Thoughts for the Approaching Year

So, I'm doing some thinking on what direction to go with my blog. It's been a fantastic tool for me to stay motivated, record the many things I'm learning, share all the great ways the Lord is working in my life, and make new friends on this journey. 

All that said, I really do sense the Lord is moving me in a new direction on this journey.

No longer am I hunting and searching for the WHAT that I ached to find for years.  No longer am I trying this and that and the other thing hoping it will bring results and success. 

Today I walk in confidence that what we eat is nourishing our bodies, healing from past choices, and protecting us from future struggles.  (Not that we won't struggle, just that we'll be more prepared to face those struggles.)

So, as I started this blog, it was my journal. My place to come and explore and vent and cry and rejoice and dabble and question and fail and start again and just....BE.  I liked that, and I still do.

Yet, there is something more happening in my life right now and sharing that is exciting.  Because of the obvious physical changes resulting from our new dietary choices, I've got a lot of people asking questions and wanting to know just what life looks like in this plant-strong family. 

I'm also discovering incredible ways the Lord wants me to see the foods He made and the body He made working together.  There is this beautiful call in my heart right now showing me how I can learn to WORSHIP Him in a whole new way on this journey.  I don't want to miss recording that.

So, I'm hoping to spend some time in the coming weeks changing things a bit around here.  I don't earn money on this blog. I'm not gaining anything by drawing in readers.  I simply want to be sure this place is reflective of the amazing way the Lord is working in my life and pray it blesses others who are looking for Him as I am. 

Please leave a note if you have some ideas or suggestions on what would be helpful to you as you visit here.  Thanks!

Today is The Day!!!!

It's official!  As of today more weight is GONE than needs to GO!!!

It may not seem magical to you, but I've had my eye on that number ratio for years.   Today the Pounds to Go number swapped places in hierarchy with the Pounds Gone number and it feels great!!!!

I have two more days left until the new year.  I'm ONE pound away from a total of 50 pounds gone for this year.  I wonder if I can do it????

Happy Two!!

Stepped on the scale to see what this week looked like for weight loss. 

Two pound loss!! Wahoo!!!

After playing around with .2 increments for the last couple of weeks, it sure was nice to see the numbers drop in a decent way.  I'm amazed at how much my hormones affect the weight I hold.  Started my cycle this week and the scale dropped like a hat. 

Speaking of that, this is the first cycle I've had where I've been dealing with mild cramping and general discomfort the first two days.  I've been a lot more moody and have had way less energy compared to previous months.

I was wondering what changed.  My cycles have been so un-intrusive, I'm almost embarrassed to feel this way.  Not sure if it makes a difference, but I did have several helpings of meat (venison and ground turkey) this past week.  Also, I've had some treats of real sugar in the form of Christmas chocolates gifted to us.  Not much, but more than my normal. 

Now, I don't have scientific proof that these are making a difference for me this week.  But, I do find it curious and wanted to make note so I can keep track of things as the months move on.

Really happy to have some jeans fitting loosely and tighter fittings clothes fitting comfortably enough to wear now.  I am actually have a ton of fun putting outfits together and learning to accessorize my wardrobe.  Such a blessing!

Wherefore Art Thou?

I know that's what you've been asking. :)

I guess the holiday season took me hostage.  I've been busy cooking (as usual), making gifts with my kiddos, trying new recipes for sharing with friends and family, joining my family in some caroling, visiting, and making some great memories. In short, it's been a lovely Advent Season. :)

 

I'll post some specifics on new recipes and fun things we've done over the last couple of weeks. I've also been reading a fantastic book by Dr. Scot Stoll, titled Alive! that I can't wait to share with you.  The scale has been stubborn and holding itself still.  However, I haven't helped matters much with avoiding the workouts I was planning to get started on during this break from school. Please pray for me to commit and do what's right in that area.

 

I'm pretty sure I should have asked for some extra hours in my day on my Christmas list. ;)

Progress pics

Okay, well, for some reason, blogger won't let me update my pages.  I made a collage of our last six months of progress. I'll post that here for tonight.  I LOVE seeing this!

And....drum roll....I DID IT!!!  I got into the next decade today!!!!  Feels pretty awesome to have met my goal! :D

Quick Fix

This was one of my Make-It-Up-As-You-Go dinners.  Took pics because it' looked so pretty and tasted pretty amazing too!

Along with some water sautéed potatoes, I cooked up some garbanzo beans mixed with onion, mushrooms, corn, swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, and seasoned it experimentally.  (coriander, oregano, turmeric, garlic, I think that was it)

Topped my raw spinach with it.  It wasn't a big hit for the whole table, but I really liked it. They did love the potatoes, though. My crew LOVES potatoes. :)

 

And, well, this is just cute.  Our breakfast line up on mornings I make smoothies for the whole fam.

Stuck on Monday

The weekend was a little defeating.  Friday I gave in and we ordered pizza from downtown.  I just couldn't seem to move my body off the couch.  Emotionally, it was a rough week.

When we order pizza, we get a thin crust (NOT ETL), spinach, broccoli, mushrooms with tomato sauce.  Then we ask them to put ONLY feta cheese on top.  My husband really likes feta and I can pick most of it off.  That leaves me with less fat and salt, but still not all that nutritious. 

Then we hit the cookie swap on Saturday.  It was so fun.  Great time making new friends.  I brought some yummy raw brownies that we tweaked and renamed, Christmas Bliss Balls.

So, we brought some great, nutritious treats.  But, WOW was it hard to resist the toffee that someone else made!! And...I didn't.  I nibbled a few bites and then fought myself the rest of the weekend.  We packed away all the treats and are working to deliver them this week. 

Church potluck on Sunday but I did to really well there.  Just had my own taco salad for lunch and one of my Bliss balls for dessert.  Still, I was fixing myself toast all through the weekend, leaving me afraid to step on the scale. 

Today, I was at the same weight I've been since last Thursday, I think.  Still, way better than a gain after a weekend of poor choices. 

I was on track today and I'm looking forward to seeing what the scale holds for me tomorrow. I am SO close to the next decade!! And, it was my goal to be there by the 10th. 

Tomorrow is Picture Day!!

Cardio Kickboxing

Last night we went for our second Cardio Kickboxing class at the YMCA.  We spend an hour kicking, punching, sweating, and attempting to follow along.  It gets confusing at time!  It was a little more enjoyable than the week before.  I don't love it, but I'm glad I went.  Not sure I'm excited for next week, either. But, I'll be glad when I've done it, I'm sure.  There is a lot of mind/body interaction and, that part, I definitely like.  Our instructor is really great, so I end up looking forward to seeing her as well.

After, we went out for burritos at Dos Amigos.  We had a coupon. ;)  I couldn't finish the whole burrito. They are huge.  Did eat the chips and salsa, though.

Was expecting to see the scale up this morning due to salty foods.  I usually see a gain if we go out to eat. 

I was down by .2 pounds.  Not a big loss, but a loss, nevertheless.  I'm happy with that. 

Busy day out today.  A rush in the morning to get schooling done.  Drop off big kids for lessons and then a visit with friends with the younger children. I'm excited!  I have this sweet friend that knows our food preferences and she's always so sweet to oblige us. She's planning to make a plant strong lunch for us!

Our friends and family don't need to be so accommodating, but I sure do recognize the blessing when they love on us in this way. 

The Nutritarian Lifestyle

Read this today from a friend on an online Eat to Live support group.  I'm so thankful for others that encourage and help me learn in this journey.

"There are two approaches to improving health through improved nutrition.

 The first is to remove the most offending food products which actively promote inflammation and disease. The most detrimental of these products are animal sourced foods including eggs, dairy (butter, yogurt, cheese, milk, ice cream, sour cream, etc.) as well as beef, pork, poultry and fish.
So many plant based approaches focus on removing these harmful foods from the diet, but they fall short by not also removing manufactured/processed foods which are very low nutrient food-products that contain numerous questionable and sometimes very harmful ingredients; ...they lack the wealth of phytonutrients found only in whole plant foods, and tend to be high in added fat, salt, sugar, and chemicals such as artificial colors, flavorings designed to be addictive, and preservatives. 

A more optimal approach to nutrition is to not only cut out the animal products, but also dramatically limit the various manufactured products - even the ubiquitous loaf of bread is processed food - high in sodium and low in nutrients and fiber.  Focus instead on whole plant foods - and making meals from ingredients that are recognizable as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. 

This is the Nutritarian approach to optimal health and leads to optimal weight, and the reversal and prevention of multiple disease processes."  Cher Hunter; professor, nutritionist, mentor

The above explains why I don't fit under the label, "Vegan" or "Vegetarian".  The goal is not simply to remove foods from my diet or label something as *evil*. The primary focus for my health and my family's health is that I purpose to put the most optimal foods available INTO our bodies.  This not only helps me in my weight loss, healing and protecting from disease, but it builds our bodies to perform at their best, thereby bringing glory to the Lord in all we do. 

May we use our physical bodies always to serve you, Lord, in thanksgiving for all you do that enables us in this way.  Help us see that every action we take, a food we eat, a nibble we resist, an activity that strengthens us, a choice that guards us, they are a form of worship unto You.

Work It Off

So, last night we headed to the YMCA for Family Fun Night.

I admit, it takes everything in me to join in on group exercise.  Okay, full truth is it takes everything in me to join in on ANY exercise.  I'm just wired that way.  Lots of overcoming happens in my head if I want to be part of the Family Fun.

We did have fun.  We played some flag football and dodge ball.  Of course, it wasn't a major workout, but it was really great to hear my little girls giggle and squeal with delight as Mommy and Daddy chased and cheered for them.  The boys especially liked having a fast and furious Daddy on their tail. 

Everyone was famished, though, when they got home.  Dinner *was* pretty light, as I was trying to get us out the door quickly.  I made a vegetable stir fry that was apparently short on vegetables.  I served it over crunchy chow mein noodles for the children.  I intended to have brown rice, too, so they wouldn't have so many of the processed noodles, but I didn't make the time for the rice to cook. 

All of that led to hungry bellies after the gym.  I made up three blenderfuls of kale and fruit smoothies while someone else cooked up some peanut butter toast.  We munched away while David read our advent reading for the night.  Really, it was very sweet.

This morning the scale was up on first step.  I decided that since I had had that late night snack, which isn't my norm, I would get in a light Wii workout.  The fact that the house was quiet and I was alone helped in a big way.

Twenty minutes later and I'm down .4 pounds.  I'll take it.

Half Victories

I'm singing the Lord's praises this morning!

Yesterday, I was able to resist the amazing smell of that ooey-gooey pizza served at the children's cast party.  I brought along my salad and crunched-crunched-crunched my way through lunch. 

I confess, I did nibble the half-crust that the baby left on her plate.

I'm tellin' ya', it was HARD.  I went through the pizza line a few times getting the little girls what they wanted.  Then I sat there watching the leftovers just sit and call my name. I couldn't believe how difficult it was to avoid eating that food.  I ended up moving to another side of the room so I couldn't see it as readily.  David left altogether to go get a coffee.  The chips and pizza were too strong of a force.  I'm proud of him for doing what he had to do.

And, this morning, I'm so thankful to the Lord.  Actually, I wish I had thought to pray for strength while in the battle.  I need to think harder that this is a battle for my soul as well as my stomach. I won on the stomach end. The scale was down another .7 today.

My soul? I missed the opportunity to commune with the Lord and see Him at work giving me strength and power to resist.  He DID do those things, I just missed seeing him do it because I was so focused on the battle.

Help me be attentive to you, Lord.  Help me see that the temptations are there for the very purpose of driving me to you.  Give me a heart that is sensitive to your work in my life even in the midst of a foolish thing like a pizza party.

Three Years

Three years since I started this blog, almost to the date.

Three years I've been learning and journaling and fretting and fussing and praying and crying and sweating and juicing and eating and fasting and nursing and losing and gaining and birthing and testing and injecting and reading and watching the Lord do a work.

Three years and today I am down exactly 50 pounds from where I started.  It doesn't take most people three years to lose that amount of weight, but I spent way more than three years gaining way more than that. 

Truth is, I've lost 43 pounds of that 50 in just the last 5 months.  Truth is, I spent 2.5 years working at it with other methods and lost about 20 pounds.  Truth is, I nursed a baby, grew another baby, and nursed that second baby all during those three years. 

This isn't your typical weight-loss adventure.

I'm taking stock today on how far I've come these past three years.  I may have started out slow with a lot of bumps and stumbling. But, all the while I was learning, growing, scales of sin and habits of addiction being peeled away.  Every small step has led to this big leap to health and freedom from those areas that had me in bondage before.

Shedding 50 pounds doesn't hold a candle to shedding the chains of sin that kept me there!

Another Monday Start

And the scale is down BIG! I am shocked.

This weekend I was seeing the scale going up and it was a little disappointing.  Heavy on the grains with the holiday meal and I almost didn't even get on the scale this morning.

So glad I did! Down 1.7 pounds!  That's a great motivator to STAY AWAY from the pizza at the party today.  (Ahem, yes, I was battling that temptation in my head)

I have 2.2 pounds left before I hit that next decade. Pizza ain't gonna help me meet THAT goal! 

Got a little spring in my step.  Yeah, it's a tiny bit telling that the scale sways my moods like that.  I need to work on keeping my eyes on the Lord.  He needs to be the source of my strength and my joy.

I AM praising Him for this.  I did say no to a lot of temptations whirling in my head this weekend.  That only comes by His power.

The Day After Weigh-in

So, I played with the scale enough to accept the fact that I'm up about 1 pound from yesterday.  That's fair. I definitely overate on the heavy foods and underrate on the salad.

Today I go back to normal and enjoy it. :)

Nutritarian Thanksgiving!

Yep.  That's the ONLY picture of the food we made for the whole day.  Can you BELIEVE that????

I wanted to get pictures of all the great food we made. All the recipes I tried were fantastic! It looked beautiful and tasted so good! 

Our turkey turned out lovely.  The cornbread stuffing and green bean casserole were delicious.  The sweet potato pie was VERY sweet, but a good flavor on the plate as long as you didn't have too much. 

The mashed potatoes were too runny, though.  Warming them in the crockpot all day was probably my downfall on that one.  I made up for it with my mushroom gravy, though, as David told me he loved it so much he could cover the plate with it. (at least, I HOPE that was a good thing ;) )

My il's brought a gorgeous and delicious salad that was devoured.  And, my sweet 11yo boy made that adorable "turkey" vegetable platter while my 14yo boy made a batch of home made hummus. 

The biggest hit of the meal, though, had to be the apple crisp ala mode.  A nutritarian apple crisp topped with vanilla Nice Cream.  We really wowed everyone, including ourselves!!  I'll get that recipe typed up and on the blog soon. You will DEFINITELY want to make it. :)

And, a little extra to be thankful for this year, I started the day .4 pounds down on the scale! That puts me at a 2 pound loss for this week already.  Wow!!

However, I really pigged out on the food at dinner today, so I'm thinking I may not like the story the scale tells me tomorrow morning.  For now, I'll just be happy, though.

Thanksgiving Menu

We spent the afternoon prepping food for our Nutritarian Thanksgiving Feast!  We've still got a few things to assemble and cook, including a cage-free, no antibiotics, vegetarian fed (is there any other kind of feed for them?) turkey. 

And, yes, I declare, by all of the powers vested in me, that serving the healthiest and highest quality turkey our budget can afford for Thanksgiving dinner qualifies as a Nutritarian meal.  I'm not sure we're all planning to eat it, but I'm grateful to serve it to our guests on this special day.

Here's our menu plan with links:

Vegetable Tray
Hummus (I'll post this recipe if it turns out)
Savory Bean and Spinach Soup
Turkey
Cornbread Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Green Bean Casserole (I altered this recipe; I mixed almonds and bread in the food processor and then mixed in dried, minced onion for the topping with some extra slivered almonds)
Sweet Potato Casserole (I altered this recipe; half the maple syrup, no sugar or butter for topping. I mixed pecans, dates, and flour in the food processor for the topping)
Green Salad (brought my guests)
Dinner rolls (brought by guests)
Apple Crisp (we made this recipe up. If it turns out, I'll post the recipe soon.)

Some pics of our hard work today

Renewed Momentum

Scale was down .7 again this morning. That's motivating!

I have some new smaller goals in place to keep me trucking over the next couple of weeks.

1.  Just under 2 weeks until our next picture day.  I'd LOVE to be in the next decade by then. That's 4.5 pounds to lose in 2 weeks.  Doable, if I work hard at working the plan.

2.  27 pounds to lose before I get in the "Healthy Weight" range on the charts.  That's really encouraging to me!  I've had my brain so set on "Another 50+ pounds to go" that I was starting to lose ground.  27 pounds is less than I've already lost. That's exciting!

3.  Make this eating lifestyle fit our budget.  I have got to find a way to decrease the spending because I can't keep spending twice the budget every week.  There has to be a way.

4.  Keep praying for a way to get a hold of Dr. Stoll's materials on plant-based eating. I'm really looking forward to reading through his materials.

Looking Back

So, this past weekend we pulled out some home movies to watch.  Of course it's so precious to see the children in their tiny little form watching birthdays, Christmases, and births of babies happen before our eyes.  Love that.

This time, though, I really saw Me.  I saw a woman that has been overweight...heck, I'll just say it, OBESE for a good 15 years or more.  I saw a woman that was loving her family, making great memories, but worn out, tired, and struggling to keep up with the memories being made. In fact, a lot of the reason those movies got made was because I was sitting out on the sidelines of family life.

I heard my children gasp as they saw my oversized body move across the screen. I cringed when I saw the rolls and the way I struggled to just move or carry a baby in my belly with all the extra weight. I grieve that I spent those years hurting myself and putting those unborn babies at risk now that I know it was simply the result of my choices and ignorance regarding my food choices and habits. 

Today, I am a smaller size than I've been probably since I had my first baby.  I have more energy. I think more clearly.  I struggle so much less emotionally and hormonally.  It truly is amazing.

And, one thing that leaves me grieving is that for the last 5-6 years of that time I believed I was eating for health. I was following the *best* advice. We were eating meat and dairy based whole foods. We eliminated all processed foods and sugar. I loaded our plates with plenty of butter, bacon drippings, olive oil. We even at BEANS several times a week, for crying out loud!

I made so many foods from scratch, I could have given Mrs. Ingalls a run for her money. (okay, well..not really.)  I had a huge bin of natural supplements for omegas, stabilizing blood sugar, supporting hormone swings and depression, fighting illness.

I was Doing The Right Things.  Everyone told me so. My OBs, my midwives, my mainstream medical friends, my natural crunchy momma friends.  I was meticulous about my GD diet plan and I was the pride of the diabetes counselors.

And there I sat. Obese and growing Obese-er.  Diabetic.  Gall Bladder disease.  High cholesterol.  Depression.  Insomnia.  Thyroid symptoms and concerns.  Chronic fatigue.  Chronic headaches. Chronic yeast infections and mastitis. Chronic misery.

And today, here I stand.  FIVE MONTHS of replacing meat, dairy and nutrient-deficient fats by pouring simple, nutrient-rich plants into my body and I am a completely new person! I'll type it again....FIVE MONTHS!!!

Forty pounds - GONE!  (after 15 YEARS of trying to lose but only gaining, I am NO LONGER OBESE!! and well on my way out of Overweight.) 

Blood sugar symptoms and issues vanished.

Cholesterol levels perfect.

Instead of 3-4 days per week of headaches that sent me to bed for a full day, I have one minor headache each month the day before my cycle begins. Nothing I need to medicate at all. Huge difference.

Cycles are completely pain free.  No cramping, no headaches, no fatigue, minimal bleeding for minimal period of time.  I barely know it's even there.

Yeast infections and symptoms have disappeared.

Energy!  I can DO the work the Lord has called me to do.

Addiction free.  No more reliance on foods for good feelings.  No more detox symptoms (headaches, shakes, blood sugar swings, hunger pangs) creating the cycle that fed the addictions to caffeine, sugar, salt, and fat.

And, most importantly, freedom from the bondage of my sinful habits. No more choosing food to celebrate, reward, comfort, appease, release stress, hide from my struggles. 

I'm free from my emotions and the power food had over me to abuse those emotions. 

All because I was willing to challenge my pride and my idea that "I could NEVER eat like THAT!" and just TRY it for a few weeks to see what could happen.  I can't help but pour out my heart of thanks to the Lord for so clearly guiding me when, finally, I seriously prayed and asked. 

I look at that woman in those movies.  I know her heart. It's the same heart as the one I have today longing to honor the Lord and searching for answers on the right way to do it.  But today, this woman, she is free of the baggage that all those years of imprisonment to food, addiction, ignorance, and sinful food habits brought.  That freedom means I am released in so many other areas in my life as well. 

 

"Jesus answered them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.  "The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever.  "So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.'  " 

John 8:34-36

 

 

OH What a difference a year makes!!

Fall 2012

 

Fall 2013

 

 No more sitting on the sidelines for me!

Happy Day

Happy to see the scale the this morning. Finally got that number under 175.  Dropped .9 pounds since yesterday. I was hopeful, as my body had been cleaning itself out all day. 

It's amazing how eating grains/bread as my primary calorie source changes how my body functions. When I'm eating the normal ETL plan, I'm like clockwork with my digestive track.  At least, but normally two or three times a day I have a small, easy elimination.  When I start going over on grains or add in any dairy or meats, I see constipation and hard stools.  I am more than happy to avoid those and so are my hems that haven't given me trouble in many, many months.

Self Clue:  If you miss a morning movement, you know you need to get back on track.

David said he saw a good loss this morning as well.  He was stuck, same as me.  Nice to be building some momentum again.  I'm in awe that he only has about 18 pounds to go before he's in the "Healthy Weight" range.  Very exciting!!

Wondering where I've been lately?

Lost in Grainland.  Sigh.

We had an incredibly busy last two weeks. This past week, extremely so.  The children had three performances of The Scarlet Pimpernel this weekend as well as a day for full dress rehearsal.  It was intense, hurried, wonderful, and topsy-turvy, to say the least.

Because we were on the run and out of the house so often, I just didn't have the time to prep salads for my meals.  I did well with breakfast, but I succumbed to the easy grain foods that I had prepared for the children to eat while out.  Loading up on bread has kept the scale at a definite stand-still. Blah.

Add to that our celebrations this weekend with salty chips and salsa and a LOVELY lunch out with some new friends from the new church we've been visiting.  They invited us to Ruby Tuesdays, which has a great salad bar!  I loved it, but splurged on the biscuits they leave on the table.  I'm a bread-junkie, no joke!  I'm scared again to step on that scale. Grrr.

But, I need to know where I'm at. I guess I do, at least. 

Upside, I headed out with David to try out a Cardio Kickboxing class last week. It was...um...interesting. ;)  I was glad I went and it was good to have something active like that to do together.  I'm hoping I'll learn to like it a lot so it turns into something I look forward to each week.  Who knows, maybe I'll even want to join him for the Boot Camp class he likes to do on Tuesday mornings.  Brrrrr! That's all I can think of when I think of leaving the house for an early morning workout.  It's SO COLD these days!!

Speaking of that, I'm praying to find a new winter coat for myself.  Mine was just way too big.  I passed it along to a friend.  I found one in my oldest daughter's size (small) and have taken the coat she used last year. Only thing, it's really not a winter coat. And, the zipper is busted.  So, it's getting frigid out there and if I'm aim to stay warm, I have to layer up on my fall coats and my clothing.  I have a few dollars tucked away and am praying the Lord will help me find the perfect winter jacket in my thrift store hunts.  Your prayers are very welcome. :)

Continental Breakfast

This is the plan I use for breakfasts for the children each day.  I've been busy sharing this idea with friends, so I thought I should just put it all in one place for easy reference. :)

Saturday, I do a big day of baking for the week. I make a couple loaves of "sweet" breads and granola bars. I also make a couple of pans of baked oatmeal (one for Sunday morning and another for Monday morning).  Everything goes right to the freezer. Anyone snitching on Baking Day doesn't get their share for breakfast later in the week.

Now that I have a baked good for each breakfast during the week, my oldest puts out a continental breakfast buffet each morning. The children come down and make their plate with a bread, fruit, nuts, and side of *G-Bombed beans that cooked overnight in the crockpot. They love it and so do I.

No more cooking in the morning. Way less dishes, so the cleanup that used to take forever is going much faster. I think we even eat faster this way.

Some recipes on our normal rotation:

Orange Berry Muffins

Banana Blueberry Bars

Pumpkin Pie Squares

Banana Bread/Muffins

Zucchini Bread

Make Ahead pancakes

Granola Bars using this recipe, minus the oil and coconut, pressed in a parchment paper lined pan. I sometimes add peanut butter and chia seeds.

So, this week's breakfast menu looks like this:

Monday: Baked oatmeal that is topped with crushed walnuts, fruit, Gbomb beans
Tuesday: Zucchini bread that has crushed walnuts in it, fruit, Gbomb beans
Wednesday: Banana Bread, walnut pieces, fruit, Gbomb beans
Thursday: Zucchini bread with walnuts, fruit, Gbomb beans
Friday: Granola bars, fruit, gbomb beans

*Gbombs is an acronym for Greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries, seeds/nuts. I use the term to mean that we've dressed up the beans to fit the acronym as much as we can. We add onion, mushrooms (chopped VERY finely ), and greens (kale or collards or spinach). They all love their beans and greens in the morning.

Recap on the week

This week felt like a dud. 

I overate on grains.

I had several battling sniffles and one with a fever.

I was unmotivated and spent very little time in my kitchen (comparatively speaking).

I didn't make any headway on my household projects.

I mostly just slugged my way through the week.

Today I was back to my normal self and it felt good. I still, however, overdid it on the grains. I'm being lazy about prepping food and those are easy to grab and go. Also, the fridge is almost empty, so it's a little tricky to get in my salads right now.

That means I've avoided the scale this week. I just really don't want to face the music on what all that carbing has done. Sigh.

Q & A

So, lately I've been asked some great questions by various friends.  I thought I'd take some time to share these here.  I find that thinking through these answers is helping me understand better what I'm learning and how the Lord is growing me on this journey.

Q:  I'm interested to hear how difference (if any- but I'm guessing a lot) do you see/feel in your health now, compared to before.


A:  I feel incredibly different, yet ironically the same. How is that for an answer?  Physically, I am transformed. I have energy I never thought I could. I move easier, I fight sickness stronger, I sleep better, and I
keep up more than I did just 6 months ago. Mentally, I am more confident and directed in what course is right for my health. Emotionally, I'm less inclined to the swings, though I'm still working through some issues as I deal with the right way to handle stress. (which used to be food/drink and needs to be prayer and scripture meditation. I've put off the sin but still working to put on the right behavior). Spiritually, I'm walking in a new freedom from old habits. That's the best part. 

But, I'm hugely aware that I am still the same. I am the same me that loved and lived and laughed and cried and struggled and rejoiced 40 pounds ago. I am not better today than I was then. I am not more loved today than I was then. I am that same woman that lived by grace and needs it daily to press on to this prize He has waiting for me. I am the same, yet I am enjoying this life He's given to me in a measure that is more full than I thought I could. And, it only gets better from here.

Progress pics collage

New progress pics for this month are posted on the tab up above.  Thought I'd share a collage I made of our monthly photos we've been taking.

We take a photo on the 10th of each month to show our progress on weight loss this year.  It's exciting to see how far we've come and to think of what we'll see on our anniversary in June!

 

Super excited to see I've reached the 40 Pounds Gone mark!!