Okay, friends. Here is the cold, hard truth: I’ve gained a little over 6 pounds during the past month. I finally made myself get on the scale when I started the Quaker Heart Health Challenge yesterday. I didn’t want to know the truth, but I knew I needed to.

I know the number isn’t supposed to motivate me. My very ample muffin top shouldn’t propel me, either. I know I’m supposed to only focus on being healthy and on doing the best I can.

But I’m not going to lie. The number on the scale, the way my clothes fit, how big my tummy is…these are all motivators, too.

So I have a new goal. By the end of February, I would like to lose those 6 pounds. I know I can do it. I know I should do it. And? I know I will do it.

In case you didn’t already know, February is National Heart Health month. Whether your goal be to lose 6 pounds, eat less saturated fat or walk just five minutes more a day, we can all strive towards something.

Oh, and we can all strive towards a $750 cash prize, too! How?

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

At the beginning of December, I started to eat better and began to exercise regularly for the first time in years. Everything was going great. Swimmingly. I lost around 30 pounds.

And then.

I injured my knees, sidelining me for a bit. My husband and I separated. Our Many Small Children and I moved to a new house. Life has been very literally turned upside down for me.

And so.

I needed help getting back on track again with my eating and exercising. And I think I found it. I joined the Quaker Heart Healthy Challenge and am committing to exercise 15 times in the next 30 days.

All four of the big kids are at school again today. Getting out of the house and finding our rhythm in the morning has been slowly coming together. He and I went to the gym and worked out already. Well, he played. I exercised. One down, just 14 more to go!

Getting back in the saddle with where I was a month ago is vital for me. More than ever now, with the whole I’m a solo parent for the time being thing, I need to feed my body well and keep it healthy and energized. The Quaker Heart Health Challenge is a tool I’m going to use to track my workouts this month and keep getting my body healthy. Oh and also I could win $750. Bonus.

Want to join in, get healthy, keep track of your workouts and try to win the $750 prize yourself?

Here is what you need to do:

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Quaker Oats Company. The opinions and text are all mine. Official Sweepstakes Rules.

these crazy shoes

were with me this

morning as I

lost my 31st pound

and these crazy shoes…

(click the photo to see and read more!)

I was in awe of people who could do it.

Watch Biggest Loser, that is. I just couldn’t do it. Not that I tried, mind you. We don’t have television at home, so the only way I could have watched it anyway was to pull it up afterwords on the internet. That’s how I watch my favorite shows. But I never was even tempted to watch Biggest Loser.

Honestly, friends, I would even turn away or mentally space out if I ever happened to see a commercial about it. This is terrible. It really is. I was happy for the people who lost weight. When we saw a Biggest Loser hometown reveal when on our RV trip, I thought it was fantastic. But I couldn’t watch the show. See the contestants’ transformations. Watch the joy and pride on their faces.

And I was in awe of people who could.

It is going to be hard for me to admit this, but I didn’t like watching Biggest Loser because it made me feel bad about myself. I wasn’t a big enough person (haha, except I was) to be able to fully embrace some stranger’s weight loss success when I was stuck in my own weight loss abyss. Even though I had friends who struggle with their weight who told me that they found the show utterly inspirational, I couldn’t imagine it would have that affect on me.

At any rate, I was scared that it wouldn’t, so I never tried.

Besides, at night was when I liked eating. Having been hustling around with our MSC all day and not eating in a regular fashion liked I should have, I was starving at night. Hummus and crackers. Then cereal. Perhaps leftover pasta. And as much milk as I could drink. I knew I was doing my body, my health, my family and my reflection in the mirror no favors by eating like that at night. But if I didn’t think about it, maybe I wouldn’t have to confront my weaknesses.

But certainly, watching Biggest Loser while overeating would be bound to bring those thoughts to the surface.

So I stayed away. If I had watched it sooner, I am not sure if it would have, indeed, been hard for me to watch. Perhaps it would have been motivating and I’d have lost my weight much sooner. We’ll never know at this point.

Needless to say, I have started watching the show this season, for the first time ever.

I’ll say, I was inspired to watch it because of you guys. When I first started to toy around with the notion of blogging about my weight loss journey, there were so many factors I had to weigh. Ultimately, I decided it would be good for me to do it, announce that I wanted to lose weight, as a measure of accountability. What I never, in all honesty, expected, was a team of cheerleaders.

Really, you guys, you have blown me away with your encouragement and support.

I figured when I started to share that I was losing weight, y’all would have the same knee-jerk response that I used to have to Biggest Loser. Look away. But instead, many of you (some who work out and have lost weight, others of you who want to get motivated to do so) have chosen to not look away but instead to cheer on and come alongside me.

I have been blown away.

So I have tuned in to the Biggest Loser. Maybe the connections here don’t make a lot of sense to you guys. But for me, it’s huge. Me eating better. Working out. Getting support from you guys. Maybe even being an inspiration to some of you. Watching Biggest Loser. Choosing not to look away when others have success.

I was in awe of people who could do it.

Watch Biggest Loser, that is. And lose weight themselves. And now? I am doing it. And I am so stinking proud of myself. Thank you guys for letting me share this with you and joining me on my journey.

I’ve lost 100 pounds.

No, really. I am fairly certain that I have. I have lost and gained back the same 1-6 pounds for years on end. I’m sure it’s been 100 times. After every baby and before I get pregnant again, I would get into some weight loss regimen. I can really only remember once when I lost 15 pounds. Usually, I just lose up to 6 pounds before I give in, give up or whatever you want to call it.

This time is different.

Not because this is The Time (although, mark my words, I am telling you this is The Time) but because I’m exercising. This is new for me. Well, new in the past five or six years. I used to work out. I used to eat only reasonable portions of healthy food. I used to be lean. Or, at least, I was lean-ish, which I’d definitely settle for now.

But then babies came. And my body went.

This time around, I’ve lost 14.1 pounds. Not that I’m keeping track (religiously) or anything. Actually, I’ve lost 20.1 since the start of winter. But the first six I don’t really count, since I hadn’t started working out. I just quit eating quite so much. But the real difference, the (huge change of) working out and making some (relatively minor) adjustments in how and what I eat, came at the beginning of last month. So that is what I’m calling my start date. I am not giving myself credit for those first six pounds. So cruel, I know.

Okay, let me say this. I am not an expert. I used to want to be a nutritionist, but that really only means that I have a passion on the matter. I’ve done Weight Watchers, read books on the body, listened to friends share their stories and have used my uber healthy food friend Leah as a constant resource. Also, I used to swim, played college soccer, and lifted weights regularly at earlier points in my life.

So, I did what seemed natural to me: I combined the healthiest (or most favorite) parts of each system or train of thought I have had success with in the past, sprinkled on some common sense, mixed well with water and have been supporting that in an ongoing fashion with talks with smart friends and reading of health and exercise articles.

I bet that by the time I reach my goal weight (and I will get there) and have moved my body into a healthy state of being, I will have many different things to say about how I got there and what I believe about exercise and healthy eating.

But at this stage in my journey, one month in and 14.1 pounds down, all I have to share is what I’ve done so far. So, here it is:

water

I have been drinking water like crazy. It’s so true: the most you drink, the more you crave water. For the first week or so, I drank because I knew I should. Now, I remember to drink before I even get thirsty for it. I drink a few bottles before, during and after my workouts, and try to fill up my (plastic, squeeze, supposed to be a one-use bottle from the store that I kept because I like the spout) bottle throughout the day and drink a few more.

protein for breakfast

At my dietician friend Leah’s suggestion, I started on December 5, the same day I began working out, to eat only protein and fats for breakfast. I normally used to (I am a huge fan of scrambled eggs, fresh from our chickens!), but it wasn’t exclusive. Now it is. Protein and a healthy fat are my breakfast go-tos. Usually I eat one or two scrambled eggs with butter. Sometimes, it’s meat (leftover from the night before) or a hard boiled egg with salt. I don’t find that, with the way I’m eating now, I need a huge breakfast to satisfy me.

break the fast, early

I loved hearing, in some book I read eons ago, about how breakfast was literally breaking the nighttime fast we’d been on. I had never really looked at it that way. We don’t really lose much weight when our bodies go into fasting mode. Rather, I find that we should keep our metabolisms pumping. One of the ways I have been doing that is by eating breakfast as early as I can in the morning. As soon as I am up (and I’ve been trying to get up a little earlier than I had been before, too), I make and eat breakfast for myself. Usually that means I am making the kids some breakfast while simultaneously scrambling eggs for myself and then eating them while I’m still at the kitchen counter scooping out oatmeal or whatever they are having.

moderate exercise

As often as I can, I have been trying to get as much moderate exercise in throughout my days. Today, I swam laps. Well, as well as I could with the bottom half of my oversized maternity swimsuit falling off. I need to look for my old racing suit, though I know it won’t fit me. Oh well, I guess bulging fat still will be preferable to my bottoms coming off, huh? It’s been super cold out, but when it’s not, the kids and I take a brisk walk. I also enjoy pumping away on the elliptical machine at the gym and running up and down our steep farmhouse steps.

intense exercise

After a couple of weeks of getting my heart and muscles used to this shocking new idea of going back to the old me, I have started to add a few bursting episodes of intense exercise to my regimen. I actually heard about Zumba from a bunch of you. I don’t know anyone in real life who does it (that I know of). And for the past couple days, that is what I’ve been doing, using the kids’ video game system and this DVD. Or video. Or game. Or whatever I’m supposed to call it. For those of you who don’t know, Zumba is a Latin dance based amazingly kick butt workout style. If I get up the gumption, I’ll go to a real live class at the gym sometime.

strength

Every other or third day, after my workout at the gym, I’ve been doing some weight lifting. Nothing much, and only about three kinds each for upper and lower body (I’m using the machines for most of them now, but will gradually get away from those as I am able.). I do three sets of 10 repetitions at a moderately heavy (for me, this is all relative, of course) weight for each type of lift.

carbs at lunch

I have not just been eating carbohydrates at lunch, but this is the meal when I do have them as a bigger portion of my meal. I eat my normal jazz, you know. Quinoa and fruit, chicken with brown rice and stir fried veggies, a sandwich and a lot of what my husband lovingly calls my woodland creature food. I have now added raisins and raw almonds to my woodland creature food when I eat it, and sometimes some flaxseed meal, but otherwise it’s the same as it’s been for years and years.

early (protein and veggie) dinner

It is best for me to not eat too much after 6 or 7 pm. I have been trying to eat an early dinner, at around 5 pm, that consists mostly of protein and (preferably leafy) greens. Citrus marinated chicken on a huge bed of endive is a favorite go-to of mine lately, with pecans or walnuts on top. Last night I had pizza, so it’s not like I have made this an unchangeable rule. But, for the most part, I try to steer clear of carbs for my evening meal.

bedtime snack

When I feel snacky at night, I always start by drinking water. If I know I shouldn’t be hungry, I am loving the brush my teeth trick I learned from you guys. Totally does curb cravings. But if I truly am hungry, I think it’s better to give myself something. I only will allow myself a protein or small fat snack if it’s well after dark, though.

allow myself splurges

Usually, eating just one M&M doesn’t work. When I taste something like that, I just want more. It’s actually much easier for me to stay away completely than to just have a little. Because I hardly ever end with just a little. But in controlled settings, I have allowed myself to splurge here and there. And, frankly, I went rather hog-wild over Christmas. But, in retrospect, it really wasn’t anywhere near to what most holidays look like for me. Why? Because I swear (except I don’t) that my stomach is shrinking a little. I get fuller quicker and the pattern of proteins and carbs I’ve been eating really leave me feeling satisfied. But every now and then? I still allow myself splurges.

snack when hungry

When I have been hungry this past month, I’ve snacked. I start small, drinking a ton of water, and make myself wait 10 minutes after eating a small snack to make sure I’m actually still hungry. Sometimes I am. In those cases, I eat more. Oftentimes I’m not, though. So I am able to stop. My favorite snacks lately are apples (Honey Crisp all the way!), cheese curds, kale chips (my friend Julie taught me how to make them and they’re quite good!), a little bit of meat, hummus and crackers, a glass of milk, green peppers and cheese, a handful of Shredded Wheat, beef jerky and almonds.

And that, my friends, is what I’m doing. Bit by bit, I know I’ll get there. 14.1 pounds on some days feels like a huge accomplishment and on other days I’m sobered when I think of how far I still have to go. But when I step back and just think about things one day at a time, and work hard at the things I mentioned in this post, I realize that I can do it.

Little by little, I’ll get there. And this is The Time, friends. The Time when I really get healthy and don’t give up. I just know it.