so, feeling like i'm about to burst out of my skin seams [probably due to the chocolate granola i am about to share] but lets set that feeling aside and get to what i'm going to do about it shall we? a few years ago i joined weight watchers with a couple friends. i committed to a week. if there was any loss i would commit to 6 months [phoenix's first birthday] but if not i wasn't going to stick with it. i lost 5 pounds that week and committed. weight watchers works with setting number goals, paying, losing, maintaining and becoming a lifetime member and not paying anymore [there is so much more, but i'm not a ww meeting here so i'm just sharing the basics]. ww was so good for me, not only with getting my body to a healthier weight, but for my mind. it put me in control of something i didn't even know i felt like i was out of control in, does that make sense? i've been a lifetime member coming up on a year or so this month, it can get easy to slack off a bit and slowly start feeling out of control with my weight and health. i'm not a crazy write everything down and count calories and fats and and and, but i do like to pay attention. i haven't been paying very good attention lately. i also haven't been moving my body. when the mountain lions were prevalent here in our area this summer it freaked me out a bit and i dropped off the bandwagon of running cycling and moving. right now i feel frumpy, tired, unmotivated and just plain yucky. last week i started sticking with one of the ww plans [core] and that is what i'm doing. one thing at a time. my next goal is to get out and walk for a simple small 20 minutes most days. i am sure [hopeful] that i will do more, but i need to start up again small so i don't feel like i fail. the other thing that i'm doing is telling myself positive things. i can be so hard on myself and tell myself lies from the past, but i'm being intentional. 'sarah, you are disciplined'. 'sarah, you've done it before you can do it again'. 'sarah, you are strong and healthy, keep at it'. 'sarah, you aren't destined to be/feel frumpy, tired, lazy and yucky, you are destined for health: body, soul, spirit and mind'. we are all destined for health and as i go i will share bits and pieces of my journey.
so yeah. here's that yummy orange chocolate granola recipe i've been raving about. enjoy!
preheat oven to 300*
combined in a large bowl:
[about]
7 c. rolled oats
2.5 c. sliced almonds
2.5 c. shredded coconut
4 tbs. sucanant
1 bar chocolove orange chocolate [chopped up]
zest from one orange
warm on stove:
4 tbs. oil [i use canola]
6 tbs. agave nectar
6 tbs. honey
tiny splash of vanilla
mix wet and dry together in the big bowl. spread onto two baking sheets. squeeze a bit of the orange onto each pan. bake for about 10 minutes and turn granola. turn again after 20 minutes and take it out of the oven after 30 minutes. [all in all, bake for 1/2 hour] cool on racks til completely dry. yum.
oh sarah jean. i feel your pain. sunday morning? our own ww meeting and walk?
ReplyDeletenothing tastes as good as being healthy feels.
ha. it will be two years of being a lifetime member in the next week or so. i need to give myself a break and keep at it :) katie. if not sunday, lets figure out a good accountability? smoochie pooch. xo
ReplyDeleteone thing i have figured out is that making one tiny little change in the right direction usually starts an upward spiral .. tips over a few more things .. i feel better .. so i drink less caffeine .. so i sleep better .. and so on. :^) so i try to remind myself - just do one thing! even i can handle that. ;^)
ReplyDeleteSarah - Thank you for your post, I actually thought I was reading in a mirror - our stories are so much the same. I too, have an WW anniversary of lifetime almost two years ago. I have been so mad at myself (yet trying not to beat myself up). I s-l-o-w-l-y crept back and feel all the adjectives you said and more. I was working out, training for a marathon and feeling the best I had. My strategy is similar for getting back...first tackling the gaining control of my eating...then back to exercise that is how I did it two year+ ago. I just am so bummed - it is so hard to get it off the 2nd time, I have less, but still. Sending good "core" energy your way and positive thoughts for you when you need them!
ReplyDeletebest
hear you on the health/weight stuff. got down to ideal weight 3 yo and then health struggles (depression and pcos) started a downward spiral for me. i am just now getting back to really paying attn. to what is going in my body. thanks for sharing-it really is great to read your process. :) i have never thought about ww, but maybe i should. i can't ever have any unnatural sugars (migraine triggers)-do they have options for that? just curious. :)
ReplyDeletehugs