Update - Jan. 27, 2017

Hello all!

Sorry for no update last week, I had planned on it but I was so disappointed in myself on a few things that I just couldn't find it in my to post an update. But since the beginning of this week, I have noticed that I'm doing a few things different now than I was last week.

For instance, unlike last week I am keeping up with writing down what I have to eat everyday as well as keeping up with my water intake. Still not drinking a full 8 a day but I'm averaging about 4 to 6; which is a vast improvement than my previous attempts. I keep track of my meals and my water intake via my Happy Planner, where I dedicated a space for fitness and health every day.

I also noticed that when I went out earlier this week and I ate out with a friend, that I didn't overeat nor did I order a big order; which was surprising to me because I love eating out. I also noticed that I couldn't finish all of the food I had ordered, despite it being a much smaller portion than what I used to get. I have noticed lately that I cannot eat as much as I used to or else I'll start feeling sick to my stomach. I have had to adjust my portion sizes a bit but that really hasn't been a problem.

I think the reason being that I am starting to eat less is because I have been taking vitamins. I take them once a day and they are a multi-vitamin, biotin for my hair, skin & nails, a vitamin C pill and GNC Women's Metabolism and Energy Vitamin. The last vitamin I think is having the biggest impact on me. I take it 30 minutes after I have eaten breakfast and it helps me control my eating habits throughout the day.

However, I have noticed that during the night I still get cravings. Why, I'm really not sure because I think I eat plenty during the day and for dinner; so I shouldn't be snacking at all hours of the night. I think it has something to do with me being an insomniac and thus I find myself staying up well into the wee-hours of the mornings most days. So perhaps it has something to do with or maybe I just get bored at night when everyone else has gone to sleep. I'm not really sure. I think that if it continues to be an issue where I am noticing more weight-gain than weight-loss, then I will speak to someone about it to see if anything can be done.

Speaking of weight, I was able to weigh myself this past Monday and let's just say the results left me not happy at all. True that I do weigh less than I have at my heaviest, which was 426; but still the fact that I weigh 395.6 at 29 years old is a bit of a shocker. I have struggled with my weight my whole life and I know that I will battle it until my last breathe but I refuse to let it hold me back any longer. I'm turning 30 in September and I want to be able to say that I started defeating my weight problem before I hit it.

Like I said, I have already made a few changes to my life that I can see are working out but this week I have made a few more and so far they seem to be working. One change is that, whenever my grandfather wants coffee or something from the kitchen; instead of getting my uncle to get it for him, he tells me to. Now this isn't much of exercise but considering that I am getting up and walking about every 2 hours or so, it is a vast improvement than just sitting down all day and doing nothing. I have also found ways to occupy my mind instead of waiting until I can eat again. I usually do this by writing in a journal or just walking outside to take the trash out. It's really simple and easy how I can distract myself.

Recently I have opened an Etsy shop where I sell planners and planner accessories. Now I'm expanding my little shop to include homemade journals and necklaces. I quickly noticed that if I keep my hands and mind busy, food is the last thing on my mind.

Another change I made is that I stopped following food media accounts or "food porn" if you will. I unfollowed all of them on my Instagram and Twitter; leaving the ones on Facebook since I only follow the one and I don't visit Facebook but once or twice a day. My reasoning for this was, if I can't see it then I won't want to eat it. And so far, it has worked with easing my cravings sweets and such. Though to be honest I've never really been a sweets' fan as there are only a few candy bars that I enjoy; and I only indulge in them once in a while so that is a plus for me.

Well I think that's it for this update, I plan on doing another next Friday so keep an eye out. And if any advice can be given then I greatly appreciate any that can be given.

Until Next Time!

Realizations & Starting Slow

Hello!

It seems like it's been such a long time since I posted on my journey to not only a healthier me but an overall healthier lifestyle. And in reality, it really has been a long time since I posted anything but I'm hoping to change that. I have come to some realizations about my journey to a thinner and healthier me that I'm going to be sharing in this post as well as some steps that I am taking in order to make changes in my life.

First off, I realize now that I pretty much just jumped right into trying to lose weight and get healthy without doing any preparing or research on my part. This turned out to be a very huge mistake and it has taken me several months to fully understand just how big of a mistake this was. I jumped in headfirst without checking to see what depth the water was. I finally realize that these changes don't come about overnight and I'm not going to lose a severe amount of weight in a month. I think that was the biggest realization and shock to my system. I was expecting to lose an enormous amount of weight just by changing a few things and the reality of that occurring is non-existent. Once I realized that, I noticed the other mistakes that I was making that made no sense.

For instance, one cannot simply go from doing no exercise to try and walking an hour or more daily. It's simply isn't done and the shock to one's system is going to end up doing more harm than good. At least this was the case for me and please note that I am no means a nutritionist or someone to take exercise advice from. I just know what will work for me and my body so I know what I can do and what I cannot.

Dieting was also something that I realized that I was doing wrong. I would pretty much starve myself during the day by finding something to do or to occupy my time; which isn't healthy at all. Then during the night, I would find myself making multiple trips to my kitchen, getting a sandwich here and there. Now this took me a while to realize that I was doing and if I'm honest, I didn't notice anything off until my grandfather mentioned to me how I wasn't eating during the day and gorging myself at night. At first, I didn't believe him so I ignored him. I mean no one wants to admit that they are wrong and I am one stubborn girl, so for to admit that someone else was right when I was wrong. But one night it hit me, like a softball to the face when I was going into the kitchen not twenty minutes after having eaten supper to make myself a sandwich. I must have stood in my kitchen for nearly an hour going over and over in my mind exactly what I had been doing to myself. It was really eye-opening to say the least.

Over the course of last year, I also noticed something about my eating habits that I really hadn't noticed before and it got me curious as to exactly how long this had been going on. I was eating my emotions. Whenever I was sad, lonely, angry or just downright depressed because I'll be honest last year wasn't a great year for me and my family; I found myself turning to food. It was either a sandwich, a honey-bun or something sweet to snack on like a chocolate bar. When I realized this later on last year, I wasn't really surprised and there was little that I wanted to change about it. I was so stressed out by this point that I didn't see the point in changing my eating habits at that second with the situation and everything. For those curious it's not really a secret as I think I have shared it in a previous post but the situation began in March 2016. My father was rushed to the hospital and diagnosed with liver failure due to years and years of abusing alcohol. He was fine on his own for a few months but eventual he had to move in with me, my grandfather and my uncle who is special needs. I became the main caregiver for all of them as my stepmother had left him the year before in his refusal to stop drinking. The months progressed until he was admitted back into the hospital in October 2016 and he would never leave. He passed away in November and it really did hit the family hard. If you want to learn more about the situation or if you yourself are a caregiver or know someone who is a caregiver, I'll leave a link to my blog at the end of this post. I started it last year in order for me to help others like myself and to get advice from others who are going through the same situation.

Anyway after I made these realizations, I decided to take a break from this blog and just work out exactly what I wanted to do and how I was going to do it. I decided that instead of making huge changes to my life that I was going to start out with small changes. And so far, I have been doing these small changes for about two weeks and I'm already loving at how I feel and I can't wait to make more smaller changes that will lead up to big ones later on this year.

The changes I have made are not huge by any means but I see them as a launching point to what I want to achieve during the rest of this year and the rest of my life. One change that I made was that I cut out all drinks except for water, almond milk and one cup of coffee in the morning. Now I don't drink plain water all the time, I like using water flavoring because let's be honest; drinking plain water all the time gets old quickly. I use the Diet Snapple Lemon Tea flavoring but I don't use it all the time. I only use it when I'm eating lunch or dinner. How I did this was very simple, I stopped buying the sodas that I liked to drink. I do still buy them because my uncle loves them and I don't want to deprive him of his favorite drinks just because I can't control myself around them. Luckily for me, he loves to drink Coco-Cola and Root Beer and those are two drinks that I just cannot stand. In fact, the only sodas that I can drink are Sprite and Vanilla Coke; and not even all the time. So that's good for both of us. And even though I live in the South, I don't like the taste of Sweet Tea like I used to but that's not a bad thing to me because every little bit helps.

Another thing that I have changed is that I make it a mission to eat three meals a day. This is pretty easy since I have to cook three times a day for my grandfather and uncle so I just find myself eating with them. Usually I would cook just enough for them and then go on about my day. But this has been the easiest to do and I love spending time with them, especially my grandpa. Eating three meals a day has helped me scale back on my nightly raiding of the kitchen, though it hasn't completely stopped; but I have faith that it will eventually become nothing but a memory.

Another thing that I have changed is that any chance that I have to walk, I take it. Whether it's finding that parking space at the store that is not close to the door or running errands with friends who don't want to get out at the store but they need something. I don't mind this at all now and it has quickly become second nature to me to just hunt for a far enough parking space that I can get in a bit of a walk to and from the store.

Another tip that I have is that I have now started to eat something to before I go grocery shopping. I have heard that one should never go grocery store shopping hungry but I never looked into it as being a true fact. To my surprise it's true! I have noticed a huge difference in my shopping lately ever since I started eating before I venture out my grocery store. Just thought I'd share that tip with you guys!

Well that's it for this blog. I am going to start posting weekly posts on what I eat during the week. Also I'm curious about Vegan foods so if anyone has any good suggestions for some, can you send them my way? I've tried several Vegan foods over the past few months and I want to find out more about it. Not that I want to go fully Vegan but I wouldn't mind doing a Vegan week if I can find enough of recipes. Thanks!

Until Next Time!

Caregiver Blog:   http://my-experience-as-a-caregiver.blogspot.com/