Then VS Now

I am going to try something a little different today. I am going to look back on some posts I have done in the past and reflect.


Thursday, February 28, 2008

Ah, breakfast. The most important meal of the day, and the hardest meal of the day if you are a cereal addict in recovery.

I have a hard time with cereal.

First off, the choices drive me nuts. What other item, besides chips and soda, has a whole aisle all to itself? It is overwhelming! And don't get me started on taking a child down that aisle!

Cereal makes me itch. Literally, my neck starts itching like crazy! I believe I have some kind of allergy, although I have been tested for celiac disease and it came back negative.

The itching doesn't seem to stop me from overindulging though. I could probably sit and eat a whole box of cereal if I wanted to. Thankfully, I never have, but if I had I probably would have rationalized that it was OK because I was getting calcium from all that extra milk I wouldn't normally drink.

In an effort to use this time of getting healthy to face the chunky skeletons in my closet I have decided to tackle issues such as this one head on.

I have been scared of cereal for the past year and a half. I am no longer going to avoid cereal.

In order for me to actually eat breakfast it needs to be something quick. I know I am a stay at home mom, so I should have the time to make a nice hot breakfast, right? Well, the problem with that is that I am not a morning person. I do cook a nice meal of eggs or pancakes often, but it's usually for dinner. Seriously, we have breakfast for dinner at least once a week!

So, what am I doing about all of this?

The health quality of the cereal and the quantity of the cereal are my two issues. I often buy generic everything but am allowing myself a few extra $$ in the grocery budget for cereal that is high in protein and fiber.

I purchased Kashi's Autumn Harvest cereal last week. It is like a healthier version of Miniwheats. I have decided that every day after I drink my cup of coffee I will use my coffee cup to eat my cereal as well. This will allow me to get the suggested 1 cup serving and nothing more. I bought the cereal last Friday and have been enjoying my cup every morning.

I do still notice a little itchy neck syndrome but not as bad as when I would eat a mixing bowl of cereal

I know the old "if I eat breakfast then I am hungry all day" excuse gets a lot of us...

An article I found on cnn.com said that a study done last year by the ADA they found that people who eat breakfast are "less likely to be overweight -- and more likely to exercise -- than non-breakfast eaters."

Take a moment to check out that article and another one with some helpful tips.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/10/16/cl.power.breakfast/index.html

http://www.nutrio.com/servlet/nutrio?page=18&cat=4&rec=1620

This is kind of sad but I had an issue at first with sharing my healthy cereal. I wanted Oriana to eat the generic cornflakes. Thankfully it only took about a half a second for me to compare the nutritional values on the side of the box and realize it is just as important, if not more important, for her to have the protein and fiber! She likes sharing mommy's cereal and she thinks it's fun to eat hers out of a coffee cup too!


Ori and daddy really, REALLY like Kashi cereal! I like it too, but am not so happy to admit I have NOT been doing well when it comes to making myself eat breakfast, especially these last few weeks. I have done a good job of not over doing it on the days that I do actually feel like eating cereal though. I think I may actually be over the addiction! When I think about the sugary cereals I used to over indulge in before it just doesn't sound good at all.


Since we're on the subject of my addictions...


Friday, March 28, 2008

Confessions of a Recovering Fast Food Junkie

My name is Chelle and I'm a McDonald's -aholic

That's the first step right? Admitting you have a problem.Now, I am going to skip to Step 5 of The 12 Steps

STEP 5:Admitted to God, to ourselves, and to another human being the exact nature of our wrongs.

Of all the fast food places out there, McDonald's seems to be the one that my former self could not get enough of. Some of my most embarrassing confessions have to do with that particular establishment.

Some of them make me sick to my stomach just thinking about.In the name of honesty, here are a couple of my worst offenses...

• I have often ordered two combo meals from the drive thru and ate them both. The only reason I would order two whole meals is so people would see two drinks and think I was ordering for myself and someone else. I probably super-sized them both too.
• I would always hide the evidence. I once hid the wrapper from a fast food restaurant in one of Ori's diapers so my husband wouldn't find it. (Funny thing, he wouldn't have cared)
• I have eaten breakfast, lunch, and dinner from McDonald's in the same day more times than I can count.
• Almost every time I had four quarters in my possession I bought a double cheeseburger.

I have sat here for a few minutes looking at those bullet points. I started about 4 or 5 times to type justifications for my behavior, to some how make my actions seem reasonable to my readers. The truth is, there is no excuse and that behavior is not normal.

I am happy to say that I am 2 months clean!

I have said many times that my goal in all this is to be able to assert self control and live a normal life while learning how to eat and behave again. I don't want to completely exclude certain foods, I want to retrain myself to be normal.

That being said, I know that I am still not ready when it comes to McD's.

Funny thing, I really don't miss it (that much).


It has been almost exactly two months since that post and still NO MCDONALDS! It gets easier and easier to leave it alone. I really haven't had much fast food of any kind since Jocie has been born. We've had Chick-fil-a a few times and Taco Bell once. We aren't even close to eating out as much as we used to. In the past it was a Friday, Saturday, Sunday thing. Not so much anymore! I mean, come on, my grilled chicken with peppers, onions, and brown rice is MUCH TASTIER!

*I know I said this already but I am stressed out about keeping track of every one's training. Please, don't hesitate to tell me if I don't have it right. I am not sure if there is an easier way for me to keep track or what but geesh! If you all weren't so motivated it would be a lot easier :)*

I got a softball game tonight at 6 p.m. I am super excited and have been thinking about it all week. I wish I could play every night!

Challenge:

I want 30 wall push ups right now! Get those arm pits sweating :)