Let's Talk Lifestyle Changes

I feel as though I'm always posting about changing the way we live. I suppose there isn't anything wrong with that, I mean, who wouldn't want to change the way they live to make it just right for them?
We're constantly learning so it only makes sense to adjust things accordingly.

Let's talk Ketogenics.

Your body is probably using carbohydrates as its source of fuel, think of it as lighting a fire with newspaper, sure it burns but it quickly needs more paper or it will burn out.
Now imagine you have a whole stack of logs you aren't using, the logs represent fat, wouldn't you rather burn the fat?
Ketogenics is a low carb diet. Once you don't fuel your body with carbs, it starts to burn the fat stores (by the way, fat is how your body stores carbs).

We are switching to a ketogenic diet.

The most famous keto diet is Atkins, I'm sure you've probably heard of it. High fat, moderate protein, low carbs. Of course, this diet has a bad rap because people were using it as an excuse to eat truckloads of bacon and sticks of butter, which is definitely not what the diet is about (you still eat the normal 2000 calories a day). The fat comes from cooking in olive oil, eating fatty fish (like salmon) and/or small amounts of cheeses. The proteins are your basics, meat and eggs.  Carbs are kept to a minimum, the main source of carbs is veggies.
You start out with a small amount of carbs and slowly introduce more until you find your limit, meaning if you get to a point where you're reversing and your body starts burning carbs again then you need to cut back.

Now, I'm not a Dr, nutritionist, or dietician. I'm just a regular person, my husband is desperate to lose weight, he has tried plenty of diets and goes to the gym daily, he asked me to do this with him and I agreed. I thought I'd blog about the journey in case it might help someone out there in bloggy land.

I will be posting my stats (and his) and what we're eating, etc. We're making our grocery list and hoping to jump straight into this diet as soon as we get to the store.
I hope you'll check back soon to see how we're doing!

Becoming A Local

You can tell where I sit at the table because my place is littered with magazines, maps, pamphlets, lists, etc. Everywhere I go I pick up something new and exciting. Charlotte is not lacking in the Things To Do department.
We've only  been here a few weeks and have enjoyed hikes, museums, storytimes, water parks, planet viewing, and now we can add food festival to the list.
The Taste of Charlotte festival lasts 3 days, spans 5 city blocks and is jam-packed with food, vendors, locals selling items, street performances, and music. It was an amazing day.
We tried hot dogs, smoothies, tacos, Chinese food, ice cream, popcorn, and  pizza. I wish we could have tried it all! The girls enjoyed dancing in the street to local music, having their faces painted, splashing in fountains, trying new foods, and at the end of the day a street performer's magic act.
That was the most amazing part of the day. Watching a slight of hand act doing ball and cup tricks, pulling people from the crowd, cracking jokes, and the grand finale of escaping a straight jacket. My sweet little girls sitting front and center watching mesmerized. Charlotte was absolutely stunned when she was chosen to assist the very last act. I'll be honest, I was nervous for her. I wasn't sure if he'd ask her to do something she couldn't do or if she'd freeze in front of the large crowd, none of that happened and she performed beautifully. He brought her up to pump up the crowd, she put her arms up the crowd cheered, she put her arms down the crowd stopped. She was thrilled! She put her arms up and ran around the whole crowd, everyone cheering. I will never forget the smile on her face and I'm sure she'll never forget the experience.

Don't miss out on local festivals and other happenings in your area! Check Craigslist, your local libraries, grocery stores, YMCAs, even your state and county websites. I get our yearly state tourism magazine mailed to me, it's an excellent resource where you can find new things to do in your state. If you live in a large city, chances are they have a tourism magazine as well.
Just don't be scared or lazy to get out there, you never know what you might find :)

Miss Charlotte's Lesson

When I was younger, probably Char's age, I walked out of a convenience store with a box of candy I didn't pay for.
I was brought  back to the store, probably crying, upset, scared and made to give the candy back or pay for it. I can't recall all the details but I do remember it happened!

That incident did not prepare me for the day my own daughter would do the same thing.

While loading groceries into the trunk, I noticed Charlotte crying. After asking her what was wrong she told me she forgot to put something back and held out her hand revealing a small bottle of lotion from the checkout lane.

My first reaction was frustration, it was almost 100 degrees outside, I had cold groceries in the hot trunk and I'm ready to leave!
My second reaction was empathy. Her poor little tear stained face told me she was sorry, I felt for her.

I finished loading the groceries, got down and told her that it is not alright to take things without paying for them and since she took it, she would have to return it herself.

We went back into the store, I stood along the wall while she found the checkout lane and gave the lotion back.

I'm proud of her for taking responsibility of her actions, telling me she made a mistake and fixing it.
She learned a lesson that day and I hope when the time comes, she'll remember and empathize with her own children just as I did with her.