I wanted to invite you...

To visit my other blog that will have only meal idea's and photo's of meals.
When we return to the show, If they ask what we eat I would like to be able to share the knowledge we have been given.

But I'm not so sure I want to share my heartbreak of loss with the world.
It's been a long Journey for me because of my miscarrriage loss.

It has been a journey for Simplicity because she is the sister who learned, yes people really do eat boring fruit for snack instead of snack cakes and chips. She has made a change also.

Its been a journey for Jerry because he has transformed into this Ham sandwitch with chips guy, now to a healthy father and husband. And when I say Healthy, it is amazing how he has transformed. He is now 160's. A workout guy and a father who has engery to run and play with his child.

And Best of all it has been a journey for The Heart of this whole thing. Our Patience.  It is just a simple blog of meal photo's and recipes. Still going to add photo clips and tibits but I just wanted to create a simple place for menu plans and recipes.

There is a Place called "Healthy Ever After for this family.
http://onceupontimeandhealthyeverafter-tori.blogspot.com/

Today

I wanted to just share my feelings, this hasnt been a easy journey for me. I have been very grateful for all the help, it saved my husbands life and my daguthers.

But some how i thought once i lost the weight, my feelings of wanting a new baby would dissappear. My heart is still sad because of my losses. Im very proud of my husband and daughter.

Im sorry i have slacked off on food diary. I have been going to dr.s and Jerry was sick for a few days.

Veggie/protein, fruit.

I will do better about the food diary.

Happy New Year

Jerry was in the hopstial he had a virual infection, he had fainted at work. He is home and doing well.

Im ready for a new year.


Food diary

Shake for breakfast with banana
Morning snack 1 egg boiled
Lunch 1 piece of chicken with  steamed cabbage and brocolli
Snack apple with all natural peanut butter
Dinner  Shake with plate of veggies, celery, carrots, cumcumber,tomatoe

9 water bottles

Not every night is a shake night we alternate with fish and veggies or shake and veggies.
I just chose shake because i wanted to go light and i wanted something sweet.

The weather was nice yesterday we took our usual family walk with snickers, he did not enjoy it as much as Bella did but I have to remember he is younger. Such a sweet little guy.

Food Diary

Shake for Breakfast with Tablespoon of natural peanut butter
( sorry I forgot to take photo) I will tomorrow morning.

The case of the Rice Krispy Treat and the MOM

I usually try not to let many things upset me. And since this is my journal thought I would write all my feelings good or bad.
Last night Patience had a Girl Scout Meeting and each time the moms take turns bringing snacks.
The snack outline is Healthy Snacks. Fruits, veggies, cheese.

Anyway a well meaning nice mom brought Rice Krispy Treat shaped in Halloween shapes in tons of Icing.
I was so upset on the inside, and of course did not show it.
I allowed Patience to eat the snack, because everyone was raving on how cute they were. And by the time I got in there she was already eating, it was in her sweet little chubby hand- and she was smiling and laughing with her friends. ( After the meeting she Crashed) :(

But deep down i was angry, Angry at the fact no matter what i do, how much we work out, or eat healthy. My little girl will always have to work twice as hard as the other girls to remain- chubby or average.
Not angry at the kids or parents, but angry at the way she has to work so hard.
Alittle upset at the mom- because the snack guidline was healthy!!!!! Not tons of sugar.

And although Patience has lost- We always get the looks from people who do know her. Because she is bigger. Deep down i think- if you only knew what she really eats, probally alot healthier than you. I guess all i can do as a mom is keep doing what we are doing- I cannot change her melabotic makeup.

Something different

I found this recipe on the net and with fall break coming up I thought it might be a nice  lunch for the girls.
 We try to limit the bread for Patience. Dr. G wants her to eat her sandwitch for school lunch everyday so i would just serve this for lunch maybe with a few slices of turkey thinly sliced on the side. A clever way to get her to eat her apple with without saying Oh momma Apple again.( she hardly complains)

Whole wheat Tortila's

A small amount of cheese or Vegan cheese

And apple

Spray Tortila with non fat cooking spray

Slice apples very Thin

And sprinkle cheese

Bake in oven until cheese melts. Cheese is not  a product we eat everyday. But thought this would be a nice lunch for the girls one day, Seems like Fall.

Wowwwwwwwwwwwwwww

I just had to get that out,  Since I have taken a break from facebook and my friends from Silent Grief. I have no one to complain to. ( I miss everyone)- but needed to spend more time with walking and working out. Cannot wait to return!!!
I just received a email from Simplicity's Spelling teacher. Simplicity has the most beautiful handwriting I have ever seen. Just beautiful. And I am very judgemental in handwriting. I will rewrite a card if i feel my handwriting isnt neat.

Anyway the teacher wrote a nasty letter how she wants Simplicity to rewrite all of her words because It wasnt in the new style the schools use. They use a new style. I forgot the name.
I know 5th grade is preparing for middle school. But she has a teacher that is just so picky.
And oh their homework is 2 hours nightly or more. And they have homework on the Christmas break!!! Yeah. And on the weekends!!! Their fall break is next week and they have homework!!

But what else can I do ? 5th grade doesnt last forever? :)

National Noodle Day

I think a couple weeks ago I had said we will fix pasta for the girls occasionally. Not to often. But never - white noodles. Wow it really has been a year since i have eaten at the Chinese place.

When we went to the pumpkin farm the other day, Jerry purchased a spaghetti squash and we cut it in half , took out all the seeds and placed it downside for about 45 minutes in the oven. And after it was done scooped out all the squash and Patience and Simplicity both ate it with spaghetti sauce with a tiny bit of cheese. They loved it.
Just a different approach than having noodles.

I was watching a TV show and they were showing economical ways for college kids to buy groceries and one of the items was the ram en noodles with a salad and some fruit. I sat there and shook my head. I once loved ram en noodles, but today honestly i probably could not eat them. ( and i totally understand if that is all someone could afford) I just had remembered how Patience would eat as a toddler and it helped her to gain the weight. :( - I really miss the days of all my children being toddlers. So sweet!!!

If we do purchase noodles it is whole wheat. Not to much more in the store. I think we have one small box in the cabinet now that is half full. - that is how much we use noodles. - And i had bought it weeks ago.

Noodles are not bad, but i think in moderation. One of my favorite things to fix in the fall when everyone is not feeling welll is Homemade chicken soup. If i do make it, it will only have a small amount of wheat noodles if any. It will probably be all veggies with the chicken. ( Jerry and Patience have alittle cough right now) :(

I hope today on your journeys, you give giving  the healthier noodles a try, they are not that bad.

About Halloween

Just got off the phone with Dr. G, He said if we completely make Patience give up all candy it will hurt her and make her feel as though she is being punished. So he said have a talk with her as a family and say how many pieces of candy do you feel is a good number Patience. Then give the rest to charity. ( in my mind i just want to throw it away) For some reason i see candy and sugar as a bad thing.

Then when she says 20 say something like Oh Patience that is a awfully high number that means a smaller gift. Then if she lowers the number say oh that is a bigger prize.
In other words reward her for making the healthier choice.
We were going to take her to the  J .diabetes Halloween party, they offer healthy snacks and support. I am sure they would make us feel welcome, but I would feel kind of strange knowing she doesn't have full blown diabetes. But I have decided to take a class for myself, since I have type 2 and been in denial for a few years now. We have the nutrition education with Dr. G. But I wanted to learn all I could for myself. I think in my last two pregancies I took my own diabetes lightly. Which I regret.

This has been a long journey, but a real eye opener. It isnt all about the weight its about health and heart also.

National Taco Day....

We still have taco's occasionally, with small wheat wraps. Turkey meat, Tomato's, Lettuce, onions, Taco seasoning, ( made from home) And a small sprinkle of cheese.
For Jerry and I we usually do not eat the wrap. We just have a taco salad ( made at home). And if they kids wanted sour cream, yogurt instead.

They really do not know the difference. We also make shrimp or chicken also. If we were to go out, ( on a rare occasion would  order ourselves and Patience a salad with no shell.

 Because she would want a few chips and salsa also. So we just explain to her if she eats the chips she would need to eat the taco salad with no shell. ( chicken).  Like I said we have not been out in a year..expect for Subway and once this past summer to a Mexican Resturaunt.

I hope today on your journeys your able to enjoy a taste of Mexico...it isnt bad for you, trying to avoid the flour and fried asspects of it. There is always away to be "healthy". Enjoy!!!

It is finally Fall.... :)

Today is National Coffee day!!!!

I never was much of a coffee drinker, however since we have started the diet, I occasionally drink coffee instead of reaching for a baked good at get to gathers. I get a cup of coffee instead of eating.
But I do not add real sugar we add Stevia. And if we were to use creamer it is sugar free creamer.  I love Starbucks Frappe but,,,they have a outrageous amount of calories in the glass bottles in the stores. Who needs the calories? So our answer about coffee is, Within moderation without all the sugar and cream. Far much better than reaching for a cookie or brownie. We have started to try different flavored hot teas.
I usually carry stevia in my purse and the packet creamer, in a zip lock bag. " Just in case" desert is offered instead of being rude we will drink the coffee. After you start to lose the weight many times well meaning family members and friends will say oh little piece is not going to hurt you. Or its OK to splurge just this one time. :)

I hope today on your journey if you decide to celebrate coffee day, you not only enjoy the cup but you enjoy a good book or a wonderful conversation with a dear friend. Its coffee day , enjoy. At a later time i will post a picture of our dr. Phil mugs we received from the show. Jerry drinks out of his mug...and then puts it up on a shelf. He is almost afraid it will get broken i think....lol Can you tell he is a huge fan?

About Halloween....

On a trip to the park the other day I was driving along with Patience she has been so excited about Halloween, already hanging pumpkins, spiders, witches...spooky stuff. Shes so funny. Anyway I said Patience I need to talk to you about something about Halloween. Sweetie you know all the candy is bad how about we go trick or treating, but then decide to go to trade the candy in for a new toy or a trip to Chuck E cheese.  And something happen that hasnt happen in a very long time, I seen a smile wipe from her face to  tears in her eyes and she didnt talk.
I had hurt her,,,,it isnt that she wants the candy, its she wants to be like everyone else.Come home pour all her candy on the floor and eat candy because she earned it. Bless her heart, I hate this for her. But what else can we do? Hopefully Dr.G can help. I realized she is still alittle girl that wants to be just normal. Just like her sister and her friends.

So next week i will have to talk to the dr, about this and see if he can come up with any other suggestions.

National Pancake day

Today is National Pancake/waffle day, we really do not serve pancakes, however if we did for Patience on special occasions it would be Bucketwheat or Cinnamon/Sweet Potato with Sugar free syrup. Honestly Patience rarely asks for bread products  we really try to encourage fresh fruit and Protein for breakfast. There will be times Simplicity will ask for waffles, so for her we also get whole wheat waffles from Eggo. - For Simplicity, its sometimes hard to ask her to give everything up on account of Patience. So I look for the healthiest choice for the products most families can feed their children that do not have a insulin problem.

http://www.easy-diabetic-recipes.com/diabetic-pancake-recipes.html

Words of Encouragement

Faith will make things possible not EASY. They always work together.

When i say....protein/veggies it becomes silent.

Yesterday we received a phone call from a sales clerk where we have bought furniture in the past, anyway she called to invite us to a new sale they have, And as we were talking she asked about Patience, Jerry, the show- how they were doing etc....She was very happy to hear of their success. In the conversation she asked about what the diet was. That she had just started a new diet.

And my simple answer was no diet just eating plenty of veggies and proteins.So many times when I say fresh veggies and fruit and protein ,,,,people will become silent.Because they start to think we are saying eat like a diet.. So i thought i would start to make a list to help them along.Out of all the proteins and veggies there has to be something they FAVOR. And can be content without resorting to fast food or food in a box. The key is to find your faves,,,and enjoy. There is no magic pill or recipe it is just getting into your mind Veggies are good for your body and proteins give energy. A way of life, not a diet.And water I always, always remind them about the water and the walking..(but they do not want to hear about the exercise part)

Protein: Grilled or baked chicken, Tuna, boiled or baked fish, almond butter, or natural peanut butter, boiled egg, fried egg in olive oil, scrambled egg, ground turkey, turkey bacon. That is where we get our sources of protein. So for the lunch Veggie/protein I will have 3oz of protein. Whether it be Tuna, baked fish, chicken, and a huge plate of veggies. Beans are full of protein however sometimes they can be a starch so for Jerry and I Dr. G wants us to eliminate the beans right now.
I will try to add photos more often to show you. This morning Patience has her cheering class :) So proud of her and very happy she is staying active. She dances right along with the rest..:)

Todays Food Holiday is ...

Crab meat, Patience loves taking imitation crab in her lunch.

I make a spicy home made salad not mayo based.
 Bell pepper,onions, celery, crab, Little dash of chili powder and lemon juice. And the tiniest bit of italin dressing for the kick. (not alot) or Basalmic Vingear.
(Imitation is of course less money) - we haved used the real also.

I hope today on your journeys you enjoy Little bit of seafood.

Food Plan for the week

As Dr. G affectionatly calls it "Food Jail" He is so funny!!!!:)





Breakfast- Whey Protein shake, A tablespoon of almond butter, and 1 Banana
Morning snack- Tomato
Lunch- Protein /veggie
Afternoon snack- egg, tomato
Dinner- veggies/shake and switching every other night fish/veggie

As long as I am eating according to the plan and drinking all the water- it doesn't seem like food jail at all. Just a healthy way of eating.
When driving in the mornings i see all the fast food places and think, wow look at the money we have saved. We have not eaten out in a year. Subway occasionally, I could not imagine ever going back to eating fast food regularly. If you notice the new food plan has very little fruit- A banana in the mornings. Not that fruit is bad ,,,for me my body processes protein the best. If my sugar gets alittle low i am allowed some grapes or other fruit.. Got to love food jail ;)

Wanted to share a very neat website

I stumbled across it and thought it was a kind gesture for friends or family letting them know they are in your thoughts, or prayers or just to let them know you were thinking of them.I love candles and just to light one brings a type of peace..http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/message.cfm?l=eng&cid=11644916http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/enter.cfm?l=eng

Thinking of starting...

Jerry and I discussed starting a local support group for families with obese children/insulin resistant. We are by no means experts on the subject and in no way doctors nor in the position to give medical advice. However we know we need to pay things forward. Whether it be a walking group for families or a support group. Giving basic information we have learned.

I went to eat lunch with Simplicity at school yesterday, and goodness it was so sad how many of the girls in her class were heavier. And their food choices were unbelievable. Of course they are children, well meaning parents think they are doing the right thing by allowing their children to eat the school lunch. The menu consisted of Pizza,brownie, chocolate milk, french fries. Of course it was a Friday but still.

Jerry knows he would like to do something but is Little hesitant, afraid he will not have enough to say. ( I laughed to myself on that one)Or he will not give the proper advice. And I said Jerry our group will not be to give medical advice it will be to offer support and to teach what we have learned. How we deal with classroom parties, holidays, all the things Dr. G has taught us.

Also Dr. G our nutriontist when speaking on the phone to Jerry said thinking of letting you guys be my poster family, with People magazine. And Jerry laughed and Dr. G said don't laugh I'm not joking....
So...who knows.

I am excited about our new group we may start. Being shy myself, however i have to remember all the families that are struggling the way we once did. And still do at times but given the tools the road is alittle smoother journey now. Patience still reminds overweight, however things are more managable and she is no longer in the danger zone. We are finally able to get her clothes in the childrens dept instead of ladies.