Yesterday I Wanted To Cry

Because my BIGGIE girl tried baby food (rice cereal and pears) for the very first time---and loved it! She acted like she'd been doing this for months, really, which threw me into panic mode as I realize my baby's growing up... I mean, what's next; A driving permit, college, a wedding!?!

In true proud mama fashion, I recorded while daddy braved the firing lines of spewing puree, heehee! Take a look, but please excuse my annoying man voice and high pitched squealing towards the end, haha!  I just couldn't get over the moment:(

OF COURSE I had to get pictures;) This is rice cereal, which she really was a fan of (which you already know if you watched the video) so don't ask me why she's showing utter disdain right here. I'm guessing mama got the cereal a tad thick and she didn't care for the texture...

Today was round two and we tried carrots!

After I managed to get her to stop eating her bib;)

Now these she adored. Even more then rice cereal! I bet she ate close to 1.5 tablespoons y'all! We need to slow down though because I remember reading that you're only to introduce 1 food at a time and stay with that food for 3-5 days. I just want her to experiece all the yummy foods out there, now that she's eating!!

  As if trying baby food for the first time wasn't enough in one week, this poors mama's fragile emotions took another beating as I watched my nibblet try organic apple juice--- IN A SIPPY CUP! She wasn't really sure how to hold it but she almost immediately knew how to suck the juice out! I mean seriously. WHAT. IS. NEXT!?! Slow down little one! I know I was the one who gave it to you. But do you have to be so darn good at doing it. Already!?!?    

Did I mention that I MADE the baby food she did try? Yup! I did!

I knew from the beginning, even before we had her that I wanted to make my own baby food. So today I went out and bought a steamer/ blender combo unit for just that purpose. This was after a failed attempt with steaming apples, using the microwave and a potato masher this morning;)

     I'm so proud of myself y'all! Thanks to my mother in-law, she saved me some mega bucks with her advise on using ice cube treys for freezing and then storing in Ziploc baggies. If I were to buy those cute baby food storage containers, I'd be out like $40 and still need more! Three ice cube treys only cost me $3 ;)      

Here I've already made carrots, yellow squash, pears, kiwi and apples!!! I think I'm slightly addicted to making baby food now. I keep looking in the fridge for MORE items to steam and puree. Hubby was cutting up a pineapple this evening and I was like "OOOOO, can I have some of that to make into baby food!?" Lol...R grabbed the bowl, hugged it close and said he thought it was a bit acidic for the baby;) 

RIIIIIIIGHT....

One thing I am confused about, with this whole baby food business, is the transition from formula/breast milk to puree baby food. How often do you give them food? How quickly do you advance with it? When does baby food start becoming most of their nutrition while formula/breast milk becomes less? Etc...

Is there any knowledgeable mama's out there who would care to chime in on this? 

You'd be doing me and Baby "G" a solid! No pun intended, haha!

I'm Excited To Finally Be Sharing This!

Time has really gotten away from me y'all. I've been promising a post on my weight loss program for a month but have yet to deliver! So it's finally time I sit down, put a progression collage together, and give you the deets! I'm excited for this! So let's dive in---

Rewind to the beginning;)

-crappy smart phone pic-

July 2011

Ridiculous crazy hair, 138 lbs, 5 weeks pregnant and loving life!
My husband and I had decided to try for a baby (again) after our first attempt failed. So when we came up pregnant, after only a month, we were SHOCKED and very excited of course! That was way easier then expected!!! When it's your turn, it's your turn--- Right?!

January 2012   Here I am, 33 weeks pregnant, 54 lbs heavier and weighing in at 188 freaking lbs! For someone that has always been petite with no more than 5 pounds to loose at a time, can you say "emotional wreck?!" OMG--- I was miserable. I had complications with preeclampsia, starting around week 20, shortly after my dad had a serious stroke. Boy did the weight REALLY love me then...grumble grumble.. My first trimester, I was steadily gaining a whooping 10 lbs a month. OIE!!! Eating an entire coconut cream pie, once every week  2 weeks, probably didn't help;) Well--- it wasn't always a cream pie. Sometimes I'd shake it up and go for marion berry or peanut butter silk. Ssssssh.... Don't make it weird;)    SO!   August 2012: Current  

     After the delivery of my daughter on Feb 12, 2012 and one month later, my weight plateaued around 165.5... I'm 5'6 and NOW weigh 145 lbs!!! That's a total of 20.5 lbs lost in roughly 2 months. Not bad!     If I were going by the Army weight control standards, a 3-5 pound loss a month is very respectable. So, according to them, I'm in hyper speed and kicking butt!    I have 7 pounds to go before I'm at my pre-pregnancy weight (138 pounds.) WOO! And another 19 lbs before I'm at my goal weight of 126 lbs. I'm hoping to reach that by mid October. I'm confident that this is a reasonable amount of time; considering how active I am (NOW) and my diet.   About time we get into that, right!?!       If I could post one thing about why I'm succeeding and loosing the baby weight, this would be it! I wish I could enlarge this image to make reading easier. However, if you take the time to "squint" and read this, you won't be disappointed! This is almost exactly much what I've been doing for 2 months. Which has made me feel FABULOUS and yields massive energy. SERIOUSLY. Ridiculous energy y'all! Even with an almost 6 month old;) It's all about the foods you choose, to start..  

         The main thing is, I eat 5-6 small meals a day where I focus on FILLING foods. See example below;)       It took me a while to understand what people meant when they said, "eat filling foods."  I'm a visual learner y'all, so this picture helped. I guess you could say I had a light bulb moment when I saw this;) Not to mention, you ARE FULLER when you eat clean like this. So it's a double affirmation. Filling foods equals fuller, duh...lol...I can be so dumb sometimes, ha!   Eating clean means something different to everyone. But to me, it's making sure I stick with one ingredient foods like fresh produce, meats, good fats and good grains, etc. No processed foods, nothing from a box, bag or jar (mostly.) I choose to focus on lean proteins like chicken and turkey as well as healthy fats like nuts, fish and avocado. Sticking with complex carbs like spelt and millet bread, brown rice and quinoa is also another good one. Try to stay away from your bad sugars like

• Sugar
• Coke 
• White bread
• White pasta 
• Potatoes
• Artificial sweeteners
• Candy and pastries

  Just to name a few... When you consume simple sugars like this, it SPIKES your blood sugar which leaves you feeling drained and gross and also leads to many more negative side effects; the most visible one being weight gain.    I'm not sitting here telling you, I NEVER consume sugar. PAH! I limit myself  with a cheat day once a week, were you'll find me RUNNING to the nearest DQ while popping that tin top;)   I try and follow a 1300-1400 calorie diet (THAT IS JUST ME AND WHAT WORKS FOR MY BODY) I am in no way saying you should do this as well. You have to do what works for YOUR body!    Here's a loose guideline if you'd like to follow what I've been doing. My day typically looks like this:   Breakfast starts around 5:00-5:30 and is ALWAYS

• 1 whole egg+ 2 egg whites
• 3 pieces of turkey bacon.
• 1 tsp REAL butter to cook my eggs
• 8 oz cup o' joe with no sugar and a lil' cream
• WATER
 

 Snack is 2-3 hours after breakfast where I usually eat one item from this list:  

• 7 Walnuts
• Half an avocado with lime
• Cup of Greek Yogurt
• 1 Tbs almond butter with 1 small apple
• Piece of fruit like a banana or peach, etc.
• WATER

    Lunch is 2-3 hours after my snack and is MOST always:

•  3 oz of baked chicken breast 
• Half a sweet potato
• Cinnamon to flavor
•  1 tsp real butter to flavor
• WATER

  I throw in another snack 2-3 hours after lunch.   Dinner varies a lot but the foods are always simple and I do portion control. I usually choose

•  3-4 oz broiled tilapia 
• Olive oil and spices to taste,
• 1 cup veggies or more 
• 1/2 cup good grains like brown rice or quinoa.

  As for exercising, my routine is not as rigorous as you might think. I do 15 minutes on the treadmill in the morning; 10% incline at 3.6 speed where I burn about 150 calories. The goal is to burn 300 calories a day. I do another repeat of this in the afternoon AT LEAST! However, I usually like to complete 30 minutes of P90X plyometrics or kenpo instead. If I can't fit that in though, depending on my day and what my daughter will allow, I default to the treadmill.   I've noticed that the days where I do JUST the treadmill vs the days I use P90X, the weight loss is the same if not a tad more! What I get out of using P90X though, is a more toned body in addition to the weight loss:) I just mean to say, that you don't have to be a cardio junkie, doing crazy workout routines, to loose substantial weight! Make sense?     And that's it y'all! Nothing to it! Only thing I haven't mentioned is that I use a site called My Fitness Pal where I track my calories and exercise. I don't REALLY need to do this because my diet is VERY basic but I just like to. Plus the support and motivation I get from the other ladies on there is just fantastic and keeps me going! It's also kinda addictive calculating your weight loss each week, seeing those pounds evaporate! They also have a fabulous app for your Android or iPhone to make tracking on the go easier. The bar code scanner is one of the best out there too. It makes logging food SO FLIPPIN simple and fun:)   I hope this was a fun, clear, concise, informative read. If you have any questions or would like more detail about anything, just email or comment! I'd be happy to assist in any way I can. If you'd like to join the My Fitness Pal site, please do! My login is grabbin_life84. Send me a friend request! I'd be excited to have you on board.   Edit: As of October 28, 2012 I have lost another 7 pounds with this health plan! My current weight is 138.2 pounds, leaving me with another 12 pounds to lose before I reach my goal. :) I fell off the weight loss wagon pretty good, during the crazy event of my husbands deployment (still on going) but I'm back on and ready to get serious!