Caring Foodie: Monthly Milestones 2015 {3}

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Saturday, March 7, 2015

Monthly Milestones 2015 {3}

Today is the start of the third Monthly Milestones for 2015. The "rules" are still the same as always. I will be giving you updates on the first Saturday of every month on how I am doing physically, mentally, etc., and you can link up a post (or 3 or more) about some form of progress you are making, if you wish (see details below). Being publicly accountable (as hard as it is) helps me out tremendously. I hope you enjoy this link-up, will link up something inspiring and share it with others so that we can meet our goals together! :)

Here is how I am doing as of today:

Me as of today, March 7, 2015, at 230.5 lbs.

My weight is up a little again overall. This has been another month when my weight has been up and down. I actually lost about 2.5 lbs. this week, but ended up 0.2 lbs heavier than last month, leaving me at around 230.5 lbs (I round to the nearest 1/2 lb). I think the main reason for the roller coaster ride is because I did a lot of stress eating, which means more sugar and carbs than is good for me. It took its toll on my health, too. I've had more pain, more moodiness, more IBS, more headaches, etc. I am learning (the hard way, unfortunately) that I pay for it greatly when I break my eating rules. I feel like I'm starting to do a little more "think before I eat", but I'm not where I should be yet. I'll keep working on it, though!
Walking more is still in the works. It has been a very cold winter, and the start to March has not been much better. We've had temperatures well below 0 with wind chills in the negative teens and -20s. We've even had actual temperatures in the -20s with wind chills lower than that! Yah - too cold to walk. Thankfully, it is to start warming up in the 30s and 40s, so I'm hoping to be able to walk a little more than just walking my daughter to and from school.
I'm making strides in improving my diet and mental health. After this last month and seeing how stress eating hurt me so much, I am being a lot more conscious about my eating. As I mentioned before, my body is being less and less tolerant of foods that hurt me, and I'm feeling those side effects quicker each time. This has not only gotten me to evaluate the reasons I'm eating and what I'm eating, but gotten me to realize that I need to take a little time to unwind. I talked with my husband, and we decided on a weekly date night, even if it's just watching a show or movie at home with a special treat after the kids go to bed. I need that time. We've been doing this for the last 2 weeks, and it's helped a lot. It helps me focus on my marriage relationship which can really suffer when you're dealing with the pain and depression that comes from a chronic pain disorder, and it helps me get my mind off of the stress of homeschooling and my other responsibilities. It helps me be a bit more relaxed, and I'm finding that I'm smiling a bit more (not that I'm normally a grouchy person) and feeling a lot more positive, even when I hurt. I really do recommend a weekly date night, and wish we'd started it sooner!
I'm still working on my new groove with my blogs. I am having a hard time getting a chance to post on here and on Natural and Free. I am able to do at least once a month here, and I'm aiming at once a month on both blogs for now. Thing is, I have posts to post...Just no time to post them. It's a bit frustrating for me. I will get to where I want to be (posting weekly on both blogs), but it is just taking a lot more time than I realized. I am also working on other ideas that I hope to implement soon. Don't give up on me! :)
The end of school is dawning, so I'm not sure how much blog time I'll have. The last few months of school is full of testing, papers and projects and making sure that things get done that need to get done. This month shouldn't be quite as insane as April will be, but there's still a lot going on. If nothing else, Monthly Milestones will still happen, though I am hoping for more than that. I promise - it won't stay insane forever. My email is always open, too, so feel free to write me at any time, and I'll get back with you ASAP. I'm here for you!

That's about it for now. How are you doing? Are you reaching your goals? Have you tried something new? Come up with a new recipe? I hope all is going well with you, and I hope you will link-up a post telling me all about it or even leave a comment sharing your thoughts. As always, I wish you the best of luck in all you do, and hope you will return soon! :)