How I Managed to Get so Fat!

Like so many other mothers, I spent 4 years of my life giving my all to the family. Household chores and child care left me exhausted, and not in the mood for exercise. I definitely knew that weight gain was creeping up on me, so I would fight back with the usual weight loss products: Atkins, herbal potions, South Beach, weekly meetings, etc. I shelled out lots of money for weekly meetings, bought books and special food. I'd lose a little, or nothing, and my weight fluctuateed badly. After several attempts at dieting I would gain it all back, and become severely depressed. As I said earlier, 55 kilos was my weight when I got married. I stayed thin and fit, until my pregnancy with Matthew. My pregnancy weight gain was normal, and after he was born I was able to shed some of it. 

A few months after giving birth I was pregnant with Jayne, and my body reacted differently. I gained much more weight during this pregnancy. It may have happened because I had her too soon after Matthew and my body hadn't fully recovered from the first pregnancy. A few months after I had Jayne, I was 89 kilos and I stopped looking at the scale. I hated myself, and couldn't bear to see the numbers. At this point, I wondered if my solution would be to join a gym. I found it so hard to find the time and motivation to participate. Who has time with two babies at home? I wasn't able to sustain the gym visits, and so failed again. I blamed myself, but looking back I realise that some of the fault wasn't mine. 

Pregnancy weight gain was normal, and my body's clinging to the extra baby fat after my second pregnancy was something I couldn't foresee. I made several efforts to lose the weight. And as a hardworking wife and mother, I know I'm not actually lazy. Life was taking a toll on my body, and it needed help of a different kind. An Expert gave advice on what works... and I took LOTS of notes! If it was not for an afternoon TV show, I would probably still be fat today. One afternoon, as I was watching a daytime TV talk show, I heard the host talking to a nutritionist about natural methods of losing weight. He helped unravel the mystery of why people have so much trouble dropping kilos, and discussed products that are being used by people around the world to lose weight and improve their health.

How a Tired, Distracted Mum lost 24 kilos with a Simple-2-Step Program

After having two kids, my thighs used to shake when I walked! My name is Anna, I am married and have two young children, Jayne and Matthew. Two pregnancies and several years of marriage had taken a toll on my appearance. I had a bulging stomach, love handles and thunder thighs; I clearly was fatter than the other mums at school. My kids were young, but they knew it their mum was very, very overweight. My husband and kids used to joke that I was “flabulous”. I tried to be good natured about it, and enjoy the joke with my children, but deep down I was hurt. I got so depressed about this... 

I would avoid mirrors and socialising with the other mums. I wondered if my husband still found me attractive, but I couldn't bear to ask him. My husband, Mitchell, is a true gentleman who married a beautiful 55 kilo hottie that wound up with 3 chins. And he said nothing. Sometimes I felt he wanted to have a word with me about it, but he's too polite. Nevertheless, I'm sure he was feeling rather disappointed in me and the way I had let myself go. Two pregnancies was my excuse, but that was years in the past. Something had to be done about my weight, and fast. This was no way to live.

Good Career Choices for The Family-Minded Girl

I have listed ten career choices that would be good for a woman who wants to have some higher education and a job that will be in a pleasant, safe work environment with reasonably good status and pay. These jobs are all notable for allowing flexible schedules, either part-time or full-time, which would allow a mother to be focused on her family while there are children at home. At this time in the U.S. all these jobs are fairly easy to get. Education requirements range from a certificate diploma to a Master’s degree. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics:

Occupation	Educational requirement	Licensure requirements	Median Average Salary	Flexible hours	Benefits and Drawbacks
Nurse	Associates or BSN	Yes, by state	69,110	Very	Can work full or part time, in many different settings, good pay relative to education level
Vet Tech	Associates	Yes, by state	31,570	very	Pay is not high unless one works for a large research company or university
Ultrasound tech	1 yr certificate Associates BS	Yes, by state	65,800	moderate	Excellent pay relative to education level; Can work part-time
Speech-Language Pathologist	MA	Yes, by state and natl org	72,000	very	Many different work settings; a national shortage makes finding a job easy; can work full or part time; drawback: long, difficult MA required
Occupational Therapist	MA	Yes by state and natl org	74,970	very	Many different work settings, long MA program
Physical Therapist	MA	By state and natl org	79,340	very	Many different work settings, good pay for an MA
Social Worker	MA	By state	54,220	moderate	Drawback: can be low-pay relative to educational requirement; Can be flexible depending on location
Dental hygienist	2 yr certificate Associates	By state	69,760	moderate	Can be flexible though most jobs are full-time M-F; good pay for only a two-year degree
Physician Assistant	MA	By state	89,470	moderate	Excellent pay but very challenging degree (basically Med school lite); can work part time; many different work settings
Home Daycare	—–	Need a state license to run a home daycare	Approx.  $200/weekPer child	Not very flexible	Can work from home, which is nice if you have your own children at home; can be hard work to add more little ones; pay is not high; kids get sick a lot

Teachers and Librarians both have pleasant working conditions, reasonable salaries, and manageable hours, but at present in the United States there is a dearth of available jobs in these fields. Administrative Assistants have low educational requirements, moderate salary, very inflexible hours (8-5, M-F). A good resource for learning about various jobs is Education Portal, which allows you to compare salaries, educational requirements, and so on. On the whole, I’d say I’m not a huge fan of women in the workforce, although I myself work one half-day per week.  Being economically-dependent on one’s husband might be a good thing in some ways; it certainly would make it harder for women to bail out of their marriages, and having Mother at home is definitely what most children prefer.  However, each couple needs to navigate this issue for themselves, with the husband of course having the final veto power.

Weight Loss Techniques

There are number of ways of reducing weight. Here we will see how the split meals help in controlling weight. Reducing the meal can be of great advantage and this can be achieved using the concept of split of meals. Splitting of meals is to split the meals from 6 to 7 a day instead of consuming three times a day. Splitting of meals increases the metabolism activity of the body and decreases the hunger between the meals. It is also a well known fact that our digestive system is very efficient only when it is provided with new and small samples of food. If you eat more food then, it may store excess of energy which is basically unwanted. This leads to the storage of fats. This excess of energy stored builds up overtime and hence after some time, it may become an unwanted substance. For the fat to be controlled from the body, it can be done only if we don't eat and make that energy utilize.

The expenditure of energy can be done in many ways. Some of them are to spend the extra calories by exercising and splitting the meals. Exercising includes spending time with physically involved activities such as walking, jogging, running, gym and skipping. The main advantage of the split meals is that, it always helps in reducing the risk of storing the extra energy which is basically unwanted. It helps in burning away the energy that is required at that time. Another advantage of split meals is that it stops you feel hunger. It also helps you digest the food in a smaller span and in a more efficient way. It also helps you to perform your work quickly.

The functions of the split meals are three fold. One is the fewer calorific intake, the second is the high metabolic rate and less belly bloating effects. To efficiently improve your body's performance, drink more water daily. Drink at least a glass of water before each meal. Below is a medium plan diet supplying medium calorie daily. For breakfast consume a boiled egg, bread slices and fruit juices that are not added with sugar. You can have brunch which could include toasted bread and jam. Next is lunch, jacket potato sliced, cheese beans, a bowl of salad and an apple. For snacks, you could have a cup of herbal tea, dried fruits and fruit salads. For dinner you can have creamy salmon pasta, mixture of vegetables and fruits and small plate of dessert. The total calorific value adds up to 1704 calories. This is more than sufficient for a day and will help in reducing the excess of fat storage.

Hot Flashes & Cool Lotion

My skin is going through quite a change, as I go through "the change of life" at the age of 32. Now, I am a self professed moisture junkie from head to toe as well as a drug store beauty product addict! My husband calls me "the ultimate consumer." If I read about something in a magazine, I want to try it! Yes, I realize this is a bit obsessive, but hey, we all have our things.When I read about the new New Olay Total Effects Cooling Hydration, I thought to myself, that sounds like heaven! "Cooling and hydrating" now your speaking my language! You mean I don't need to put my head in the freezer after applying moisturizer? No. Seriously! So what is the Olay Moisturize Plus Cooling Hydration and what does it promise to do? This oil-free daily moisturizer provides 7 anti aging benefits in 1 lightweight formula, complete with vitamins and minerals and Cooling mint extract for an invigorating burst of freshness. Total Effects Plus Cooling Hydration fights 7 signs of aging by: minimizing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, soothing dry skin with cooling moisturization, fighting dullness for a healthy-looking radiance, gently exfoliating to smooth and even skin's texture, refining to minimize the appearance of pores, with antioxidants, helps protect skin's surface from free radical damage, hydrating to firm the appearance of skin, oil-free, fast-absorbing, dermatologist-tested, non-comedogenic (won't clog pores).

Sounds good right? Well, I put it to the test for 7 days and here is what I found. Things I liked: light weight, non greasy, soothing, noticeable change in skin (over all) in 7 days, cooling, just plain feels good. Things I didn't like: The smell is a little over powering / strong on the first use. It's not a bad smell, just very flowery. But, as I used it more, I didn't notice the smell so much, I wish the bottle was bigger! But you don't need much at all. A little goes a long way. Not only did this moisturizer improve the overall look and feel of my skin, it also did what it says it will do- Imagine that! The change is by no means drastic, but my skin feels fantastic (still using the product 2x's a day). The "cooling" formula is a lot more subtle than I had expected but it is very soothing. So much so that after I apply it, I often find myself taking a deep breath and relaxing, for just a second, before I get on with my day.I also found that keeping it in the refrigerator and applying after a shower if straight up heaven. The moisture also lasts all day long and does not disappoint through my sweaty work outs and hot flashes!In short: Would I recommend this product? Absolutely! Would I buy this product in the store? Yes! I have always loved Olay products and this one is my new winter favorite!

Special Days, Special Eats

Since I am a stay at home mom I have the luxury of taking my mornings slow. Depending on my mood, or what we have going for the day, some breakfasts are more involved than others. When a holiday rolls around (any holiday both big and small) I get all excited about making "special breakfasts". All that usually means is theme flavored pancakes cut / grilled into holiday shapes. For example, the kids can't wait for fresh raspberry filled heart pancakes topped with cool whip on Valentines Day. It's a silly little tradition we've been able to enjoy the last couple years. I hope we carry it on for a long long time.This year for Halloween I can't wait to try this new recipe below. Doesn't it make your mouth water? Yummy! I thought maybe I'd add a chocolate chip or two for decoration.

Pumpkin Spice Pancakes: 2 1/3 c. bisquick, 2 tbsp. sugar, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/3 c. pumpkin, 1 1/4 c. milk, 2 eggs, 1/4 c. vegetable oil. Beat all ingredients until smooth. Pour scant 1/4 cup batter onto griddle. Cook until edges are dry and turn. Cook until golden brown. Serve with maple syrup.

Sun Scars

I want to address sun damage today. But first, I would really like to thank you for all the great comments on my last Olay post. Some of those ideas I've heard before and some are brand new! I even went out and picked up a few of the items you all listed to try. I also revisited some old faithful friend Witch Hazel. Of course, drinking tons of water and eating at least an apple a day and lathering up with sun screen are staples in our house too. I have to say though, there was one comment that really struck me. The reader mentioned "love" as her secret. I really liked that and it reminded me of something. Growing up I was super akward and my mom always told me, "The more love and kindness you have in your heart, the more your inner beauty shines through on the outside." I think she was onto something.

I've noticed that the older we all get, the more our inner selves seem to show on the outside.  There is something really beautiful about that idea. Especially for people who's hearts are bursting, because in the end, that is the only kind of beauty that truly matters. Anyway! Thanks for listening to my little self exploration there! With three little girls I am always reminding myself of what really matters. So, this week, with some help from the good people at blogher and Olay, I thought it would be good to focus on sun damage, and turning back the clock. Hey, inner beauty is where it's at, but taking care of the outside never hurt anyone either. I spent my entire life in the sun as a competitive swimmer, water polo player, and life guard (from age 4 all the way through college). In those days, because I didn't burn (olive skin), sun screen wasn't something I thought about. None of us did!

These days, living in California, and teaching my kids to swim all summer long, I lather myself and my kids up like a paranoid crazy person! Knowing what we know now, sun safety is a must. No acceptions. Battling a lifetime in the sun, I like Olay because it gives me a second chance. I feel like I'm doing my skin a favor. I'm also making smarter choices in my life. I eat well, drink tons of water, and exercise daily. I take care of my skin and my children's skin (from head to toe). I know there is no magic potion and their is no way to change the past... but I sure as heck can try! I've been using Olay for a month now and my skin feels soft and new! It is a great option for these cold winter months. I feel good both inside and out! No matter what your trying to change, have faith in yourself and the rest will fall into place. Feeling good on the inside will always show on the outside. Don't take turning back the clock too seriously and do the best you can for you every day.