The first week is always the easiest, but is was also the MOST FUN EVER!!

What a FUN week!! Okay, so I definitely realize that the first week of trying to make any lifestyle changes is the easiest. But usually they are the most dreaded?? Well anyways, that's what I expected. I thought my girls would be kicking and screaming every day at all the changes, but this wasn't the case! I'm really really really hoping we can keep this fire that we've built under our "bum bums" big, strong and hot! Keeping fingers, toes and eyes crossed!

We wanted to introduce this taste experimentation process to the girls a fun way, so we thought we would take them to their favorite restaurant here in Twin Falls...Sizzler. Yep, it's both of their favorite, and I knew it would be perfect to explain and start our plan because of the buffet of different "yucky" vegetables! I'll explain what happened as I post the pics...This was so fun and hilarious!

The "bad" food

The "yucky" foods

Our first night was last Monday and it started at the Sizzler....we explained what was going to happen at the dinner table and then had them get their first plate of every vegetable they wouldn't want to eat because it was yucky in their eyes. And then they were instructed to gather a second plate of things they enjoyed the most. End goal......Have their reactions be the opposite at the end of June when we have these lovely "yuckies" in our home!

 They started off with the easiest thing, a honey-do melon.

Honey Do

Honey Do

They loved this! I told them, all these years you have been refusing this yummy fruit!!  I knew the rest wouldn't be this easy :)

She might throw up!

Brylee with an avacado and Tommye-Lynn with a simple tomato. Some of the best reactions :)  Hahahahaha!! I know cottage cheese isn't a vegetable, but this is all about tasting things that they wouldn't normally try. I was so impressed with their compliance!! This competition may be the key to a whole new  healthy life, just as I dream! Let hope they end up liking more things, but not so much the cottage cheese! (I, myself have never and will never like cottage cheese)

                                                                     Tommye Tomato is so dramatic!!






The spinach and the cucumber got  "so so" reactions....This is good because now they have another 19 tastes till hopefully they will use it on a regular salad!

Throughout this first week we tasted avocados, tomatoes and pineapple.  EVERY night! Only once did I get a "come on mom!" So I see this as progress.  The dinners through out the week we tried to blend with an avocado or tomato theme. Tommye actually had a good reaction to both vegetables on the tacos. The second night with rotisserie chicken sandwich, not the same reaction! Brylee was very tolerant of the tomatoes but HATED the avocados. Tommye isn't a fan yet of pineapple, but I have Brylee in the bag! We will return to these items and taste them again in a couple weeks. But if the recipe I make on a certain evening calls for either veggie, then the girls will still have to eat them or try them along with the new veggie/fruit for the week. I consider this first week a success! This week will be carrots in all forms, spinach and peaches. 

And I had to include Heston, but he's easy, his tastebuds aren't too partial yet!

Tommye did AWESOME with incorporating my assigned breakfasts! Her week of healthy breakfasts included thin bagels with cream cheese and honey do, yogurt and oatmeal. She also didn't resist the idea of sandwiches, however would only eat a small portion, so we will work on that. We stuck to our one dessert on Saturday night which was frosted animal crackers! We forgot to get a treat for Monday :)

Our exercise of the week....I was able to start jogging again!!!! Due to some unexplained injury and immobilizing pain I haven't been able to use a treadmill for over 1.5 years. For some reason, I was able to jog this week without any pain! I wasn't able to get past 4 miles an hour or else the pain seemed to visit me again, so I kept that pace and will try to increase it as I go. This will surely help my weight loss!!

Our family workout this week was swimming, an activity my kids crave, but not so much us parents, but we had a blast! It was fun to be together as a family. Darrin woke up from his working the nocturnal shift at around 1pm so we headed to the indoor pool at 1:30 and left at 3:30 to get Heston down for his nap! We really never have made an actual conscious effort to do active  family outings before, so we look forward to this challenge.

Darrin has done so amazing!! Granted the first week and this week will be the easiest because school hasn't started yet, but it has been a great "breaking the ice" experience for him. He hasn't worked out for a very long time! He did a lot of cardio this week at the YMCA that included treadmill walk/run method and elliptical. He will continue to get faster and stronger! He starts cross-fit on Wednesday and he can't wait!!! Darrin's eating was impeccable! He did lots of chicken and green veggies and didn't feel the need to cheat yet. He ate as many meals with us at the recipe allowed and subbed in other low carb items as he needed. And, drum roll please.............................Darrin lost 10 pounds this week! We both know that the first week is mostly water weight, blah blah, but hey, he's working hard and motivated for now, so we'll take it! Hopefully this number will increase even more, but we know this isn't the unrealistic biggest loser television show so we expect a lot of ups and down. Way to go babe!!

Darrin actually just now called me very somberly and shedding a few tears. He said that he is now more motivated than ever....he is working in the ER right now, and just witnessed a man die of a heart attack right in front of the man's wife and children. I can't say his age and no details because of the HIPPA law, but lets just say he was too young to die. He says that he doesn't want to be the main star of that kind of story, and I said good, because I don't want to be the leading female actress in that story either. Time to kick it in high gear babe. You can do it!!