L'chaim

I love this concept from Dr. Becky Coleman: there is no right or wrong to dieting, only alive and less alive.

Pep Talk

I just read an inspiring comment posted by one of my friends. Thank you (you know who you are.)

As I read it I realized that I had forgotten that I am trying to break my addiction to sugar. How is it that I can work away in my Addiction Recovery booklet every week and forget that my original opponent was sugar? Well that book has helped me in so many other areas, I think I just got side tracked.

I need to do some serious thinking about just how this battle is going to look.

At least I have an awesome support group who keeps me moving on my journey no matter how many times I wander off. Support really is the key to succeeding on this journey.

~Bethany

The Good and the Bad.

I will start with the good news. I am pregnant and very nearly to the good phase of pregnancy. Yeah! The bad news, I have been a slug lately. No exercising - plenty of sleeping and crying though (pregnancy hormones make me cry when I hear country music, or anything remotely spiritual). Oh, and here's a first; I drank pickle juice straight from the jar. It was so good. And then I chased it down with frosting covered marshmallows. I am heartily ashamed to admit that, especially since the mere mention of them makes me want to vomit today.

Bottom line, I do not want to go up yet another size with this pregnancy. So far, I have three children and have gone up a size with each one. Not a pretty trend. This means exercise. I know this. Knowing that no matter what I do, I will be gaining weight for the next six months is a bit demoralizing though. I need motivation. I just watched the biggest loser and that helped, but I need to figure out something that will get me out there daily. I can't wait for Tuesday. Ladies, I am going to need some ideas.

~Bethany

Revamp

Okay, so I need to do a little re-vamping.

A few comments at Tuesday's AR meeting - which was awesome by the way - made me realize a few things:

1.) Food is a joyful thing and I have been taking all the joy out of it.

2.) I am not good at being a treat-toatler

(I'll take puns on 19th century British prohibition propaganda please, Alex)

3.) I need to find small, meaningful ways to get my treat fix - otherwise I start planning Valentine orgies of Roman proportions.

4.) Despite my shining intentions, my attempts to permanently alter my lifestyle are sometimes weak and inconsistent. Tbththththththt. But I am not alone in taking faltering first steps.

At this stage, I believe the most important quality a person can possess is the desire to try again tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. To all those Yoda impersonators out there who are saying "Do or do not, there is no try" I acknowledge that wisdom holds true for some parts of life. Having said that I have to ask, do you live in a swamp on another planet? Because down here, most people "do" once or twice, then throw up their hands when that one bold step doesn't turn into a perfect journey. They spend the rest of their lives "doing not" because "trying" is hard. My plan is to make this afternoon better than this morning, and to make tomorrow better than today. And if I don't, I will try and try again till my days are better and I am better for them.

Good luck friends, we're in this together.

~Bethany

Sound Advice

I once asked one of my favorite alternative health gurus about her low-sugar lifestyle. "Sugar is a great way to celebrate," she said. "When I am at a wedding I have a piece of cake. I take my son out for ice-cream on his birthday. It is part of what makes the celebration special for me."

I tend to want to have my own little "celebration" every time I finish a sandwich. I tend to want to "celebrate" around 4:00 every afternoon. I love the thought of using fabulous treats to celebrate life ... not sandwiches.

Not to tempt anyone, but I just found out about an amazing, locally made, Ecuadorian chocolate bar. I think this Valentine's is going to see some serious South American celebrating - and I am determined not to "celebrate" till then.

~Bethany

Train Wrecks and Truimph

I love chapter 2! Studying and applying the principles have been a tender experience for me. Powerful stuff.

So, I had been a vegetable eating, exercise machine (the best I've done in at least two years!) And then life happened. What do you do on a day that starts with poop on the carpet and is followed by child #2 spilling two glasses of chocolate milk (each time covering a table, two chairs the floor and a sister - both of whom were dressed in white.) Not to be left out, child #1 brought home a blue snowflake stamp from music class and proceeded to cover her siblings and the unvarnished wood around the bathroom mirror with it. Apparently ink comes off siblings, but not mirrors. Then, with barely enough time to get child #1 to school, child number three galloped into the living room blissfully naked, diaper ominously absent. You know what that means. After school, options for physical chaos temporarily exhausted, the screaming and emotional drama began.

Aaaaaaaaaah! My solution? I buried myself in meaningless television and ate spoonfuls of hot-cocoa powder straight from the container. Mature, no? I should clarify, that as part of our no sugar plan, Emily and I had decided to allow the occasional cup of hot cocoa, it is sledding season after all, but waiting for water to boil was not an option. I needed chocolate and would have taken an IV drip had it been available.

While I think the occasional mom-cation (mom-cation: noun a temporary break from the rigors of motherhood lasting from 10 minutes to two hours, often involving chick-flicks, chick-lit and empty carbs) is wonderful and healthy, I tend to bypass a critical element. I tend to turn to chocolate chips instead of turning to God. I turn on the TV instead of turning to prayer. My Heavenly Father is the best solution for everything I face. He needs to be my first line of defense. Even the power of the mighty Kinder Bueno pales in comparison with what He wants to do for me.

I am taking great comfort in Ezekiel 34:16 "I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick." I have His help on this journey and that means a lot.

Here's to new beginnings and strength and gorgeousness.

~Bethany

Can I get a Do over please?

I've decided that attitude IS everything when you are trying to make/maintain a lifestyle change. I was totally charged after the first ARP meeting. Ready to exercise more than Bethany, ready to eat healthier, drink more water, eat fewer sweets, you know... It's amazing how one really bad morning that overflows into a really bad day can sabotage a good thing. Let's just say that my night ended with a pizza dinner. I only ate 2 pieces of sausage, black onion, and tomato pizza (while my family watched) but I may or may not have consumed the left over crust of both my son and daughter's pizza while I "cleared" the table. Maybe now is the time to celebrate my successes, day 3 down of my vow to not eat sweets until Valentine's day. Okay that's just one, but it is a success none the less. Thomas S. Monson, president of the LDS church said, "Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says, "I'll try again tomorrow." Good advice, bring on tomorrow!

First Meeting

Hooray! The first meeting was just what I needed. I came away so motivated that I have exercised a record four days in a row! Thank you, my fellow slimming sisters. We talked about chapter one and I came away with three awesome goals:

I am going to track the minutes I exercise. On the 17th Shyla and I will compare numbers. The one with the most gets taken to Subway for lunch. On the way out of the meeting Shyla confided to me that the goal she wrote down is not to exercise more, it is to "exercise more than Bethany." Woo hoo! It is on.

I am also aiming to only eat sitting down and to only eat off a plate (bye-bye brownies from the pan.)

Also, my friend Emily and I are doing no sugar till the first week in Feb. (when I will be making a fabulous cake for a family birthday.) We are also going to do no sugar (meaning candy and baked goods) between major, planned events. I love having someone to keep me honest.

FYI: We will be checking in with each other on Tues the 10th, but we will wait till the 17th for our next official meeting.

Love and Luck,

Bethany

Comments

I just discovered that blogger has been "helpfully" corralling all of the blog's comments into some random holding pen (all in the name of stopping spam ... do people spam blogs? ... I have so much to learn.) Anyway, I found them, loved them and tried to publish all of them. Some of them didn't publish though ... so please, please, please keep commenting. Your words mean a lot.

~Bethany

the comment hungry blogger.

"Workouting"

Once again my children reminded me that my lifestyle is going to affect generations to come. This afternoon I turned on Turbo-Jam and soon my minions had congregated around me on the living room rug. Child #3 (who is almost two) did the cutest combo of speed bags and kicks. Child #2 did crunches and spun around on his bum on the hardwood. Child #1 tried a few of the moves from the TV and then proceeded to invent her own workout (tribal dance meets jazzercize).

"Mom, I'm still work-outing," said my boy 10 minutes after I had turned off the 20 min. token workout video. (Even though it was a token workout - meaning I stayed in my jeans and honestly didn't sweat much - it was a workout and it took me one day closer to creating a daily habit. )

Child #2 inspired me with his extra mile attitude and I grabbed a couple cans of chili and did an extra 6 min. arm workout. Go team!

First Meeting

Okay, so this is short notice, but we're having a support group meeting tonight. Call Shyla or Bethany for time and place.