So... This sugar thing

I did it with one minor mess up. :) although I like to make jokes about missing sugar, last month wasn't that bad. In fact it was awesome. I ate more normal food and I lost weight. I got to 150 lbs by Easter morning. That is incredible considering I didn't go to the gym at all in this last month. So I lost four pounds just by going off sugar. I decided I want to keep with that momentum. I'm going to go back off sugar until after my half marathon. I'm not ready for this thing at all. Now that Caleb is done with finals, getting my running time in is going to be much easier. 

The only times this sugar thing really stunk was when I was starving and there was only sugar in my kitchen. That taught me the importance of meal planning and preparation. I'm excited to get back to a more normal schedule and I'm actually excited to go off sugar again. This last month was so nice to not have internal battles with myself over which desserts to eat. I ate all the normal food I wanted and moved on. If you know me you know that my life sometimes revolves around chocolate. Ha ha

Anyways, nuff of dat... Lincoln's first Easter was so fun. I loved that my birthday was the very next day. We celebrated Easter and my birthday at my dad's Sunday. They spoiled me rotten and got me a sewing machine. I've already had my little sisters over to make a car seat cover. Just my boys and I went down to temple square Monday. The weather was perfect! I love my knights ;) 

While watching Caleb hold Lincoln I just wanted time to stop. I'm more in love with Caleb than the day I married him, and seeing him hold our son just melts me. I love temple square. It was a good day... 

To pre-pregnancy weight!!

Yesterday I jumped on the scale as soon as I woke up (like I usually do). It said 152!!

I feel like it has taken me an eternity to get here. This morning, with clothes on and after breakfast, I weighed 152!!  It feels good to make progress. I text Caleb to share the good news. He replied, "its all that gym time :)" I haven't gone to the gym in a few weeks now. Funny boy. But really I have been exercising. Mostly long walks with Linc.

Today Im going to get back in the swing of things. That half marathon is getting closer and closer.

I'm doing great with my eating goals, I am exercising regularly, and I feel good. I need to step up the running though.

A few reasons you're not losing weight 

1. You don't understand the calorie in/ calorie out concept:
   Despite what the media may tell you, weight loss is actually very simple. Whether you are losing weight because you're trying to or not, it comes down to one simple thing. The calories you burn in a day HAVE to be MORE than the calories you consume.
   (Calories in) - (Calories out) = NEGATIVE NUMBER
   
   (Calories out are the calories you use in a day. This is more than what you burn exercising. These are the calories used to maintain normal body functions like digesting and healing. The calories burned in these regular body functions are called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). To simplify the BMR, it is the calories you'd burn if you just sat on a couch all day.)
   
   It doesn't matter if you run 10 miles a day. If you eat more calories than your body burns in a day, you're going to gain weight. If you eat the same amount of calories that you burn, you will maintain weight. If you burn more calories than you consume in a day you will LOSE WEIGHT.
   
   So, are you gaining, losing, or maintaining?
2.  You think you're burning more calories than you consume:
   A woman "guesstimates" that she eats 750 calories less than she really consumes in a day. That is a lot of calories. A pound is 3500 calories. After 5 days of an extra 750 calories, you're a pound heavier!
   
   Get an app on your ipad or iphone. Keep an accurate log of how much you're eating and how much you're exercising. Make sure you leave NOTHING out! Tracking my calories helped me to get a better idea of what foods I needed to cut out. Some days I'd be 500 calories over what I wanted to be. I would look throughout the day and think, If I had used yogurt instead of peanut butter for my apple, drank water instead of (milk, almond milk, juice), and had one less cookie - I would have met my goal!
3. You need to get moving:
   Its near impossible to get a sedentary person to lose a considerable amount of weight unless their on chemo. Seriously, If you spend most of your day sitting figure out a way to get moving more. You burn more calories as you move. Take a walk around the office, block, take the stairs, stand while you talk on the phone. Whatever you want to do, just do it!
4. You don't stick with it long enough! From my exercise physiology book, "After two months on a diet, the caloric equivalent of weight loss exceeds twice that in the first week. This points out the importance of maintaining a caloric deficit for an extended duration."
   
   Don't let discouragement creep in. Try to gain better perspective. Be patient. Give your goals time to transform you!

Bee the change

Sorry for being all M.I.A. I've been helping my husband with his new lawn business and soaking up the beautiful weather. 

The sugar thing was perfect till an hour ago. I caved. But I'm recommitted (now that there aren't peanut butter bars staring at me anymore.) My husband is so cruel sometimes. This week he got my favorite desserts from his family and just left them to stare at me. Not cool. 

Haven't been to the gym in a while. Caleb has had to go work or do homework at night. I can't bring myself to get a babysitter just to go to the gym. I promise I'm finding others ways to work out. :) I at 153. I feel good. And I'm eating pretty good. I just need to kick up the miles. My half marathon is in a month.

Anyways...

General Conference was needed last weekend. I love how it has the ability to help you see all the ways you can improve without being discouraging. I feel so empowered after general conference. The best part is that now I can listen to those talks every day. Imagine being in King Benjamin's time... 

One reason I needed conference is because I've had a pretty rough time with some valued relationships the last couple of months. Heavenly Father throws the same thing at me. Over and over and over. And apparently I still haven't learned my lesson. So I prayed before conference that I would be able to get an answer to some of my hearts questions. 

I'm going to try to be vague so that I don't throw specific people under the bus. 

A few months ago, someone I love and respect, insisted that It was selfish to have children because they didn't ask to come here. I lovingly said, "I disagree". This person was upset with my reply and told me, "there is more to life than having kids. You don't need to have anymore than two." I shared with this person that I believe that these children did infact want to come, but that was okay that we disagreed.  We ended our conversation but the next few weeks resulted in emails telling me I wasn't Christian, that I had been deceived, that I was now a deceiver, oh and my favorite, that I was going to hell. 

This was far from the first time I had this conversation with this person. All other times, because I was taught to put up with it, I would just laugh it off and still be around this person.

This time something inside me changed. I looked at my son and thought, I would never ask him to be around people that treated him like that. I want him to grow and be strong. I want him to surround himself with others who respect him and will support him in his decisions. I deserve that too. 

I replied with these words, "you're being very rude. And I won't tolerate it."

Since then I have received, what I would call hate mail, from this person who I love and adore. I tried a few times to explain how I am not going to change, and I don't expect them to change, but I would like respect. Nothing has calmed this persons hate towards my faith. 

It's funny how people think tolerance is a one way street. It is a two way street. If it is only one sided, then it is not tolerance. The "tolerance trap" that President Packer referred to in conference, I believe, is when we are tricked into thinking it can be one way. 

I have a lot of "ME MONSTERS" in my family as well. You know, the ones who make decisions that negatively impact the WHOLE family and then say, "it's none of your business". Or the ones who constantly have to say things like, "are you sure you're only pregnant with one? You look like you're carrying twins." Or "you're only twenty weeks pregnant? I was that size at 40 weeks" or (talking about someone's redheaded children) "if I had any redheaded kids I wouldn't love them as much as my other kids." Or the ones who always have to put down someone else's cooking, decorating, planning, nail polish... 

Yep. 

See why I needed conference? 

What I got from conference wasn't just what I heard with my ears, but what I heard with my spirit. Some of the things I heard were, "Turning the other cheek doesn't mean letting yourself get abused. It means not reviling against those who have wronged you. It means letting it go. Forgiving them because you deserve peace." I heard, "I love you. I forgive you for your selfish words and deeds. Forgive my sheep". 

During Elder Holland and Elder Andersen's talks I heard, "You are my daughter. For that reason the enemy will always target you. Just don't forget who the enemy is and who the enemy isn't. Be kind. Be compassionate. Be courteous. Be you! And defend what you know to be true!" 

From Sister Reeves talk I heard, "Focus on your family. Focus on loving them. Focus on learning from and teaching your small family. You will be blessed." 

Today I realized why conference made me feel so empowered. Satan wants us to think we can't change our circumstances. He tells us That only if the other person will change, then our life will get easier. God teaches us that if only we change ourselves, that is enough. If only we behave like children of God, we will have happiness and peace. 

I am grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who has given us leader to guide us! 

Checking in

So basically I am so worn out and exhausted right now, I hope I finish this post before falling asleep. I thought I'd update you on how this sugar thing is going.... It's killin' me. Seriously what was I thinking? If it were not for putting my foot in my mouth by putting this no sugar business online... I'd be done. But I guess that's why I did it. The other night I almost caved. I was storming through the kitchen for SOMETHING to satisfy me. I said, "Caleb it's an emergency, go get me the quick oats. I have to make sugar free no bake cookies right now or I'm going to quit this sugar thing!" 

Poor Caleb

So I did a mashed banana and some honey in place of the sugar/brown sugar. I wish I could share the recipe. But I was so eager to get these things done I didn't even measure as I went. I know it was cocoa, peanut butter, vanilla, mashed banana, a little bit of honey, and quick oats. IT SAVED ME!

anyway, otherwise it guess I'm doing pretty good. Ha ha 

I didn't do my Monday report this week. Caleb has been really busy and the weather hasn't been too great. When he has got home at night I have wanted to spend time with him and enjoy my little family. I don't like to blog when Lincoln is awake or I could be spending time with my husband. I probably will be back to reporting Monday. 

How are abby, Kelly, Candice, Kandice, and Amber doing? You guys are amazing for even trying! If you've jumped off the ban wagon, no worries. Just jump back on. There's still time! 

Throw back to when Lincoln was apart of me... And when I got HUMUNGOUS! :) sometimes I miss having him with me in this way, but seeing and holding him is SO much better.