Swim suit shopping joy!!!

Ahhhh swim suit season. Let’s all be honest we hate it. It’s a reminder of how bad we have been all year long. This time it’s a reminder of how much I have lost this year. Even being smaller in size doesn’t make this chore any more fun. Actually it makes it that much more difficult. I am a big breasted woman so my options for swim suits drastically goes out the window.I have to buy a 2 piece swim suit because I also have a very long torso. So with my big boobs and my long torso 1 piece swim suits are dangerous. This August we are going to an indoor water park. 4 days in a bathing suit. I’ll Probably go on the water slides so finding a good suit that fits the girls and stays on is key! I’m not flashing my white as sheep boobs to the whole state of Texas. They might not invite me back.

 It takes lots of planning for swim suit shopping almost as much as a wedding dress. Just kidding. This is a MUST try on kind of thing. Just like bra shopping which is a hell of a lot easier I might add. I wish they would make all swim suits the same size and get rid of the small, medium, large crap. Sell the tops in bra sizes and make all of them cost no one more $30.00. I know in a perfect world this would work.
I took a leap of faith with my swim suit shopping. My crazy self ordered a bathing suit off the internet. The likely hood that it will fit is very slim. It also was super cheap which is another red flag it won’t fit. So I may be giving away a swim suit very soon. I also ordered it off eBay and it is coming from China. Yeah its an experiment for sure. The dang thing may not arrive before we leave for vacation.

Now my little girls I have stocked up on cheap swim suits. I just love shopping on wish and ebay. I got both girls 2 new swim suits that will hopefully be here before we leave for Texas. Definitely crossing my fingers if they don’t its no big deal. I’m sure we can find them a suit in Texas if needed. I can’t buy a swim suit in Texas. I tried it the last time I was in Texas visiting my mom and brother and I ended up with a pair of shorts and a sports bra. Luckily we didn’t go to a water park that time just swimming in my brothers backyard. I live in Florida there is a swim suit shop on every corner literally. So I will buy a suit right before we leave in hopes that I can find the perfect suit.

So here’s the best advice on shopping for a swim suit this mom can give you.
1. If you have had children you can wear a 2 piece.(its about being comfortable if wearing a 1 piece feels better than do it!)
2. Swim suits come in other colors besides black.(yes black makes you look thinner but if the suit compliments your eyes then draw attention to your eyes)
3. Make sure to grab at least 10 suits to try on. Nothing worse than running back and forth from the fitting room. (Also pick out your own suit don’t let anyone pick it out for you)
4. Bring a trusted friend with you to the swim suit shop. (You want an honest opinion not a backhanded compliment)
5. Make sure to eat before going. (You’re going to need all the energy you can get for trying on suits.)
6. Don’t forget the accessories like flip flops, beach bag, hat, cute sun shades, and the bathing suit cover up. These items bring it all together.
7. Unfortunately I can’t make swim suit shopping fun just remember that all of us have insecurities. Buy the suit you feel comfortable in and own it!!!!
8. Thanks for reading and until next time take care.

A busy mom's guide to beginning the ketogenic diet.

So how do you get started on keto? Stop buying the food you’re buying. On keto you have to eat fat for fuel. So first staple in the keto kitchen is bacon. Bacon is good for you! There is a bit of sugar in the bacon you get from the store unless you go to Lucky’s or Whole Foods and buy paleo bacon you’re going to get some sugar. Luckily there isn’t that much and it won’t hurt. But turn over the bacon and read the ingredients. I read all my labels it's vital!Obviously brown sugar bacon is a no no. Also if you don’t have a grease tin you need to buy one. Bacon grease is awesome to cook with and you can use it to make your own mayo! Next in the cart is free range eggs. Eggs are important you will use a bunch on keto so go ahead and grab 2 cartons. Full fat cream cheese, real cheese not American cheese check the labels y’all, grass fed butter Kerry gold is the best brand, whipping cream. Now on to the meat section you want chicken thighs the dark meat because it has the most fat, you want 80 %20% ground beef, sausage, pork, and if you’re into seafood grab some salmon or shrimp. I get most of my recipes and ideas off of Pinterest. I spend a good hour a day researching recipes to try. Now to produce this is where the carbs are. Grab some spinach ,salad, some onion, radishes, cucumber, broccoli, and don’t forget the cauliflower. Stay away from potatoes and carrots y'all they aren't keto. I know your thinking but what kind of dressing can I have on this salad? Full fat dressings include blue cheese, ranch, and Caesar read the labels!!! Snacks you can have are pepperoni slices, salami, cheese, peanuts not honey roasted, almonds, pork rinds. Pork rinds are so versatile in keto. I ground them up and use them on my fried chicken. So yummy! I use stevia as my sweetener so grab a big bag of it and while on that isle grab a bag of almond flour or coconut flour. Lots of recipes use these. Now cooking oil is very important for your health. If you have vegetable oils throw them out. The oils that you need to cook with that don’t cause inflammation are avocado oil, olive oil, bacon grease, lard, coconut oil. These are the ones I use. Also you want to get MCT oil. I don’t know if the stores have them I order mine from Amazon. I use this in my keto coffee. The recipe I use is on my blog. It’s yummy. Now this is a very simple beginners shopping list. Stay away from all crackers, chips, chocolate, and soda. You need to drink lots of water for the first week due to electrolytes being drained as you go through the keto flu.
Let’s talk about the keto flu. It isn’t fun but it doesn’t last long and there are tons of resources out there to help you beat it. I take magnesium, and potassium supplements and use sea salt to replace what the keto flu takes away. The happy news is the keto flu for most people lasts a week then its over. In the first week you will notice a switch in energy and a clearness. Your body is now fat adapted. Now if you want to get full on keto and not just what they call lazy keto. You can download a macro counter. I use My fitness pal. I also use it to keep my food journal. Keeping a food journal is very important. It helps you stay accountable. So does meal prepping for the week. Just remember to keep it simple in the beginning. Bacon wrapped chicken stuffed with cream cheese is one of my favorites. Then branch out into more difficult recipes. You will feel so much better and that’s the point along with weight loss is to feel better. I hope this helps you get started. If you have any questions ask away. Just remember watch your carbs. The rest is up to you. Until next time keto on!!

When the scale doesn't move.

This isn’t my first diet rodeo. In 2013 I lost almost 100 lbs. I remember that there were a few weeks when the scale didn’t move. Then the next week like magic they would budge and the anxiety would disappear. But why did I let a plastic and metal scale stress me out and discourage me?
When losing weight it really should be renamed losing a lifestyle. A lifestyle of bad habits and adopting healthy ones. Obviously we are losing more than just weight. We are also losing inches. Something everyone needs to remember is you look at yourself daily in the mirror. In the first weeks of a diet when it’s the hardest you almost rely on the number on the scale going down as a show of progress. It’s very important that you also measure yourself and take before pictures. These truly show you how you are doing on your progress when the scale seems to not move.
 There will be weeks when you think that you have stalled and you’ll get discouraged. If this stall lasts longer than two weeks you might be getting sneaky carbs and sugars. It’s always a good idea to keep a food journal. I use the app My fitness pal. But there are other apps for the keto diet that are just as good and most are free to download.
 Other things that can stall weight loss is stress. Stress of any kind causes your cortisol levels to rise. If you aren’t sleeping you won’t lose weight either. Our bodies are very smart and stress triggers our natural survival mode. This makes our body store fat instead of burning it.
The last factor in not losing weight while trying is hidden illnesses and I advise anyone before even starting any diet to go to your doctor. This is a major lifestyle change. Make sure you are healthy before beginning any diet. I hope this helps anyone that is stalled out and/or too focused on the scale and ready to quit to understand its not just about that number. We as women and men too need to see our weight loss progress as a whole picture not just a scale number.
Thank you for reading my blog. Ive had a lot of people ask how to get started on the keto diet. That’s another blog for another day. Till next time keto on!!!

Keto coffee!!! Mom Eve's way.

1. I add heavy whipping cream.
2. I use torani sugar free syrup. My favorite is caramel.
3. I add MCT oil about a tablespoon.
4. I add Lugols drops for iodine and postassium
5. I use my frother which I purchased off the wish app. Ya can get them off amazon too.
6. Whip it good!!!
7. For added flavor I might sprinkle about a teaspoon of cocoa powder in while I froth. Or cinnamon depends on my mood.
8. I enjoy it and it keeps me full till lunch!
9. NOTE:If you're  fasting I would skip the syrup and use grass fed butter. This is just my way of making keto coffee.

Beginning again

So I'm blogging again. I think I might have this mom thing down? Well I mean I am finding time for me to rediscover myself. No one tells you that when you become a mom you can lose yourself as you completely give yourself to this tiny helpless human. There are a lot of things I have lost. But I don't want to get into all of that right at this time. That's for another blogging day. Today is just introductions to those who don't know me and my journey into motherhood. 

It took 14 years to get pregnant due to endometriosis.Some of those 14 we weren't exactly trying but we weren't not trying if ya know what I mean. I have always had weight issues. I'm not a tiny person. God didn't make me to be a size 2. bad doctor blamed my weight as the only reason I couldn't get pregnant. Follow my old blog for that story.

 I'm at the moment around a 16 and that's because I am on a ketogenic diet. I was in a size 22. I'm doing well on this diet and I will be talking a lot about it in this blog along with tons of products I use to make my life easier and stuff I buy for my two beautiful daughters Amelia and Felicity. I am a sahm because it would cost more in childcare for someone else to raise my kids than if I just stay home and raise them myself. It isn't easy but I enjoy it and thanks to my mother in law I do get breaks from dealing with the girls because they can be a handful some days. Today is one of those days. She has the 3 year old and will have her till Saturday. So I figured I better start my blog today or I might miss my chance. I am kicking around the thought of vlogging too. But I know that opens up a whole new world of social media I don't know if I am ready for. So its just an idea at the moment. 

I love to bake so I will be sharing lots of recipes most are keto and some aren't. I love to do crafts and all kinds of projects too. I can't wait to start and hope that you follow me on this journey. So lets get this blog started.