Supplementing Your Diet

Kelli and I have been getting a lot of questions about what supplements we take.  So, I thought it might be helpful if we shared what we're taking and why we chose those supplements.

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When I was pregnant with my Sweet Pea, I was anemic.  My midwife recommended that I take an herbal iron supplement instead of a pill.  She recommend Herbal Iron from Mountain Meadow Herbs.  I started taking it and I immediately felt a difference!  I was intrigued with the idea of taking herbs as a way to get the nutrients my body needed.

This, in part, led me to become a certified Family Herbalist.  During the coursework, I realized that I would be a lot better off getting my vitamins and minerals from whole food sources.  One benefit from using whole foods is that I don't have to make sure that my calcium has vitamin D and magnesium to go with it, or that my iron has vitamin C!

As I continue to research and figure out what my body needs, I've added a couple other herbal mixtures to my daily routine.  Most mornings I make a smoothie for breakfast.  For an added nutrition boost, I add chia seeds and this mix from the Bulk Herb Store.  With this smoothie, I'm getting a great boost right away in the morning (and can sometimes even convince my kids to have some ;) ).

During the day I drink a lot of herbal teas.  They are my go to drink.  One of my favorites is the Mama's Red Raspberry Brew.  What am I getting by drinking this?  Red raspberry leaf is filled with essential minerals and vitamins like magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, vitamin C, E, A and B complex. It also contains easily assimilated calcium and iron. 

Another favorite is the Dr Cinnamon tea.  Cinnamon has been shown to significantly lower LDL cholesterol and triglycerides. Cinnamon also has the remarkable ability to reduce inflammation in the body. 

With these few additions to a fairly good diet, I have been able to get all the nutrients that my body needs.

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I always walked through the vitamin aisles at the stores and got so overwhelmed.  While I did Weight Watchers they insisted that everyone take a multivitamin so I always bought whichever was cheapest at the store and normally remembered to take it every day.  When I was pregnant my doctor prescribed me a prenatal vitamin and an iron pill (I was anemic with my first two pregnancies) that I would take religiously and would throw up half the time.

Then I started working with a lady that sold Juice Plus and I started buying that and I took it often because it was so expensive and it came to my house monthly!  When I started working with a personal trainer she told me about a lot of supplements that I decided to try and I stopped taking Juice Plus.  However, I realized that I was still shelling out a lot of money and not really seeing or feeling any different.

During my pregnancy with Anna I started reading more about real food diets and the belief that if you are eating a variety of fruits, vegetables, and meats from reputable sources that you don't necessarily need a ton of supplements.  I began investigating that theory more and decided that since I don't take any of my supplements religiously that I would try that out.

My family and I are all healthy and when we do get a check up or blood work done we are all in healthy ranges.  During the winter or when we are around sick people I use herbs and oils to boost our immune systems. I make sure that we literally eat a "rainbow" daily.  I make sure that we get in healthy fats and I have a lot more room in my cabinets because I don't have a bunch of bottles that we aren't using in there!

This post contains affiliate links.  These are products that we use ourselves.  Mom 4ce receives compensation when you purchase items through these links.

The Easy Way Out?

On Sunday I went to a nutrition seminar on a ninety day transformation program.  

I sat, listened, took notes even.  However, the biggest thing I did was suppress my eye rolls and groans.  

I really, really, really wanted to fall in love with this program and be able to pass it along to you.  

Unfortunately, I just couldn't endorse a program that pushed a product that was full of chemicals and passed it off as food.  Especially after I was told that it was full of vegetables.  

I also can't endorse a program that pushes little to no meat, don't get me wrong some people thrive on a vegetarian diet while others thrive on a diet full of meat, there is also the person that needs a balance of both; however it is up to YOU to figure out what works for you!

The big clincher in the deal was when I was told that I would have to give up coffee!  I'm sorry but no way, not happening!  

I was tempted though, it would be so easy.  You drink your breakfast and lunch and then just eat dinner with your family.  Easy peasy, the weight would literally roll off.  

Here's the deal, let me be straight with you; yes you can absolutely cut your calories down to almost nothing and you will lose weight.  You might even get used to eating very little and convince yourself over time that severe calorie reduction is the way to go.  

In the end though, you are going to struggle and your body isn't going to work as well as it should.  You will be cold a lot, your body will feel sluggish, your hormones will be out of whack so you will feel irritable and moody.  How do I know this?  Because I've done this type of diet before and one day I cracked and ate everything I saw.
 Self deprivation is not the way to go, trust me!

Don't get me wrong, I don't eat perfect all of the time.  In fact, today I ate a cookie that I bought at the store. It was really good and was the first cookie I had eaten in over a month. 

Was the cookie full of chemicals and junk?  Yes.  Was it a food that I had forbidden myself?  No, but it is a food that I limit myself too because I struggle with overindulging.  In fact, I am working on my self control problems when it comes to food; mainly sweets; so there are never any sweets kept in the house.  I can't do the moderation thing so for now I only eat sweets when I am out. 

As I sat in that seminar, I realized that diet and food are not a simple fix.  We all want the easy way out, a list with eat this but not that.  We want to wake up one day and be a size 4 or whatever our ideal number is.  Unfortunately, it isn't that simple, there isn't an easy way out!  It has taken me a year to lose sixty pounds.  I thought that by this time I would be at my ideal weight but I'm not.  There have been set backs and struggles but I have kept moving forward.  I am getting over my food hang ups, my binge eating habits, my struggle with vegetables, and my desire for the easy way out; the magic pill, shake, supplement, etc.  

Lynette and I want to help you out too.  We don't have a special program because we see the uniqueness in each person.  That is why we created Mom 4ce.  We want to help you make slow steady progress and reach your goals.  

So, how can we help you?

Food For Thought

I have been on some different food boards the last few months and they are starting to concern me.  I am not going to name names or point fingers because there is no reason for that.  

I am worried about the trend of starving yourself to lose that stubborn bit of fat.  

I am upset that women are encouraging each other to brush their teeth instead of eat some food when they are hungry. 

It is frustrating to read about a woman that goes on a date with her husband and instead of enjoying her food she analyzes every morsel and doesn't enjoy herself.  

STOP THE MADNESS!!!

Quit weighing yourself daily and agonizing over the number, please. 

Food is not an enemy. 

I am going to say it again, FOOD IS NOT AN ENEMY.

Yes, there are trigger foods and you can overeat, binge, and go nuts.  However, all together food as a whole is getting a bad wrap.  

If you are hungry eat.  No, not a quart of ice cream!  Go eat something that will nourish your body. 

If you go on a date with your husband, enjoy yourself.  Eat what you want; not what you think you should have.  

Listen to your body and feed it.  

Know Your Numbers

Whenever someone starts talking about their latest *diet* I cringe.  Not because wanting to lose weight and get in shape is bad, but because 95% of the time they're going about it the wrong way.

Many of the diets available today put your body into starvation mode- having you eat 1200 or fewer calories a day.  Sure, you'll see results right away, but after awhile you stop losing or *gasp* start gaining weight again.  Then you start worrying that there's something wrong with your body and cut calories even further or give up.

But, if you would have just known your numbers, things could have turned out differently.

What do I mean by that?  Simple.  Know how many calories your body has to burn just to exist.

There's a couple different way you can do this.  The most expensive is to have it done at a clinic.  Or, you can use this formula as a starting place:

(your weight in lbs) x 10 + 30% of that number

What does that really look like?  I'll use my numbers as an example because I know them ;)

125 x 10 = 1250
1250 x 1.3 = 1625

What?!?!?  You mean just to maintain where I'm at, without adding in exercise, I could eat 1600 calories a day? Yup.  So, if I was gong to jump on the latest diet craze and drop to 1200 calories a day, I would not be able to function for more than a couple days because my body would refuse to keep functioning like I had been use to.

Oh, but wait.  I said without exercise.  I need to add in more calories for exercise.  Since my main form of exercise is running, I use the estimate that I burn 100 calories per mile (this varies as your body becomes more efficient, but is a good starting place).  So, if I run 21 miles a week, I can eat an average of 300 more calories a day.

Wait, that means I'm eating 1900 calories a day now...

And for all the mamas out there who are nursing, you need to add more calories to help nourish your little bundle of joy.  I would recommend adding  300- 500 calories a day depending on how much they're nursing.

So yes, I eat close to 2200 calories a day to maintain my weight.

But, what does that mean if you're looking to lose weight?  One pound of fat has 3500 calories.  To lose that, you need to create a deficit of about 500 calories a day.  But, before you take that away from the number of calories your eating each day, remember this:

The most effective weight loss is going to come from a combination of diet and exercise.

I prefer that no more than about 250 of the calories needed per day come from a reduction in your diet.  The rest needs to come from a combination of cardio and strength training.  And as you build more muscle, your body will become more efficient at burning calories =)

The Phrase That Changed Me

A few weeks ago my oldest son, Kamron, said something that freaked me out, and changed my outlook all at the same time.  Let me give you some background...

We had a rough week, I burned dinner a few times; so we ate out a LOT that week.  I told my husband, that I felt "blech" and Kamron blurts out, "Yeah, I need to go on a diet".  I just froze!  Why is my seven year old son worried about a diet?  Seven year old kids should not have to worry about diets!

Then, it hit me...

Kamron is worried about diets because I have basically been on a diet since before he was born. 

I have obsessed about every bite of food. 

I have starved myself. 

I have gorged. 

I have counted calories. 

I have done any other fad thingy that came around. 

I have given my son a weird obsession about food.  

Therefore, I have decided to do something about it.  

I am not obsessing!  

I am not starving!

I am not gorging!

I am not counting calories!

I am not following the latest fad!

This change has resulted in enjoying food.  I am not stressed about every bite I take.
 We enjoy meal times as a family and relax.  I'm still losing weight and my son is no longer worried about his diet.  All in all, I would consider this a win.