Caralee Baker Part 2!

4. Get a pedometer and use it!

I started wearing a pedometer all day, everyday. I put it on first thing in the morning and didn't take it off until I went to bed at night. I had a goal every day on how many steps I wanted to take a day and I tried to meet that goal as many days a week as I could. It is recommended that you take 10,000 steps a day. 10,000 steps is the equevelant of getting 30 minutes of extra activity. On most days I take around 6-8,000 steps a day. So I would try to take a walk to the park with my kids to get those extra 2-3,000 steps. Sometimes I just stand in my kitchen and run in place for 5 minutes at a time, several times a day to get my extra steps in. Do what ever you can do to get those extra steps in for the day.
On a side note my 4 year old thinks it is so cool to wear a pedometer and will run around the room and then stop and check how many steps that she has taken. I love that my daughter is learning from me and trying to be more healthy too.

5. Choose healthy snacks and don't eat emotionally.

Snacking and emotional eating were really what did me in. I used to snack so much in the afternoons that I would be too full to eat dinner. I told myself that this kind of eating was okay as long as I didn't eat dinner, but then I would get hungry before I went to bed and would snack on ice cream or have a bowl of cereal. Plus I was also nursing or pregnant for the about three years in a row so I got used to eating when ever I wanted. That had to change. So now if I have a snack, I make sure it is a piece of fruit or some veggies or some lean protein like a hard boiled egg. If I find myself wanting to snack more than one snack in a row or snaking in the evenings, I will stop and ask myself if I am really hungry or if I am just eating for something to do. If I am really hungry I try to snack on something healthy. If it is emotional then I try to drink a big glass of water or go brush my teeth, so that the urge to eat is filled in some other way.
Like I mentioned earlier I really don't crave sweets/candy as much as I used to. I still do crave chocolate and candy from time to time but I think it has a lot to do with if I am feeling stressed or emotional. If I give into the sweet craving,  I give myself a limit to how much I eat. I will eat only a small handful of the sweets and then stop. If I want more I will go eat something healthy. It is really hard having to learn how to stop when I want more. Self control when it comes to eating is very hard to learn and something that I have never really done. I have also found that my body is so used to all the fruits and veggies that I have been feeding it that I don't tolerate sweets like I used to. If I have to much sweets, I quickly get a stomach ache, as if my belly is saying to me, "why are you feeding me this crap, I want a green smoothie."
Also if you don't have the junk food in the house, then you wont be able to eat it. So just don't even go down that isle at the store. Don't buy it and you wont be tempted to eat it.

6. My final tip is to drink lots and lots and lots of water.

I am not much of a water drinker, to much water gives me a belly ache. I would much rather drink a vanilla coke. So no more soda! and no more juice! Drink water and lots of it and you will see your weight loss increase. It can be hard to do at first but slowly you will get used to it and your body will thank you for it.
Well that is all of my tips for now. Just don't give up. Keep trying and commit to making the life changes that your body needs. I know that I still have a lot more weight to lose but I also know that it will not happen over night. As I make the changes in my eating and activity levels I know that my body will continue to lose the weight. Another benefit to getting more healthy is that your family will notice and start eating healthier too. You are going to be the example that your kids need for healthy living as they grow up in the world of french fries, soda and Cheetos. Teach them about the goodness of fruits and veggies, water instead of juice and soda, and having a more active life. Not only will your body thank you but someday your kids will too!!  Good luck!!