I’ve strayed from my LA food plan – BUT I’ve still lost another two pounds. I admit I weigh  myself every other day or so but I don’t compare weights until they are a week apart. What I’ve been doing lately is eating breakfast and then not eating again until I am actually hungry. Not just to snack or because I’m bored, I’ve just really paid attention to how I feel and following that.

But tomorrow we are going out of town so cross your fingers I don’t overdo it. It is easy to overeat when you travel, I think anyway. We are only gone for the day but we are going to be gone all day so that is three meals – plus snacks – on the road. We haven’t eaten out …. for a while actually so this is going to be a change for us – we all know restaurant food isn’t typically prepared in the most healthy manner! My thing while traveling is snacking in the car – I even bought chex mix just today knowing we would want something!

I’m glad I lost the two pounds though, that makes me feel good because even though I’m not strictly eating only certain foods I can eat what I want (which is still healthy) and lose.

So much for eating lots better! I made mint patties – basically powdered sugar, corn syrup and butter. So basically sugar! Well, peppermint flavored sugar.

My Mom used to make them at Christmas time and last week I really wanted one. We didn’t have corn syrup so I waited until I went to the store and finally made them today. I colored them red (well, pink really) and they tasted SO good! I had a bite when I was making them into balls and then again when I squished them with forks…and then a couple more since then. I know I can’t eat a bunch – talk about sugar rush. When I ate them earlier, I sat down on the couch and I swear I felt fluttering around. I think the baby is 4 1/2 inches long now and it’s early, but I swear I feel her move. She must have been buzzing. Of course I know the same amount doesn’t go into the baby, but still.

I love staying home with the kids if only for being able to make whatever I want whenever I want it. I think I was sort of craving mint stuff the past couple of weeks – I made mint chocolates back then. But it doesn’t feel like a real craving – like when I was pregnant before I only had one craving with one baby, so I know this isn’t real pregnant cravings.

But they are so good! I love these and they remind me of my Mom. I’ve been having “I really miss my family and friends” days lately and I think cooking helps.

I haven’t been eating that well. Today I had a granola bar for breakfast, chex mix for lunch and veggies, ranch dressing and croutons for dinner. Sort of a salad but no lettuce or spinach, we have great tasting spinach but I just haven’t been interested. I decided that starting tomorrow I am going to try to get back on my LA food plan – obviously modified. It is a great plan but I don’t think enough calories for a pregnant mom. If the 16 lbs I’ve lost are compared to now – I’ve really only lost 6 lbs. That isn’t cool. I didn’t want to have gained that much already! Of course 4 lbs of that 16 are what I lost because of just not eating a few days before officially finding out we were expecting, I knew I’d gain that back. That just means I gained six pounds in two months! I just can’t go on gaining that way. I know I need to eat well for myself and for the baby.

How are you doing? Eating well, exercising? I’m planning on going to the Y tomorrow and again on Friday. Chris has the day off on Friday and the kids will be in gymnastics camp so we will go to the Y without them. I know they will be upset about that because they love the childcare center.

[tags]baby weight, pregnant, gaining weight[/tags]

It has been so hard to stick to eating healthy. I can start out fine in the morning, and most of the time for lunch. But by the time the afternoon comes around I want something dessert’y, something chocolate, something sweet. I need to find alternate snacks, so far I’ve had brownies, chocolate and those 100 calorie snacks. Then of course that messes up dinner and I’m not in the mood to cook or eat. Today I did great, I ate a snack but also ate dinner. Of course after dinner I had a piece of ice cream cake!

I’m interested in once a month cooking. I love the idea of spending a day of cooking and getting a bunch of meals ready. I went to a Dream Dinners that did just that – they set up stations and  you get the food ready in freezer ready containers. I did it a couple of times but after that it wasn’t worth it for me – my husband really eats a lot of food. If he were gone, working, I think it would be fine for just the kids and I. So cooking for a month – or even two weeks – at a time seems like a good way to go. Especially on days when I don’t feel like cooking, when it is too hot out, when we are starving and don’t want to take the time to cook, etc.

I looked for a book at the library, but amazingly enough they didn’t have even one cookbook geared toward once a month cooking! I plan on asking a librarian the next time, but I doubt I’ll find one. I can’t wait to do this and might even have a friend come over to have her do cooking for her family. We’ve talked about it before and I’m sure doing it as a team would make it go faster.

My friend Tishia Lee left a great comment:

The key when we slip up (and it will happen from time to time – we are only human) is exactly what you did, got right back on the plan!

This is so true! The most important part of her comment was getting right back on plan. Sometimes it can feel easier to throw your hands up in the air, give up and go for the junk food. Easier to grab the bag of popcorn or chocolate and say why not, I’ve already messed it all up.

That is just not true. Whatever you did wrong, it is recoverable. Having a moment where you give in to having your favorite snack (or salty food like me) isn’t that bad. Start over, start again and keep on track.

These are the moments when having inspirational quotes around you would be great. Find a couple that work for you and tape them to your mirror and your fridge.

I slipped up yesterday. After my check in, not gaining or losing, and feeling great I came home and had a ham sandwich and a pickle for lunch. Talk about salty!

Of course the worst part – I had the same thing for dinner!

That’s the second time I’ve eaten a bunch of salty foods in one day since starting on LA Weight Loss. I wonder if it’s because the plan is low sodium (even though my regular eating usually isn’t that salty anyway) and once in a while my body just needs the salt? I did drink a few extra glasses of water and today feel a lot better.

I woke up and have stuck to the plan all day. I’m feeling good still and am happy to be back on plan.

I love peanut butter cups. Who cares that the chocolate is fake and full of wax and other things that is in American chocolate (a friend sent me lots of treast when she and her hubby were stationed in England – yummy!!) – peanut butter cups are SO good!

It started when I was pregnant with my second baby, my son. I had never craved anything with my daughter, but with him I *had* to have peanut butter cups. My craving was so bad I carried around a bag of peanut butter minis. I only had to have one or maybe two and then the craving was gone, but it was a good thing I carried around that many because when I wanted one I had to have it right then.

Right now there is a four pack of regular sized peanut butter cups in the fridge. I passed them up for a cup of low sodium V8 juice.

I feel good passing them up – but I admit I also feel good because I know if I had one, I would only have one. How is that for a change in diet and eating better!

[tags]tempting foods, peanut butter cups[/tags]