Day 23

Well here we are 3 weeks down....jordan and I really have catching up to do weight loss wise. With a 70 lb/ 12 week goal we are like 8 pounds behind because of cheating during week 3. We kinda lost it at night. It just took me realizing I had left some cake mixes in the cupboard!  One night I made one after the kids went to bed....then it ended up happening 2 more nights that week.;(!! You wouldn't think that would affect our weight so much considering we were still eating right during the day....but we also stopped working out and our bodies just did not respond well. We got stomach aches and bloating and just felt terrible. Now we are back on track and I am hoping for at least 10 pounds in week 4.... that would give me 4 of my 8 extra I now  have to lose and if I could do 2 pounds extra per week for a couple weeks after that I will be caught up. So thats the goal.
Its weird even with cheating like that....there is never any question that we will ever go back from this new lifestyle. I mean give up on it. I know we will have times we give in to things. I am actually excited for things like easter or christmas times I can give the kids a little chocolate and they will be ecstatic because the never get it. I think its all the reading.  Its just neither of us can change what we know now. And the more we read from dr. Essy or dr. Fuhrman....the more resolute we are that this is how we will eat forever. One thing is im feeling like the MORE I read and understand, the less easy it is to explain to anyone. I never know where to start anymore because the more we learn there is no ONE major reason to adopt this lifestyle there are like 100 major reasons haha! And people get such fragmented nutritional advice from things like health shows.When you really learn how the nutrients in  whole foods work together like a symphony....one helping the other absorb better, and one making another more powerfully because they are made perfectly by our creator to all work together in that particular food. When u think about supplementing just one of them in a pill by themselves it is just so pointless.  Then sometimes people hear something that is in agreement with our lifestyle.....like " dairy can be bad" haha but they only think its bad for certain things.....or that we are extreme for cutting it out entirely .....infact I would say that is what we here the MOST from everyone....."well everything in moderation" akkkk that one drives us both nuts! Really? Everything? So cocaine....but in moderation? Cigarettes in moderation? When you learn what something is doing to your body......would u really want to continue but in moderation? I feel like its peoples way of making us seem like that extremist in their heads. Perhaps because its such a drastic change they don't want to conceive of the possibility for themselves so they justify it. I really believe its just lack of knowledge .....we have been raised with big government propaganda our entire lives......milk does a body good.....it helps your bones be strong and you to grow big and strong.
It just feels like its really difficult sometimes to live this way without offending people. Im trying to find the perfect response that wont incite more and more questions which leads to them feeling judged or like im being too extreme. But in the end I just don't care. Our new lifestyle in our opinion is perfectly cradled by our religion by the mormon word of wisdom. It spends a tiny couple sentences about things to make sure to abstain from......and the entire rest of it about diet. Eating of the bounty he has put here and using meet sparingly.  That is obviously left to interpretation.  It also says only in winter or times of famine....but we love to skip over that haha. It just happens that these 4 books I've been focusing on....ALL of the research they present showed that there is scientific evidence to support using meat very sparingly. Dr fuhrmans food pyramid feels the best to us. He says white lean meats can be weekly maybe even twice a week.....but its like a 6 oz piece divided between the whole family in a stirfry or soup or other meal....its flipping animal protein from being a daily staple....to being an occasional seasoning to your food. And red meat very rarely....like once a month and in the same small proportions. It feels right. We are at peace with this change, we feel happier, healthier,  and we have the peace to know that we are giving our kids the best chance we are able at a disease proof life, the rest is up to the lord.
Made dr fuhrmans pea/ bean soup last night, all of our favorite so far! And very filling ;) yum;)

Day 20

Weehaw!!! Sing the hallelujah chorus day 20 is an AWESOME DAY in the snell house! I made hummus from a recipe that appeared on my blog because I follow "fatfreevegan" lady. It was a recipe u just throw all the ingredients in the vitamix and poof 5 minutes later yummified hummus!  A great recipe and the BEST part is that  the hummus ended livies veggie strike!  I could shout from rooftops my girl loves her broccoli and carrots again!! Oh man this last week has SUCKED ahhhh im on cloud 9 for a moment. Yum;)

Day 17

As I go day after day now, eating so many fruits and vegetables....especial eating the creamed kale and assortment of greens for salads and smoothies, I cant help thinking how ironic it is. I never really thought about it before. You know it used to be that if you didnt live near a farm that produced a certain fruit or vegetable, well the odds you'd ever eat it were slim. And certainly you didnt get a variety of any kind in the winter. We are so lucky and blessed to live in a time when our supermarkets receive shipments of every kind and variety of produce all year long. And the irony is that at the same time, the disease causing, but convenient, processed and refined foods are what we mainly consume. All of our diet related diseases,  heart disease, diabetes, cancer, alzheimers, strokes, arthritis and so on,  could be largley prevented by a diet rich in the produce that only people of our time have the privelage to have available year round and right in our neighborhood store.
I feel such peace and happiness with this decision. I don't feel worried when my kids are around a sick child, I know im giving their little bodies the minerals and nutrients they need for a superior immune system. Of course they aren't completely  virus proof....but they sure seem to be holding up well against the onslaught of viruses around this winter and there have been so many. I need these moments to keep me feeling empowered to keep going. This one today especially feels motivational. To remember how blessed and lucky I am to live when all of this produce variety is at my fingertips and I actually HAVE the option to eat  a nutritionally superior diet. I don't want that blessing to be wasted on me or my children. I hope they can pass this lifestyle on to their children as well. I will do my best to continue to study and pass on the education to accompany it so they have that to keep motivated too.;)

Day 14 / end week 2

This have been going well. Jordan and I caved on one of his days off and went out to eat for lunch. We spent the day regretting it and jumped right back into it. Our week 2 weigh in went terrible....we both are exactly at the weight we were last weeks weigh in. Which tells me we need to really get on top of working out.
Today I had some different foods on the table....the kids just started snacking on whatever was out....including the cherry tomatoes which Livy used to love but she started refusing a while back and wouldn't eat any since. Yay! Why didnt I listen to dr. Fuhrman...he says he always has fresh fruit and veggies out on the table including plain romaine lettuce leaves and he says they always disappear. I thought, ya right! But here's the proof, they may refuse stuff when I have them locked in a high chair but when they are hungry they will eat what is out on the table. I then made a big bowl of washes grapes and strawberries and peeled oranges....all disappeared! A good day today. We are realizing stir fry will likely be our staple. It fills us up...and is easy to stuff into pitas for lunch with some hummus.
You know I used to buy veggies and just hope they didnt go to waste....but so so much always did. That has been the most fulfilling part of  this diet for me. No veggie is ever wasted it all gets used. It is so satisfying. We went to costco and I was sooo excited to see they carry fresh medjool dates! This has to be the largest cart of produce I've ever crammed in my car....and it is so satisfying to know all of this stuff will be in my families bellies! We wont waste any , and we will be healthy.
Week 2 weight.......Jordy 286 lbs .....Stephy 234 lbs
Yep embarrassing....but on the decline.

Day 10

Day from hell so far it feels like. My frustration with the kids has turned into an emotional melt down for me. Its getting worse....WHY IS IT GETTING WORSE. They ate vegetables FINE before I started this ....what the crap is that all about? They got more and more picky. Now today Livy refused her oatmeal all morning...then at lunch.I put her back in her highchair and told her she didnt get a sandwich until she ate it. She takes one tiny bite and will sit there. I have to sit and spoon feed every bite to her or she wont eat it. I made them a sandwich which I shouldn't be doing everyday but its my home made whole wheat bread and sunflower butter and usually a fruit inside but today I used honey. I need them to freaking eat vegetables again. Why did they stop suddenly what the HECK I can't stop bawling. I can't take this frustration over them refusing food. And now I have to work with jordan tomorrow and so I have to just hope those who take care of them will refuse them any processed foods or candy and make me have to relive these 10 days only WORSE because they will hold out longer next time! I can't do this anymore. I got out some baby carrots...they LOVE CARROTS AND HAVE EATEN THEM ALMOST EVERYDAY OF THEIR LIFE....yes they were from a can. So I steamed the baby carrots to make them soft....they threw them on the ground. I got out some cashew cream sauce for them to dip them in...the dipped them and sucked it off then threw them on the ground. I feel like im headed for a breakdown. I feel like my only two choices are to not allow them ANY food except vegetables until they start eating them. I swear they will just whither away they are already skinny little kids. Or I can allow them to continue like this.....letting them have whatever alternative they want as long as it is a whole food or grain. Livy will eat tons of fruit and tons of bread and almond milk and never touch anything else. I need to re read his book I feel like im going to snap. This is a good time to go in the garage and do insanity while the kids nap. Im slightly insane myself maybe it will be a better work out. I cant even start thinking about it or I start bawling again. I just dont know what to do