Fun Stuff!

Okay, so at my 1 week weigh in, I discovered I have lost 7 pounds! In ONE WEEK! I am super thrilled but not just about the weight loss.
Here are some of the benefits to this diet, at least that I have benefited from.
- I'm happier, more content and lively!
- I feel physically more energetic
- I don't get food cravings anymore
- I know when I'm hungry and full pretty instantly and am satisfied with less, sooner than before
- I'm feeling more confident
- My metabolism is speeding up

I have avoided low carb diets for years! I felt like they were gross and greasy and too hard and would make me sick and not even work because there's all that fat etc....

Jorge Cruise has totally changed my mindset. I now know that dietary fat is not and never was the problem or the factor in obesity and weight gain.

This diet is EASY! I get to have brownies pretty much every day, Almond flour is just as good as processed white flour, (I make my own in a blender straight from all natural almonds.) Coconut oil is amazing and fills my kitchen with it's tropical aroma and is especially nice for baking. Truvia is just as nice as sugar but is all natural and not an insuline make or cancer incubator.

I learned that several of my new foods are natural metabolism boosters!

Avocado
Almonds
Broccoli
Brussel Sprouts
Cocoa Powder
Garlic
Olive Oil

To name a few. I'm not looking at this as a diet to lose weight anymore. I'm looking at this as a lifestyle change for our family.

It's easier to grocery shop
Easier on the budget when you're stocked in the meat department or buy meat monthly at Sam's or Costco
Cooking is way easier and clean up is a breeze.

I'm excited to loose more weight and then just maintain a happy weight. Eventually I think we will bring in more complex carbs like beans and more fruit but I don't think we will ever go back to processed sugar, flour, and wheat products.

How cool would it be to have Hannah Kate brought up on a more natural diet like this.

Of course we splurge every now and then for special occasions like weddings and birthdays etc, but for the most part, feeding our bodies what we were created to eat feels amazing!

The next few things I want to try are Almond Bread and Cauliflower Crust Pizza.

Ryan's favorite things about this lifestyle is that we have naturally eliminated a lot of GMOs by not eating wheat, flour, and sugar. We are able to eat more organically because we don't spend money on fillers. And he loves pumpkin seeds and tree nuts as snacks.

I can't wait to discover what long term health benefits we will enjoy. Especially with my insulin resistance.
I have a friend who is gluten intolerant and I'm getting to share some of my awesome new recipes with her. I hope we become very good friends. I really like her and the way she loves and speaks to her family.

Okay so lately every time I blog I start with my new diet... am I lame or just super excited about being healthy? LOL

Bethany and I got to go to Avery's bachelorette party last night and we had a blast. I didn't get to stay long because Ryan was at a church event and Hannah Kate was with Gigi and I needed to go pick them up but it was a great girl's night

It has been a long week with Ryan gone pretty much every evening doing a church outreach event so we are going to enjoy our weekend! I put Hannah Kate's swing on Craigslist hoping to sell it so we can buy her an exercauser! (She never utilized the swing and I want a different one for next babies anyway.)
She had her first exersaucer experience at Gigi's house last night and apparently LOVED it so I can't wait to get her one of her own. It may come in handy around wedding time! :)

4th of July is this next week and we are gonna have a blast! Mom and Dad and Beth and George are coming over and maybe Jeremy and Avery and Justin, we are gonna have an awesome spread that's all super healthy and delicious! And enjoy family time!
Beth and I will be making a costco trip in a few days in preperation.

So with all the fun stuff coming up I'm not sure how much I'll be blogging but I enjoy it and Hannah Kate is doing MUCH better both with night time sleep and day time naps so who knows, maybe I'll still blog every few days.

Happy Saturday!

Progress!

Well, it's Tuesday! Thursday marks our first full week on this low carb, no wheat, low sugar diet and I've lost about 5 pounds already!

I feel better! I don't have nearly as many cravings, I don't think I'm hungry when I'm not, I can tell my metabolism is speeding up and I just FEEL healthier!

I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fat vs sugar complex that most Americans have. Ryan and I have been reading and discussing and it is scientifically and historically proven that fat in your diet does NOT make you fat. Sugar DOES!
So lots of cakes and rich dessert like things... it's not the fat in it that's bad... it's the overly processed sugar!

It's crazy what we are learning! I'm enjoying bun-less hamburgers and cheese and real cream in my coffee and I've spent most of my life afraid of fat and calories and this is the fastest I have ever dropped weight AND FELT HEALTHY!

I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in healthy living and eating and how our bodies were created to eat.

We didn't start farming until way down the line in our history. Our bodies work best on the hunter/gatherer type of eating. Which is low carb, no processed food, very little wheat. It's what people ate way back when, like Adam and Eve in the garden.

And I'm learning about great alternatives to enjoy treats that are not only allowed but nutritious! Here's my favorite! It's Chocolate Cake made in 2 minutes that is a zero count on my diet and has protein and calcium etc...

Ingredients
1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
2 tbsp half & half

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is even and smooth (no lumps).

Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a mug and microwave for 2 minutes.

Refrigerate remaining batter for later! Or make all four mini cakes at once and freeze or refrigerate the others! I actually like it cold and dense.

Almond flour and coconut oil are two of my favorite new ingredients! I've like Truvia for a while but am discovering and enjoying the new baking blend for recipes like this. Truvia is an ALL NATURAL sugar substitute made from the Stevia plant so no cancer molecules here!

My hubby and sister have said they have noticed some slimming down, but I haven't. Not yet anyway. But my five pound drop sure is encouraging! So I'm gonna keep at it and see what I can achieve by my little brother's wedding! That will be my first cheat day!

Okay enough about my diet...

Hannah Kate is AH-mazing! She is rolling over, discovering all sorts of new sounds, she inadvertantly says "Mama" when she is upset, she is super happy, loves to laugh and snuggle and pretty much just love on people!

She outgrew ALL of her 0-3 month clothes so we have a whole new wardrobe of 3-6 month clothes and it includes some tutu skirts which are super cute and super fun so of course we have matching headbands!

I'm having so much fun with her new outfits and she is too! Our family is already coordinated for little brother's rehearsal dinner and wedding! (We still have to find the dress for Hannah Kate but we know what color so she matches Mommy and Daddy) I will be playing the role of Photographer but I will pass of the camera to some family so we make sure to get some nice family shots in as well.

I'm really looking forward to that weekend being with family and celebrating, but I'm super nervous about the photography. I have like no editing software which means the pictures I take need to be pretty perfect and it's been a long while since I was behind the camera for an important event and I've never tried to do it while taking care of a baby, so we will see how this goes.

We have Rock the Rock this week which is kind of like a VBS outreach that our church puts on in Round Rock. Ryan and I are leading an adult small group... well, mostly Ryan. I'm not sure what my role should look like in helping but I definitely don't want to appear to have any kind of authority or teaching over men. Plus there is no telling how Hannah Kate will do.

Okay, I need to get back to laundry and cleaning etc.

Happy Tuesday!

New Beginnings

Today Ryan and I are on a new eating plan. Not a diet, because I'm considering this to be more of a change in lifestyle and more for health than a quick way to lose some weight or bulk up(for Ryan.)

We bought the book that is currently on the Best Seller list called "The 100" By Jorge Cruise.

Basically we are removing all sugar and wheat products from our diet.
My favorite thing about this book/plan is that it's the only thing out there that I have found that focuses on insulin resistance. I happen to have this condition and it ties hand in hand with PCOS, another issue I have.
Insulin resistance is too much insulin in your body. Your body doesn't know how to break it all down the correct way so lots of it gets stored as fat cells and there is still excess insuline roaming around in the body which can cause all sorts of hormone imbalances, weight gain, and increase your risk of cancer as insulin is like an incubator for cancerous and precancerous cells. NOT GOOD!

So how do we fix the over amount of insulin? Stop making it! What makes it? Sugar and wheat! Basically, carbs!

So here we go! I get to have my coffee with half and half and Truvia and pretty much a variation of eggs every morning.
We are about to jump on one heck of a salad train for lunch and dinner.

Lots of healthy, fresh veggies, good meats and proteins like nuts and cheese, and no sugar! Which means pretty much not GMO processed foods!

I'm excited about this because I'm not only looking forward to losing weight but setting a great example for my daughter and hopefully curing my PCOS!


In other news: Hannah Kate is definitely on a 4 month regression in sleep and a growth spurt.
This means that her naps are about 30 or 45 mins, if we are lucky and she is waking up every 2 hours at night.
She didn't even do that as a newborn! (Don't Judge!)
I know we have been very blessed with our baby's sleep patterns but I try very hard not to compare, good or bad with anyone else's family or baby. God has a plan for each child and each family.
And this happens to be the least amount of sleep I have gotten with my precious and it is a huge adjustment and I am hoping/praying that it only lasts the few weeks my research says it should.

I am trusting Jesus for extended patience and energy during this time as I feel like I'm getting maybe 20-30 minutes of sleep every 2 hour block which doesn't add up to much and makes it hard to be motivated to keep up with the house and stick to a good schedule for Hannah Kate during the day.

I am still very blessed to have my sweet girl and love that she loves and needs me so much. I am counting my blessings even when I get frustrated. I think Jesus has a lot to do with that.

Hannah-Kate, One Very Loved Baby Girl

This weekend was Parent Child Dedication with our church and we were so excited to officially present and dedicate our sweet girl to Christ.

We got to plan what we wanted to speak over her and I loved that time with my husband during the week. We went over scripture and hopes and prayers and for those who may not have made it this is what we decided on:

Psalms 37:3-5
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and ^[a]cultivate faithfulness.
⁴ Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
⁵ Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will act.

This verse sums up the kind of instruction we would like to give Hannah Kate as she grows. 
Our prayer is that she will not only come to know Jesus but that she will commit herself to Him and the plans He has for her life.

Proverbs 31:30 
Charm is decietful and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord will be praised.
 
Our society tends to put an awful lot of worth and pressure on the outward appearance of women and we want Hannah Kate to find her worth in her Godliness, not how gorgeous she is, (And we know, she is BEAUTIFUL)

And Finally, in John 16:33 Jesus says:
I have said all these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation, but take heart! I have overcome the world!

We LOVE this! Our girl is going to face hardship and trouble and we want her to remember, no matter how bad things get, GOD IS BIGGER, and has already overcome.

We sure do love this precious baby! She turns 4 months old tomorrow and has her check up on Friday.
She is finally getting on a nap schedule but it seems we have traded naps for our solid night time sleeping. We are blessed by how well she has done, I know, but to digress back to waking every few hours at night when she WAS sleeping 8 hours straight is kind of a bummer. Hopefully we will get back there soon.

She is ready for the day about 9am, and naps at about 11, 2, and 5 though I'm lucky if each nap is an hour. At least she is giving me some time to get things done during the day. :)

My sweet husband knows that I haven't been getting as much sleep lately and left me a precious little note this morning. I cherish such things.

He is such a hard worker and I love that about him but I miss him when he works overtime, which will be every Saturday starting this weekend, for the rest of the summer.
I'm grateful to have my mom and sister on those days and grateful that at least he doesn't have school during the summer so I still get to see him in the evenings.

All in all, we are one very blessed little family.  :)

update

its been awhile since I've blogged so here's what's going on lately...

Hannah kate is laughing and talking like crazy and can now reach and grab for things and is on the verge of rolling over.

my old phone crapped out and so I got a very cool new one which I am blogging from with my voice. needless to say I am very impressed with Android.
now I will be able to keep up with pictures blogging email and text better than ever before.

I made one of my favorite appetizers yesterday for a baby shower this evening, I got it from my mom its tomatoes with salmon and cream cheese stuffed inside of them.

I'm also on a pretty tight budget so for gifts for this double shower I made diaper cakes for the first time.

in other news Ryan and I now have two new sitting areas. mom and dad gave us some of their old furniture that's in great shape and looks wonderful and I living room.

we also cleaned off the back porch d cluttered and made a nice outdoor seating area to look at the stars watch the sunset and have "connect" time.

+ the one downside to speaking a blog is lack of punctuation +