continue with wellness activities of tracking food intake and daily activities

Week 6 of Healthier Living in 2015

2/25/2015
For week of 2/18 - 2/25/2015
Weigh in Weight:  149.8 lbs  loss of 2 oz

Major goal this week of getting under 150 lbs. ACCOMPLISHED!!! :)

This last week has been an emotional roller coaster.  A friend of mine from Luther Seminary died on Friday morning from pancreatic cancer.  Fucking cancer!  I sunk into a small depression throughout Friday and part of Saturday and then pulled myself together enough so I could be present for my husband and son.  It was just a rough weekend.  Then, Preston was awesome at church on Sunday, which helped turn my emotional hazy into a much better mood.

It is "that" time of the month too, which didn't help my emotional state either.  Poor Jason.  He has been so patient with me and my random outbursts the last few days.  He is so good to me!

I continue to work on my weekly goals.  I let myself go a little bit as far as food portions go.  I ate all the right foods (low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods), I just ate too much of it.  So, for week 7, I am going to work on better portioning the food I eat, so that I do not overeat.  And I'm going to continue trying to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  Someday, I'll get my crap together and just go to bed earlier.  Darn being a night owl. :p

During week 6, I did a lot of searching on pinterest for yummy looking low-sodium and low/no cholesterol recipes.  I found a bunch that I look forward to trying out with my family.  I look forward to making them with Jason soon.  My husband is the cook in the family, but we like to make dinner together sometimes, so I think making these meals together will be fun for all of us. :)

Oh, and I got 4 days of speed walking on the treadmill in this week too, despite everything that happened and was going on.  It is the Lenten season, which means constant go, go, go until after Easter services on Easter Sunday.  I am pretty impressed that my husband and son work with me to give me the time to get my work outs in.  I am truly blessed by this.

Week 6 was an up and down week for me, but now I must keep on keeping on, and you as well! :)

Goals for week 7:  2/25 - 3/4/2015
1)  Focus on portion sizes of food at meals and snacks
2)  Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night
3)  Make a few of the recipes I found on pinterest with Jason and Preston for meals this week.

Week 5 of Healthier Living in 2015

2/18/2015
For the week of 2/11 - 2/18/2015
Weigh in Weight:  150.0 lbs.  loss of 0 lbs.

I am going to keep this post short and sweet this week.  The liturgical season of Lent has begun and yesterday was Ash Wednesday, which is I am not posting until today.  Lent is a stressful and busy season, but it is also a good season too.  It's hard to explain to those who don't work in the church.  It is a fulfilling season, but there are many demands on my husband Jason's time, so Preston and I get to have a lot of mother/son bonding time.  So again, it's not bad, just stressful and busy.

I was able to successful accomplish 3 of my 4 goals for week 5 in my healthier living journey.  Getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night still alludes me.  There were a few nights when my son didn't sleep through the night and one particularly horrible night when we woke up 3 times for longer periods of time.  When I was able to get sleep on those nights, I slept hard but woke up very tired.  I wish his last stupid 2 year molar would pop through already.  This whole teething thing is for the dogs (as my friend Karra would say.)  So I will be keeping the goal of getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night on my goal list for week 6.

I have continued to eat low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods and my sluggishness and headaches have pretty much disappeared for the most part.  The best part of eating a diet like this, is that it also means you end up eating a low carb diet as well.  But in the end, it is all about eating balanced meals.  There is nothing wrong with carbs, as long it is not the only thing you eat.  Because I have been doing so well lately with eating low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods and meals, I am going to take it off my goal list for week 6.  If I start to fall off, I can re-add it to my list later.

My morning prayer and reflection time has been wonderful.  I feel better emotionally and mentally.  I have so much to be thankful to God for in my life and remembering that has helped me in so many ways.  I have a more positive attitude, even on the tough days when I'm hit with a case of the lonelies or boredom, or both.  I have gotten in the habit after a few weeks of doing this every morning, so for now, I am going to leave it off my goal list for week 6, and can add it again later if I need to.

For week 5, I was able to do speed walking on the treadmill 4 days and get some outside walking in too on a couple of nice days we had here.  In order to keep me motivated to continue doing my speed walking exercising, I better keep it on the list for week 6.  Today I was so tired and unmotivated that I almost didn't do it.  But I was able to talk myself into it and now feel so much better today than I would have if I didn't work out.

Week 5 was a good week despite my not losing any weight.  I'm being positive about it because I accomplished a lot and I didn't gain any weight which is a good thing.  Hopefully when I weigh in next Wednesday I'll be below 150.  That's the goal.  Until then:  Keep on keeping on!!! :)

Goals for Week 6: 2/18 - 2/25/2015
1)  Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night
2)  Speed walk exercises on the treadmill and/or outside 3 days this week
3)  Find some new low-sodium, low/no cholesterol recipes for meals to make from our cookbooks and pinterest.  Variety of choices is the key to success.

Week 4 of Healthier Living in 2015

2/11/2015
For the week of 2/4 - 2/11/2015
Weigh in Weight:  150.0 lose of 2.6 lbs

Week 4 went much better than week 3 did.  I accomplished most of my goals I made for myself for week 4.  I worked on eating low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods and meals.  I did pretty well but did allow myself a few indulgences, but nothing like during week 3.  I ate a lot of salads.  I am going to continue this goal for week 5 because I feel better when I eat low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods.  My mind and body feel less foggy since I have started eating this way, so I am going to continue to do so.

I was able to get in two days of speed walking on the treadmill and two days of speed walking outside.  One of the two outside days I was also pushing my 33 lb son in his stroller, so I got a really good workout that day.  I've been feeling physically better this week than last.  I'm going to continue this goal for week 5.

Every morning during week 4, I took a few minutes and prayed and reflected on all of the blessings in my life.  God is good!  I have a wonderful husband, an amazing son, amazing family and friends and ways to communicate with them.  Skype is one of the best inventions ever!  I have a roof over my head, clothes to wear, food to eat and a vocation that I am seeing realized with the publication of my first book this year.  I feel so much better emotionally and mentally since I started this exercise so I am going to keep it as a goal for week 5 too.

I fell short of my goal to get 7-8 hours of sleep a night.  It doesn't help that my son has woken up almost every night in the past week and a half in the middle of the night.  He sometimes wakes up for a few seconds to a few minutes and then goes back to sleep without us having to go into his room.  Other times, one of us have to go into his room to calm him down and it is usually Jason.  When my son gets that way, the only one who can calm him down is his dad.  I get up too to help out, and end up going back to bed, but not back to sleep until my husband comes back to bed to make sure both him and Preston are okay.  So needless to say, I am keeping my goal of getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night on my list for week 5.

I'm keeping my goals for week 5 the same as week 4 because they are things I want to continue doing and things I need to continue to work on.  So until next week, Keep on keeping on!  :)

Goals for Week 5: 2/11/2015 - 2/18/2015
1) Get 7-8 hours of sleep a night
2) Continue to eat low-sodium and low/no cholesterol foods and meals
3) Speed walk on the treadmill and/or outside 3 days during the week
4) Pray and reflect on the blessings in life

Week 3 of Healthier Living in 2015

Week 2 of Healthier Living in 2015

1/28/2015
For the week of 1/21-1/28/2015
Weigh in Weight for 1/28/2015:  150.6 lose of 2 lbs.

We have had gorgeous weather this last week.  With the warmer temperatures melting the snow and ice off the roads in Fairfield, Preston and I have been able to go for relatively long walks the last couple of days.  So movement and exercise have been in abundance this past week.  I'm feeling great and have more energy than I've had since the fall.

As for completing this last weeks goals, I had my ups and downs.

I did really good with eating low/no cholesterol meals until we went out for lunch on Friday, the 23rd.  I ate a lot at that meal.  My entire 3-cheese chicken penne (sp?) meal and some spinach artichoke dip with tortilla chips.  I went into lunch really really hungry and I just let myself eat.  Monday the 26th was a late night and we ended up just having pizza with veggies and fruit for dinner.  I had 2 pieces of pizza.  I try to stick to 1.  This is a goal I definitely need to work on.

I did great with my goal of filling half my plate at every meal with fruits and/or vegetables.  It's so easy to do.  It helps if you have something to dip your veggies into.  We use a recipe from my South Beach Diet Book to make homemade hummus.  We also make guacamole (we use spice packets that you can get for cheap at Walmart to make our guacamole.)  Giving a little flavor to cut up carrots, celery, cucumber, and pepper makes it more fun to eat so many veggies at almost every meal.  I find it is easier to eat more fruit at breakfast than vegetables, so that's what I've been doing each morning.  When I eat grains, I only eat whole wheat grains, which contain good fibers that help the digestive system.  It's all about a balanced meal folks.

I did okay with my goal of sleeping 7-8 hours each night.  There were two nights that I had some trouble sleeping because I went to bed with too much on my mind.  But 5 out of 7 nights is pretty good.  I am going to keep this goal on my list of goals this week because I want to get to 7 out of 7 nights of 7-8 hours of sleep.  I can totally tell the difference in my emotional, mental, and physical states of being when I get enough sleep each night.

So my goals for the week of 1/28-2/4/2015 are:
1) Drink 80 oz of water daily
2) Continue to fill half my plate with fruits and/or vegetables
3) Get 7-8 hours of sleep each night