Emeals Review

So I promised to report back about emeals.

About a year ago, I joined emeals and tried a few meals from their regular plan. I found that almost every meal included either pasta, rice, or bread. That was just too many carbs for my body so I cancelled it.

Recently, I saw they now have a low carb plan so when a Groupon showed up I decided I’d try it. I printed out 2 weeks worth of low carb menus and couldn’t find anything on the list I wanted to eat. Sure, there were some I could suffer through, but there wasn’t anything exciting.

After deciding the low carb plan wasn’t going to work, I took a chance and switched back to the regular Walmart family plan. I figured any food prepared at home would be better for us than eating out. I was surprised when I printed out it out. There were far less carbs in the meals with a lot more fresh veggies and fruit!

So I decided to really give it a try for 1 week. I purchased 5 complete meals on Sunday. I bought everything the list said including fresh ginger, which I’ve never done before. They give you 7 meals each week, but I know our family enjoys a couple of nights out so I only bought supplies for the 5 that matched our tastes the best.

Since then we’ve eaten at home 5 out of past 9 days, which is a record for us. Three of the meals were dates with friends so eating out was our only option. So when we were at home we only chose to eat out 1 night instead of cooking. Wow!

Random Thoughts:

It was so nice to already have an answer to “Mom, what’s for dinner?”

I didn’t have to run to the store for forgotten supplies.

I liked that it was easy to cross off the meals we didn’t want from the supplies list.

Shopping was easier since everything was already grouped by sections.

It took 1.5 hours to shop for 5 dinners. I was by myself with an 8 year old and a 4 year old.

The 5 meals cost around $85, but I had to buy a lot of basics most people would already have in the pantry.

I decided I will need to split our weekly shopping into 2 trips. 1 for dinner supplies and 1 for breakfast and lunch supplies.

The list included one super fast and easy meal which worked perfectly after church Wednesday night.

None of the meals were fantastic. We had 3 we rated great and 2 rated good. None of them were terrible. I'd eat them all again.

I had to give up my perfectionist expectation that everything I cook has to be delicious. I just followed their directions and if it wasn’t yummy, it wasn’t my fault!

Meals that include lettuce should be eaten first. 1 bag was the only thing I bought that went bad before we used it.

Meat that was purchased on Sunday had to be frozen by Thursday.

The regular plan feels like it is one our family can stick with long term. It isn’t the healthiest, but it’s way healthier than fast food and the few “bad” splurge items help us look forward to eating meals at home.  

With our hectic schedule of church, ballgames, dance class, etc. we decided it would work best for us to buy the supplies for 4 dinners each week. Then if we need another we can make a quick run to the store.

Here’s how it’s been working for our family:

1. I print out the weekly menu and automatically cross off the meals I know we wouldn’t like (it’s averaged only 1 per week).

2. Then I choose our 4 from the remaining 6. If I don’t see 4 we’d like I flip back to previous weeks and pull a meal from there.

3. I make sure to only choose meals we would WANT to eat so we are motivated to get in the kitchen and make it.

4. The day of the meal I try to chop everything in the morning or early afternoon and toss it in the fridge. When it’s dinner time I know everything will come together quickly so there’s no need for fast food.

Overall, I don’t see me planning a meal from scratch any time in the near future. That’s just way too much thought and planning for me. I really STRUGGLE with meal planning so for us, emeals is here to stay!

Not the Enemy

I’ve always heard you’re supposed to love your body. I think I’m pretty cute so sure, I thought I loved my body. I have pretty good self-esteem and let’s admit it, on some days I’m just freaking awesome.

But every time I’ve decided to eat healthy/exercise I’ve always thought of my body as the ENEMY. To lose weight I had to deprive it and exhaust it. My genetics are “bad” and I (the healthy person trapped inside) had to do everything I could to WIN!

Recently, I learned that loving your body is about listening to it. Your body is not the enemy, it is your number 1 ally in this life. Check this- your body is doing everything it can to protect you. If you die, it dies. (That sounds weird but hopefully you get it.)

Your body is working hard to keep you alive and healthy. If you feed it extra food, it’s going to store it up like a squirrel preparing for winter just in case your food supply unexpectedly goes away. If you have injured a muscle, it will send pain to let you know to rest until it can repair it. If you’re missing some nutrient or brain chemical, it will give you cravings so you eat the food containing that substance.

Oh. My. Gosh. You mean this body I’ve been fighting forever actually loves me and is trying to protect me? That I should work WITH it instead of AGAINST it? Well, now that’s a thought.

How about you? Is your body the enemy? You know, now is a great time to start a new relationship with it. Focus on trust, love, and appreciation. Your body is the only thing guaranteed to be with you until the end of this life. Today's a good time to make peace.

Info learned from: Kathleen DesMaisons

What I Want Most

I’ve been praying and asking God why it’s so hard for me to stick with a healthy eating plan. I’ve realized that when my food choices are limited in anyway I feel deprived and rebel. I rebel because the thing I want most is freedom. He revealed to me that freedom isn’t being able to eat everything at anytime. True freedom is being able to move my body in any activity I choose, to walk into a store and buy any outfit I see, and to not be hindered by my weight in any area of my life.

Well, hello!

Being “free” to eat a brownie everyday isn’t true freedom at all! My rebellion against meal planning and healthy food choices is leading me more into bondage everyday. I get it! (It’s amazing how we can be blinded to such simple truths.)

As I promised in my last post, I’ve stopped researching all eating plans and the psychology behind weight loss. I just kept repeating “I’m giving it to Jesus” every single time my mind tried to think about it. Now my mind is clearer and my nerves are calm. Thank you, Lord! I was seriously about to lose it.

For some reason, I just have a sense of peace about the principles of the South Beach Diet. For me, personally, I know it’s my answer. Once I get the sugar out of my system, it really works with my mind and body. I’m not a calorie or points counter or a shake drinker. Different things work for different people and this is the eating style I feel most comfortable with. So here we go again, back to Phase 1! This time with Jesus' help. I feel better knowing I have the King of Kings in my corner. :)

Time for a Rest

People who know me, know that I’m somewhat of a Bible thumper. I love going to church and on a Friday night I’d much rather be immersed in the music of a praise and worship service than a night club. But I was doing my best to keep my weight loss blog separate from my religious life. I wanted it to appeal to anyone that may visit it and not be turned off because of my personal beliefs. But I’m over it.

Today I faced the fact that I cannot do this without the help of my Lord, Jesus Christ. I just don’t have the strength to fight anymore. It’s been a year since starting this blog, and I’m only down 10 pounds from where I was last year. That’s not a lot considering I obsess about food constantly. I spend probably 85% of my day, every single day, thinking about food and weight loss strategies.

I’m at the point I want to completely give up. My nightstand is covered with healthy cook books, I research articles online about diets, and it’s all just swirling around inside my head. I don’t know which way to turn or what approach to take. The one thing I do know is that this is NOT normal and it is NOT God's plan for my life!

So for today and probably for a while I’m resting in my Lord and giving all these worries over to Him. My focus is going to be trying my best NOT to be on a diet. (But not going all out on an All You Can Eat binge either.) I just need to rest from the insanity. I love that my God promises rest when we can’t handle anymore.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

Today I’m ready to shamelessly ask Him to join me on my weight loss journey and to lead me in the direction He’d have me to go. To slowly show me the steps to take for our family to eat healthy so we can use our bodies to glorify Him.      

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” 1 Corinthians 10:31

You know, one day I’ll learn to seek him FIRST. Not when I’m at my breaking point. I’m thankful beyond words for his mercy and patience with me. I feel so much better already. Gosh, I love my Jesus.

100 Lunches

Earlier this week, TT7 came home from school with crafts to celebrate her 100th day of school. The next morning it hit me that I have sent a lunch box to school with her every day for 100 days. That's a lot of lunches! For someone who struggles with meal planning this is a huge accomplishment!

I must admit around Day 97 or so I gave in because I had nothing in the fridge or pantry to send to school with her. When I told her she would have to buy lunch that day she burst into tears. I was shocked. She said she doesn't like the taste of school food anymore. Holy cow! I thought she had been missing all the carbs they serve (especially ice cream and cupcake days). All this time I've been feeling like I was forcing her to eat "good" food that I packed. I'm so excited that her tastes have changed and she actually prefers a healthy, packed lunch. 

Who'd have thought?

Full disclosure: There have been days when I have had lunch with her and brought fast food chicken nuggets and fruit. So it hasn't been as perfect as it sounds, but it's working for us and I'm so excited!

Thank you, Kathleen DesMaisons!

I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Okay, maybe more like obsessing over finding the answer to why I, a reasonably sane person, would pack up my children and drive to a store solely to buy a pack of cream horns to devour. It was the first time I recognized myself behaving like an out-of-control addict. When I look back at it, it really frightens me.

I know my body and mind feel more at peace when I’m eating the South Beach/Low Glycemic Index way (complex carbs, lean meats, and low-fat dairy). I understand that insulin sensitivity (the body releasing more insulin than it should) probably plays a large part of it, but there had to be more that caused this crazy addict behavior.

So I went to the library in search of answers. I came across the book Little Sugar Addicts by Kathleen DesMaisons. Kathleen worked in an alcohol recovery program. She noticed there was a link between sugar and alcohol addiction. When her clients got their sugar under control first, their alcohol recovery rate jumped from 20 to 92 percent. The relationship between sugar and alcohol addiction intrigued her so much that she sold her house and went back to school to search for the scientific link.

After researching, she concluded that certain people “are born with an imbalance in three parts of their brain and body chemistry: they have low serotonin (the chemical that quiets the brain and helps with saying no), low beta-endorphin (the brain’s own “painkiller”), and volatile blood sugar.”

Finally, MY ANSWER!!!! In some people sugar affects the brain in the same way that morphine and heroin do. I would bet my life that I am one of these people. I don’t emotionally eat, eat because I’m bored, or keep eating after I feel full. I eat when I’m hungry and that’s it. However, because of these chemical imbalances sugar makes me feel hungry nearly all the time. THANK YOU, KATHLEEN!!!

It feels good to know there’s a scientific reason for my behavior. That I really am biochemically different from all the skinny-mini people pushing carts full of sugary snacks around in the grocery store.

Even though there isn’t an easy solution, I am happy to finally have my answer to “Why?” And now my focus switches to managing the condition. I’ll share more about that soon.

Kathleen DesMaisons has also written Potatoes Not Prozac, The Sugar Addict’s Total Recovery Program, and Your Last Diet. Her website: www.radiantrecovery.com

HIIT Interval Training App

I found a cool app that I LOVE for exercising!

The HITT Interval Training Timer by Giorgio Regni.

I’m absolutely useless when it comes to setting a watch to do time intervals. Truth be told, I can’t set a digital watch to do much of anything. This is one of the main reasons I’ve never tried to run without my hubs. He’s my interval timer…that and he’s awfully cute. ;)

But there have been times when I wanted to go out for a walk/run while he was at work. I never could because of the nightmare it would be trying to time my walk 4 / run 1 intervals with a regular watch. That’s just too much to think about while trying to haul this body around the neighborhood.

The HIIT app makes it soooo incredibly easy! Of course, I won’t say that it can replace my hubby, but it did allow me and TT7 to go without him on Saturday.

You simply enter the intervals you want to do and it counts them down, makes a warning noise when you’re about to switch modes, and then an alarm when it’s time to change. It gives you a bar along the top to track how much of your session is complete and how much you have left. TT7 loves to watch the bar so she knows how close we are to finishing.

So easy! It has taken away another excuse I had for not getting out there and moving. Click here to give it a try!   

Running My Bottom Off!

 As promised, here’s the post on my new intro to running plan. For those of you who don’t know, 5 years ago I fell in love with running. But now my body is no where near what you would think of as a “runner.” When I think about it, it’s almost comical. But it’s true, there’s something I love about running (or jogging if you must).

My hubby and I used to run/walk in a 5k every month. When I look at myself now I have a hard time believing I used to be able to do that, but I have a bag full of race t-shirts to prove it. We loved traveling all over the state for races. It gave us an excuse for a little getaway and it kept us fit. And the best part was just getting to talk and spend time together during our training runs. Since we always trained after dark we also got to see lots of shooting stars! That was my second favorite part. Oh the memories… I can’t tell you how much I want to recreate that time in our life- and now to do it with TT7 would be priceless.  

I have tried probably 7 or 8 times to get us started back up on a walk/run plan. I start out all motivated and then fizzle out because I push myself to do too much too soon. It felt like work, and who wants to voluntarily add more work to their day? Not me.

I found the book Run Your Butt Off! from the editor’s of Runner’s World in the library. It was made for people just like me. It takes you from walking to running for 30 minutes in 12 stages. You stay in each stage as long as you need before progressing. So it could take you 12 weeks or 120 weeks depending on your starting point. I like that I can go at my own pace without feeling pressured.

The plan asks you to get out and move 4 days a week, which is a good fit. It gives a nice amount of recovery time for the muscles and mind. Here are the first 3 phases to get you going. For the rest, you’ll have to get a copy of the book. It’s only fair.

Stage 1: Walk 30 minutes on 4 days.

Stage 2: Walk for 4 minutes. Run for 1 minute. Repeat 4 more times. End with 4 minutes of walking. Total time: 29 minutes, 5 of which are running.

Stage 3: Walk for 4 minutes. Run for 2 minutes. Repeat 4 more times. End with 3 minutes of walking. Total time: 33 minutes, 10 of which are running.

The book made some points that really hit home with me.

1. You need to schedule uninterrupted time for yourself when starting a new running plan. Leave the dog and baby jogger at home. If you have to, it’s okay to hire a sitter for 45 minutes. Your mind and body need to be completely focused.
2. Your walking pace should be somewhere between a leisurely stroll and a mad dash like you’re missing your connecting flight at the airport. Not too slow, not too fast.
3. Your first 1 minute runs cannot be any faster than your walking pace. Take it super slow.

Tonight is Day 3 of Stage 2 for us, and I’m still excited about going so it’s working! Let me know if you’re going to try this plan or if you want more info.

No quitting this time!!!

Foods That Make Me Feel Full

You’d think after 31 years I’d know how to feed myself. It’s a freaking BASIC life requirement. But I’m still struggling…

I’m having a hard time going to back to eating “super healthy” during the week. I knew I was in trouble when I woke up with an empty Butterfinger wrapper hidden in my nightstand and later had to make a special trip to Walmart to buy a pack of cream horns (but that’s a secret! Shhhh!). If you've never had a cream horn, you're not missing much. They’re not really that great, but I’ve been craving them. And yes, I ate the entire package over the course of the day. I couldn’t leave any evidence!

Anyways, now that confession is over (well, almost over…make that 3 packages of cream horns on 3 separate occasions. Okay, I feel better now.) we can continue. I’ve been trying to plan menus with more balance and variety. A girl can only eat string cheese, turkey pepperoni, and protein bars for so long…..

My main concern is that I FEEL FULL after eating. That’s not too much to expect, right? I mean, after all, it is the whole point of eating. And I know that when I cut all “evil white foods” (as my friend E calls them) out of my diet and focus on increasing my protein intake I feel full and lose weight pretty steadily. 

And I am so OVER doing what everyone else says is "healthy.” I’ve been trying to eat “healthy” for my entire life. Everyone has a different opinion. At this point, I just want to feel full and stop continuously stuffing my face with foods I’m craving, stop feeling deprived, and have a normal relationship with food. I mean, gracious! (My first question for God when I get to heaven will be, What’s up with giving me the slow metabolism and sweet addiction, huh?)

So I’m thinking, what if I make a list of foods that I know make me feel full and then make sure I eat one of them every time I have a meal or a snack?! It should work, right? That way I’ll eat less because I feel full and I won’t feel limited because the rest of my meal can contain anything in the grocery store. Like when eating donuts (empty food) make sure I eat some scrambled eggs (full food). By themselves, I could eat donuts all day long. But I bet when I add in the eggs I’ll soon feel the stopping point.

I’m going to give this a try this coming week. For every empty food I eat, I’ll make sure I have an equal amount of full food. I’ll let you know the results. Below is the list I started this morning. If you have any suggestions or ideas to add, please let me know!

Feel Full Foods:

Milk

Reduced Fat Cheese

String Cheese

Chicken

Lean Ground Beef

Bacon

Sausage

Steak

Roast

Ham

Turkey

Pepperoni- turkey and regular

Pork Chops

Protein Bars

Protein Cereal

Peanut Butter

Oil

Nuts

Beans

Eggs

Salad Dressing

Oatmeal- whole rolled oats

Low-sugar Yogurt

Feel Empty Foods:

Vegetables

Fruit

Pickles

Bread

Sweets

Grits

Rice

Pasta

Potato Chips/Pretzels

and Cream Horns :) :) 

(Photo from walmart.com)

Breaking Free

For a lot of you, if you are seeing this post it means you’ve successfully followed me over from Facebook. A huge THANK YOU! I kept feeling like I had to censor the things I wanted to say because some of my Facebook friends probably read my blog only because it was easy to click on. They probably didn’t have a true interest in the subject matter or in helping my family succeed in the fight against fat. Hopefully, you can understand what I mean. I’m not trying to be rude, but I can’t deny that I was feeling pressured not to post certain things because I knew I would be sharing it with ALL my FB friends.

I understand that now EVERYONE can see what I write, but now my blog will only attract people who are genuinely happy to read my material. So once again, thank you and I’ll try my best to post things that will encourage you and your family to live a life filled with health and fun.

I recently mentioned a new exercise plan. Today is my first day doing 1 minute run intervals. Praaay for me! As promised, I’ll share all about it soon. So get prepared, it may be the perfect fit for your family.

New Year's Resolution

You might be expecting my resolution to be losing a certain amount of weight or to exercise a set number of days per week, but it’s not. It goes much deeper than that.

Recently, while in the local Christian bookstore I saw the book If you can’t lose it, decorate it. I chuckled to myself and kept walking. But ever since then I can’t get that title out of my head. I know with good choices I can lose this weight so I want to alter it a little.  

So here’s my New Year’s Resolution: “While you’re losing it, decorate it!” 

Over the past couple of years my husband and I went completely bare bones trying to get rid of our debt. We cut out everything that wasn’t essential to life. I cut out all beauty related purchases and stretched the time between haircuts as long as possible. We only bought clothes from Walmart and only when we truly needed them. I watched as others got many manicures/pedicures and haircuts every 6 weeks. But I was determined to do my part in helping my husband kill our debt. Check out my jeans. I wore them so long there are freaking holes in the inseam!  

Going that long without taking care of yourself really does something to you as a woman. Without realizing it, my self-esteem dropped. I didn’t feel like I was attractive to my husband or anyone else. By nature, I’m not a girly girl but I didn’t even feel proud of myself anymore.  

Don’t get me wrong. I have always loved my body. I may not like the current health condition that it’s in, but I do respect it and appreciate it. It is a gift from God and a piece of art made by my creator. No matter what, I will never hate my body or feel worthless because it isn’t perfect. (I pray none of you feel this way!)  Our bodies are so precious and beautiful in all the many different shapes and forms! However, to raise my self-esteem I do need to focus on decorating it more.

When my clothes look nice and fit right I feel more confident. When I take the time to style my hair I usually have a better day. And when my husband notices, gosh I can’t wipe the smile off my face. 

So here’s to a new year and a new me. One who is still trying to lose weight but will embrace all the stages of beauty along the way. May you embrace your beauty and marvel at the work of art God has created in you. Happy 2012!

 Check out my new lipstick! The first I've bought since...oh, I can't even remember!