Easter and Halloween are big candy holiday's in our house as I am sure they are in most people's homes.  The hard thing with Easter is filling the eggs.  I always want to do quality control checks on the candy to make sure they are ok for my kids to eat!  A taste test!  I have extra hands helping me fill the eggs this year so maybe I will have to pass of the taste testing / quality control to them!

I always think I have everything figured out, then something happens in my life and reminds me that God's plans are bigger than mine.  I thought I was doing a great job with working out 3 times a week at night at the Y.  Getting up at least once during the week to run on the treadmill.  I was doing ok with my eating and my tracking.  In the midst of all that, I lost sight of spending time with my family.  God made me realize that this past week as I have been sick and not able to work out.  I have been able to spend more time resting and enjoying my 3 little boys!

 

I also realized that I was not doing very well with the diet and the program.  I am the type of person that needs weekly goals.  With only weighing in 1 time per month for the Lighten Up Challenge, I always came up with excuses as to why I could this piece of chocolate or why I could eat these french fries.  I still had x amount of weeks to the weigh in.  I could still lose the weight.  That doesn't work for me.  So I reached out to my dad and my sister to help challenge me and keep me accountable.  This week we are focusing on tracking everything we eat into MyFitnessPal.  Next week we will focus on one of their struggle areas.  I am so glad to be in this competition with them.  It is nice to know we are striving to get healthy together as a family!  So far, I am doing really well at tracking.  It is very eye opening to see just how many calories you can eat in a day if you aren't paying attention!

Last week I did really well with my exercise.  I worked out at the YMCA 3 times at night and got up in the morning before work and ran once.  I was so proud of myself on Friday.  I wasn't feeling very well, but I still went to the Y and ended up running for 45 minutes and walking for 15.  I ran 4.25 miles and walked almost another mile.  It felt great.  I could tell that all of my hard work was paying off.  It was getting easier to exercise.  And now I am sick with a nasty cold.  I haven't worked out since Friday.  I haven't been eating well either and the scale this morning showed it. I am up one pound from last week and it is disheartening.  I need to get my drive and determination back.  Even if I don't feel up to working out, I need to watch what I am eating and make sure I track every little thing into myfitnesspal.  I find that is the only way I lose weight is by writing down what I eat.  It is very eye opening.

I struggled this past week.  I am tired of eating healthy.  I am tired of working out.  I find it to be exhausting.  Working full time with 3 kids ages 5 and under make it difficult to be healthy.  I work out at the YMCA at least 2 nights a week.  On those days, I am out the door by 6:50am, home a little after 5pm, change, pack up the family and get to the Y by 6pm for my hour long class.  We normally don't get home from there until at least 7:30 and then we have to get the boys ready for bed and put them in bed.  It is normally 9pm by the time I am eating dinner and I just want to go to bed.  If I don't work out at night, then I have to get up at 4:30am to do it in the morning before work.  It weighs on you after a while!  (no pun intended).  Last week I just wanted to skip working out all together and eat whatever I wanted!  But then I had people at church yesterday and at a birthday party tell me how good I am looking and it puts the motivation right back where it needs to be!  Here is to hoping that I can stay out of my rut this week...