What a difference!

I was just looking at a couple of pictures from when I was suffering with depression, anxiety, and just feeling overwhelmed in general. I had absolutely no energy to get even the simplest of things done. Even when I felt like I was recovered, I still felt like I was surviving... but not truly living.

Fast forward about 6 months and all of that has changed. I owe a huge part of that to the nutritional system I've found. I have mental clarity, am able to handle stress better, have more energy, and even my skin is brighter.

A picture is worth a thousand words!

I have lost and kept off weight since then, and I work every day to keep my mind in the game. There is no magic pill, but this is definitely a vehicle to get me to my "after".

If you are suffering with stress, lack of energy, or your weight-- please reach out to me and I would love to help you learn about what I'm doing. I know there are people (like myself) out there searching for the answer-- and those are the people this message is for. It's not for everyone, and that's perfectly ok. But for some of us it's such a gift.

I'm forever thankful!

My email is AJourney2Thin@gmail.com or you can reach out via social media.

Calorie Restriction vs. Calorie Adjustment

I was reading through a forum where someone commented about calorie restriction and adjustment. I can’t remember what site it was on, but it got me thinking anyways.

When you think about calorie restriction, you might imagine your ordinary diet—you eat less so that you can lose weight. A typical calorie restrictive diet is a plan followed temporarily until the results you are looking for are achieved—primarily with weight loss.

Being that I am overweight, but otherwise healthy (no medical problems contributing to weight gain), it’s evident that I consume far more calories than I burn—hence, my body stores the excess energy in fat cells.

As a 5’5 woman with a medium build, a healthy weight for myself would be about 130 (give or take). According to the American Cancer Society Calorie Counter, a 30 year old woman of this size would need about 1,900 calories to maintain that weight.

This means that throughout my life I have consumed more than 1,900 calories per day on average. I have no idea how many calories I would consume on a day where I am not consciously trying to limit my calorie intake, but let’s say I consumed 2,500 calories per day.

If I go on a “diet” and only eat 1,500 calories per day, is that truly restricting calories? You could think of it that way, but thinking of it as a calorie adjustment is more indicative of lifestyle change.

The reason for this is that I only truly need 1,900 calories per day to function and maintain my weight. For weight loss reasons, eating 1,500 calories per day would cause me to lose weight—but in reality it’s only 400 calories less than I would theoretically be eating if I were at a healthy weight of approximately 130 lbs. and wanted to maintain. Yes, it’s also 1,000 calories less than what I would be “over eating”, and a larger body requires more energy to function—so it would equal more weight loss.

If I am used to eating 2,500 calories per day and suddenly I am only eating 1,500, I’m probably going to be hungry because my body has gotten used to the higher calorie intake. Sometimes the hunger will be physical and other times emotional.

You could think of this as calorie restriction, but is it really restriction if your body doesn’t truly need 2,500 calories per day to function?

A calorie adjustment, which would mean that you are simply readjusting to consume the amount of calories that your body actually requires, and that once you lose the excess weight you will have adjusted to the true calorie requirement that your body needs.

It doesn’t stop there. If you begin to eat more calories than your body requires, the weight will come back on.

So my point is this—use the time that you are actively trying to lose weight to let your body adjust and work on an adjustment of your mind also. If you’re like me, a significant part of the reason you are overweight has to do with your emotions.

It’s kind of like re-calibrating the body and the changes truly will be an adjustment, both calorically and mentally.

This is my goal right now—to analyze my thought process which leads to over eating, and work on re-calibrating and adjusting my mind and body to a place of good health. I want the weight loss to be permanent this time—not just temporary.

 

What are your thoughts?

Making the Most out of the Days and Nights While Working Towards Good Health and Fitness

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HealingNightsSleep #CollectiveBias

 

 

It has been a couple of weeks since we moved our clocks back and lost an hour and I think we’re finally used to the time change. Isn’t it amazing how one hour can make such a difference? Instead of feeling sleep deprived, we’re finally making the most of the daylight hours.

As you know, hubby and I have been working toward better health and fitness. We’re both doing really well with the weight loss and have been working toward adding more activity and workouts into our week.

Primarily, we go for walks. It’s always fun to check out a new trail and explore the area. We love going for bike rides when the weather is nice. But pretty soon we’ll get getting our activity in by sledding and, dare I mention it, shoveling.

 

 

The funny thing is, I think I got a better workout from climbing up a playground ladder at lightning speed than I have from anything else I’ve done lately!

I should explain.

I will preface by saying that our Little Miss Sunshine is a dare devil at only 18 months old. Not much scares her. She loves to stand on the merry-go-round and walk around while it’s spinning. Her favorite pastime lately is spinning around in circles until she’s dizzy and then trying to walk. This is followed by loads of giggles.

 

While at the playground, she was walking across a very safe area of playground equipment bridges with rails. And suddenly, she made her way to the adjoining section of the playground shown below. From the ground, I told her to come back, but she just kept going until she was making her way up the steps to the tall slide.

I almost had a heart attack! I climbed up the 8’ ladder (the S shaped type to the left) faster than I thought possible and grabbed her as she was at the very top step to the slide. 

 

 

You wouldn’t believe how sore I was that evening. I couldn’t believe it. Yet another reason to increase my fitness level—so I can keep up with the little one!

Little Miss Sunshine keeps us on our toes and gives us a workout every day.

I believe another important part of healthy living is having an organized environment that’s free of clutter—it’s good for mental health. So I have been slowly working on getting rid of things that we really don’t need.

I have cleared my closet of so many clothes that I could probably open a shopping mall. Recently, I finally conquered a book shelf that has been making me feel unsettled every time I looked at it.

There have been so many 20-gallon totes filled with clothes and books that I’ve had sore arms from carrying it all around. You have to love good functional exercise too.

 

 

So much better. Clean home, clear mind.

Our diet has changed drastically. I’m cooking a healthy and balanced supper each night as opposed to feeling too tired to do anything except pick up the phone and order a pizza.

The plan that we are following is low glycemic so we have cut out sugar for the most part. At first, we had withdrawal symptoms—headaches especially. But it’s for a good cause—better health.

There sure is an awful lot of pain involved in getting healthy and fit, right? From headaches, to sore muscles, and let’s not forget a growling stomach—ok maybe that’s not considered pain, but it sure feels like it sometimes! 

At the end of a long and productive day, when my body aches and it’s keeping me from getting a good night’s sleep, I’ll turn to Advil PM for a Healing Night’s Sleep. A good night’s sleep is the only way to ensure productivity the next day.

 

 

I picked up a bottle of Advil PM at Walgreen’s in the Pharmacy section and it has been nice to have on hand.

 

 

It also helps to use the foam roller to alleviate pains and I always make sure to drink lots of water, which can help you recover faster.

I look forward to someday having aches and pains from completing a triathlon or running a marathon rather than just from chasing after Little Miss Sunshine!

Working towards our health and fitness goals will be worthwhile someday and a little discomfort now will seem like nothing when the time comes when we finally achieve our goals.

 

How do you manage the aches and pains required to achieve health and fitness goals?

If you need a little assistance from Advil PM or other Advil products, you can save with these offers so you can get a healing night’s sleep.

9 Tips for Achieving Healthy Living Goals & Finding Life Balance

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #SamsClubMag #CollectiveBias

Almost eight months have passed since you set those new year’s resolutions. Are you closer to achieving those goals or have you made steps in the wrong direction?

My progress has been slow, but I continue to make small changes with the ultimate goal of creating healthy habits that will last a lifetime and not just a couple of weeks.

With August being Health Awareness Month, it’s a good time to take a look at your health (physically, emotionally, and spiritually) and make sure that you are finding the right life balance. It’s a balance that takes mindful planning to achieve.

These tips are some of the ways that have helped me achieve success with my healthy living goals in the past and making this list has been a good reminder for me get back on track with my goals.

 

1. Do the Prep Work

There’s a lot to say for convenience. I am notorious for making bad food choices when I’m hungry. I’ll open the fridge and say, “There’s nothing to eat…”, and proceed to stuff my mouth with whatever is convenient.

Here’s the good news—with a little preparation, even healthy foods can be convenient.

For example, cut up fruits and veggies and have them ready to eat in the fridge. Fill small plastic storage bags (or small reusable containers) with the recommended serving size of your favorite snack to prevent overeating. Cook chicken or salmon on the weekends so that it’s ready to grab for a quick and healthy lunch during the hectic work week.

 

2. Prioritize Quiet Time

We live in an over-scheduled, noisy, and violent world. It’s important to take time to be quiet and listen to nothing other than our own thoughts. If you’re not used to this practice, it may seem difficult at first—but after a while you will come to treasure those peaceful moments.

There are a variety of ways that you can make the most of your quiet time. Sit down and read that book you’ve been meaning to read. Journal your thoughts and enjoy the therapeutic benefits. Meditate or pray to benefit the soul. Even just leisurely sipping a cup of coffee and taking in the scent and taste can be centering.

 

3. Take Vitamins/Supplements

If you’re already taking a daily multivitamin, give yourself a pat on the back! There are a variety of supplements that can benefit body and mind. Taking fish oil can have numerous health benefits, including supporting heart health. If you have trouble sleeping, melatonin supplements can often help. Consult your physician to find out what’s best for you.

When shopping at Sam’s Club, I love to browse the Healthy Living section. They carry everything you could possibly need to stay happy and well. And they have the most heavenly produce section that makes it easy to eat nutritiously. I love being a Sam’s Club member!

 

4. Lend a Hand

Doing good for others is a natural mood booster. There can never be too much kindness in the world. There are a millions ways to give—donate your blood to save lives, volunteer in your community, visit the elderly, drop off a freezer meal at a tired new mom’s house, hold the door open for the person behind you, or shovel your neighbor’s sidewalk in the winter. The possibilities are endless.

 

5. Hydrate

The average human is made up of approximately 65% water. Think about that—over 1/2 of you is water! It’s pretty amazing to think about and proves how essential hydrating with H2O is to human life and health. I feel a million times better when I am well hydrated and I feel even better when I’m using a reusable water bottle—saving the environment one sip at a time!

 

6. Checkup on Your Health

Getting a regular health checkup can save your life. I’ve heard countless stories of people who, during a regular checkup, find out they are in the early stages of cancer, and the fact that it was caught early meant that they were able to effectively treat it. I’ve also heard countless stories of people who ignore the symptoms and end up finding out they have a terminal illness by the time they go to the doctor for a check up. Make yourself a priority and keep tabs on your health.

Sometimes achieving good health means having a health screening done and facing the facts so that you can set goals for improvement. Once you meet those goals, monitoring your health is important in maintaining it. On September 12th, Sam’s Club is offering an in store free health screening—the perfect opportunity to check up on your health.

 

7. Make Physical Activity Fun

I struggle to find exercise that I love to do and I know that’s the secret to being consistent with it. I love to go for bike rides and explore nature trails. I love to swim. Sometimes being active just means that I do whatever I have to do to keep moving—such as going to the mall and walking around window shopping.

I have also enjoyed running numerous 5Ks and saving my race bibs to make a fun collage, which is displayed in my workout room. I’ve earned one medal for participation, but it is a goal of mine to someday earn a medal for placing in my age group. Setting goals like this can make exercise more fun because you have something to work towards.

But the struggle is real and that’s why finding an exercise that you enjoy doing is so important. You have to love what you do!

 

8. Be a Lifelong Learner

You literally can never stop learning. Isn’t the thought of that inspiring? There is so much more to learn and discover!

One of my favorite ways to continue learning is to listen to podcasts while I’m cleaning the house. It makes an otherwise dreadful task more bearable. I am a bit of a nerd, so I listen to a podcast about grammar, but I also listen to podcasts about finance, personal development, creative inspiration, current events, and healthy living. I know that I am better because of it.

I also love to read, whether it be literature, news stories, or light hearted essays. The Sam’s Club Healthy Living Made Simple Magazine is a great source for keeping up with healthy living topics.

 

9. Unplug and Unwind

While scrolling through social media is enticing, you can waste a lot of time reading about the lives of others while you’re completely wasting away your own. Every once in a while, completely unplug—put the phone down, turn off Netflix, and shut down your laptop.

Grab some friends and family and have some good old-fashioned fun. Go for a picnic, play a board game, toss a ball around, or even run through the sprinkler. Live life. Enjoy life. You’ll never regret it and I’m also willing to bet that you’ll be much happier with the memories of a good time spent with loved ones than you would be if you sat on the couch looking at your phone.

Making good memories will give you something to smile about later—it’s just simply good for your health!

 

These are just a few of the many ways to find life balance for physical, emotional, and spiritual healthy living. Sam’s Club has everything I need to work towards my healthy living goals.

What’s your favorite item at Sam’s Club that helps you work towards your healthy living goals?

P.S. Don’t forget to get your free Health Screening at Sam’s Club!

7 Habits for a Life of Good Health and Happiness

Everyone wants to be happy and enjoy good health, but when it comes to putting in the work required to achieve these goals, many people fall short because they don’t have a plan in place. It can be difficult to envision long term success while dealing with the short term stresses in life that can often sidetrack us from our goals.

Good health and happiness require a balance in life that doesn’t tip towards over zealous behavior but also doesn’t tip towards lack of action. The following seven habits are easy ways to create a life of good health and happiness.

1. Meditate Daily

What do you envision when you think of meditation? Do you envision a guru sitting cross-legged on a mountain top and hear a monotone humming sound? That’s how many people view meditation, but the truth is that is just one type of meditation.

Merriam-Webster defines meditate in two ways: “1) to engage in contemplation or reflection, and 2) to engage in mental exercise (as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness”. While the latter is typically how meditation is viewed, the first definition provides many opportunities for meditation.

Contemplation and reflection are key. Many find that belief in a higher power and meditation on these things is a centering force in life. For Christians, contemplating scripture and prayer are fulfilling means of meditation. Meditation keeps the soul focused on a greater purpose.

2. Get a Good Night’s Sleep

The benefits of adequate sleep are innumerable. In our go-go-go culture, it’s easy to try to add more work into a day by subtracting from our sleep time. This is a recipe for disaster for both health and happiness. We simply need rest to function well.

We can set ourselves up for success by forming a nightly routine that helps us wind down. Read a book, drink a cup of tea, take a warm bath, or even spend time meditating. The truth is, we can function better mentally and physically after a good night’s sleep.

3. Eat a Balanced Diet

Your diet is up to you and while some may choose to eliminate certain food groups, it’s generally a good method to make sure to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, healthy grains, protein, and drink lots of water. Find what works for you. Adding in a variety of super foods will also help to maintain good health and can be helpful while trying to lose weight.

However, as we have already discussed, good health and happiness come down to balance. Sometimes a little indulgence is what the soul needs. Occasionally enjoy a decadent dessert, a favorite treat, or enjoy a piece of cake at a birthday party while celebrating with friends and family. A healthy life can also include occasional indulgences.

4. Keep an Organized Home

A messy house can result in a scattered brain and an organized home can result in a focused mind. The environment we live in affects us. When the house is a mess we often feel out of control, but the ability to keep the home clutter free can lead to a feeling of control over our environment and in turn we will feel more in control of our lives.

5. Foster Relationships

There’s no doubt about it, maintaining happy and healthy relationships takes work. But it’s well worth the time and effort when we reap the reward of having a dedicated spouse, loving friends, and adoring children.

Success and monetary rewards are all good, but will never be as satisfying as the important things in life, such as faith and family. Foster your relationships with others and with a higher power for true happiness.

6. Spend Time Outdoors

Spending time in nature is healing for the mind and important for emotional health. Looking at a bright blue sky and feeling the warmth of the sun can make us happy almost immediately. Make sure to wear sunscreen!

Turn off the electronics and disconnect from the fast pace of life and enjoy relaxing amongst the quietness of nature. It will transform the mind into a place of peace. Even better, spend time outdoors with friends and family for an added benefit. Take a moment to slow down and smell the roses, literally.

7. Be Active

Simply move more. Find an enjoyable sport or activity and do it. Find a wearable fitness device that inspires activity, such as a Fitbit. The important thing is consistency and that’s also one of the hardest parts.

Even just going to the zoo with your family and spending the day walking around is great for health and happiness. Park farther away from the store requiring you walk farther. Train for a 5K. Walk, run, spin, or jump. Carry in your heavy groceries for added strength training. Do what you can when you can. Just keep moving.

 

Tell me what you think is the most important habit for health and happiness. I look forward to your responses!

Weigh in Day: My Body is Weird

 

After a couple of weeks without exercise or tracking my points you can about imagine what I would see on the scale. But guess what?

I lost 2.5 lbs.!

I am just as shocked. If you remember, three weeks ago I had a fantastic week and gained 1.7 lbs. I’ve jokingly mentioned before that I seem to lose when I eat more and exercise less. Once again this has proved true. My body is weird.

Obviously that philosophy is flawed, but it does give me some insight into the way that my body works. Starving myself won’t be beneficial, nor will bingeing uncontrollably. It’s that ground right in between of just normal eating of pretty much everything in moderation. And of course a focus on the healthy things. That’s how I lost the weight before and that’s how I can lose it again. How could I forget this?

Stats:

	This Week	Last Week
Weekly Points Used:	-	-
Activity Points Earned:	18	17
Activity Points Used:	-	-
Total Steps:	44,216	43,518
Weight Loss this Week:	2.5 lbs.	-

I’m glad that I had a loss because it puts me at 11 lbs. lost, which is just .3 lbs. above my lowest weight. I’m ready to get serious about this again and this time I will have the help of hubby. He is wanting to lose some weight again and I think we can do this together.

Next week will be the first week that I begin to use my Passion Planner to schedule my days. I’ve planned a 6 a.m. wake up to workout. I will have to see how this goes and if it’s something I think I could keep doing and enjoy it.

The other option is to workout in the evenings with hubby, but it’s too easy to decide I’m too tired at the end of the day and not want to do anything. I used to enjoy getting my workout out of the way first thing but I’m not going to hold myself to any specific schedule for the following week because this is all about determining when I enjoy working out the most so that I can be consistent with it. I’ll start with this plan next week and go from there.

I’ve also realized that I haven’t been cooking like I used to. In the past, I would try new recipes and find healthy ways to make delicious dishes. This week I’ve made some different meals and they have been very satisfying to the palate. I look forward to trying more recipes next week and also creating a meal plan, at least for suppers.

This is the perfect time of the year to eat healthy. We’ve started to get a lot of produce from hubby’s parents since they have a huge garden: Green beans, zucchini, carrots, potatoes, onions, kale, cabbage, just to name a few. I’m definitely gong to be searching for more zucchini recipes this year. If you have any, please share!

Have a great weekend!

How was your week? Did you meet your goals?

Back in a Routine

I am back in Iowa after spending last week in Illinois with family. I enjoyed my time out there but I am happy to be home and back into our routine again. Baby girl was so excited to be home. When it was bed time she ran down the hallway. It was pretty cute.

I didn’t post a weigh in for last Friday because I forgot to bring along my scale. I’m not so sure that I would have wanted to see the number anyways. I felt like I was in “vacation mode” the entire time I was gone and ate a lot of things that I don’t normally eat. I’m so ready to be back on track today. I will probably wait until Friday to weigh in so that I don’t get discouraged.

Exercise has been non-existent. My fitbit steps were pretty average most days though. I need to get back to that this week. I’m not sure if I should do the Couch to 5K or not…when I was doing it I started getting pain in my knees, which is what I was afraid of. I might need to hold off on that until I’m at a lower weight so I don’t end up ruining my knees from the impact.

I plan on grocery shopping today because we don’t have much food in the house since it has been a couple of weeks since we got groceries. It will be good to stock up on fruits, veggies and healthy foods.

I guess that’s all I have to share at the moment! I have quite a bit of unpacking and laundry to get done today. Thankfully the house was pretty clean when I left so I don’t have too much to do in that area.

I’m feeling more energized again. I’m getting better at listening to my body and knowing my triggers and “signs”. When I start to see my signs, I make sure to rest and just find a quiet and peaceful place to get centered again. I’m not quite 100% over the PPD, but I am learning how to cope better and that’s super important. I just need to get back in to therapy so I can continue my progress—I haven’t been able to go in a long time.

How are your weight loss, fitness, and mental health goals coming along?

Book Review: What You Can When You Can: Healthy Living on Your Terms #wycwyc

 

What You Can When You Can should be the healthy living bible; its concepts should be thoughtfully approached and applied to daily living for best results.

Many of us in the weight loss world tend to overthink matters when it comes to formulating a plan for our weight loss. How many times have you thought:

If I just eliminate (insert food group here), the weight will come right off. I will never eat (insert food group here) ever again!

I will buy (insert product here) and I will lose the weight in (insert number) days. After that, I will be able to eat however I want to again.

If I exercise for (insert insanely unrealistic number) hours per day, the weight will melt off. I will do this for the rest of my life and never miss a workout.

We are in a constant search for the secret to weight loss. There has to be a plan, a pill, a cleanse, a workout, something that will help us lose the weight. We cling to the most complicated of methods thinking this is the time that it will stick. Until it doesn’t and we’re left defeated having lost a great sum of money but not much weight—we may have even gained weight.

That’s the way the current weight loss and healthy living world work. So many of us are caught up in a cycle of starting an unrealistic weight loss plan with good intentions, giving up, and starting again on Monday. What You Can When You Can teaches that it doesn’t have to be that way, and it’s actually very uncomplicated.

The most influential message that I received from this book is towards the very beginning, in chapter 2:

“Perfect is never coming. You will never be perfect. Your life will never be perfect…So what’s the point of wasting time, energy, money, sweat, and tears on something that will never happen—on an unachievable ideal?”

It’s hard to accept, but it’s the truth. And so, since we can’t be perfect, we can do what we can when we can and that is always enough. This means that the journey does not stop and end at various curves and hills in the road, but we keep on going whether we are creeping along at the pace of a turtle or we are running as fast as a cheetah. And guess what? We will probably find ourselves moving at both paces along this journey.

What You Can When You Can offers common sense tips on how to live a healthy life--from matters of the mind, food, exercise, home, and relationships, this book offers sound advice on each topic.

The concept is simply about doing what you can when you can. Instead of driving to the library, walk there. Park farther away from the store, maybe even blocks away so you can walk. If you can only fit in 10 minutes of activity at a time, do that instead of just giving up and doing nothing at all. Choose the apple instead of the chips. Take the stairs instead of the elevator, etc.

Doing what you can when you can also means that you can enjoy life, enjoy an occasional treat, choose to skip a workout to spend time with your family, etc. It means approaching healthy living in a realistic and maintainable way.

I actually wycwyc’d reading this book. I read a little bit each week until I had finally completed it. Three of us met each week at the A Journey to Thin Book Club on Google Hangouts and chatted about the book and how it applied to our goals and lives. We all three really enjoyed this book.

I highly recommend this book. It’s also special because it’s written by two healthy living bloggers, Carla Birnberg and Roni Noone.

You can find the book on Amazon (affiliate link):

What You Can When You Can: Healthy Living on Your Terms

What My Future Self Would Do

After reading Roni’s post a month ago, I have been wanting to sit down and write about what my future self would do. I think that it will be insightful as to what my goals really are and how I could start working towards them.

• Set an alarm and wake up early to get a workout in first thing in the morning.
• Search for new healthy recipes to try and plan to make a new meal each week.
• Take time to sit down and read a good book.
• Have an organized and clutter free house.
• Do some form of strength training and have a toned body.
• Be able to go to the pool in a swimsuit and not feel self-conscious.
• Never let my weight get in the way of living life.
• Complete a triathlon.
• Be a good example of eating and living healthfully for my children.
• Eat vegetables at every meal.
• Have a BFF for girl talk.
• Take more care of my appearance.
• Write things that people would connect with and would make a difference.
• Have a workout that I truly enjoy.
• Finish a 5K towards the top of my age group.
• Be at a healthy weight.
• Would consistently reach 10,000 steps per day on the Fitbit.

As I look at this list, there are quite a few things that I can start working on now. For example, I should get started on that Couch to 5K program like I talked about. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by my goals, I will start making small steps toward achieving them.

What would your future self do?

Supplements I Recommend

When hubby and I decided we were ready to start a family, I knew that I wanted to take a good quality prenatal vitamin. I remembered a recommendation I heard on a podcast about Rainbow Light Vitamins, so I decided to give them a try.

What I love about the brand is that their multivitamins are once-a-day and food based—meaning they are based on whole foods so that the body is better able to digest and absorb the vitamins.

Rainbow Light prioritizes using the purest and highest quality ingredients. Their bottles are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable, so they are environmentally friendly too.

While pregnant, I took the Prenatal Daily Duo, which contains both a prenatal vitamin and prenatal DHA.

I have taken multivitamins for quite a few years now, but I only saw noticeable results when I took the Rainbow Light vitamin—hello great nail health! I took these for as long as baby was consuming breast milk.

After that, I decided to try out the Women’s One multi-vitamin and I absolutely love this one! The good results continue to show.

Since having postpartum depression, my psychiatrist recommended that I take fish oil so I bought the Rainbow Light Everyone's Omega - Fish and Flax supplement.

Is it a coincidence that I have started to feel my best since taking these? Possibly, but either way I know these are doing my body good. I tend to not eat as many omegas as I should and this supplement really helps. Plus, Weight Watchers recommends two servings of healthy oils per day and this helps in that area too.

There are a variety of Rainbow Light supplements available—including Men’s multivitamins, children’s chewable multivitamins, and even supplements for dogs.

 

What supplements do you recommend?

 

I have no affiliation with Rainbow Light, these opinions are all my own. However, I am an Amazon affiliate and if you click on a link and make a purchase I will receive a small commission which helps keep A Journey to Thin running.

Weigh in Day

This morning I weighed in at 212.2, losing 2.2 lbs. this week. I’m happy I had a loss- but I just hate trying to lose weight that I already lost once (since I gained 3.6 lbs. last week). But I was sick all week, went over my points, and barely exercised- so really, I’m lucky I lose 2.2 lbs.! I’m going to be happy about it! Hopefully this week I can lose at least the last 1.4 lbs. of the 3.6 I gained last week. That’s the goal! That puts me at losing 3.4 lbs. in the month of January- just under my 4 lb. goal per month. I am happy with that. It’s progress!

Last night was a COLD, COLD night in this old house. The winds were howling, over 30 mph with snow coming down. This morning we woke up to some BIG drifts!! It’s always exciting to see what Mother Nature came up with after the storm.

I love working at home, and not having to worry about driving to work in the snow- but I do miss my snow days!! Hubby got a snow day. But I was glad I didn’t have to go anywhere when I looked at the road conditions! Yep, all the roads were closed around us!

Last night, one of our neighbors tried to go somewhere. We saw him pull out of his driveway, pull down the alley and get stuck. Turned right back around, drove back into his garage and stayed home for the night.

For breakfast, I had toast with almond butter and sliced bananas along with 1 cup of 1% milk for 8 points.

For my first break, I ate strawberries and blueberries for 0 points of yumminess!

Hubby was outside all morning removing the immense drifts of snow from our driveway and sidewalks. I felt bad for him out in the cold!

I was asked to work from 7-6, which I agreed to, but turned out more people made it into work so I didn’t have to. Fine with me!

For lunch, I had a grilled cheese sandwich dipped in ketchup along with Bean and Bacon soup for 11 points.

And I had a Skinny Cow for dessert for 4 points.

I guess it was a comfort food kind of lunch.

By my last break, I could barely keep my eyes open. I brewed a cup of Dark Chocolate Raspberry coffee for 0 points.

And ate 2 Cuties Clementines for 0 points.

For supper, I had a chicken quesadilla, black beans, FF sour cream, guacamole, salsa and 4 tortilla chips (not pictured) for 10 points.

For dessert, I had FF/SF vanilla pudding with a sliced banana and just a dab of caramel for 2 points.

That puts me at using 1 weekly point today. Not a bad day, but I want to do better tomorrow.

I’ll probably have something for a snack later on when hubby and I watch the latest episode of BL!

We’re half way through the week!!