Funny, Truly Bizzare Weight Loss Practices at our House

Being a mom of three rowdy, usually running children, I have often pondered how to maintain a physically active lifestyle so that I can simply catch them! And with each baby, I have struggled with the weight gain that hit like a, ahem, freight train. Here are some of the funny, tongue-in-cheek, or downright rueful ways we've maintained healthy body weights around here. You won't find these in any other publication - I promise they are highly original and all true.

In no particular order, we highly recommend these things that we've done recently.

We have driven a van with 325,000 miles until it died last November (may it rest in peace!) Then we didn't buy another one. Down to one vehicle, we enjoy walking. With a jogger stroller, we simply walk anywhere we need to go in a 2 mile radius, even in December. It was above 30 degrees, and no snow so out we go!

We have food allergies. My lips swell up like a blotched batch of botox whenever I have any kind of refined sugar. Now for my very survival, we are a sugar-free household. While we were at it, we got rid of white flour too. And since in America, sugar is in everything, we cook from scratch. Double blessing. The food is healthier and it takes extra arm strength to cook that way! My children are also allergic to corn which is also in everything including, Cheerios, Velveeta cheese, and baking powder. I wish I were kidding. Hence, we have lost tons of weight by eating one ingredient foods. I must confess, I do eat lettuce for breakfast. Often.

My babies also teeth, hard! They also sleep very little. I have lost 5 lbs in one night to simply walking, nursing, sleeping, walking, nursing, nursing, nursing... you get the idea.

Speaking of babies, I almost forgot that poor Ethan has been dairy intolerant so we discovered yummy new foods like coconut milk and oil and Keifer. Again, this nutritional change has been amazing. I lost the weight faster this time than ever before.

I also run for my sanity sake. Doesn't hurt the weight loss goal either.

We also practice elimination communication. Well, we were forced into it by a very communicative baby who demanded that his needs to use the restroom not be ignored. (We have come to believe that it is a human dignity issue.) At 2 weeks, yes, I'm serious, we started taking him to use the restroom with his big brother. He sincerely appreciated our efforts and would wait until we were in the correct position. Then, he rewarded my tromping up and down the stairs to our only bathroom with being the best, happiest baby on the face of the earth (until teeth of course). He would use the restroom between 5- 10 times per day and then we also would sometimes "miss" what he was saying which resulted in an addition 20 diaper changes. No exaggeration, I counted. He is well hydrated. So up and down the stairs -we do amazing amounts of cardio.

This is not the easy way to loose weight, I must confess. But I do believe that God has allowed these things to bring us, force us, to a place of choosing balance and health.

We have had to be done with excuses. Our night times often resemble a circus. Our life is always in some sort of upheaval. We just have come to plan on it. Someone will always be in need. We won't have any money or time to be healthy. There will always be an excuse to not take care of oneself. We have simply had to choose to slow down, take the time, expend the energy even when sleep-deprived continually, to be healthy. Then we are better equipped to respond in Christ-like ways to the whirlwind that life simply is.