Updates

I took a little break from blogging for a few weeks.  But I'm back!!!!!!  In the past few weeks I have:

• Discovered Clean Eating and it makes perfect sense!
• Purchased, tasted, and fell in love with the Larabar
• Learned how to make my own Larabars, which is awesome because I can't afford to love store bought ones!
• Made the most delish chocolate cake and brownies out of BEANS!!!  DO NOT KNOCK IT!
• Donated a trash bag full of toys and clothes to Salvation Army
• Enjoyed Thanksgiving and did not make a pig of myself - at all
• Started a new Christmas tradition with my son with the Elf on the Shelf.
• Completed the third and final memory quilt for my boss.
• Realized that I need to change my payment policy for quilts :(
• Received 4 new orders for quilts, one of which is a Memory Quilt!
• Completed all Christmas gift shopping, (except for finishing touches for stockings and my Salvation Army Angel)
• Learned to like water - unsweetened and with out artificial flavorings.  WHAT WHAT?!?!?!
• Decided to try at least one new food every week.
• Joined the Green Monster Movement! 
• I have lost 3 more pounds
• Received my 5 finger sneakers but they didn't fit on my Frankenfoot, so I had to return :(
• Ohhhhhhhhhhh and my daughter has started GED prep classes!!!!!!  (Very proud :)

I am feeling very healthy in every aspect of my life.  Family, health, finances, everything except my house cleaning, I've been slacking a little.  I need to nip that in the bud and get back on track.  I have been on a Clean Eating and couponing rampage, so the house is a mess, trying to find room for everything.  Part of this weekend's goals were to get the front hall and kitchen back under control.  I heard the hubby in the front hall looking for paper towels a few days ago and I thought he was going to turn into the Hulk and start tossing everything in a rage.  Haha!  There is A LOT of stuff out there -  Part of which I think I will be donating because I scored majorly coupon-wise on canned soups, cream of whatever soups, canned broth, and those fruit snacks that my son adores.... But that was all one to two weeks before I discovered Clean Eating (by mistake) and now I don't want to eat any of those foods or feed them to my family.  I stumbled upon Clean Eating when I came across an email from Circle of Moms that read "HowArtificial Ingredients Can Lead to Artificial Kids".  You can read the article here.  I read the article and immediately thought of my son.  He is instantly affected by certain foods.  He will be sitting still one minute and then give him some processed snack or food and he is zooming within a couple bites.  It makes my hubby's day very trying to say the least.  And I was feeling it on the weekends when I mainly "deal" with the results of his eating a diet (unknowingly) packed with artificial flavors, colors, preservatives and exorbitant amounts of sugar masked behind scientific names.  From that article in Circle of Friends, I found my way to the author's website, OurFamilyEats.com.  I became a bit obsessed with reading all of her posts and recipes, and printed out her 6-week challenge and went to town on cleaning up our acts.  I started making changes immediately.  I have noticed a difference in my little man's behavior.  He is still a VERY active almost three year old, nothing is going to change that (nor do I want to), but he seems to have a bit more control over himself now that he is eating almost nothing processed.  We are continuing to make healthy changes so I will update my findings on how Clean Eating is working for my family.

As for myself, I have never felt better.  I am still significantly overweight, but I am not stressing it.  I am eating healthy and Clean.  I am exercising (not as much as I should, but adding more movement every day).  I have more energy.  I do not feel exhausted like I did before when I wasn't Eating Clean.  I am eating delicious whole foods (food with little to no refining or processing and containing no artificial additives or preservatives; natural or organic food.)  I know that by continuing to eat clean the pounds will come off effortlessly and I will never feel deprived of scrumptious foods.

Since starting to eat clean I have lost a little over 3 lbs in about a week.  I am not counting calories anymore, I am just eating when I am hungry and only eating whole (unprocessed) foods.  I am never hungry.  I am never stuffed.  I am always satisfied.  I eat every 2-3 hours and drink a shit ton of water.  No juice, no soda.  I have discovered some new (to me) delicious healthy foods and I know that I will never go back to eating processed SHIT food again.  Just reading all of the crap that is listed on most packaged food in the grocery store infuriates me.  I just don't understand the manufacturer's "need" to add all of this crap and chemicals to the foods we eat and feed our growing children.  Many of these ingredients are proven to cause obesity, brain damage, behavioral problems, cancer, and many other ailments/diseases.  I will no longer allow any processed food in my house and since I am the primary food shopper and cook, it will be easy to control.   No one seems to miss the old processed stuff.  Well that is not entirely true... my son constantly asks for his Captain America snacks and chocolate milk and whenever we are out he asks for McDonalds or Dunkin Donuts and I deny him every time.  My hubby asked for and received Burger King last weekend.  The hardest to break will be my teenage daughter, the junk food-a-holic.  But she will have to get herself a job if she wants to eat shit because she won't find it in the house.  Funny story:  My daughter was out one afternoon and all of the sudden she came running in the house and running for the bathroom.  She comes out a few minutes later and said, OMG, I had to poop so bad.  I asked her if her stomach was upset.  She said no, it was a normal poop but she wasn't ready because she already went yesterday and she usually only goes once every 3 or 4 days.  UM WHAT?!!!  I said what, you only go every 3-4 days?  She said yeah, but since I've been eating home more I have to go more.  I said, yeah...When you eat shit...you can't shit.  She started cracking up and said, yeah I guess so.  I proceeded to overload her with all of the "fun facts" I discovered by reading about Clean Eating and all of the side effects from eating a diet full of highly processed foods.  She was amazed but she is addicted to sugar and all of her convenient foods.  She is 17 and isn't too interested in her health at this time.  One day she will come around.  But, in the meantime, she will have a hard time finding anything processed and junky at home.

Everyone in the family better get used to it because this is not a diet, it's our new way of life.