bring joy

small tweaks, big changes (weight loss update) + inside a Japanese vegetable market

But first.

It’s hard. And it’s easier (in the moment), to turn a blind eye & just accept the status quo.

I am of course talking generally, but this also applies to me specifically right now.

In my last post I shared how after the miscarriage I hadn’t lost any weight. And I was trying, sorta.

Emma, a veteran reader (who also is author of this great guest post on exercising after an eating disorder) left a really great comment on that post.

Hi Janae,

After reading this post, I was wondering WHY exactly you need to lose weight. You mention health, but there is evidence that suggests that health behaviours are far more predictive of health outcomes than weight or BMI. ie. what you do matters more than how much you weigh.

So it might pay more to focus on that instead. And it sounds...

purple potato 5 greens salad w/ creamy sweet basil dressing {RECIPE} + weight loss dilemmas

salad & soup, main dish, weight loss

A few random thoughts.

(It’s been awhile.)

It’s located on the pier, the marina right next to it & the ocean right there. I love going there because I’m usually the only customer & whomever is working there is anxious to help me. I also get to try out my Japanese, & without fail, flub up & realize I don’t actually know much. But it’s enough to communicate, & if they know any English at all, they want to speak it to me. This is where I got all the awesome veggies for the salad I’m excited to share with you.

But here we are, middle of January & this is my first post.

It’s a private, Japanese Christian school.

She’s the only American, & aside from the principal & two Philipino students, she’s the only English speaker.

It’s been interesting to dive head first into this world of...

life post-miscarriage + more random island photos

okinawa, pregnancy

I have received many heart felt comments & emails. I am touched by your compassion & your sharing your stories with me.

(And please forgive me if I haven’t responded to your emails yet—with the holidays all things non-family related have taken a back seat.)

In some ways I feel guilty because I feel I shouldn’t be sad—after all, my experience can’t hold a flame to the experiences of so many women who have dealt with years in silent sorrow, experiencing infertility &/or numerous miscarriages. My heart breaks for those women who want nothing more than to be a mother, but for one reason or another cannot or can’t realize their dream of having the kind of family they desire.

I have been so blessed to be able to a mother & honestly feel that I can’t or shouldn’t feel...