003: 2 Things I’d Start Doing Right Now if I Were Pregnant (and still do to this day to reach goals!)
Speaker 1 (00:00):
All right. Give me one sec as we start on episode three. All right. Okay. So this is what we're going to dive into. We're going to talk about it. So it's one thing that I get asked quite a bit from close friends, family, and previous coworkers just because I lost like 50 pounds. So this is after my third baby. As I've shared, I have, I've been pregnant five times. So three out of my five, three of them, three girls, are here on earth. They were my unplanned babies. And my two planned babies are up in heaven. So throughout the time that I lost those children and got pregnant again, it was an ongoing journey. And, you know, we all, we all have a, a journey and a story. I was overeating, drinking, too much poured into work, but it was not; it was, it was an unhealthy balance.
Speaker 1 (01:05):
And my weight got way out of control. And if I don't start getting back on my own, getting back on track again here soon, it's going to be out of control again. But the weight has been something that I've had to struggle with throughout my adult life. Especially since I started working, it's hard to balance it all. And it's something that I wanted to get ahold of so fast forward or, but, but rewind, I guess before I had the last or my middle child, I right before I found out that I was pregnant with her, it was just kind of like, I have got to get it together. I was probably pregnant, didn't know it then, and was starting to walk and do different things. And so when I got pregnant with her, it was a total surprise because, if you don't know this, a year prior, my husband and I decided we were just done.
Speaker 1 (01:53):
Like we were, we were, we were not going to try anymore. We were going to start saving for our beach house. And now we kid and joke that our beach house is next door in the other room next to us. Currently, there are two. So there were two kids in there. So I've got three kids. The oldest is 15 at the moment of this recording, and then a one and a two-year-old. So life is a little bit crazy. So while I was pregnant with my middle one, Tessa, I was like, oh my gosh, I really had to get a handle on my weight. I started enjoying all of the sweets, all the sugar. I thought I was not going to get gestational diabetes. I went, I had my test. I thought I'll be perfectly fine. I felt okay. In the mornings, I went afterward to the grocery store. I bought so much junk food.
Speaker 1 (02:37):
I was so excited just to eat all these cookies and just crap. I mean, my body just started craving crap. And so when they called me and said, you cannot eat cookies, cakes, sugar, you need to start checking your blood sugar, all this stuff. I started crying, and I had to go pick up the meter. And I had to learn how to prick myself and do all of this stuff. And I was just; I was a, I was a mess. So if you <laugh> are dealing with this right now, I totally feel for you. And I sympathize with you because it's awful and it's tough. So again, it's like anything that we go through. So if you're also dealing with an unplanned pregnancy, it's a time to really stop and evaluate what you're doing. How are you living? And is your life aligning with the intentions that you're, that you're supposed to be doing?
Speaker 1 (03:26):
For me? The answer was no; my weight was out of control needed to get my diet under control. I thought, well, I'd be doing good for her and on her behalf, but clearly, I wasn't. Whenever I needed to go buy the grocery store on the way home and buy a bunch of junk just was not, not working for me. So when I was pregnant with her, I started, you know, I just was reading a lot more and trying to figure out, and I studied and researched and listened to podcasts, read all these books, trying to figure out how to do these people that have, you know, well, it looks like a great life. They're busy. They have to be just as busy as I am. You know, if not more with kids, a family, a house, whatever, going to school, whatever it is, but these people are fit and always look together and are nice.
Speaker 1 (04:10):
So I decided at that point, here's what I learned. Here are my takeaways. I'm just going to share my takeaway. I started retraining and reprogramming myself. So I would get myself dressed like every day. I didn't save it just for when I knew I was going to see somebody, it was a conscious decision to get up and put it on for me, I feel better. I feel good with makeup on. I feel good with my hair done. Yes, I have dirty hair days. And I put it in a ball cap, but I still feel better if I have my makeup on and I take care of myself and I look better. So I started doing that before. I really felt like that kind of reflected what was going on inside of me. So I started doing that while I was pregnant. And then as I'm reading, the recurring theme was gratitude, gratitude.
Speaker 1 (04:53):
All these people, they have a lot of money and they're really successful. All of these things, all these people, no matter what facet of their life or whatever business that they were in, they were successful simply by practicing gratitude. Now, this is something that I had heard many, many times over had tried and failed, tried and failed, trying to assimilate and put together some sort of practice of practicing gratitude. It wasn't until I listened to a podcast that I thought it was Rachel Hollis. I think I was walking when she was Charing about her process and talking about how writing down every single day, her things, that she was grateful for five things, and then writing down 10 goals in past tense, like they had already happened. So things that she was working on in her life, I thought, okay, well, I'm gonna try it.
Speaker 1 (05:41):
I have nothing to lose. You know, I probably told myself I'm gonna do it for 20 or 30 days. Let's just see, you know, if this is all that is cracked up to be. So I started that in 2019. Yes. So Tess was born in October of 2019. So it, in, in 2019 started writing things down, you know, meanwhile, I'm working, have the family have all these other things going on, but while I was pregnant, I started to practice writing this down and I'm gonna share what it did for me and my brain and how it helped me to eventually lose close to 50 pounds and eat better and make better decisions for my overall, just mental health, physical health, wellbeing, all of that. So I started writing it down. So I did basically, I kind of did like a hodgepodge of all these different things that other people recommended that you do.
Speaker 1 (06:37):
I didn't spend money buying an extra, you know, fancy journal or, you know, something special to write in. It was just, and it's just a notebook. In fact, you know, if you're watching the video recording, I don't have it by me right now, but I do have, I have notebooks now. So I just have a notebook. I found a little notebook that I like. I don't know why I can't find this, but I have a notebook. It's a really cute one. I grabbed in six, seven bucks. You know, I like medium size. I like the coil back, but that's, you know, neither the point, but I like to be able to just flip my pages over some people like binding, you know, like a book, but I have a hard time with that. So I, for me, have to have this spiral thing so I can flip it over so I can write wherever I feel like I need to write.
Speaker 1 (07:14):
So what I started doing is, and this is before the babies were born, I could really do it every morning when I would wake up or, you know, after I'd have some coffee or move around, write down today. I will write down the date today. I am grateful for it. And then I list out five things. So today I am grateful for you're gonna start with that. You're just gonna write that today. I am grateful for and write down five things. And I look back recently at my first notebook when I really started doing this. And it was very, very simple. And still, to this day, they are very simple things. I am very, I'm thankful for my house. I am thankful to have food on the table. I am thankful for my family and their health. I am thankful for all of my past experiences that have led me to this moment.
Speaker 1 (08:02):
I am thankful for the money that we have right now to pay for whatever it is or all of our needs are met at the moment, but just start writing down five things, you know, different times it was, you know, music, you know, music was so key, especially know COVID music, music is, is, has been super healing to me. You know, I've been just thankful for music, a good movie, a good book, a good conversation with a friend, whatever it is, just get in the practice of writing these five things down. Can't do it in the morning, do it at night, miss a day. Don't worry about it. Don't beat yourself up. Just start getting in the habit of writing down five things that you're thankful for on that same page or whatever the same day that you're working on. Also, write down ten dreams. I made happen your brain as you start to do this and the repetition and writing it out, something gets triggered in our brains, and it
Speaker 2 (08:54):
Seems more real. And so for me, especially when I was starting on my weight loss journey, you know, I will lose a hundred pounds, still need to lose about another 40. So <laugh>, I'll get there. I'm happy with the weight that I'm at right now, but this is something that I'm working on and have been working on for years. So right down, you know, the goal. It was, you know, I will exercise on a regular basis. Maybe, you know, I'm trying to think of the earlier things that I started doing to really make some significant changes in my life. I will, you know, get a job. It could be meeting some sort of milestone. It could be trying to go, you know, take care of your mental health, your physical health, all of that, all of these things play a part.
Speaker 2 (09:40):
But so for me, I wanna just, here's kind of the big picture and what changed and shifted inside of me because as I was writing these things down every day and I was way outta shape, obviously, you know, I, it was outta shape. I mean, it was hard for me to bend down and tie my darn shoes. I was in, you know, I just, I didn't feel good. And for me, I wanted to feel better. And I thought, well, all I have to do. So I'm writing this down. And in my brain, it starts to, I start to think, well, I've told myself I'm going to lose whatever. And I just really wanna move, you know, two times a week, that's it two times a week. So while I was pregnant, it was, you know, going on simple walks, it might be just going down to the end of my driveway and back going to the entrance of my subdivision back, there were short, it was short, it was doable.
Speaker 2 (10:29):
It wasn't overwhelming. It was easy to incorporate into my lifestyle and get into a habit, no matter how small it was. And that's something too that I listened from, oh, I can't think of her name. Oh eight Kate plus eight or something. So when she went through her weight loss journey, she said, it was just as simple as going down to the end of the driveway and back, and then eventually building on that. So that stuck with me. So we don't have to make these goals super big lofty because that's where the disappointment comes in. You know, I'm gonna go to the gym and I'm gonna work out for an hour, two times a week. Well, that's just too big. It's too. You're not even ready to do that. Or maybe you are, but chances are, you're not. So make something that's just very doable that you can add into your schedule.
Speaker 2 (11:14):
You know, me walking the dog and the subdivision was easy, it was something easy that I could just start incorporating building on it. Five minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, you know, building onto it. What started to happen is that my brain started making decisions, knowing that I was writing down these bigger picture goals. So decisions that I was making, I was unconsciously making them, knowing that they're going towards a greater and a bigger goal. So what I was doing was essentially taking baby steps towards getting better, getting, preparing myself, and really just mentally making some shifts in my brain and rewiring my brain to act upon which act, act upon the way in which I wanted to live my life. So kind of going back to the makeup and looking well throughout the day, I wanted to be that person that looked well going into the gym.
Speaker 2 (12:23):
So after I had my daughter and I was starting to get back to work, I kept up with that. And then now I was able to, you know, I was able to recover a little bit better. I had changed my eating completely because of diabetes. So that was a blessing in disguise. It taught me, you know, the long term effects of how this is going to impact my body and all of these things. So I had to meet with the dietician, you know, I really had to get serious and watch my carbs and eat a bunch of protein. So that served me well after I had Tessa. Then when it was time to, you know, I wanted to elevate and step up my physical fitness, that was a total game changer. I was ready at that point.
Speaker 2 (13:04):
And at that, at that point, I was confident enough just to, like, be proud of myself if I was out and moving a couple of times a week, because my mental health improved tremendously. I, I just, it was just different. So my priorities shifted. So when I went back to work, yes, my job was important to me. But because I had started practicing and reprioritizing, my overall health was the number one priority. And because of that, other things just happened more naturally and fit better. I was able to handle the stress. I was able to just manage my work workload better. Things were better in my life, all, all the way around. I mean, there's really no other way to describe it. So it was by taking those baby steps and just starting and writing it down. So even if I didn't do anything, it was at least just giving thanks for five things and starting to practice, acting out what I wanted for, from the goals in my life.
Speaker 2 (14:11):
So my takeaway for you today is if you are there, you're wanting, you're sick and tired of, of sick being sick and tired. You're absolutely fed up with where you're at right now. You're tired of just feeling, you know, frustrated, not happy with your weight. You're not happy with just things in your life right now. I cannot stress enough. The power that will come before you, when you start giving thanks for five things, it can be major, huge, big things. It can be super, teeny, tiny things, you know, a coffee, a special thing that you, or a new album that you downloaded. I, whatever, be grateful for those things, simply start learning and practicing gratitude. Then if you want to build upon that and make some significant changes in your life, not just dream about 'em, think about them, start them, start, stop them, start and stop.
Speaker 2 (15:10):
Do that. Start and stop dancing. If you're sick and tired of it, you need to just invest, you know, five to 10 minutes in doing these two things. You just need a cheap notebook. You can, if you know, if you like to type, put it on your computer. I, for me, think there's great power in actually writing something out. There's, there's just power in it. I feel like. So I would get a notebook, write your five things here. You know, five things I am grateful for. You're gonna write your five things. And then 10 dreams I made happen are 10 goals. I made it happen. I lost a hundred pounds. I choose healthy, nutritious foods for my body. I am a kind and loving wife. I am a good role model to my children. We are debt free. These are all things that I'm working for and striving for.
Speaker 2 (16:00):
I am deeply rooted in my, in my church, in my faith. These are things that I'm writing and I'm practicing, and they are ingrained now in my brain. So start doing those. I would love to hear the progress that you make, you know, do this even for a week, two weeks, and send me a message. I would love to hear from you; message me on TikTok at unplannedmomschool.com and I'm over on Instagram as well. Shoot me a DM where you can always email me at hello, unplannedmomschool.com. I just wanna know that this is working for you. What, what big takeaway? What big change are you trying to make in your life right now? And it's as simple as that, you don't have to spend any extra money. I'm sure you've got a notebook lying around your house that you can start using.
Speaker 2 (16:47):
So grab it, start it right now. Put it next to your bed, your nightstand. Then, when you wake up, if you see it, put it by the coffee pot, put it in the car. If you need to do it, when you sit down at your desk at work, simply start putting it into action, and you will be amazed at how this transforms your life. So I'm, I'm, I'm anxious to hear how it works out for you. So don't be a stranger, I cannot stress this enough, this practice I'm just excited for. I am rooting for you. Let me know how it works. And come back. Come let us know. We'd love to hear from you. If you found this super valuable at all, leaving a review would mean the world to us. We just can't. Thank you enough. So anyway, I will sign off and I will catch you all next week.
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