Living a Healthy Life

Warning: this is going to be a lengthy post.

It all started a little over a year ago... D and I were trying to get healthy...we had really yo-yo'd with our being "healthy" and doing regular exercise. Then last April after we had our miscarriage we decided things needed to change! D went to the doctor to make sure that he was healthy and to check his heart, cholesterol, and just an overall physical. He had borderline high blood pressure and just not what he wanted to see in his blood work and weight (217 lbs). Having a family history of high BP, heart issues, and high cholesterol he knew that he wanted to make a change right then and there to make sure he was here a long time for his kids!

My dad was gracious enough to get both of us gym memberships to Golds Gym. I started going to spin classes 4 days a week and I loved it! I wasn't as moody; I was going to get healthy before I got pregnant again! I was going to spin classes, but my eating habits just weren't great. I was working full time and wasn't eating well balanced meals...when I was eating it was a box of crackers, or just something quick! D was also starting to go to the gym...but having broken his ankle right after we had Zo he had to go get X-rays and get his ankle worked on with physical therapy because it was causing his so much pain.

I was about 10 weeks pregnant and I had stopped going to spin classes, not because I didn't like them but I was worried I'd miscarry again...at this point in time D was in full swing at the gym, he found out he didn't have to have surgery and that the exercises he was doing at physical therapy were ones he could do at the gym. He was happier and he was starting to feel better. At this point it was October. D was going to the gym 5 days a week and I though he looked great he was healthy and he was really starting to show the weight loss. He started to change the way he ate at this point as well.

He started using the app MyFitnessPal to track his calorie intake and at that point we realized how unhealthy our diet really was. No we weren't going out to eat every night we cooked at home, and we did cook with Olive Oil when we did use oil. But, our portion sizes were insane. We were eating chicken a lot (which is great) but eating it with 4 or 5 tortillas sure does add up the calories! We made small changes at first like cutting the oil out of our cooking, chicken doesn't need oil to cook, you can use a tiny bit of water and it does the trick just as well. We cut down on our carb intake and switched to whole wheat (we gradually did this since we both love breads!) We noticed how much we were eating sweets, and where I was pregnant...that is ALL I wanted, I would crave candy like nobody's business. So instead of eating a full candy bar I would eat a fun sized one...I did eat a LOT more candy and sweets than D did because I was pregnant and it would give me the boost I needed to survive a 10 1/2 hour day at work (still not a good reason or excuse...but I'm still standing by that for the time being)

December rolled around and the holidays were here...D stuck to his healthy eating habits, yes he did still eat Thanksgiving pies, and Christmas treats, he hasn't eliminated them from his diet, just portion controlled them, and by using an app like MyFitnessPal, he has been able to track what he has eaten and how he can still have a treat now and again and still stick to his allotted calories for the day. At this point in time, we had to buy him a whole new wardrobe...none of his clothes fit anymore! I was so proud of him! Thankfully we were able to go down to visit his family in Vegas right after Christmas and we bought him clothes and a new suit- he was able to get a SlimFit suit and he was happy and healthy! He was down to a size 36 pant from a 40! He was still going to the gym 5 days a week but he was now increasing the amount of calories burned at the gym when he first started he wouldn't leave unless he burned at least 450 calories, by January he was up to almost 900 calories burned at the gym each time he went. It took him quite a while to get up to that point, but he was determined to get healthy and fit. He never once has called what he is doing a diet, it isn't a diet, its a new way of life, it is a getting healthy life change! I have never known anyone who is able to stick to a diet after a certain period of time they always fall back into old habits. But I have known people who have gotten fit and healthy and stayed that way for good! Where D was eating right and we were cooking at home more or when we did go out it wasn't usually fast food is was somewhere that would have healthier options to choose from. (Yes we did do the occasional In-and-Out burger or Sonic). I was 7 months pregnant and went to the Doctor; I had only gained 9 lbs at this point in my pregnancy. I was eating differently, (yes still eating my candy and sugar,) but eating healthier because D was. I did have a higher calorie intake than D just to keep up with my pregnancy, but I hadn't gained nearly as much weight this pregnancy than I did with Zo.

March rolled around and we had to buy D another whole new wardrobe because he had shrunk out of all of his clothes that we got in January. I won a trip at work and we went to San Francisco, there was a night where we had to get all fancy and D wore his suit that we had got him in January, it looked like when a kid puts on their dads clothes...(thank goodness that he finds great deals on clothes! and that we were able to sell most of his clothes we bought in January to Plato's Closet!) I was worried I wouldn't be able to go on the trip for work because with Zo I was on a high risk pregnancy and wasn't able to travel after 30 weeks. This trip was when I was 35 to 36 weeks pregnant. I talked to my doctor and he was totally fine with me traveling, I had gained 12 lbs at this point in my pregnancy and he was very happy with my weight gain (he even high-fived me...)and where I wasn't in a risky pregnancy I had the green light! We went to San Francisco and loved it! We walked everywhere, on our free-day we ended up walking the city. D ended up figuring out that we walked almost 10 miles that day...yes we were VERY slow walking it, but we did it! Even while we were there D would go to the gym and work out. He didn't do as much as he normally does but he still went every day we were there.

D is VERY diligent in using his app and tracking his food. It puts things into perspective. I never really paid much attention to how many calories are in things...(if you want to make yourself a little sick...look up how many calories are in a Blondie from Applebee's.) With MyFitnessPal you can say how many lbs you want to lose each week, (2 lbs is the max allowance) and you enter in your current weight and it calculates how many calories you should eat each day to lose that weight. If you exercise it adds more calories onto it, however, D would stick to the original calorie intake that was allotted to him. At first the calculation was 1200 calories a day, then after a certain weight loss amount it recalculates and re-adjusts your calorie in-take allotment. So for D it was 1200 calories, 1500 calories, and currently is at 1700 calories, the nice thing about this app is it gives you a breakdown of how many carbs, fats, and protein should be in your diet.

D was making me walk quite a bit after 37 weeks to try and get the baby here, I am thankful for this because I was healthier I didn't gain any more weight in my pregnancy. I was up 12 lbs and then the week before I delivered I was down a 11 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight. I solely attribute this to D and his life-style change and healthy eating habits. I was so much healthier with this pregnancy. And although I wasn't able to do much gym exercising I was able to make a change and difference because D did! (To put this into perspective with Zo I gained 24 lbs) When I did go into labor I had a much easier and quicker labor/delivery (I went into labor at about 5:30 went to the hospital at 8 and had Tye at 9:41 with Zo I went to the hospital at 6 went into active labor after being induced at Midnight, and had a horrible labor lost Zo's heart beat, and eventually delivered at noon. I was much healthier when I had Tye and I think that is why I had a smoother delivery and such a quick delivery and RECOVERY!)

D has made it to his weight-loss goal he has lost over 65 lbs since September. He is currently trying to tone-up with lean muscle. He could bulk up really easily however, he doesn't want that. He spends about 8 to 10 hours a week at the gym doing cardio and lifting. He just went to the doctor to get a check-up he no longer has high BP, his resting heart rate was at 56, he is no longer at risk for heart issues, high cholesterol. His body fat % is under 11%! He no longer has ankle pain (due to the weight loss and strength he has gained from running and lifting weights). He has made a true transformation in his life! Zo knows every day that her Daddy goes to the gym…she always goes to the door and says she too is going to the gym. We want our kids to know that we value healthy living and that we exercise and eat our healthy foods!

Now that I am post-pregnancy I have been able to also start up my exercise routine, I have had to start slow, but I am following D's example and using MyFitnessPal and going to the gym 5 days a week. Being a mom it’s hard to find time to go, but if you make it a priority it isn't as hard, I go at 4:30 in the morning on days D works and go before D on days that he doesn't. It has been a month so far and I am down 11 lbs from my pre-pregnancy weight. We both use a heart-monitor calorie counter I have the FT4 and D uses the FT5 it honestly is awesome because it gives a more accurate calorie burning count and it is personalized to you. I am using MyFitnessPal and I have an allotted 1200 calories each day- I don't feel like I am constantly hungry, I do eat, it’s just I have a better knowledge of what types of food have more calories and better substitutions for them. (I do still have treats; I just try and switch fruits and veggies for them on most days!) I still have a LONG way to go on my plan but I have a goal in mind, and I have shared this with D and he is more than supportive with me and is encouraging me every step of the way! I picked out a "prize" I wanted once I hit my goal weight. (I want new family pictures taken, I know people that purchase an outfit that they'd want to fit into, or pick something that you want!) I know that I don't have much room to talk when it comes to advice, but this is advice D gives people that ask him, and this is what I am doing now.

People are always asking D how he did it, and what he did to lose so much weight. His response is always the same...If you are looking for a pill or easy way to do it, I'm sorry it doesn't exist. It's through changing the way I ate and exercise with lots of cardio.

Things D changed in his diet that we have now changed almost completely in our home:

Instead of cooking with Olive Oil: Use water

Instead of using sour cream: plain greek yogurt

Instead of Peanut Butter: Almond butter (I like the one that has a little maple flavoring it is a little sweeter)

Instead of white bread: whole wheat bread or the bread thins

Instead of white tortillas: whole wheat low carb high fiber tortillas

Instead of regular yogurt: greek yogurt (yes some brands are completely gross, but we have found a couple brands that we really like!)

Instead of chips: pretzels (you still get the salty crunch that you would crave)

Instead of candy: flavored almonds (the butter toffee is my all-time favorite!)

Instead of mayo: avocado

When baking:

Use egg whites instead of whole eggs

Use applesauce instead of oil (this doesn't always work...when oil is needed use olive oil it doesn't change the taste of baked goods!)

Use Whole Wheat Flour over White Flour

Use oats

Experiment with flax-seed

Use natural sweeteners (honey is a good one!)

We do have some awesome recipes that we have experimented with to "health-ify" things...if anyone is interested just let us know we'd be more than happy to share!

The key is moderation in sweets and unhealthy foods, it is all about healthy eating AND exercise! Become knowledgeable about what you are eating: a combo meal is normally over 1200 calories (that would be my total daily allowance of calories!)! Keep track some way of what you are eating (food journal, MyFitnessPal, or some other way that helps you keep track!) The things that you hate are normally what you need most aka CARDIO! Eat more filling foods like proteins and whole wheat! Look at serving sizes! Put the serving size in baggies so you don't have a full bag of it in front of you, I promise you'll lose track! Have someone you can "report" to, just someone who either is doing it with you, or someone you can talk to about your successes or someone that can keep you on track!

I have asked D on multiple occasions to write a blog about his life-style change, and he is a little too busy to do so at this point...So I am doing it for him! He has made such a transformation in his life and has done it through hard work and determination. If this helps even ONE person make a change then it was worth sharing!

Here are a few before and current transformation picts of D: