Less is More

One would think that meat without hormones, antibiotics, and all the other stuff would actually cost less, but it doesn't.

I have decided that perhaps it is time to leave my mid-west "meat and potatoes" meal paradigm behind in instead, fill my plate with things that are green and never went "Moo." So I went to Whole Foods market (the fancy-pants organic/gluten-free grocery store) where they have an entire aisle of bulk seeds, beans, and other things I didn't even know existed. What the heck is quinoa?

It was like I had gone to an alternate universe bizarro-world market - the layout was the same as any other grocery store: produce, meat, dairy aisles, but on closer examination, everything was different.

Anyway, so I've got my little DP shopping list including organic fruit and veggies, lean free-range chicken, spices, omega-3 eggs (never even knew there was such a thing), lots of legumes, and other things. It was a bit intimidating, but fun overall, and I am sure I will get better at it the more I shop there. Mia even scored some gluten-free oreo wannabe's.

Most interesting find of the day: Veganaise. Yep, I said it. Not only that, I found it, bought it, took it home, and tried it. Believe it or not, it tastes pretty much like mayo, but has 1/3 the calories and is dairy-free if you need that sort of thing.

Meal of the week: Chicken pesto on a bed of spaghetti squash.

What I did: baked a whole spaghetti squash at 350 degrees for an hour, sliced it in half, scooped out the seeds, and then forked out the stringy stuff that looks like angel-hair pasta. In the meantime, I grilled a chicken breast, sliced it into strips, and sauteed it with some pesto sauce. that I got at Fresh and Easy (very good stuff!), and served it on a bed of the squash, with a salad and steamed veggies.

What I should have done: Spaghetti squash is on the sweet side, and did not go well with the pesto. I should have used a sweeter sauce like marinara or vodka sauce. I will try that next time, and maybe add some mushrooms for good measure.

Success Breeds Success

Yesterday was a great day!

I have been noticing that my pants have started to fit a little looser, but yesterday was the first tangible piece of evidence of success - one hole tighter on my belt! I was so excited I had a dance party in the living room.

My mom has been "encouraging" me to lose weight for years, especially after my son was born when I was my heaviest. We won't be discussing numbers here, but let's just say, it was a lot. When I called her to give her the good news, she said, "Well, success breeds success." She's right. I am more motivated than ever to get healthy and stay that way.

I think I'm even ready to buy a bathroom scale!

Sorry, I can't. I'm on the DP.

When I was in high school and started having a semblance of a social life, my dad sat me down to have a chat. "Now, Kimmer, if you get into a sticky situation where somebody offers you drugs or alcohol, I want you say no, and if you need to, to blame it on me." For instance, "No, I can't have that beer - my dad would kill me." or "No, I can't smoke that joint - my dad would tie me up in the basement and feed me sardines for the rest of my life." Stuff like that.

Actually, I never had to use that excuse because I was pretty good kid and was never offered any of that stuff (or I just went to the wrong parties...). It was nice to know I had an "out" nonetheless.

The same goes for the DP. I went grocery shopping today, and did really well - read all the labels, stayed mostly on the outer walls (to where, thankfully, they moved all the alcohol), and half my cart was filled with produce. When I saw something I would have gotten before, the decision was easy: no thanks, I'm on the DP.

Little Victories

Ephesians 4:22-24, “Put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; be made new in the attitude of your minds; and put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (NIV).

It had been less than 24 hours since I made the decision to give up sugar when I was faced with my first real temptation. I was starting to get a little crabby - impatience with my kids (well, I guess that's nothing new) and picking a fight with my husband are the only things to which I'll admit here...

I was at my friend's house for a women's small group, and there were Oreos. Double-stuff Oreos.

Now, I didn't get into this thing lightly - I knew it was going to be tough, especially at first. But COME ON!!!

I said a little prayer, and decided it would be best for me not to go into the kitchen at all. So as most of those around me munched on those delicious chocolate cookies with the dreamy creamy filling, I drank my bottle of water and dreamed of shopping for clothes a few sizes smaller.

Food Industry - 0
Me - 1

What's wrong with a little red vine now and then?

High Fructose Corn Syrup. Someone recently told me that the corn industry was to blame for the obesity epidemic in America. Huh? She said that because of government subsidized ethanol (the fuel made from corn), there is an incredible amount of HFCS, a bi-product of making the fuel. The food industry buys this extremely inexpensive sweetener and pretty much puts it in everything. And it is making us fat. Makes sense to me.

So we go to church this morning, and the helper in Mia's Sunday School class asks if she can give Mia a red vine (licorice) as a treat. I said I would prefer she didn't. I'm thinking, "HFCS and food coloring - probably not on the plan." When I went to pick her up after the service, she had a full on Melt Down (yes, it deserves capital letters) because she couldn't have a red vine. She'll live.

But I have a feeling this is going to be tough. Apparently, I need to increase my faith.

By the way, I'm still waiting to find out the Plan. In the meantime, I am reading The 150 Healthiest Foods on Earth (thanks, Julie), and starting to tailor my meals around those foods. I'm sure most of them are on the Plan.

Now, in terms of "What it takes to really change", I learned these things today:
1. Change is my choice. I must commit y body to God. "Therefore...offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1)
2. To change my life, I must change my pattern. I must refocus my mind. "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." (Rom 12:2)
3. I can only manage what I can measure. I need to humbly assess my current state. I cannot get to where I'm going if I don't acknowledge where I currently am. "Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you." (Rom. 12:3)
4. Change requires community and affirmation. I must get group support and fill my life with love. "Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ's body. We are all parts of his one body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all one body in Christ, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others." (Rom 12: 4-5)
5. Nothing great is ever accomplished in life without enthusiasm. I must nurture my enthusiasm. "Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer." (Rom. 12:11-12)

So as I lift my glass of water - HERE'S TO CHANGE!

And so it begins...

Today I got up early and went to Saddleback Lake Forest Campus for the Daniel Plan health seminar. The Daniel Plan (DP), is most likely named after the Old Testament guy who refused to eat the king's rich food, and instead ate only vegetables and water, and was the better man for it.

So for 4 1/2 hours, two doctors helped me understand the error of my ways when it comes to what I eat (Mom, you were right about everything), and how having a healthy brain is the first step to having a healthy me.

I think it's pretty cool that a church is doing this - helping people get healthy. I'm in!

So I go home and I go online to the website and the information that is supposed to be there - the fitness information, the food plan, etc. It's not there. I find that to be very frustrating! I just committed to a 52-week plan and I don't even know what it is! Ugh!

I'm a little scared. I'm scared that I won't have the willpower to see this thing through. I'm scared that I'm too lazy. I'm pretty sure from the seminar this morning that I will have to give up my three basic food groups - salt, fat, and sugar. I'm scared that I will fail. Again.

So I will meditate. Yep. I will meditate on the promise that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Perhaps this sort of thing is like forgiveness - forgiveness for something big. It is a consistent action, one that you have to do over and over again, not something that one does once and then it's over. It also must be done supernaturally, as we do not have it within us to forgive many offenses. I must be continually be renewing my mind, and seeking God's supernatural strength in this.

And now I'm off to be to get my 7 hours of sleep.