Cutting out the Crap - How I Regained My Pre-Preggo Body
I'm a big goal setter. I love to make to-do lists. I get my cheap thrills by making a weekly/daily check list and triumphantly crossing off each item that I accomplish. Goal setting and goal achieving is something I'm good at solely because my father taught me.
On the first Sunday of every month, my Dad would rotate through each of my eight siblings and I, taking us into the front room for a special one-one-one PPI (a Personal Priesthood Interview). We would begin with a prayer and then Dad would open up his planner and review the goals we had set the month before. He would follow up with questions on how these goals were coming. Some months I set goals to wake up earlier in the morning, to be kinder to my siblings or to read a particular book. We would then set a follow-up goal if I did not feel my benchmark had been met or Dad would help me zone in on something new I wanted to improve on and we would set a new goal. Each resolution was recorded faithfully in his black planner so he knew right where to pick up the following month.
These interviews were a special time with my Dad. The goals gave us an opportunity to discuss what was going on in my life. We talked about friends, school, familial relationships, church, self-esteem, extracurricular activities, and when I got older we discussed dating, work and plans for my future. My Dad is an all-star listener. As a psychologist, he kind of has to be. :) That attribute made me feel like he cared what I was going through and wanted to know what was going on in my mind and heart.
Thanks to Dad, I have continued setting goals daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. I wish I had taken pictures of my "To Do" lists in high school and college. I would use a regular sheet of lined paper and divide it into sections for each class, work, church, and life, writing down all the tasks that needed to be accomplished in the next week. I would then use highlighters to color code my list according to the most time sensitive in yellow, then orange for the things that were important but had a little more leeway and the blue items that I wanted to get done, but that could be pushed back another week if necessary. I loved my lists. As newly weds, Burke would tease me when I would sit down at the kitchen table on Sunday night and prep my list for a new week, but he was also impressed with my ability to organize and prioritize.
All of this background (Burke says I always give WAY too much background story! And he's right!) to explain why I love New Years Resolutions. However, in the past couple of years, I have become a bit cocky in my resolutions. Because of my ability to set and achieve my goals, I began setting more and more resolutions until last year I had FIFTEEN goals for the year. Once I became pregnant with Darcie, and Daphne simultaneously stopped napping, my over-long list of goals were shot. I just didn't have the energy to keep up on all of them.
So this year, I decided to simplify. 3 personal goals were all I decided to set for myself. One for my physical well being, one for my mental well being and one for my spiritual well being. Today I want to write about my physical resolution for 2015.
I always loath to set fitness resolutions because I feel like they are so cliche. However, when my sister Tasha got married in December and I saw the pictures from her reception, I was mortified. Granted, I had just had a baby 2 months prior to the wedding, but I was not happy with my body and knew I had my work cut out for me to get back to a weight and shape where I could feel comfortable in my own skin. I had already began some light running a couple of times a week, I was eating 5 servings of fruits and veggies and I was drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. However, the weight was just not coming off as quickly as I wanted it to. I decided I needed to step up my game. Cutting sugar completely out of my diet seemed extreme and unrealistic, so I finally settled on allowing myself a sweet once a week. That way, if there was a birthday party or holiday, I could eat a piece of cake without feeling guilty!
That first week, I was shocked by how hard this simple goal was for me. I really had not felt like we ate poorly at all. I didn't think sugar was a big problem let alone a major temptation for me, primarily because we NEVER buy the crap! Burke and I don't drink soda or much processed juice, we almost never make baked goods and we never ever buy things like oreos, chips, candy, licorice, ice cream, etc. so I thought the temptation would be minimal if even noticeable. Think again! Just because we didn't add twinkies to our grocery cart when we were shopping did not mean sweets weren't available to us. In that first several weeks alone I had to turn down 4 different kind of desserts at one Sunday dinner, family home evening treats at our friend's home, amazing cobbler at a work dinner with Burke, chocolate offered at the doctor's office, doughnuts purchased by Burke's boss, cream cheese oreo balls (TO DIE FOR!) made by Burke's secretary, a plate of cupcakes left on our doorstep, pie brought over by a neighbor, not to mention all of the leftover candy and goodies from the holidays!
Up until I began this resolution to only eat a sweet once a week, I had never realized how thoroughly consumed our society is with eating sugar! Of course I had heard about the obesity epidemic and I can see for myself the people all around us who struggle with their weight and eating addictions, but I had never realized that we have groomed our lifestyles to this unhealthy culture in the name of celebrations and holidays. Think about it. We have a major holiday with an excuse to sugar binge Every. Single. Month. New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Then throw in birthdays - your own and all the people you know and love. Ward parties, work parties, dinners with friends, anniversaries, and on and on and on. We have created the expectation that on all these occasions we need cakes, treats and chocolates to make them fun and special. Even when friends are trying to express their gratitude or cheer one another up, what do we do? We bake cookies or pick up a candy bar to "brighten someone's day". And yes, the gesture is kind and thoughtful, but in reality we are destroying one another's health with all of our good intentions!
I truly had to "steel" myself against these onslaughts of generosity. I can't tell you how much crap I have re-gifted or simply had to throw away in the past several months to save myself and my family from empty and unhealthy "foods" that are slowly deteriorating our health and happiness. And yes, it's not just our health that is affected. Since I have begun this challenge, I have felt a huge improvement in my energy level, my motivation and my overall patience and attitude.
Now, don't think that I have turned into some crazy anti-sugar campaigner. I still love a good Lindor truffle and we have still made a run or two to the Sweet Tooth Fairy in St. George on our free day. However, I am shocked by how nasty many of these products now taste to me. A cupcake no longer leaves a feeling of satisfaction. Most chocolates now taste waxy in my mouth. And the candy - ugh the candy! I started getting a head and gut ache after just a few pieces of Easter candy last month.
Another side effect from not eating all this junk is that my thirst for exercise keeps increasing. The more I do it, the better I feel. When Burke and I slack off for a few days, we feel so nasty. Our muscles crave to be worked! This week we are beginning our official training for the Cedar City Half Marathon in September and I am so excited to feel my body strengthen even further and my endurance increase.
As for the weight results...I think they speak for themselves. From January 1 to April 1, I lost 20 pounds!!!!! TWENTY pounds people! I hit my pre-preggo weight and lost an extra 2 pounds to boot! Burke has commented numerous times that my booty is smaller now than it has been in our entire marriage. This was shocking to me - it's even smaller now than the 2 times I have trained for and ran half marathons. I realized this is because although I was exercising like crazy, I was still eating whatever the heck I wanted. My cousin Michelle who is a nutritionist confirmed this when she said that weight lose is 20% exercise and 80% diet. I am a huge believer!
Now just because my Bush Butt is smaller, that doesn't mean that my body is perfect. I still have wicked stretch marks from my two babies, and a saggy bread dough tummy where the elastic skin from the last pregnancy has not yet and may never shrink back. I am at peace with those imperfections as I have two precious little ladies to show for them. However, the important thing is that I feel fantastic and I know it's just going to continue to get better. I feel that my perspective on health and my physical well being has changed dramatically from this resolution and I want to shout out to the world that everyone can feel this good with some discipline and hard work! I invite anyone who wants to feel better or lose a little extra to join my sugar resistance movement! :D
Oh...and on a side note. Daphne constantly tells me, "Mom, I need to eat my healthy food so I can grow big and strong!" It's rubbing off! :)
On the first Sunday of every month, my Dad would rotate through each of my eight siblings and I, taking us into the front room for a special one-one-one PPI (a Personal Priesthood Interview). We would begin with a prayer and then Dad would open up his planner and review the goals we had set the month before. He would follow up with questions on how these goals were coming. Some months I set goals to wake up earlier in the morning, to be kinder to my siblings or to read a particular book. We would then set a follow-up goal if I did not feel my benchmark had been met or Dad would help me zone in on something new I wanted to improve on and we would set a new goal. Each resolution was recorded faithfully in his black planner so he knew right where to pick up the following month.
These interviews were a special time with my Dad. The goals gave us an opportunity to discuss what was going on in my life. We talked about friends, school, familial relationships, church, self-esteem, extracurricular activities, and when I got older we discussed dating, work and plans for my future. My Dad is an all-star listener. As a psychologist, he kind of has to be. :) That attribute made me feel like he cared what I was going through and wanted to know what was going on in my mind and heart.
Thanks to Dad, I have continued setting goals daily, weekly, monthly and yearly. I wish I had taken pictures of my "To Do" lists in high school and college. I would use a regular sheet of lined paper and divide it into sections for each class, work, church, and life, writing down all the tasks that needed to be accomplished in the next week. I would then use highlighters to color code my list according to the most time sensitive in yellow, then orange for the things that were important but had a little more leeway and the blue items that I wanted to get done, but that could be pushed back another week if necessary. I loved my lists. As newly weds, Burke would tease me when I would sit down at the kitchen table on Sunday night and prep my list for a new week, but he was also impressed with my ability to organize and prioritize.
All of this background (Burke says I always give WAY too much background story! And he's right!) to explain why I love New Years Resolutions. However, in the past couple of years, I have become a bit cocky in my resolutions. Because of my ability to set and achieve my goals, I began setting more and more resolutions until last year I had FIFTEEN goals for the year. Once I became pregnant with Darcie, and Daphne simultaneously stopped napping, my over-long list of goals were shot. I just didn't have the energy to keep up on all of them.
So this year, I decided to simplify. 3 personal goals were all I decided to set for myself. One for my physical well being, one for my mental well being and one for my spiritual well being. Today I want to write about my physical resolution for 2015.
I always loath to set fitness resolutions because I feel like they are so cliche. However, when my sister Tasha got married in December and I saw the pictures from her reception, I was mortified. Granted, I had just had a baby 2 months prior to the wedding, but I was not happy with my body and knew I had my work cut out for me to get back to a weight and shape where I could feel comfortable in my own skin. I had already began some light running a couple of times a week, I was eating 5 servings of fruits and veggies and I was drinking the recommended 8 glasses of water a day. However, the weight was just not coming off as quickly as I wanted it to. I decided I needed to step up my game. Cutting sugar completely out of my diet seemed extreme and unrealistic, so I finally settled on allowing myself a sweet once a week. That way, if there was a birthday party or holiday, I could eat a piece of cake without feeling guilty!
That first week, I was shocked by how hard this simple goal was for me. I really had not felt like we ate poorly at all. I didn't think sugar was a big problem let alone a major temptation for me, primarily because we NEVER buy the crap! Burke and I don't drink soda or much processed juice, we almost never make baked goods and we never ever buy things like oreos, chips, candy, licorice, ice cream, etc. so I thought the temptation would be minimal if even noticeable. Think again! Just because we didn't add twinkies to our grocery cart when we were shopping did not mean sweets weren't available to us. In that first several weeks alone I had to turn down 4 different kind of desserts at one Sunday dinner, family home evening treats at our friend's home, amazing cobbler at a work dinner with Burke, chocolate offered at the doctor's office, doughnuts purchased by Burke's boss, cream cheese oreo balls (TO DIE FOR!) made by Burke's secretary, a plate of cupcakes left on our doorstep, pie brought over by a neighbor, not to mention all of the leftover candy and goodies from the holidays!
Up until I began this resolution to only eat a sweet once a week, I had never realized how thoroughly consumed our society is with eating sugar! Of course I had heard about the obesity epidemic and I can see for myself the people all around us who struggle with their weight and eating addictions, but I had never realized that we have groomed our lifestyles to this unhealthy culture in the name of celebrations and holidays. Think about it. We have a major holiday with an excuse to sugar binge Every. Single. Month. New Years, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas. Then throw in birthdays - your own and all the people you know and love. Ward parties, work parties, dinners with friends, anniversaries, and on and on and on. We have created the expectation that on all these occasions we need cakes, treats and chocolates to make them fun and special. Even when friends are trying to express their gratitude or cheer one another up, what do we do? We bake cookies or pick up a candy bar to "brighten someone's day". And yes, the gesture is kind and thoughtful, but in reality we are destroying one another's health with all of our good intentions!
I truly had to "steel" myself against these onslaughts of generosity. I can't tell you how much crap I have re-gifted or simply had to throw away in the past several months to save myself and my family from empty and unhealthy "foods" that are slowly deteriorating our health and happiness. And yes, it's not just our health that is affected. Since I have begun this challenge, I have felt a huge improvement in my energy level, my motivation and my overall patience and attitude.
Now, don't think that I have turned into some crazy anti-sugar campaigner. I still love a good Lindor truffle and we have still made a run or two to the Sweet Tooth Fairy in St. George on our free day. However, I am shocked by how nasty many of these products now taste to me. A cupcake no longer leaves a feeling of satisfaction. Most chocolates now taste waxy in my mouth. And the candy - ugh the candy! I started getting a head and gut ache after just a few pieces of Easter candy last month.
Another side effect from not eating all this junk is that my thirst for exercise keeps increasing. The more I do it, the better I feel. When Burke and I slack off for a few days, we feel so nasty. Our muscles crave to be worked! This week we are beginning our official training for the Cedar City Half Marathon in September and I am so excited to feel my body strengthen even further and my endurance increase.
As for the weight results...I think they speak for themselves. From January 1 to April 1, I lost 20 pounds!!!!! TWENTY pounds people! I hit my pre-preggo weight and lost an extra 2 pounds to boot! Burke has commented numerous times that my booty is smaller now than it has been in our entire marriage. This was shocking to me - it's even smaller now than the 2 times I have trained for and ran half marathons. I realized this is because although I was exercising like crazy, I was still eating whatever the heck I wanted. My cousin Michelle who is a nutritionist confirmed this when she said that weight lose is 20% exercise and 80% diet. I am a huge believer!
Now just because my Bush Butt is smaller, that doesn't mean that my body is perfect. I still have wicked stretch marks from my two babies, and a saggy bread dough tummy where the elastic skin from the last pregnancy has not yet and may never shrink back. I am at peace with those imperfections as I have two precious little ladies to show for them. However, the important thing is that I feel fantastic and I know it's just going to continue to get better. I feel that my perspective on health and my physical well being has changed dramatically from this resolution and I want to shout out to the world that everyone can feel this good with some discipline and hard work! I invite anyone who wants to feel better or lose a little extra to join my sugar resistance movement! :D
Oh...and on a side note. Daphne constantly tells me, "Mom, I need to eat my healthy food so I can grow big and strong!" It's rubbing off! :)
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