OCTOBER~DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH

Oh, how I LOVE this little girl! She is my life and my joy. She is one of the greatest reasons I am here. To teach her and to love her every day. It is Down Syndrome Awareness month and I hope this little face helps others understand that being different should be accepted and celebrated by everyone.

CREED:

My face might be different

But my feelings the same

I laugh and I cry

And I take pride in my gains

I was sent here among you

To teach you to love

As god in the heavens

Looks down from above

To him I’m no different

His love knows no bounds

It’s those here among you

In cities and towns

That judge me by standards

That man has imparted

But this family I’ve chosen

Will help me get started

For I’m one of the children

So special and few

That came here to learn

The same lessons as you

That love is acceptance

It must come from the heart

We all have the same purpose

Though not the same start

The Lord gave me life

To live and embrace

And I’ll do as you do

But at my own pace.

Atkins

I've been reading "The New Akins For a New You". I love it! It makes so much sense and if you are a carbo-holic like me, it can really help. Before reading the book I assumed Atkins was just eating high fat meats all day. Completely not true. You do eat alot of meat but it can be fish, poultry, or beef. Then, your other staple is vegetables. The first two weeks will be the most difficult. You're allowed 20 net carbs everyday for the first two weeks. Those carbs come from veggies since meat has virtually no carbs at al. Most veggies have between 0.1 and 2 carbs. So, you can see you eat alot of them. The book says you'll eventually lose the cravings for carbs, which is a goal. The next phases of Atkins you slowly add in net grams of carbs until you find you're magic number. The number of carbs your body can be allowed each day with the ability to still lose weight. Everyone is different. Some bodies can handle 40 carbs and some 120 carbs. I remember losing alot of weight my Senior year of high school. This is how I was eating I just didn't know it was Atkins. I like how the book explains what good and bad carbs are and also about sugar and sugar alcohols. How they are absorbed in the body and their function is also explained. This diet also helps cholesterol, hypertention and type 2 diabetes. It's really interesting. I'm going to start fully when we get back from our vacation. The book says not to start if you're about to go on vacation. You need to have the time and means to do it. But I will be cutting back until I really start. Wish me luck. I'm really excited about the results. The first two weeks can wield a loss of up to 15 lbs. But I want to continue until this is a lifestyle.

Wednesday Weigh In

I must be losing just water. This week I am 150.6 and I dont feel much different in my clothes. My tummy is slighty smaller but my pants are fitting the same. It's really difficult for me to get out of the 150's. I've been in the 150's most of my adult life - after kids anyway. I've only gotten to the 140's and 130's because my thyroid has gone wacky on me. One hundred and fifty pounds if my body's comfortable weight. Not to say that I'm comfortable in my body at 150. I feel best in the low 140's. I really want to get there. I started Synthroid this week so maybe that will help jumpstart my metablism... Until next week.

Wednesday Weigh In

I have not yet bought a battery for my home scale yet. Can you believe it?? But I did get my weigh in done today. I met with my Endocrinologist to talk about my thyroid. I'm hypo AGAIN. So I'll begin taking synthroid again. I will be on the lowest dose so that's great. I weighed in at her office at 152.6. So that's almost a two pound loss. I'm happy with that since I haven't done a great job at what I should be doing.

Still Here

Ok, why is it such a battle day to day?! You know when you're trying to diet and exercise, does it not consume you? You're daily actions and your thoughts! It's so consuming. On the days when, "oh crap, I can't workout today", it's depressing when you're working toward a goal right? This past week has been busy to the point of explosion. I hate the days when 2:30 rolls around and I just need a nap. Literally! I'm lucky to have two children that have naps that sync up so I can nap.
I have been hyper-thyroid since Harry was born. I think now it's starting to fall behind. I'll go next week to have that checked. I think that's why I'm sleepy. Harry still wakes up between 3-4 times a night which I've gotten use to but it does not help my internal clock.
I have the option to wake up at 6am to work out before getting Ashlynn ready for school but I don't. I choose those extra 90 minutes of sleep.
I've been doing OK this past week. I can do better. So next week will be better. By the way,there wasn't a weigh in this week because the battery in my scale died and have I bought another one... NO. So my weigh in will be this weekend. I'm hoping and praying not to be shocked by a gain. Until then...

Partner

Who helps you in your workout more than anyone? For me, it's Flo-Rida! I like to work out on my own because I hate talking through a workout. Flo-Rida's music seems to boost my energy for some reason. Thanks dude!

Ouch!

I am completely sore from yesterdays workout. The kind of sore where it hurts to walk, bend down to pick up the baby, and to get up or down the stairs (which I do like 30 times a day)! It is extremely difficult to exercise outside in Washington. I purchased a jogging stroller which I love, but the weather here is brutal. It rains from sun up to sun down. If it happens to be sunny, it's too cold to take the baby out. If it's warm enough it's too windy to take the baby out. So... yesterday I set up a circuit workout in my garage!
I used...
the 4 stairs for cardio and lunges
my yoga mat for crunches, push-ups, sitting core twists, dead-lifts, and chest presses.

I have my own gym in my garage! I did a 30 minute circuit while Harry had his nap. I think the stairs did me in. My poor knees and hamstrings. Ouch! But I will be back tomorrow!
Today I ate about 1650 calories- not as good as yesterday but still progress. I was tired today. I eat more when I tired.

Everyone is healthier

Just a side note! I am actually looking at labels now. Not for calories and fat but for ingredients. I recently pulled Red#40 from Ashlynn's diet and she is a somewhat different girl. Her attention has increased and she actually listens to me with less distraction! Oh my. It's a work in progress but I'm moving toward buying products with less than 7 ingrediants (to start). Most products have more that 20!! Yuck.

Day 1

All I have to say is - Food Journaling - It's amazing!! It works!
Calories - 1100

Fed Up!

I'm doing it! I want to lose the weight because I want to feel good in my body and in my clothes. Plain and simple.
My family will be visiting Hawaii when Howie returns from his deployment. And my goal? TWENTY POUNDS IN ONE YEAR. Sounds easy right?? We'll see.