2 Weeks In..the good, the bad, the ugly

Happy Easter 1 day late!

Well, it’s been 2 weeks since we started on this fitness journey and it has already seen its ups and downs (mostly ups though :))

Food:

In the past 2 weeks we have seen our trainer and are working on a plan of attack to remove the processed foods out of our diets and add in lean meats and whole foods. It looks so easy on paper, but if it was easy, we would all be a size 2 with a 6-pack. In the real world it is difficult to not eat processed foods. They are all around you, everywhere you look and in everything that has appeal. Not to say that fruits and vegetables are delicious (they are!!), but when you are faced with a chocolate two-layer cake or an apple, chances are you are going to go for the chocolate cake. It really is a paradigm shift in thinking.

Rob and I spent the first week keeping track of our calories (me: 1600-1800; Rob: 2000-2200) and protein intake (me: 100g; Rob: 200g) Doesn’t that seem like an insane amount of protein? But I am trusting in the process. We tracked all our meals, snacks and beverages in My Fitness Pal. If you don’t use a tracking system like this, I highly suggest you do. It is really easy and even has the ability to scan barcodes. Really, can it get any simpler? It was an eye opening week for us as we never really paid attention to the calories that are in the foods that we ate. We didn’t change our eating style that much, just tried to stay within the parameters that Devan outlined for us. I think for Rob the biggest ah-ha moment was when he realized that 1 (yes, your heard me right, 1) boneless chicken wing with medium sauce was 96 calories and he was ordering the medium order which is 15 wings (96 times 15 = holy cow that’s a lot of calories or for you math types 1,440). And that is not including your blue cheese dressing, a beverage, etc. And that is just for one meal. On average each meal should be roughly 500-600 calories with snacks ranging from 100-200 calories, so when you spend almost your allotted calories on one meal, the rest of the meals for the day will be small and less filling. I found that a lot of my calories came from foods high in carbs; breads, pasta, etc. As much as I like fruits and vegetables, I don’t eat as many as I should.

For the kids, we incorporated more fruits into the meals. It really wasn’t that hard considering that I pack their lunches every day. I swapped out chips for carrots and apple slices and small bottles of water replaced juice boxes. They didn’t complain, so I’ll take that as a win for MOM!

Our nutritionist Tricia provided me with some great tips for making snacks for the kids and curbing mindless eating with portion control. I have started to leave out a veggie/snack tray for the kids when they come home from school and that has gone over really well. Just the other day, when I picked the kids up from school, we had to run from one practice to another, so I went ahead and created snack bags for each kid to have in the car. They loved it and it kept me from running through drive-thru. A true win-win!

I met briefly with Maureen our wellness coach to go over some topics that we would like to cover over the next 8 or so weeks. Although I am a list making, I tend to over book myself a lot, so my focus is going to be on time management. For Rob time management is a struggle, but it is more that he forgets what I tell him (odd, I know) or doesn’t check the calendar or forgets to write it down. During our time with Maureen I am hoping to learn some techniques that will help me get more accomplished in less time and with less stress. Doesn’t that sound heavenly, better than Calgon bath if you ask me?

I was able to attend a workshop hosted by Harris Teeter and Maureen on the benefits of Online Shopping with Harris Teeter. I will not go into great detail here as I am working on a separate blog on how incredibly awesome the service is. Just this one change (how I shop for groceries) has given me an hour or more back in my schedule. An hour may not seem like much, but when you have a full-time job, a hobby business on the side, 2 kids in a number of activities, gaining an hour back is like winning the lottery. As I work through the nuances of online shopping, I can already see the endless possibilities.

Fitness:

Fitness, fitness, and fitness…what can I say. I truly have a love/hate relationship with working out. I love the idea of it, love the way I feel after I finish, but hate starting and hate feeling like I’m no good at it. I wish that I could go back to when fitness was fun, when you would ride your bike, just to ride your bike; play tag because why not or splash around in a pool for hours at a times. When did working out become such a chore, another thing on my to-do list? I watch my kids dance for hours because they love the song; I remember doing that. Now, as an adult, I get embarrassed dancing if someone is watching because what if they see my body jiggle; and I spend more time looking at the people at the gym wondering what they think of my form, clothes than focusing on myself. These are all an inside dialogues that need a new script and that I what I am working on over the next 8-10 weeks. When I hear myself saying no, I can’t; I stop and say why can’t I? And when my kids ask to go on a bike ride or take the dogs for a walk or swim with them, I have made a conscious effort to say YES, Absolutely… last one in the water is a rotten egg (you get the point).

The reason I am putting all this out there is because I think a lot of us feel this way. We think we aren’t good enough, so why bother or what will people say when they see me at the gym, etc. I have come to the conclusion that most people will commend the effort not the outcome and if they don’t; they are not someone I want to hang out with anyways. And most people at the gym are not judging in fact most are thinking “You Go Girl!” And the former comment still applies; if they are judging, I don’t want them in my life. I want to teach my kids that they should always find the fun in working out and eating healthy and to commend the effort that is put into everything they do.

Wins for the week:

• Family bike ride
• Healthy dinner (4 nights)
• Healthy snacks packed and ready for the kids
• Grocery list prepared with healthy items with less than 5 ingredients per item
• Swim 2 days (laps completed)
• Rob signed up for 2 bike races (63 miles each) – my legs hurt just thinking about that
• No fast food in 2 weeks
• No soda in house since my first blog. (WOOT! WOOT!)
• 1 Father-Daughter dance (got the groove on)

Tracey Bacon and her family are new to Charlotte and want to get healthy in their new home. The Bacons are participating in the 2015 Fit Family Challenge and chronicling their healthy family journey along the way. Learn more about the Bacons and their healthy family goals, and follow along with their progress in the Fit Family Challenge blog.

Want your family to get healthy, too?
Join the challenge to get moving with your family toward a healthier lifestyle and to win fun family prizes. Find out more and sign up here.