5 kids, 43 inches and counting... and the new workout plan: Food

Five kids, 43 inches and counting …. And the new workout plan: Food

When I started this journey, I wanted to make myself feel better. I was in a place mentally and physically where I was not happy. I worked a highly stressful job, I was in school full time, over 150 pounds over weight and was starting to have health problems that I had never had. High blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes run in my family, but I was never a candidate for any of those things because I always maintained my weight and I ate healthy. However, after the birth of my fifth child I had started to fall short when it came to how often I moved around. Exhaustion was my new bed buddy, he and I learned to respect each other in a way that I never thought possible. But why was I always so tired? Why did my legs and knees hurt so much when I walked or when would I get winded when I tried to run? Then it was the dreaded day of the doctor’s appointment. I went in with so many questions and concerns because I was athletic, and I could not figure out why I was unable to ‘hang’ with my children as much as I had before. My prognosis was not great. I was 350 pounds, my blood pressure was high, my stress level off the charts and I needed to make real changes in my life or I had to accept that I was traveling down the path of so many of my family members. A heart attack by the time I was 45 was in my future. There was fear and apprehension but also disbelief.

Why would I have a heart attack? Sure, I was over 150 pounds overweight. I was the heaviest that I had ever been, and it was putting unnecessary strain on my body. Sure, I didn’t sleep as well or as much as other people in my age group, but that was the cost of being an adult. Who had the time, money or energy to change and if I did would it really make a difference? I mean really, I had five children to raise, I still had to work, and school was a necessity, so I could get a better job to support my family. Who else was going to do it? There had to be a miracle pill, a potion that could magically remove the excess weight from my body, restore my energy and move me back on the path to healthy living.

I am sorry to say that there isn’t. You must take baby steps and be patient with yourself as well as forgiving. I have decided that while I on this journey I am going to take you with me. Maybe you can incorporate some of my strategies into your plan and find away to change your life.

It started with the simple things: My relationship with Food

Food is my friend, but we have a love hate relationship. I am what you would call a binge eater who can not even think about food when they are depressed. What that means is I would have moments when I would eat in abundance. I would have pre-breakfast, breakfast, light lunch, lunch, snack, afternoon snack, after work snack, dinner then stay up all night studying eating snacks because you know studying for a major exam and chips tend to go together. If I became depressed or overwhelmed I would literally go days without eating. I would forget to feed my body because my mind would be going a mile a minute. This stage could last for a few days to a few weeks only for me to remember how great food is and start my binge cycle again. What I learned was that I had to be more consistent with food. I was putting my body in a position where is would hold on to fat because it knew that it would be a point where I would almost starve myself before my next meal. This is called starvation mode. It is a survival mechanism of the body. Your body will start to store fats to use for energy which makes it more difficult to keep weight off. When I would binge eat I would not always eat the healthiest foods. I would just eat what was quick and easy, usually high calorie, high fat, high salt but no real nutritional value. My metabolism slowed down, which attributed to the fatigue and constant feeling of exhaustion. When you do not eat like you are supposed to on a consistent basis your hypothalamus and pituitary gland work with other glandular systems of the body to retain calories so that you can function daily. Our bodies need actual substance to operate. Please keep in mind that if you research this phenomenon you may find articles that say that it is a myth however I can attest that it is a real thing (more on that in a moment).

I had to change the way I viewed food. I would cook four course meals for my children, but I would not sit down to eat. I would ensure that they ate put the food away then proceed to consume the unhealthiest things in the house for a quick energy fix. I had to take a moment to view my logic. I asked myself some questions.

1. Why would I cook my children whole foods, paying close attention to the amount of lean meats, veggies and carbohydrate intake but not partake in enjoying it?

2. Why were my children allowed to have snacks in moderation, but I would eat them without thought?

3. Why don’t I eat consistently, even if it is one meal a day every day? Why would I go days without consuming real food?

Well I had to think about those answers and what I came up with is, I felt I lacked the time. By the time I came home from work, started dinner, helped them with homework, try to clean up, go to class after they went to bed and prepare for the next day, eating would just… slip my mind. Then at about 11 or 12 I would literally feel like I was starving and grab the first thing I did not have to warm up or pull out. That would even mean going to the corner store late night for wings and fries. I know what you are thinking. Why would anyone cook then go to the store to buy more food that is already cooked? You see like I said before how I viewed food was flawed. I have always been a whole foods mom. You know one of those mothers who would make their own baby food. Go to Whole foods for hours and read every label, measure everything and always made sure that my children did not receive extra pesticides, hormones or anything that was not natural. Fast food was called pink slime, sugar diabetes and anything not natural was fake food. However, while I am patiently feeding my child her natural food, I am eating finger foods instead of making a plate and eating when I am done. Self-care took a back burner when my children were born. My thought processes revolved around what was the best for my children and I forgot that what I consumed was important as well. That is where I believe many of us lose sight.

When we become parents, that little bundle of joy becomes the most important thing. We lose sight of the fact that we must also nurture and take care of ourselves. At least I did. I became so obsessed with making sure that my kids were feed the healthiest foods that I just kind of forgot to eat them too.

How to change.

Now I have realized the issue. How do I change it? What do I do to make sure that I am eating as well as my children? I did it in steps.

Step 1.

Eat what is cooked. When I would cook at night I would make all the plates and including mine. I started to make sure that I had a plate ready as well. I would sit down and eat when the kids eat. Yes, we all get busy but taking that time to share a meal with your family helps you to reconnect with them about their day, relieves stress and forces you to feed your body. It takes small steps to make a big difference. That one promised meal a day helped me control late night unhealthy eating and spending.

Step 2.

Pack lunch. I work in a high stress, eat as you work environment. The food choices provided in the Café where not always the healthiest, if it was healthy had no flavor and the least expensive items are the menu was high in all the tasty bad thing in the world. However, taking a lunch, usually the dinner from the night before and remembering to eat it before the call of the café called me curved my desire to buy a double bacon cheese burger.

Step 3.

Now this one goes along side step two. If possible, during your lunch eat outside. If anyone out there is like me, I am a sensory person. If it smells good it will taste just as good especially when I have had a high stress day and I use food to ease stress. When I started taking lunch to work I noticed that when what ever was in the café smelled good, I would fall back into bad habits. However, I found a few benches outside of my job that I started going to during my lunch break. This helped in two ways. I would have to walk outside which gave me extra steps during the day. I would also bypass the Café. Once I was outside and ate what I brought by the time I returned to the building I did not have time to stop for my beloved burger. I had to get back to work, and while my poor sensory organs would yell at me, those coins keep a roof over my children’s heads.

Step 4.

Research get a library card and get every book you can find, paper or article about food that you can. Google is your friend but make sure that you gather as much information as you can, so you can make a new relationship with food. Education is the key to making better decisions.

Step 5.

Eat at least one entire healthy meal a day. Then increase that to two and so on and so forth. Remember everything takes time. It’s the small changes and the evolution in the way that we think that can mean the difference between success and failure.

Step 6.

Forgive yourself. It takes approximately 21 days for something to become a habit. If you miss a day or grab that bag of chips. Forgive yourself. We are not perfect and to make real change you must learn to accept that you will not be perfect starting out. It takes practice and patience.

Please remember I am not a doctor. I strongly suggest going to a doctor to get all blood work completed and having a real discussion about what your goals are. This is just my personal journey and I want to share it as it progresses. I hope that maybe some of my failures and achievements can motivate others. Maybe it can even bring some humor to your life. Until next time….