Making Changes

Sophia lost one pound. I think the most challenging thing for her is to just eat one serving. I'm glad she's thinking about what she eats and is making an effort to be more active. Yesterday she mentioned that she wanted to exercise with me. I'd left for the gym at 4:45 and I was gone when she woke up. I know they are very active at the camp she attends, but I guess she just wants to get a little extra exercise in. I hadn't slept well the night before, so I was exhausted by the time I got home. Today, I only did weights, so this evening I will try to go for a run with her. I still didn't sleep well and I'm tired already.

David has been going to the Farmer's Market every week. A couple of weeks ago he got ground beef and I made meatloaf with it. It didn't taste the same and it took a little bit of time to get used to it. I had leftovers yesterday, and I decided that I like it. I guess I never thought about the fact that the meat would have a different taste. Last week he got sausage there, too. Only Sophia and David liked it. I've never liked sausage, so I'm not the best person to comment on that. This past weekend, he bought mangos, corn, tomatoes, and ground beef. We had cheeseburgers last night. Again, they didn't taste the same. It's funny how we've all gotten used to the fat. I still liked it, it was just different. I had a mango for dessert yesterday. The kids had ice cream. Tonight we will have the tomaotes and corn and I'll serve the honey dew melon for dessert. Maybe I'll ask him to get a chicken next time. I wonder what it will taste like. He thought of going to the Farmer's Market on his own. Pretty cool!

Fourth of July

I started my day with a spinning class. Later we went to see my mother-in-law, then we went to see the fireworks at the University of Maryland. I usually sit in my chair while I wait for the fireworks to begin. Raymond usually plays catch, and Sophia usually draws. This year, I brought a ball, and I played catch and keep away with Layla and Sophia. Just to keep them moving. It kept them moving. I like seeing them so active.

I made brown rice yesterday. Sophia only eats a very little bit of it. I think she's protesting. She got only one serving of ice cream. She seems to be handling it pretty well. Layla has gotten so much better at accepting my "no" when she asks for more. Layla's the kind of kid that will keep eating. It's pretty easy to distract her.

I've found that having fresh fruits for desserts is a winner. They all like pineapples and mangos. Today we had cantalope for dessert. I tried a new recipe with rhubarb the other day. The absolutely loved it.

Cravings

I'm not doing such a good job at keeping away from sugar. The nutrionist says I should always eat a proetein with a carb, even if it's an apple. That's why I just can't eat sweets. Sugar makes me crave sugar. When I stay away from it for two days, I actually don't crave it anymore. I tend to be less hungry. It's just getting through the cravings for the first couple of days. But it is just so FUN to eat sweet stuff. The kids seem to be doing pretty well. I definitely hear them talking about food choices and that's a good thing. They have stopped asking for pop tarts and toaster struedels. Yay!

Lucas actually went for a walk on his own because he felt lazy. That's fantastic.

The boys seem to be able to resist food. They can get just one of something and be done with it. I think maybe the girls inherited the hunger gene from me.

Exercising

Since Sophia was concerned about her weight, when I took Lucas to karate, rather than come home to start dinner, I took Layla's bike and Sophia's scooter. While he was working out, they rode around for about an hour and they seemed to have a really good time. Also, before I went to the gym this morning, I took her for a walk/run for 45 minutes the next morning. She doesn't run so much so she tires rather easily. She didn't like it, but at least she understands the importance.

We can do that during the summer because I don't have to worry about homework. We didn't end up getting back until 8:00 which meant we didn't finish eating until 8:30. David grilled cheeseburgers, but still it was a late night. The girls didn't end up going to bed until 9:30. That meant that I didn't get to sleep until about 11:30. A long night. I'm rarely spontaneous like that, but I guess every now and then it's okay.

I decided not to ask David to work out with Sophia. I think the diet changes are enough for him. He's doing well on that front and I don't want to rock the boat. Besides, guess what? He wants to get a bike! The girls like to go bike riding. That would be a cool family activity.

Attitude

Today we had chicken, quinoa (a different recipe), and mixed vegetables. Raymond wasn't so happy about that. It was a new recipe. I've noticed that he gets a little bit of an attitude whenever I cook healthier meals. David brought home leftover pizza and everyone wanted to have that in addition to what I'd cooked. Well, I must admit that I kind of did too. But we can save it for a different day. Sophia is reading Food Rules. It's taking her kind of a long time. I don't want to be the food police, but I do want them to understand where I'm coming from. Once she finishes, it will be Raymond's turn. He actually does a pretty good job of watching what he eats. He's an athlete and likes to keep in shape.

Weight Concerns

Sophia is a little concerned about her weight. I think the only thing she needs to do is to exercise a little more. The only thing is that she doesn't really like sports. Even though she's only allowed to watch TV for 30 minutes a day, she will usually select an activity that is sedentary. She likes to do crafts, read, and play with her Barbie dolls. She will ride her bike if I send her outside, but she is a little uncomfortable riding around the neighborhood by herself. Riding in the loop in front of our house can be a little boring. She runs around at camp. But now that school is out, I think maybe I will show her some exercises she can do. I actually prefer to exercise by myself. Quite frankly, it's the only time I get to have by myself! I do want her to include exercise in her daily routine, so maybe I'll add an extra workout that we can do together. . . unless I can get David to do it. Hmmm. That's a thought. He doesn't workout, and I think that might be the thing to get them started. I am willing to do it if he doesn't want to, though.

Off of the Wagon

This past week has been very stressful for me. When I am stressed, I eat poorly. I made a trip to McDonald's and got the number 1 with large fries and a chocolate Sundae. I also went to HR and got two Snickers and Baby Ruth. I guess a few days won't hurt. Today, I'm going back to logging what I eat into Livestrong.com. I'm so busy and I really feel like I don't have the time to do it.

I read an article that indicated that caffeine depletes your body of Vitamin D. I knew that at one point, but I think I must have forgotten. I'm trying not to drink it, but I just get so sleepy sometimes. I wish I didn't have to sleep because I always have so much to do. I've found that in the long run, it really doesn't help that much. I eventually crash.