Hello my name is Kim and I’m addicted to sugar!!!!!

Yes, you read that right…I am addicted to sugar, carbs and all things that lead to obesity!!  To be honesty most of my life I have been obese or overweight…I can blame it being an adolescent of the 90’s and big corporations but I choose not to…simply put I like good food and what that really translates into is…..I enjoy the taste of processed food, sugar, and anything else that’s probably “bad” for you….

 

The problem with everything that I have confessed is that these cravings, and my strong desire to selfishly “do me” and eat whatever the heck I want to eat because “You only live once” was leaving me depressed,exhausted and obese…

This is one of my obese pictures where I tilted my hip thinking that would cover up how truly large I was at the time…I realized that didn’t work so I eventually just cropped myself out of this picture…at any rate I am sure that you didn’t come to this blog to hear all about the past but perhaps to hear about how my life has changed in 2016 and also probably for the meal plan!!! Let’s get started!!

Here are my stats just in case you need to know or can relate.  I am 5″2″ currently weighing in at 158lbs start weight 209lbs…14 months postpartum of a c-section delivery and still breastfeeding!!

Whew that was a lot to type…in Novemver 2014 we celebrated our daughters first birthday and I knew I did not want to look back at her one year pictures and see myself and want to burn all the pictures because of how big I was…..I became panicked and knew I had to do something to lose weight!!

For 11 months my body just held on to the fat!  Nothing worked to lose weight…and I was in a tough spot because I didn’t want to do anything to jeopardize my milk production!! My goal was to nurse for a year and I could not compromise on that…around 11 1/2 months our daughter began to really respond to solids and I realized then that we were a few weeks shy of a year I needed to go ahead and place my health above hers in this instance….you see the only way I could produce a massive amount of milk was if I ate carbohydrates and lots of meat!! Which was why I could not lose weight!

After watching the documentary Fed Up I self diagnosed myself as a sugar addict and a carb addict…once that revelation hit and I realized that for my body type carbs are the devil I moved into action mode!  I was randomly on Facebook looking for new groups to join (yes you read that correctly) and I found a group called Low Carb and Losing It!!  I joined it and I was in shock at the weight loss success of these members and on top of it….there was no underline gimmick or hidden fee or un-natural route that they took to lose weight! No crazy workouts matter of fact no workouts at all….Simply put, eleminate all carbs for 14 days, eat protein, vegetables, quality fat and drink lots of water! When trying to lose weight eat any where between 20-50 carbs….to maintain weight loss no more than 50 carbs…….These weight loss warriors followed those steps and are quite the creative chef’s!  Many in this group have lost hundreds of lbs some over the years and some within months like myself!

When I joined the group I had no clue where to begin…or what to do so I just trolled through the page and clicked like on every picture that left me with a wow factor…I then began to read up on a ketogenic diet and that’s when everything really clicked…

Most recently as of January 25th me in all of my glory at 158lbs….
How did I get here? All diet.  Today is your lucky day check out my sample meal plan.  Low carb high fat works!  Butter is your friend….come back next Wednesday for an update and another menu!  My goal weight is 130 if I can do it so can you!  Keep your eye on the goal you are worth it.  For those that have had a c-section in time  with proper diet (low carb high fat your stomach will flatten and firm up believe me!!!) I look forward to sharing my story with you!

Also Breastfeeding mama’s I did experience a dip in my supply which is why I am glad that I started this way of eating at 11 1/2 months…my milk had not dried up but I can tell that there us been a change..

Please click here for my very basic lowcarbmenu

Life without a maid

…..let me be the first to admit I DO NOT HAVE IT ALL TOGETHER!!!! No shocker for those that are reading this…Last July, I transitioned to being a SAHM after achieving a position that I had wanted rrrreeeeaaaaallllyyyy bad I made a sacrifice and chose mommyhood and domestic “bliss” over being a career woman!!! 

Now prior to being a SAHM I was never the best domestic diva…that was something I always had to work harder than most at…now don’t get it twisted…I wanted my home to look like a Pinterest DIY pin but I really didn’t want to do the work…hey perhaps I am lazy??? Nevertheless, I have always had just enough inner Martha Stewart to decorate my house nice enough for a few people to come by and say “oooooOooooooooooo  and aaaaaaAaaaAaaGghh.” The biggest challenge for me has been the daily maintenance…my husband is insanely cheap and doesn’t believe in taking clothing to the dry cleaners….this morning my heart broke for him just a little bit!  

Ever since our daughter was born we have been functioning off of about 30% of sleep….so he  has naturally been waking up later…and I pretty much don’t sleep due in part to the fact that I am still breastfeeding and pumping!! Everyday I am fighting literally for every oz of milk (8 months in).  This requires me to eat a massive amount of food and basically sit on my butt, hook up to a machine every 3-5 hours and pump for 30-60 minutes a day at minimum 5 times…you do the math…

Simply put…..Stuff just doesn’t get done…or I am left feeling exhausted…I wake up at 3:45am to pump because that’s when I can feed a nation and typically pump 7oz which is hhhhuuuggeeee for me!! Most of my time is spent thinking about pumping however this morning I saw my husband scramble for a work shirt and pants…and he was “all wrinkely”….I know he could have gotten up and ironed his clothes himself etc. however I felt bad….soooooooo that made me think…never in a million years would I let our daughter go out looking like that….soooooo what about him??

Yes, it’s important to remember to take time for your husband and yourself…..when you feel like you are running on empty, or you need a maid it’s important to remember that you are a child of God and He is here’s to help you! Quite often when I start feeling empty or things get out of control in my home life I realize that I am out of sync with my Heavenly Father…I have neglected my prayer life and or  my study life and sometimes both….that’s why it is important as an SAHM to have a daily routine!

A routine that starts early and includes quiet time and devotion with our Heavenly Father…Once you are able to set aside time for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ everything else will fall into place…He will grace you to do the impossible… What I have learned in my SAHM life without a maid…is that it is important to have a schedule, and goals…..once you itemize your time it really helps everything else to fall back into alignment…..

How To Treat Torticollis

Torticollis is an asymmetrical head or neck position (below), which is usually caused by birth trauma or intrauterine malposition.  According to webmd…and so many other experts…

Literally at 2 months I began to notice that our dear Sidney Bean appeared to have a perpetual head tilt…it always appeared as if she was really examining anything that was placed in front of her! At first it was adorable…and then I began to notice that she was consistently tilting her head to one side…while sleeping

During Tummy Time

………During Photo Shoots

You get the drift…

HOW DID I REALIZE THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG?

One day I was looking at our little one and taking lots of pictures….and I had a flash back to some random episode of a day time talk show… that featured a child that was being bullied and called a “taco neck” because his neck was permanently tilted to the side…..

I remember being a kid watching that show (can’t remember the name of the talk show it was 90’s so I’m thinking it was probably either Jenny Jones or The Rikkie Lake show…anywho) and deeply empathizing for and with that child….and I guess my brain just filed that episode into the back of my brain….. and when I stared at my little girl and saw her head tilted to the side..literally the week before she turned 2 months…..I swear to goodness that memory that was filed to the back of my brain came back and alllllll I could think of was TACO NECK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I feel like I literally heard the words lol TACO NECK!!!!!!!!!!!  I immediately  called our pediatrician and at our 2 month check up….. after our pediatrician said everything was well…………I opened up my mouth and asked whether or not our pediatrician thought that her head was tilted………..as our doctor was preparing to walk out of the room and see the next patient he paused…looked at her and very quickly said…………….”……mmmmmmmmmmmmmyyeaaaaaaa looks like a mild case of torticollis….you should see a physical therapist or a chiropractor(chiro)……”  and shook our hands and walked out…

My husband and I looked at each other in silence and were like okkkkkkkkkaayyy….what do we do now…we asked the receptionist on our way out if she had any referrals for a chiropractor…and she contacted the doctor and he referred us to a chiro……..prior to the referral we had never, ever, ever, been to a chiropractor…we were very nervous…..naturally we chose to first contact a physical therapist(PT)……..just our luck we were placed on a waiting list………..and would not be able to be seen by a PT FOR TWO WHOLE MONTHS…which meant our sweetheart would be 4 months old!!!!!! All I could think about was the fact that..our daughters condition would just continue to get worse and worse and worse…….soooo I talked to my husband and remembered that our doctor also suggested a chiropractor………we contacted Dr. Dunlap of Aspire Health and she was able to get us in the next day!!!!!!!!

Until Sidney Bean, was 4 months the only treatment she received was from her chiropractor once a week …each week as seen in the picture above she received an infant adjustment (top right picture) and massage (top left picture) using essential oils ..the consistency and technique that was administered truly helped to loosen up that tightened muscle..and here we are 6 months later and the degree of the tilt is marginal…..

…At four months we started Physical Therapy…primarily because I’m a new mom and a worry wart…I saw results with our chiropractor however we were on that waiting list for so long..I felt like we should at least go to the Physical Therapist….at or firs PT appointment our daughter was assessed on her ability to move her head from left to right.

We were given a sheet of paper with suggested neck stretches to do at home in addition to our PT appointments…by the time that we were seen at 4 months  by a PT the degree of the head tilt shrunk drastically with just the care of her chiropractor!!!!  So, in short she was only seen by a PT 3 times and discharged!  Isn’t God Good?  In addition to seeing a chiropractor and PT we prayed…and asked God to show us what to do and He is truly faithful! Despite being discharged from the PT we have continued with chiropractic care because one we just love Dr. Dunlap, and two it has not only helped with the neck issue but sleeping, and digestive issues (less spitting up, etc).

Earlier, I noted the definition of Torticollis…I must note that our daughter was born full term via a scheduled non stressful c-section with no known birth trauma…she was/is exclusively breastfed and has been “babyworn” her whole life…like seriously…WE DON’T HAVE A STROLLER………….yet!! I know, I know….crazy!  We also do not use a lot of baby gear primarily because she hated it!! She also sleeps and has slept on her stomach since she was born………I am sharing all of this information because…typically when a child has torticollis….it is assumed that:

1.  They receive 0 tummy time and you have your child laying flat on their back alllllllllllllll day

2. Something very traumatic happened during birth……

However the above is not always the case and I looooooooooooove how blogger Rachel, a pediatric occupational therapist writes about babywearing and things you should be aware of as they relate to Torticollis check out  the blog Candokiddo I strongly believe that Rachel, accurately explains how my daughter developed Torticollis…as mentioned earlier she slept on her stomach ( I know that’s a no-no) never was in a stroller, we have a convertable carseat so she was never just laying flat in the carseat unless for a car ride..and she hated her 4MomsMamaRoo as well as aaaaaannnyyy infant baby gadget that caused her to recline… …the only thing that I could possibly attribute her development of torticollis to is always breastfeeding on the side that she had the tilt on………as well as always baby wearing here in the same position..so here are some tips on identifying,signs and symptoms

*I am not a doctor this webpage is purely informational you should consult your doctor or pediatrician for a diagnosis and treatment plan*

Signs and Symptoms

Babies with torticollis will act like most other babies except when it comes to activities that involve turning. A baby with torticollis might:

• tilt the head in one direction (this can be difficult to notice in very young infants)
• prefer looking at you over one shoulder instead of turning to follow you with his or her eyes
• if breastfed, have difficulty breastfeeding on one side (or prefers one breast only)
• work hard to turn toward you and get frustrated when unable turn his or her head completely

When babywearing it is important to make sure that you rotate the position of your babies head…keeping your babies head to the left or the right for long periods of time..even when your baby is laying on your stomach or nursing could possibly cause problems down the road! Just be aware..I loved having our little one close to my heart however I was unaware of the importance of switching head positions…..

There are not that many treatment options for Torticollis…most doctors will suggest Physical Therapy very few will suggest chiropractic care…all I can say is I am soooooooooooooo thankful that our pediatrician thinks outside of the box and suggested Dr. Dunlap….had we gone the traditional route our child would not have been seen for another two months and her condition would have worsened…..by the grace of God we have a happy ending with Torticollis but many people are unaware that their child has it until the condition has gotten reaaaaaaaalllyyy bad…through a simple chiropractic adjustment those muscles can begin to loosen and could prevent the usage of a neckbrace or neck tape…If you are in the DFW Metroplex I highly suggest checking out Aspire Health.  We are also eternally grateful for Our Children’s House of Baylor Hospital Although the waiting list was insane the quality of care and compassion was amazing!!!!

2015 Baby Must Haves (Birth – 4 Months)

Hey There!

Thanks so much for coming by!!  Based upon trial and error I feel 100% confident sharing this review of the top baby must haves for 2015!!

Just to add on to what was said/featured in the video:

1.   Black & White by Dana Hoban

Tana Hoban really outdid herself when she made this book Black & White Board Book…The illustrations are very simple…….there are 8 images on each side of this accordion style book.  At a very early age our daughter loved this book!  I was surprised that she liked it so much considering that newborns have very poor eye sight…we began placing this book in her Pack N’ Play as well as in front of her during tummy time.  It’s never too eary to develop a love of learning/reading!

2.  Infantino Shopping Cart Cover

This is a must have as well, especially for when you go shopping!  What’s great about this cart cover is that it fits most carts from super large to small.  It is also supportive for the littlest of humans that are still trying to figure out that whole sitting up thing.  Lastly, it is amazing because it’s a great way to keep your baby germ free!  Shopping carts are notorious for being germ cesspools…so protect your baby and yourself and cover that cart!!

3.  Life Factory Glass Bottles

Where do I begin….if you have an option of expressing your breast milk you really want to express it into a glass bottle here’s why; you want to protect the valuable components of your breast milk!! According to Dr. Sears  you want  to preserve as many of those nutrients that provide immunity to your baby.  What I love about the Life Factory Glass Bottles is that they can be attached to your breast pump like so:

 As you can see from the picture you can pump directly into the glass bottle which is awesome because you don’t have to poor the pumped milk into another bottle…you can just place it in the fridge when done or give directly to baby! Love it…you can’t do this with Born Free Glass Bottles!

That’s all folks!! Follow me on Instagram/Facebook at Momtastickim

How to increase your milk supply in 48 hours!!!

How to Increase your milk supply in 48 hours at 6 months postpartum!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Contrary to popular belief………you can increase your supply at 6 months…you do not have to dry up with out a fight mama’s!!!!  Before we get started I must share this info! How to Increase your milk supply in 48 hours at 6 months postpartum!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Contrary to popular belief………you can increase your supply at 6 months…you do not have to dry up with out a fight mama’s!!!!

1. Hydrate your self
2. Download a really good breastfeeding/baby log app
3. Use a hospital grade pump
4. Increase your caloric intake e.g. don’t be scared to eat…and I mean a lot!!
5. Allow baby to nurse on the boob as often as possible if that’s an option for you
6. Power Pump at least twice within a 24 hour period in addition to your regular pump sessions
7. Join as many online support groups as possible e.g. Facebook Exclusive Pumpers

    What the above looks like in practice. Feel free to download and share if you’d like!

If you gave birth in a hospital or even possibly a birthing center there is a large possibility that at some point during recovery a well wishing nurse may have quietly wheeled one of these things in your room..if he or she brought you a Medela Symphony Pump to use while in the hospital use it!!!!!!!  And when you leave be sure to open up the pump as shown below and remove the pump parts…

Removing the above parts and taking them with you when you leave the hospital will save you a few dollars.  Those parts are not to be reused so there is really no point in leaving them at the hospital.  Most people forget to take those with them so don’t let that be you!  The cost to rent a hospital grade breast pump like the Medela Symphony can run you anywhere from  $30-$80 depending upon how long you are renting the machine.  The Medela Symphony hospital-grade double  pumping system $52.99 at Babies R Us…don’t forget to take those pieces with you!!!

Key Take Aways:  What I wish I knew about breastfeeding 6 months ago

1. Drink lot’s of water as you will get very thirsty nursing
2. Make your first meal of the day the heaviest it will help you with milk productions e.g. (oatmeal, eggs, etc)
3. Drink some type of electrolyte beverage i.e. Coconut Water and if you must as a last resort Gatorade
4. Get a high quality pump…it may be necessary to rent one from Babies R Us or another place..I have been renting the below Medela Symphony Breast Pump from Babies R Us since our little one was 3 weeks old…..
5. Pump for at least 30 – 40 minutes! I know the breast pump manual and “experts” will tell you to only pump for 10 – 15 minutes..it wasn’t until I started pumping for 30-40 minutes 4-8 times a day that I saw a significant increase
6. REST REST REST
7. Get a really, really good breast feeding app (I know I’ve mentioned this twice but it’s sooo necessary).  I love this one I found in the istore it’s called American Baby..it’s helped me track everything to see if this whole power pumping thing really works and I must say it truly does!

.

Sticking to the above routine and schedule helped me tremendously.  The best advice that I received as a breastfeeding mom was to drink lots of water, and make sure that you eat a solid meal before pumping.  I began to notice a significant dip in my milk supply at six months and what really prompted me to go on an obsessive pumping spree was when we took our little one to her six month appointment and I found out that she had not grown at all regarding her weight since her 3 month check up!!!!!! I was mortified…and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out what in the world did I do wrong?  I’ve been putting her on the breast…I let her eat whenever she wants…the problem was that although she was/is an efficient sucker my love is a lazy sucker….she eats just enough to satiate her hunger and then falls a sleep each and every time…fortunately our pediatrician is not concerned about her being in the 5th percentile for weight…as she is meeting all of her other developmental milestones…as a mom I was worried and realized something had to give…that’s when I basically decided to abandon breastfeeding and exclusively pump…with pumping I have been able to track exactly how much she is consuming which gives me peace of mind…I know all babies are different however as a first time mom I needed something like the above picture..and fortunately her weight has increased drastically and we have a happy mama and a happy baby!!

100% breast fed!!! “That’s all me!!”–said the Mama