By now you have noticed that I’m a little OCD when it comes to organization. I am like Hannibal from the A-Team – “I love it when a plan comes together!” I decided along with Papa Bear that we had to do something about our collective health. We were getting into too many processed foods, not enough fresh vegies in our lives, and certainly not enough exercise. He found out that he was pre diabetic, and obviously, that gave him some motivation – turns out, it was what I needed to make some changes as well.
We have been on a few different diet plans together over the years, and nothing “fad” or crazy restrictive has been sustainable for us. Life in a house with small children tends to make things a bit more difficult than it would have before we had them. You are going to have a certain amount of Chicken Nugget hell that follows you home. While they have not devoured every single thing I have cooked (kohlrabi may have been a little ambitious for their tiny taste buds), they have tried it and opted for their unsweetened applesauce. Not having my veggies doesn’t mean you get to skip fruits and veggies all together!
Since I like to make a meal plan for each week (usually the whole month) to help cut grocery costs, I decided to see what I could do to balance grocery and calorie “costs” and create the menus we needed. The first thing I did was start with the processed carbs – all of the refined, white, starchy items that we love so much – gone. We still had a little starch or carb, but from better sources than white bread. I did some research to see what we needed to cut out without going “low carb” so that we had nutritionally balanced meals with lower calories. I only wanted to cook one meal (one that Papa Bear and I could eat, and that Tiny and Teeny wouldn’t protest too much) for the family rather than cook for us and then the kids – I just don’t think it is a good idea to put children on a no carb or keto plan as they are growing and developing. That is especially true when you could just alter what you are doing and teach them the proper ratios of fruits and veggies to meat so that they can have what they want, just in moderation. Moderation is a sore subject – I didn’t get chubby by being able to master it on my own. Hahaha.
So far, I began logging my food on January 30, 2019 and it is now February 24th. I am down 13 lbs as of this morning! I know, I know, some of that is going to be water weight, but I don’t care – seriously not one bit – I’ll take it! At my age, I need every single ounce in my favor I can get.
Seeing the weight come back off has helped my motivation so much! I had one week where I plateaued – I guess my body needed a bit to catch up – but stuck with it to see if I would start to see results again. What do you know, I did! The pounds are not just melting off like they did when I did Atkins, but I had my weekly cheat meal last night (two glorious pieces of pepperoni and black olive pizza – almost 800 calories!!!) and didn’t see a single hit on the scale this morning. Why is that important? When I did Atkins, if I even walked down the cookie isle, it seemed like I gained two pounds back. The fluctuation in the scales was so emotional! I am a life long fat girl – we take it so personally!
So, we decided to approach it from a health perspective instead of the scales. So far, I do feel better. Papa Bear is doing way better than I am with getting his steps and dedicated walking time in. I’ll get there.
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For now, it’s one battle at the time for me. First we handle the menus and ingredients, next we handle the muscle building and toning!
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I just joined Weight Watchers and these recipes are GREAT!!!!
Show me the secret handshake and tell me all their secrets!
Wow! Well done on sticking with your plan. I am inspired by your organization and dedication. Thanks for sharing your ideas!
Let’s see if I can make it another month! I am seeing results, so that is helping me stay motivated!
Well done! My husband and I are working towards changing our way of eating, while also using up what we have in the house already so as to not waste it. It’s taking a bit of getting used to since we have been cooking the same way and the same meals for so long, but even the small changes seem to be making a big difference.
We are doing the same thing. We have one cheat meal a week where we go out for dinner, but other than that, it is experimenting with healthier foods. It is hard when you are set in a rut!
I think your approach to healthy eating and weight loss is so smart, and congrats on the weight loss. That’s great!
Thank you! It is so hard! We are trying to eat healtiher in general and it really takes some getting used to!
This is a great start to eating healthier, and feeling better! Sticking with this, you will see weight loss! I am cheering you on!!
I love the idea of the Taco Lettuce Cups. Anything taco related is a huge hit around our home. Congrats on the weight loss – it always amazes me how effective it is to track exactly what you eat! Can’t wait to hear how it works for you going forward!
Thanks! This is generally the point where I usually fall 9ff the wagon, so fingers crossed!
[…] No joke, right? Fail to plan and plan to fail. It is true for me. Check out my March meal plans here and let me know what recipes you want to see me lighten […]