As I write this post I feel nearly as excited as I was as a child on Christmas Eve! It's not necessarily the literal eve before our final blog post, but it is however, the final post, before our final post, that will announce the outcome of this amazing journey! And then I'm also thinking how we can make this post as short as possible so that the panel of judges won't get bored or annoyed?! That's going to be hard, because this is six months of progress, six months of one amazing roller coaster ride that I'm so not ready to get off of, yet so ready to be done with. If that makes sense. :)
So what I thought I would do is a little copy and pasting. I'll bring over the most significant portions of our original plan in red with "before" pictures and tell you the outcome of that particular portion and how we may have either, met, fell short of, or exceeded our goals with some "after" pictures. Good plan?? Ok, here we go!
- Change what we are eating! - My kids hate most vegetables! I take full credit for this disability. I've chosen to take the easy peasy road because I have felt at many different times that is wasn't worth the battle. I am certain that we are in the same boat as many other parents.
- How? *Fact* Scientifically it is stated that it takes some individual palates twenty separate attempts or tastes of a certain food before they can learn to enjoy it. (Info from twin sister and registered dietitian Tiffany Topliff ) :)
- Fruits and veggies (This is all experimental!)
- Every week, during the first 20 weeks of the challenge I will pick out one to two different veggies and one fruit that the kids would normally shun, and they will try that item (Each food will get a total of three weeks,but on an alternating random schedule.) Three weeks = 21 tastes of the food = like or dislike
- I don't expect my children to be able to incorporate EVERY item into our diet because there are some foods that people just don't like or some tastes that develop with maturity.
- This should result in APPROX 14 different vegetables and 7 different fruits. We will have to leave room for error!
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| drama queens! |
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| Just a little over dramatic right?? |
I am so overwhelming happy with the results of our food experiment!! Vegetables and fruits that we were able to include in our experiment...bell peppers, squash variations, zucchini, peas, carrots, tomatoes, avocados, green beans, broccoli variations, cucumbers, spinach (salad form),kale (in salad), green leaf/romaine lettuce (in salad), asparagus, cantaloupe, pineapple, kiwi, pears, peaches, honey do, blueberries. I'm sure I am forgetting a few.
Met Goal - we accomplished trying over 14 veggies and 7 fruits!
Fell short - we didn't get every vegetable in for ALL 21 taste tests. Overall we were able to get really clos to that goal though! Taking children from a pretty much, zero healthy food diet made this very difficult, but extremely rewarding! We had to make room for real life time crunches, attitude adjustments etc.. Many of the foods our girls still really can't stand, but hey, they tried them! They still don't like asparagus at all and squash, not very much. Tomatoes and bell peppers were a so-so reaction every time we tried them, however they now tolerate them very well when I make them put it on their salads!
Exceeded Goal
- along the way we incorporated eating a healthy salad at least three times a week! And that alone makes this family a winner in our own home! My girls now eat a salad mixed with kale, spinach, and green leaf/romaine!! Now, to be honest, sometimes it's still a battle, but it's a battle I win every time. Ultimately, they really do now enjoy a salad!
- we planted a garden! It's a garden, but regardless, it's a garden! We planted Romaine, Roma tomatoes, Cherry tomatoes, strawberries, onions, lettuce, and broccoli. The girls were able to learn what a little hard work and patience gets you! They LOVED the strawberries and the broccoli.
- A huge accomplishment is Brylee's new liking to avocados! She went from absolutely HATING them, to now asking for them on her tacos and tostadas. Both Tommye and Brylee now ask for guacamole as well :) Oh how this makes me happy, as avocados have been one of my all time favorites my whole life. Broccoli has now become a staple in our household in its many variations, and carrots are much more tolerated than expected. Nearly all fruit taste test hit it out of the ballpark except pineapple for Tommye, and neither liked Blueberries or kiwi, not even Heston.
- and my favorite....my girls will now open their mind to trying just about ANYTHING now! It may only be a small taste that they end up spitting out, but before this challenge, it was a battle even to get our girls to try the simplest foods. They even tried fish the other day....what the what??? They even ask now "mom, can I try that?" instead of me demanding "you better try this or I'm sending you to bed". Awesome!!!
My happy salad eaters!
And here a few pics of us enjoying our end result from the garden!
-Breakfast and snacks.....lets get a way from cold cereal!
Met Goal - we accomplished trying over 14 veggies and 7 fruits!
Fell short - we didn't get every vegetable in for ALL 21 taste tests. Overall we were able to get really clos to that goal though! Taking children from a pretty much, zero healthy food diet made this very difficult, but extremely rewarding! We had to make room for real life time crunches, attitude adjustments etc.. Many of the foods our girls still really can't stand, but hey, they tried them! They still don't like asparagus at all and squash, not very much. Tomatoes and bell peppers were a so-so reaction every time we tried them, however they now tolerate them very well when I make them put it on their salads!
Exceeded Goal
- along the way we incorporated eating a healthy salad at least three times a week! And that alone makes this family a winner in our own home! My girls now eat a salad mixed with kale, spinach, and green leaf/romaine!! Now, to be honest, sometimes it's still a battle, but it's a battle I win every time. Ultimately, they really do now enjoy a salad!
- we planted a garden! It's a garden, but regardless, it's a garden! We planted Romaine, Roma tomatoes, Cherry tomatoes, strawberries, onions, lettuce, and broccoli. The girls were able to learn what a little hard work and patience gets you! They LOVED the strawberries and the broccoli.
- A huge accomplishment is Brylee's new liking to avocados! She went from absolutely HATING them, to now asking for them on her tacos and tostadas. Both Tommye and Brylee now ask for guacamole as well :) Oh how this makes me happy, as avocados have been one of my all time favorites my whole life. Broccoli has now become a staple in our household in its many variations, and carrots are much more tolerated than expected. Nearly all fruit taste test hit it out of the ballpark except pineapple for Tommye, and neither liked Blueberries or kiwi, not even Heston.
- and my favorite....my girls will now open their mind to trying just about ANYTHING now! It may only be a small taste that they end up spitting out, but before this challenge, it was a battle even to get our girls to try the simplest foods. They even tried fish the other day....what the what??? They even ask now "mom, can I try that?" instead of me demanding "you better try this or I'm sending you to bed". Awesome!!!
My happy salad eaters!And here a few pics of us enjoying our end result from the garden!
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| straight from our garden!! |
-Breakfast and snacks.....lets get a way from cold cereal!
Met/exceeded goal
- Tommye eats oatmeal now!!!! Cereal is an option only a couple times a week or in vacation mode :) Bagels and fruit are a pleasant breakfast now as well. The options for my girls on snacking are very similar to breakfast. They can have a small bagel, a cheese stick or they may have a fruit, or sometimes a nutrigrain bar.
- Tommye eats oatmeal now!!!! Cereal is an option only a couple times a week or in vacation mode :) Bagels and fruit are a pleasant breakfast now as well. The options for my girls on snacking are very similar to breakfast. They can have a small bagel, a cheese stick or they may have a fruit, or sometimes a nutrigrain bar.
-Dessert - Only having dessert two times a week...on family home evening and on Friday, Saturday or Sunday night.
Met/exceeded goal
- Wahoo!!!! This is another HUGE effort! We stuck to our guns on this one and succeeded. This turned unbelievable rewarding because my girls finally learned to stop asking for a sweet treat every.night.of.the.week. and at every.grocery.store.trip. Saying no after no gets exhausting. This has been a key in mine and Darrin's weight loss success. Not having sweets and junk food in the house has been pivotal. And we all now, enjoy and look forward to our weekly treat, instead of hating ourselves for over indulging every night or every other night. When we felt in dire need of something sweet, we resorted to dark chocolate almonds because they are too potent to over eat but fill any sweet tooth.
- Change Physical activity - Why?? Physical activity ultimately keeps us live! It keeps the heart healthy and keeps many chronic conditions at bay. Darrin is on high blood pressure medication, so one of our goals is to get him off these meds. And of course it keeps our bodies fit and lean which results in the ability to take part in many daily things that otherwise one cannot enjoy while being over weight.
How? - Family physical fitness activity will be at least once a week. These activities will be decided along the way but so far include: Soccer, swimming, hiking, jogging, biking, tennis, hiking, etc... We will come up with more as we go.
Just a little friendly competition between husband and wife right??
Outcome...
- Wahoo!!!! This is another HUGE effort! We stuck to our guns on this one and succeeded. This turned unbelievable rewarding because my girls finally learned to stop asking for a sweet treat every.night.of.the.week. and at every.grocery.store.trip. Saying no after no gets exhausting. This has been a key in mine and Darrin's weight loss success. Not having sweets and junk food in the house has been pivotal. And we all now, enjoy and look forward to our weekly treat, instead of hating ourselves for over indulging every night or every other night. When we felt in dire need of something sweet, we resorted to dark chocolate almonds because they are too potent to over eat but fill any sweet tooth.
- Change Physical activity - Why?? Physical activity ultimately keeps us live! It keeps the heart healthy and keeps many chronic conditions at bay. Darrin is on high blood pressure medication, so one of our goals is to get him off these meds. And of course it keeps our bodies fit and lean which results in the ability to take part in many daily things that otherwise one cannot enjoy while being over weight.
How? - Family physical fitness activity will be at least once a week. These activities will be decided along the way but so far include: Soccer, swimming, hiking, jogging, biking, tennis, hiking, etc... We will come up with more as we go.
Just a little friendly competition between husband and wife right??
Outcome...
Met goal, exceeded goal, didn't fall short on this one in any way at all!! For the last 24 weeks we engaged in a family workout/physical activity without fail! Activities included...walking multiple times, soccer twice, tennis, volley-tennis twice, basketball, Wii dance-off/competition, hiking twice, trail running/walking, swimming twice, YMCA kids day, obstacle course, Jump-time twice, biking, sledding, rock wall climbing, and park outings.
This has been Darrin's favorite part of the entire challenge! He told me yesterday that this has been so rewarding to experience as a family. We used to be somewhat sedentary as a group. We would choose simple cheap movies, or just plain go to the park. Now, we choose and love to do active things. In particular as a family we love hiking and rock wall climbing the most. We enjoyed every activity we engaged it, but everyone's favorite has been the hiking/climbing! A sport we never intend to stop! Here are just a few favorite pics of our many activities...
- I believe one of the best ways for children to learn is by example. So Darrin and I will continue on in our separate workouts. Thank heavens for the daycare at the gym because I couldn't do it otherwise...and my kids get to see me workout everyday. Best example!
-Individual workouts as adults.
-My weight loss goal is 15-20 pounds
-Darrin's at the very minimum goal is to lose as much as he can approx 2-3 pounds a week approx 70 pounds.
This has been Darrin's favorite part of the entire challenge! He told me yesterday that this has been so rewarding to experience as a family. We used to be somewhat sedentary as a group. We would choose simple cheap movies, or just plain go to the park. Now, we choose and love to do active things. In particular as a family we love hiking and rock wall climbing the most. We enjoyed every activity we engaged it, but everyone's favorite has been the hiking/climbing! A sport we never intend to stop! Here are just a few favorite pics of our many activities...
- I believe one of the best ways for children to learn is by example. So Darrin and I will continue on in our separate workouts. Thank heavens for the daycare at the gym because I couldn't do it otherwise...and my kids get to see me workout everyday. Best example!
-Individual workouts as adults.
-My weight loss goal is 15-20 pounds
-Darrin's at the very minimum goal is to lose as much as he can approx 2-3 pounds a week approx 70 pounds.
Met/Exceed Goal
- Both Darrin and I accomplished workout after workout. We incorporated strength training, running, walking, elliptical, biking, spinning, aerobic classes, HIIT, and crossfit into our daily and weekly routines!
- Darrin as of right now is weighing 275! He still has over 2 days to weigh in, so he's hoping for another couple pounds, as he has been on a juice cleanse this week to attempt making the top 15. Currently at 275 and coming from 342 brings Darrin's weight loss to 67 pounds which averages 2.79 pounds a week which equals 19.6% of his body weight lost. I believe this may put him as #13 on the overall leader board! This is purely my own estimation, so we'll see if I'm even remotely correct! Darrin wants to lose another 30-40 pounds to be approx 235ish. He plans on keeping it real and true to a busy life style. He has a new love for biking, due to our wonderful neighbor and friend who has supported and pushed him through a few workouts. Darrin's ultimate goal is to bike the Centennial hill up and down three times. This hill is at least a 10-12% grade, so this is a great goal! He wants to lose the rest of his weight on his bike and to purchase an amazing bike as a reward. This would be Awesome!! Shoot for the stars baby, shoot for the stars!
- Me, I started at I believe 171 pounds, maybe 172, and this morning weighed myself in at 149!!! What the what??? I LITERALLY have not seen the number four in that "tens" spot since Carson Junior High! I honestly didn't think it was even near possible to be in one-forty land, haha! That's 22 pounds! Now that I know what I'm capable of, I'd like to get to 145 and then make some fat to muscle transfers and tone this body up! My new love is trail running. If only we had more trails here in Twin Falls! In Pocatello the trails are endless so I will be taking advantage of those and also the trails I come across on our upcoming camp outs! Just being able to move my body since my 2 years of immobilizing pain, has been an emotional and joyous reward. As I HIIT it hard on my treadmill and on my five mile jogs, I can't help but shed a few tears of joy. I know that might sound silly or cheesy, but I really can't help it :) I knew I missed running, but didn't realize how much I missed it.
- Both Darrin and I accomplished workout after workout. We incorporated strength training, running, walking, elliptical, biking, spinning, aerobic classes, HIIT, and crossfit into our daily and weekly routines!
- Darrin as of right now is weighing 275! He still has over 2 days to weigh in, so he's hoping for another couple pounds, as he has been on a juice cleanse this week to attempt making the top 15. Currently at 275 and coming from 342 brings Darrin's weight loss to 67 pounds which averages 2.79 pounds a week which equals 19.6% of his body weight lost. I believe this may put him as #13 on the overall leader board! This is purely my own estimation, so we'll see if I'm even remotely correct! Darrin wants to lose another 30-40 pounds to be approx 235ish. He plans on keeping it real and true to a busy life style. He has a new love for biking, due to our wonderful neighbor and friend who has supported and pushed him through a few workouts. Darrin's ultimate goal is to bike the Centennial hill up and down three times. This hill is at least a 10-12% grade, so this is a great goal! He wants to lose the rest of his weight on his bike and to purchase an amazing bike as a reward. This would be Awesome!! Shoot for the stars baby, shoot for the stars!
- Me, I started at I believe 171 pounds, maybe 172, and this morning weighed myself in at 149!!! What the what??? I LITERALLY have not seen the number four in that "tens" spot since Carson Junior High! I honestly didn't think it was even near possible to be in one-forty land, haha! That's 22 pounds! Now that I know what I'm capable of, I'd like to get to 145 and then make some fat to muscle transfers and tone this body up! My new love is trail running. If only we had more trails here in Twin Falls! In Pocatello the trails are endless so I will be taking advantage of those and also the trails I come across on our upcoming camp outs! Just being able to move my body since my 2 years of immobilizing pain, has been an emotional and joyous reward. As I HIIT it hard on my treadmill and on my five mile jogs, I can't help but shed a few tears of joy. I know that might sound silly or cheesy, but I really can't help it :) I knew I missed running, but didn't realize how much I missed it.
- Attend as many planned family activities and classes set up by the Magic Valley competition.
We didn't get to attend as many of these activities as we would have liked. Soccer weekend tournaments in Boise, took us away during most of the events, but having our daughter active in competitive soccer was worth it. We were able to attend the YMCA Kids Day which was totally cool, and we were actually one of the only ones to attend the "MVWLC Last Chance Workout" last Saturday. It was really fun and an excellent workout regardless!
LEAD, coordinate and plan a community health event. To be determined.
This goal was sooooo unbelievably rewarding! Please read my "community event" post to read these amazing details and fun videos and pics, there are too much to re-post!! The high light of it all though.....seeing a close friend of mine reach her weight loss goals every week and watching her succeed and cheering her on. And of course...climbing the massive rock climbing wall with my husband and 10 year old daughter!
We also want to do a landmark activity as we get better in shape.
- Jump-Time activity Our "before an after" activity is Jump-Time. Darrin is too heavy at the current time to participate in our "before" activity, which is why it is our "before" activity. It is our hope that Darrin will be below 280 so he can participate in our "After" activity!
Going to meet this goal!
- We absolutely hated seeing "daddy, Big 'D'" sit on the sidelines as we all jumped our hearts out together as a family without him. This is one of the coolest places to go here in Twin Falls! So many fun activities that you can do under one roof and on a bunch of trampolines! Your heart won't be able to resist staying high rhythm! We immediately knew this had to be our hopeful "before and after" landmark activity. And 4 days shy of the end of our challenge, he made it! Under 280 babe, under 280. We originally planned on going the Jump Time this evening on Thursday the 19th, however, we were a half hour too late, not realizing that they closed at 8 and we couldn't get a full paid one hour in. So we have to adjust this "after" activity and go this coming Saturday! W are so excited to share the fun of this awesome trampoline gym that we discovered in the beginning of this challenge.
- We absolutely hated seeing "daddy, Big 'D'" sit on the sidelines as we all jumped our hearts out together as a family without him. This is one of the coolest places to go here in Twin Falls! So many fun activities that you can do under one roof and on a bunch of trampolines! Your heart won't be able to resist staying high rhythm! We immediately knew this had to be our hopeful "before and after" landmark activity. And 4 days shy of the end of our challenge, he made it! Under 280 babe, under 280. We originally planned on going the Jump Time this evening on Thursday the 19th, however, we were a half hour too late, not realizing that they closed at 8 and we couldn't get a full paid one hour in. So we have to adjust this "after" activity and go this coming Saturday! W are so excited to share the fun of this awesome trampoline gym that we discovered in the beginning of this challenge.
Sleep! Simply to try and get more sleep :)
Goal...Fell short! - we have to be honest right?? Awe, sleep, it's a love/hate routine in this household along with many other households I presume. We love to sleep in and we like to stay up. Some times we did make our goals of getting to bed early, but hardly ever. Its a goal that eludes us....but we'll keep trying!
Where do we go from here?
During these last six months we have learned sooooo much! It was been a roller coaster for sure, without a doubt a roller coaster of emotions with failures and successes! I believe that we are new family. We have always loved each other, but now we love each other with exercise and healthier eating habits!
Through out this blog, honesty and accountability have been a high priority. I truly believe honesty is one of the many important standards that keep us on that stairway to heaven. So, in honesty I'll tell you that these last 24 weeks have evoked high emotions. Emotions between me and Darrin, where at one time or another I thought we might kill each other. Other times where I thought Darrin just might walk out the door because of my constant crazy wife drilling. He calls it the typical nagging, but I call it cheer leading? There have been times where I wanted to ring my kids necks or though I might never leave my room! There have been mad tears, angry tears, frustrated tears, tears of disappointment, and just plain psycho tears. There has been yelling, arguing and fighting, door slammings and pillow screaming, dogs in the house and mommy time-outs. But you know what else?? There have been tears of happiness, tears of success, tears of joy, and tears of accomplishment. There have been words of motivation and encouragement. There have been countless hugs and high fives, hands being held and even a few chest bumps. There has been excitement, laughter and fun being had, love and thoughtfulness flowing, and so many acts of service. Emotions where I thought my heart my burst with love, gratitude and righteous pride. We've learned how blessed we are to have each other. How lucky we are to live in the same house. We've learned how hard we can push one another, yet how soft our touch should be. We've learned what makes us tick. What makes us feel motivated. What makes us feel loved.
Six months is a long time. We've had all three of our children turn a year older, celebrated our twelve year anniversary. We survived the end to a very long and busy year of Darrin getting closer to becoming a registered nurse. We made it through our first year in a new city, new schools, new home and new jobs without any family near by to lend a hand. We've worked hard on piano recitals, science fair projects, field trips, case studies, over-nights and clinicals. We've had birthday parties and pitty parties. We've been through ear infections, chiggers, lost teeth and added ear tubes! We've had our failures and now, success! Yes it's been a roller coaster these last six months, and what do we have to show for it? How about 90 pounds together being gone forever and we get to sit with our children around a healthy dinner table. As cliche as it may sound, we have already won, even if we don't end up with anything tangible. We have changed the way we live. Darrin has chosen life. That was the goal, and we reached it. Progress never stops though, it's not supposed to. We will keep going. Where do we go from here? Up. Sometimes down, but mostly up. :)
The infamous "Before and After" pics and stats of our Family Challenge weight loss
Analisa
January June
Jan 5th June 19th Final stats lost
weight - 171 pounds 149 pounds 22 pounds lost!
I wish I had taken better before pictures and wish I had taken measurements, but I honestly didn't think that I was going to reach any goals or be able to contribute in that way to this blog, so I didn't do it. Sad outlook I had, but I dug deep anyways, and I'm a happy girl :)
Big 'D'
Where do we go from here?
During these last six months we have learned sooooo much! It was been a roller coaster for sure, without a doubt a roller coaster of emotions with failures and successes! I believe that we are new family. We have always loved each other, but now we love each other with exercise and healthier eating habits!
Through out this blog, honesty and accountability have been a high priority. I truly believe honesty is one of the many important standards that keep us on that stairway to heaven. So, in honesty I'll tell you that these last 24 weeks have evoked high emotions. Emotions between me and Darrin, where at one time or another I thought we might kill each other. Other times where I thought Darrin just might walk out the door because of my constant crazy wife drilling. He calls it the typical nagging, but I call it cheer leading? There have been times where I wanted to ring my kids necks or though I might never leave my room! There have been mad tears, angry tears, frustrated tears, tears of disappointment, and just plain psycho tears. There has been yelling, arguing and fighting, door slammings and pillow screaming, dogs in the house and mommy time-outs. But you know what else?? There have been tears of happiness, tears of success, tears of joy, and tears of accomplishment. There have been words of motivation and encouragement. There have been countless hugs and high fives, hands being held and even a few chest bumps. There has been excitement, laughter and fun being had, love and thoughtfulness flowing, and so many acts of service. Emotions where I thought my heart my burst with love, gratitude and righteous pride. We've learned how blessed we are to have each other. How lucky we are to live in the same house. We've learned how hard we can push one another, yet how soft our touch should be. We've learned what makes us tick. What makes us feel motivated. What makes us feel loved.
Six months is a long time. We've had all three of our children turn a year older, celebrated our twelve year anniversary. We survived the end to a very long and busy year of Darrin getting closer to becoming a registered nurse. We made it through our first year in a new city, new schools, new home and new jobs without any family near by to lend a hand. We've worked hard on piano recitals, science fair projects, field trips, case studies, over-nights and clinicals. We've had birthday parties and pitty parties. We've been through ear infections, chiggers, lost teeth and added ear tubes! We've had our failures and now, success! Yes it's been a roller coaster these last six months, and what do we have to show for it? How about 90 pounds together being gone forever and we get to sit with our children around a healthy dinner table. As cliche as it may sound, we have already won, even if we don't end up with anything tangible. We have changed the way we live. Darrin has chosen life. That was the goal, and we reached it. Progress never stops though, it's not supposed to. We will keep going. Where do we go from here? Up. Sometimes down, but mostly up. :)
The infamous "Before and After" pics and stats of our Family Challenge weight loss
Analisa
January June
Jan 5th June 19th Final stats lost
weight - 171 pounds 149 pounds 22 pounds lost!
I wish I had taken better before pictures and wish I had taken measurements, but I honestly didn't think that I was going to reach any goals or be able to contribute in that way to this blog, so I didn't do it. Sad outlook I had, but I dug deep anyways, and I'm a happy girl :)
Big 'D'
Jan. 5th stats: June 19th Final stats lost
weight: 342 lb. 275 67lb
peck/bust - 55.5 in. 48.5 7 in
real waist - 56.5 in. 49.5 7 in
arms/bicep - 19 in. 14 5 in
thighs - 28.5 24 4 in
23 inches total!
Thank you everyone for your love and support during these last six months!! We couldn't have made this progress and these lifesaving changes had we not had our loved ones behind us!! And thank you MVWLC for motivating and encouraging this family, we are so grateful!!!!
We will post the outcome of Darrin's final weigh-in on Saturday, along with our Jump-Time "after" family activity pics and the overall outcome as well. Thank you!!!
