I'm so excited...

First I want to say "Thanks" for all the nice comments on my bump picture. You guys are the greatest! For those of you wondering, I did iron out the details for childcare on Saturday morning so I will be running my 5K. I can't wait! This is kind of a meaningful race for me because it was the first 5k I ran last year after I started losing weight.
Food-wise I haven't tried anything really earth shattering lately so not much to share on that front. I did find out that I need to start my day off with a protein, like eggs. I was eating oatmeal and then NEEDING a snack mid-morning to make it till lunch. Protein holds me much better. I made turkey chili one night and that's been perfect as leftovers for lunch. I also made garlic/lemon hummus and add a little to my salads...can you say yummy? Anybody have ideas for tofu? I just cube it and heat/brown it up with a little red wine vinegar before tossing it in my salads. Any other suggestions?
Stay tuned...I have an interesting recipe waiting in the wings. Pictures and review to come soon!

Most boring post ever...

Quickly checking in... I'm doing well, still eating high quality foods when I get hungry. Have had a mild desire for a soda last few days but I think that's mostly because it's sitting in the fridge staring at me every time I open the door. One "trick " I've heard is to mix sparkling water with pomegranate juice as a healthy alternative. I might try that.
Just got home from a 3 mile run and my muscles are feeling tight...think it's time to do some yoga and stretch out. Keep moving forward friends!

New Bump Picture

I know I missed putting up a bump picture on the 1st of June. To be perfectly honest, I was pretty disgusted with myself and the weight I had gained in the month of May. And things weren't getting better. I was very out of control and I didn't want to have to memorialize my "failure". So here is a make up picture I took this morning... Little side note, I was pleasantly surprised when I got on the scale this morning. I'm back down to 165 lbs. Last week I about fell over when I got on the scale and saw 174. Let me be clear though, I am NOT trying to lose weight. I figure my body is just regulating after eliminating all the crap I was eating. But now I'm eating good food & I'm not hungry. And the best part, I don't feel disgusting after a meal either. I have energy and I'm back to running. These things are HUGE for me!
While I understand that a 20 lb weight gain at this point is pretty bad, I am back in control now. I still think my original goal to stay under 180 is doable, especially with the way I've turned things around. I'm feeling the baby move around more and more...which is always so much fun! My ultrasound is scheduled for July 2nd so hopefully baby cooperates and we'll know boy or girl soon. Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Night & Day

Can I get a Hallelujah? Seriously, I feel fan-freakin'-tastic right now. It's CRAZY how big...no, how huge...of a difference eating well has made. I have been on point with my food. Eating clean and saying "No Thanks" to the other stuff. Hubby bought a bunch of stuff- ice cream, soda, candy. Momma just made hummus and bought some almond butter ☺
And guess what, I went for a run tonight...like I used to, after the kids crashed. My headaches are gone so I'm not ready to collapse after I put the kids to bed. Yesterday I considered registering for a 5K race that's coming up on Saturday but I refrained. Tonight I ran 3 miles without a problem so I'm seriously considering it. If I can iron out the details for child care I think I will. It makes me excited just to think about it!

Fruits & Veggies & Flax seeds... Oh My!

Okay people, I think I'm back. Note I said "think". Kidding. I've had 2 solid days of decent eating, which has been unheard of in the past 2 months or so. It's time to make some major changes in my diet. One main reason, headaches. All the sudden not only do I feel like crap after all the crap I've been eating, I'm looking like crap and getting these headaches that make me feel like my head is going to explode. Not good. Reality check. I can't treat my body like a garbage disposal and expect to feel good. After 2 days eating cleaner, I feel better. Enough to keep me motivated that I am on the right track. So you want to know what I'm doing. It's really pretty simple. I'm doing as many whole foods as possible. I'm also ditching dairy & gluten. Good fats like nuts, avocado and flax seeds are in. So are lots of fruits and veggies, lean protein and legumes. There's more to it of course, but that's a nutshell.
The goal is to keep me from blowing up any more than I already have. Again I'm working on training myself to eat when I'm hungry...not shoveling food in just because. This is going to be a challenge, but one I feel able to conquer. I want to be healthy and strong. I want my kids healthy and strong. I want to have an "easy" recovery from my c-section in November. If hubby can't get on board 100% (even though this was his idea) it doesn't matter. I will do what I need to do. I will learn to say no again -"No honey, we don't need 10 candy bars". And yes to the good stuff "YES I love my treadmill!".
Stay tuned. As I come across awesome recipes I'll share. Healthy me is back in the game!

Things are tough sometimes...

I haven't posted since May 1st...shame on me I suppose. Right now though, there is a lot going on in my life. Blogging has not been a priority and I'm okay with that. Things are most likely going to be sporadic for a while. My mother-in-law is very ill right now. I won't go into details because I don't feel this is the place...it is a personal thing that my family and I are going through. No offense to you faithful readers...
As I tend to be a stress eater, I've packed on a few more pounds than I'd like lately. I also haven't been exercising very much. Today I broke that cycle and got on the treadmill...yeah me. I also got a prenatal kettle bell workout (and 20 lb kettle bell), which is fun and a great workout. Speaking of which, I'm heading to do that now, while the monkey is still napping.
Keep moving forward my friends!

The bump picture...

Don't have much time this morning but I wanted to get this done while I was thinking about it. My weight this morning to start off the month was 155 lbs. That means I have gained a total of 10lbs at this point....not great, but considering that I gained it all by the 7th of April and have maintained since then, I okay with it. The goal now is to only gain about 2 lbs in May. I am definitely feeling more in control and making better choices. I ran 3 miles last night which felt awesome.
Anyway, as you can see in the picture, the belly is starting to poke out. I'm now entering the phase where I feel like I look fat, not pregnant. Normal stage ☺ Hope everyone has a great weekend!