For the Record

  

The recent article in the  newspaper had a few mistakes. Nothing huge but some that I would have preferred they got correct. I totally understand mistakes are made, no one is perfect and i also understand using a bit of creative license... I am not upset but  just wanted to correct a few things. My overall goal was to encourage other people to eat less sugar, to be aware of hidden sugars and realize life is GREAT on much less sugar :)

Number one is my kids DO have cake on their birthdays, sure.. now instead of cake, cokes, and ice cream.. we now enjoy cake and fruit and water.... but the cake is still there. Also on their birthdays they get to choose a sugary cereal from the grocery store to have and even get a coke or two if they want. Again.... we dont do this type stuff everyday... but once in a while doesnt hurt much. 

Also. I dont use stevia to sweeten or to cook with... the article sort of led people to think I used it instead of sugar. If we are baking cookies or pies (on the special occasion) we use sugar. Stevia is great to transition to a lower sugar life but I found it expensive and my goal was to get away from LOVING the sweet stuff.... I wanted the sweetness of fruits and veggies to be in my life not super sweet sweetners. 

There were a few commentors on line that were very negative towards the article and one actually accused me of brainwashing my children. HA. That just makes me giggle. My kids are actually completely opposite. They are EDUCATED to read labels and understand what they are putting in their bodies. They make their own choices and I am here to guide them. They are old enough to understand they feel better when they eat better. Now, if we want to talk about brainwashing.... lets look at ads on tv and the internet. Ads about how High Fructose Corn Syrup is good for you. Ads about sugary cereals haveing more fiber and being good for you.... I could go on and and one.... One huge problem with our children and obesity is they are uneducated and so is everyone else! I sure was!!!

So... for kicks n giggles.. heres a list of questions I was asked and my answers. :)


I am a stay at home homeschooling mom. I work part time as an Art/Art History Teacher, I am also Assistant Coach for Cool Runnings Track and Field. I help coach the youth program as well as Coach adults to in our walk, jog, or run Half Marathon Program.

Ages and grades of the kids

Cat is 14 8th grader
Jo is 11 6th grader
Nate is 9 4th grader 

Are they all home schooled.? Yes. :)

 In addition to eating right, what activities or exercises do you and your family participate?

The Children all run with Cool Runnings Track and Field 5 days a week, competing in track meets throughout the  year
I have been running for about 4 years. Completing my first marathon a few years ago and I love to train and  run half marathons.
My husband runs and lifts weights.

Do the kids go to bed early at night? 

Because we are a homeschooling family our schedule can be flexible. Generally we are all in bed by 930 in the fall and Winter... During the spring and summer we have track practice at 6am so our schedules change to going to bed about 830 so we can get up at about 530am to go run :)

Does the family try to eat all their meals as a family?

My husband usually eats breakfast before the kids and I (depending on his work schedule).
I cook breakfast for myself and the kids, we usually "fend for ourselves" for lunch (as I want the kids to be self sufficient, so they make, cook etc their own lunches)...

Are there snacks during the day..what kind?  

The kids know they have have fruit any time without having to ask :)... I make sure to have fruit, and some sort of protein (nuts, or peanut butter etc) around the house so they can just grab and make something if they are hungry. 

Do you  take the kids to the store to help you shop...I believe you said they read labels.

Yes! the kids have always gone shopping with me, since they were babies. They are great helpers shopping! I can send them through the store, asking them to get certain items and get the best prices etc... They work on figuring prices based on serving size etc.... and we have a great time shopping together :) I have always looked at grocery shopping as a way to educate our kids in nutrition, marketing, money, and many other things.

Has special diets helped your family keep weight down?  Lose weight?  

I began my fitness/nutrition journey because I needed to loose weight. I had feet pain which I had had medical treatment for many times, abdominal pain, problems with low blood pressure and seemed to get sick a LOT! I knew I needed to change... I felt too old to be as young as I was!

I tried working out and not changing my diet... I lost a bit of weight but still felt bad. I also did Body for Life for a year or so and it was the program that helped me realize how much better I felt when I did eat well. The nutritional plan for Body for Life is to eat 5 to 6 times a day and have one free day a week where you could eat anything you wanted. During the week I felt great... and although i enjoyed my free day i soon realized i actually felt bad when I at whatever I wanted. During this time our family ate pretty well during the week too! and we even had a family 'free day' once a week  "Donut day" ....
But, as with many "diets" I found it difficult to stick with it.  I knew that I had emotional addictions to certain foods and realized that the only way I would become healthy and stay that was was to over come my addiction to sugar.
I began to slowly, over months cut things out of my diet. I picked ONE food at a time. First it was Ice Cream. I use to eat Ice Cream every night before bed. So, I replaced that Ice Cream with protein shakes. I decided I would not move on to another food until I could be around ice cream, scoop it, serve it and buy it without feeling deprived. It took 3 months but finally I had no desire and felt NO deprivation. So I moved on to the next food.
I decided if it took 2  years for me to change my eating habits and really and truely it be a lifestyle change for good.. then the 2 years would be worth it.
Through all of this I was open and honest with my family. The kids knew my struggle and watched first hand. I shared my frustrations and triumphs with them :)
During this time I tried to explain why and what I was doing, so they would understand this wasnt a "diet" but a lifestyle change. through this dialog they became more aware of choices they were making too.

I still eat 5 to 6 times a day. I have hypoglycemia so its important for me to eat correctly. Its a balancing act for me. If i dont eat correctly my blood sugars get out of wack and I pay the price.
 I also recently discovered I am gluten intolerant. So I am currently in the process of transistioning to that lifestyle.

 This nutrition journey continues but I am happy to say I fell better today at the age of 42 than I have ever in my life! I never felt this great.. even as a kid! Sugar ruled my life, my emotions, my energy levels, and many other things.  Today I am happy to say my low sugar lifestyle has changed me more than I ever thought possible. I have remained a size 4 for the past year. (I use to be a size 16). It has made me a better mother, friend, and wife! I am happier, more content and just feel gooooood! I wish I would have done this YEARS ago!

Have you given up cokes entirely?

Stopping Sodas was the biggest challenge for me. I say that if Sodas were Alcohol... I would be an Alcoholic. I could never just drink ONE. I could never have just a sip. I would "be good" and go for a week with no soda... then have a sip and that sip would turn into 3 days worth or a week, a month of soda drinking. I couldn't just drink ONE a day.. I would drink 4, 5 or 8 cans a day!!  I hated being addicted to sodas but it was so hard to quit. Being sugar sensitive meant that sugar effects me more than some other people. I have now learned that I physical addiction to sugar. I overcame this over many many months. I began by replacing my sodas with very very very surgery homemade tea. I then slowly decreased the amount of sugar in the tea over months until I was only using one packet of stevia (a natural sweetner) in my glass. One day I ran out of stevia and drank my tea unsweet. I now LOVE unsweet HOT tea :) 

What started you on them?   At home, school?

I started drinking sodas as a child. Just like everyone else I know :) I remember in Jr High eating a candy bar and drinking a Coke for lunch in the school lunch room. We had them at home too. 

Do your children play sports?   What do they play?

Our kids are all runners. They run with Cool Runnings Track and Field team. We love the sport of running because it is something you can do independently for a lifetime! Cool Runnings is great because our kids run for the team AND for themselves. 

Please correct any name misspelled.  I want to be sure and get the names and ages, and grades, correct.

How are you and your family able to handle eating with friends, etc. and avoid certain foods?

Usually if we go to a family or friends house the family eats whatever they choose. I have learned that I cannot eat certain things without the consequence of a tummy ache. So I try to avoid certain foods. Most the time when we go out to eat we all get water. Occasionally when we go to a movie or out to eat for special occassions then we get sodas. Also.. the kids know on their birthday they can choose a sugary cereal and a soda to have as a treat.
I also try to make items that are healthy when we go to potlucks or visiting family and friends. Salads, fruit and healthy dips and chips ;)

I would like to make sure people understand that being fit and healthy isnt something that happens overnight. We often put too much pressure on ourselves, expecting to change our WHOLE diet in a week or a months time. I believe the KEY to good nutrition is to look honestly at what you put in your mouth.... realize you might have addictions and give yourself the GRACE and Patience to change. It took me 40 years to for me to get where I was... why did I expect to change my addictions in only a few weeks??

As far as our children, I had raised them the first 5 years or more of thier lives on fast food and  unhealthy homecooked meals. I was doing what I thought was ok. We cannot expect  to change our families nutrition over night either. As parents we have to lead the way, by example. We might not like to hear it but our children watch our ever move! They learn from us, they want to be like us. I had to realize what I was doing to my family, not just myself.
 To truly change to a lifestyle where you LOVE fruit like use use to love donuts.... takes TIME ;)
The great news is God made us with amazing abilities to adapt. Its amazing to me today to realize that fruit now tastes as sweet as a lollipop use, and that things I never new as sweet... really are!

When did you first start your diet and exercise? I thought you said Dec. 9, 2009, but then you mentioned two years. What should I put down as you first starting.

I have always struggled, so as far as first starting to diet.. since i was a teenager.... but have been the typical yoyo dieter ......  I started the blog in jan of 2006, journaling about my struggles really helped keep me focused. Its hard to say when I "began" cause its been a process... taking years to to to where I am at..  I began to really focus on  the low sugar lifestyle a year ago this December.

How much did you weigh before exercise and diet started. What has been your biggest weight?  How much now? Since highschool I seemed to fluctuate from size 12ish to size 5. I was a size tight 16 at my largest. Weighing around 176lbs...  I now weigh around 130lbs and am a size 4.

 Did I see on the blog that you run from 2 to 5 miles a day and are going to build up to 13?

Yes I typically try and run 4 to 5 days a week, with weight lifting or body weight exercising on the other days. I try to run at least 3 to 4 half marathons a year, depending on the time I have to dedicate to it.  I plan on training for a full again in 2011.

What is a sample dinner meal like at your house. Just the menu?

Our meals are pretty simple. We eat very very little red meat. (maybe once every two months or so). 
Spaghetti with whole wheat and spinach noodles
Ground turkey meat sauce
steamed fresh green beans
a romaine salad
------
Turkey burgers
home made baked or fried chips
(the kids and hubby eat bread, I eat just the patty cause of gluten intol.)
-------
Fried Rice with Chicken and veggies (I use brown rice)
------
Homemade Pizza
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Friddled Chicken (we call it friddled cause its "fried" on the griddle)
Chicken cooked on the griddle coated in flour and cooked in olive oil
steamed veggies
mashed potatoes
----
Turkey Tacos (ground turkey in taco shells with lettuce, cheese and tomatoes)

  Very Short statement from each child.

 How do you handle the low sugar diet? 

Nathan: "I try not to eat a lot of sugar cause its bad for you. It makes you have a lot of energy at first and then it sucks it out of you." 
Joseph: "A lot of sugar is not good for you. Eating a lot of sugar makes it to where you can sick easier, cause it lowers your immunity."
Catherine: "I try to eat less sugar cause it makes me feel better. Sometimes when I eat a lot of sugar I feel sleepy and grumpy."

 Do you like it and what is your favorite food.

Nathan: "Yeah, I like it" "My favorite food is turkey burgers and bar-b-q chicken pizza"
Joseph: "Yeah, I like it, cause now apples taste good to me" "My favorite food is I bar-b-q chicken Pizza"
Catherine: "I like it most of the time" "My favorite foods are turkey tacos, and strawberries" 

What's the hardest thing about trying not to eat so much sugar?
Joseph "Cause you might want to eat something that has lots of sugar in it"
Nathan: "Nothing really, once you get to where you are not addicted to sugar anymore, its easy"
Catherine: "At parties, where they have a lot of cake and cookies, it's hard not to eat it. You don't want to a lot sugar cause you know its bad for you but you do want to eat it cause it tastes good"
 _________________________
 end of interview

What surprises me so much is how offended people get when you talk about eating less sugar. When you talk and encourage your family to eat healthy and other people get so upset. Its fascinating to me really. How people can be ok if I get hotdogs, cokes and fries for my kids at a ballgame and say nothing, but if I took a backpack of fruit to eat while at the game people would stare  and wonder what kind of freaks we were. How weird is that? To choose to be healthy in a world of fast food and processed foods is in reality a rare and unusual thing. 

Diabetes, heart disease, cancer,  depression and various other things in this world could be made so much better by choosing to train ourselves to love "health" food just as much as we love junk food. Its that simple, and yes.. that difficult.  For me and my family, I choose health. I choose to go down fighting. Sure, I will die of something someday... You know there is that saying "Eat well, Stay fit and Die anyway".... and you know what... I hope I go down like Jake Lalane did yesterday.... a fit happy healthy 96 year old, Like him I hope to be doing things in my 60s 70s and 80s people dont dream of doing in my 30s. Life to the fullest isnt sitting on the couch with a beer  in one hand and a my double chin in the other dreaming of being different, but I am afraid most people in America think that is what living is all about.