Trim Healthy Mama - The Journey Begins

As many of you know, I spent most of last month carrying out My Dollar-Stretching, Cabinet-Clearing, Clean-The-Food-Up Project For March. In reality, the project was two-fold. The first goal was to save money by using up the food we had on-hand, and using the money saved to take care of more immediate needs...which we did. The second goal was, as we used up the food on-hand, to start reading the Trim Healthy Mama book (that I ordered last fall) and see if I really thought I could make a go of it...and I did...and I do.

I'm still not finished reading the book in it's entirety (it's a HUGE book!), but I have read the biggest portion of it and am well on my way with familiarizing myself with the plan, learning some of the recipes, and putting them into practice. In fact, by the 20th of March we had pretty well cleared out our old food stock and, when I restocked with fresh foods on the 21st, they were all foods that were on plan and in line with the Trim Healthy Mama.

Yes, I've went on diets before. I've lost and gained...lost and gained...and regained even more, but the Trim Healthy Mama isn't a diet. It is a new (actually it's a very old) way of eating with a Biblical approach  to food, and I really feel that it is entirely doable. Even my husband (yes, my half-Sicilian husband who has to...make that had to...eat pasta up to three times a day...is reading the book with me and, for the most part, is coming on board, too. I've never seen him so willing to try new things before and I've never seen him go this long without sugar (and all those starches that turn into sugar) and be satisfied. Yes, I honestly do believe that this plan is completely doable...even in my household!

In the days ahead I hope to share my Trim Healthy Mama experiences with you here on a regular basis...my successes, my failures, favorite (and not so favorite) recipes, etc...and I am hoping that other women who are on the plan come along side and chime in, too, joining with me, and others, as we travel this journey together.

Until Next Time...
~Rebecca

#THM

Living On A Dime - 10 Ways To Lose Weight and Gain Money

10 Ways to Lose Weight and Gain Money
by Jill Cooper
http://www.LivingOnADime.com

1. Eat smaller portions. The less food you eat, the less food you have to buy which means you spend less money on food.
2. Walk more. I have a grocery store 2 1/2 blocks from me. Shame on me for driving there, especially when I only need one or two items. I can't even use being in a hurry as an excuse because it takes me the same amount of time to walk as to drive. Stop complaining about gas prices and start walking.
3. Stop paying someone else to do your work. Start doing your own yard work and housecleaning. You don't think you have time to clean? Use that hour you would have worked out at the gym each morning to do your house work or yard work. Not only do you save the money you are paying someone to do these things, but you don't have to pay to go to the gym. Don't think you can lose weight cleaning your house? Trust me. If you are doing these things properly you will lose weight. You can clean and organize in five minutes.
4. Stop going out to eat as much. Not only does it cost so much less to eat at home but you can control how much you eat and what you are eating better. How often do you eat everything they give you in a restaurant just because you don't want to waste money? Make easy meals at home and save money.
5. Take the kids to the park instead of the movies. It doesn't cost a thing to go to the park and you get exercise. Plus there is the added benefit of actually talking and playing with you kids instead sitting staring at a movie.
6. Drink water and not pop (or sodas). We all know it. Pop is just empty calories with no benefit. Why spend the money or pack on the extra weight?
   That goes for Lattes too. It costs much less to just have a regular cup of coffee from home and is much less fattening. Save the lattes for a special treat or dessert.
7. Reduce excess scheduled activities. Many of us are just too busy with things that are often not really that important because we think that's the way it should be. Eliminating some of your excess commitments will save on gas and will reduce stress, which will make it less tempting to eat or spend as a stress reliever.
8. You don't need to bring out the fatted calf to entertain or impress people. Have simple cake and punch at your child's birthday party instead of going to Chucky Cheese's. It's funny how the expensive flashy things are rarely the things the kids remember fondly when they grow up.
   If you're having people over for dinner, keep the food simple. You don't need a 10 course meal that includes everything from lobster to an expensive cheesecake. There are very few people who wouldn't enjoy roast chicken with fresh fruit for dessert just as much, especially if the company is good.
9. Stop shopping and start exercising. When under stress there are two things at the top of the list that people do. Shopping and eating. Have a plan of attack so that when you start feeling stressed instead of grabbing your purse (or wallet) and heading for the mall you hit the yoga mat, hop on your bike or just start walking.
   Do you know how much money you would save if you exercised instead of shopping? Not to mention you probably would rid yourself of a lot of your stress. If you don't have as many money problems from over spending you wouldn't feel the need to go shopping or over eat and you would eventually break the cycle.
10. Drive quickly by fast food joints. Don't even drive by them. Don't drive on the same street where they are. If you have a big problem with this, don't drive in the section of town where they are. And if you have any in your town then move to another town! (This was my favorite son-in-law's idea. Guess where his weakness lies! HA! HA!)

Jill Cooper and Tawra Kellam are frugal living experts and the authors of the Dining On A Dime Cookbook. Dining On A Dime will help you save money on groceries and get out of debt by cooking quick and simple homemade meals. For free tips & recipes visit http://www.LivingOnADime.com , sign up for our free Living On A Dime Newsletter and learn to save more!

Good MONDAY Morning - 11/21/11 - Failed Yogurt Experience and Weight-loss Update

Good Morning, Dear Ladies! It's Monday! (I know some people hate Mondays, but I love them!)

I was up early this morning. Had the cats fed, the dog out, and the chickens fed, watered, and out just after daybreak. Since then I've been baking. Have made two pumpkin pies for tomorrow (an early Thanksgiving with my dad and a friend), a dozen muffins to freeze, and cornbread is baking in the oven now for lunch today.

Over the weekend I had a failed yogurt experience. I used my usual homemade yogurt recipe (and if anyone want to try it, please, read both of these articles before starting - Homemade Yogurt and Perfecting The Process) except, due to the fact that I haven't made yogurt in a while, I was out of homemade starter, so, this time, I tried a less expensive yogurt to use as my starter. I used Dannon-brand, plain, Greek yogurt instead of Oikos-brand, plain, Greek yogurt like I normally do. It didn't work!

When I got up Saturday morning, instead of having a crockpot full of nice, thick, homemade yogurt, I had slightly thickened yogurt-milk! Oh,no! I didn't want to waste it, so I went ahead and bottled it up into two quart jars. I've been using the yogurt-milk instead of regular milk in my baking...namely in the muffins and cornbread. It worked great! No flavor difference really...just a moister, creamier texture...quite good, in fact! Anyway, I wanted to share that with you all and tell you, if you try the homemade yogurt, please, be sure and use Oikos-brand, plain, Greek, yogurt as your starter...not something cheaper.

I've had several people ask me how the weight-loss is coming along. Well, when I first shared about my struggles with the weight-loss back in June of 2011 I was weighing in at 257 pounds (that was down 29 pounds from an all-time high of 286 pounds). At last check-in here (August of 2011) I was 8/10 of a pound away from reaching my next goal of 247 pounds. I have surpassed that one, met another, and am currently 2/10 of pound away from reaching my current goal of 225 pounds. When I hit 218 I will be halfway to the final goal from where my journey began. At my starting point I need to lose a total of 136 pounds; at present I am 76 pounds away from reaching that final goal.

 Well, my kitchen timer is going off and the cornbread is about ready to come of the oven, so I am going to close for now. I wish you all a wonderful Monday and a Happy Thanksgiving week! God bless all here!

All My Love,
~Rebecca

Our 16-Year-Old Son Shares His Weightloss Success Story

I'm so proud of him!!! (And can't wait to catch up with him!)

Good MONDAY Morning! - 8/1/11 - Current Projects, Heat, Weight-loss Update

Good Morning, Dear Friends!

Life is just whizzing by and it seems like such a long time since I've had a chance to just sit down and visit with you. I thought I'd take advantage of my morning teatime and share it with YOU!

How are you? And how is life in your corner of world?

Here in southwest Missouri we've been busy with several projects...inside and out. My husband has been working for a friend of ours, writing his new Mediterranean Diet homeschool curriculum, and taking care of the garden, while I've been busy deep-cleaning certain areas of our home, preparing for the coming 2011-2012 school year, and canning. Our son is getting ready to help out with VBS at his sister and brother-in-law's church in Minden.

Due to extremely hot temperatures and dry conditions, I think that's canning season is about over with for me. Temps have been in the triple digits as is for weeks, but now things are really getting ready to heat up! Temperatures this week are supposed to be between 105 and 110 every day. Hot! Hot! Hot! And getting hotter! Arrghh!


A while back I shared with you all about my struggles with weight-loss. At that time I had lost 10 pounds and was 8/10 of a pound from reaching my first goal of 247.0 pounds. As of today I am down by 20 pounds, am about ready to go into a size clothing that I've not been in since John and I got married, and am 3 lbs. away of reaching my second goal of 234 pounds by my birthday. I've got almost 2 weeks in which to lose them. Please pray with me that I do it. It's very important to me and, with the Lord's help, I know I can do it! Since the 6th of June I have lost a total of 18 inches.

Well, I would love to share more, but my tea is gone and the day is getting away from me. It's time to go hang sheets on the line and can tomatoes. You all have an absolutely BEAUTIFUL day in the Lord and I will talk to you again soon. God bless all here!

All My Love and Big (((HUGS))),
~Rebecca

Being Open About My Struggles With Weight-Loss

I've not shared my struggle with weight-loss here before, but as I was writing the following post to a small group of friends and family members, I got an overwhelming feeling that I should share it here. Perhaps there is someone out there who can benefit from what I have to say, or perhaps, from what I'm going through. If God can use it in any way for His glory, then so be it!

 

Here is part of the letter that I composed...

 

"...Life has been totally out of control for so long and, for far too long, I seemed to have lost my way on almost every front. I'd flub up, get depressed, and, for all intensive purposes, quit everything. I've done this in so many areas that I nearly quit living altogether! Not good!

Well...no more! Over the past few weeks the Lord has brought about situations into my life that are allowing me to, and helping me, to once again find my footing and get on with it. This whole week (knock on wood) has been good and I have made progress in several areas...including diet and exercise. I am very thankful and I cannot praise the Lord enough for all that He's done for me. I am finally getting a few spiritual concepts that I've held in my head for years, down into my heart and soul where they can take root and grow. I'm thinking that if I just take one day at a time, I will continue to make progress. What I did yesterday, I can do today...right?

Okay...here's the story of where I've been, where I am, and where I'm going...

As you know, I did well with weight-loss in 2010. I managed to lose and keep off 40 pounds. I pretty well managed to maintain that weight-loss through March of this year...gained and lost the same 4 or 5 pounds here and there, but, basically, kept it off for the most part. It was in March of 2011 that I started reading Candace Cameron Bure's Reshaping It All. I determined then and there to start where I was and keep on going, but it was not to be.

At the end of March my dad got really sick and came very close to dying. April and May were lost in a whirlwind of doctor appointments, car trouble, and major stress eating. At the end of it, I had gone from where I was up to 257 pounds. I was devastated! I had gained back back 23 of the 40 pounds that I had lost.

At the beginning of June I determined, once again, to get back on track and stay there. Listening to that radio interview with Amy Parham really helped boost my spirits, and I have teamed up with an accountability partner that has (or should I say...had) nearly as much weight to lose as I did (she actually has been working on this since March, at least, and has made significant progress...I'm very proud of her).

Thus far, I've not done too bad myself. I'm making progress anyway.

Two things that are really sticking with me are...

First off...for the first time in my life I'm starting to see, understand, and accept God's grace for myself. Being of Scots-Irish descent...and coming out of the old, hard-line, denomination church with all their rules, regulations, and dogma, it has always been easy for me to see God as harsh and judgmental, but being able accept mercy and grace has been next to impossible.

And, please, don't mistake what I'm saying here...God IS a God of  judgment! And there ARE consequences for our actions...both good AND bad! As Scripture clearly states...we WILL reap what we sow...and oh! How often I have proven it!

But, because we are His children, and because He loves us so very, VERY much, there is also mercy and grace that flows from the throne of our Heavenly Father in abundance toward us! THIS I have never been able to get a hold of, or get a grasp on, until just recently.

And, here again, don't misunderstand. There is a belief that runs rampant within the modern church of today that grace is everything! That there is no judgment! That God is a God of love and we can get by with anything and everything because we are 'saved by grace'...but, that is another post for another day. Today's post is about what God's been teaching me.

Forgive me! Allow me to get back to it...

The other thing that I'm learning is...and this is something that I never in my wildest dreams thought I'd learn...but it is how to allow GOD to fill the hole in my soul that I've been trying to fill all these years with food! Praise be to my Heavenly Father for helping me to get that down in me! That is something that I have heard for years from people...people who have lost the weight and successfully kept it off...and, even though I've heard it...and it sounded simple...I couldn't do it.

Where the idea came from this time I don't remember. I simply remember asking God to, please, in the name of Jesus, show me HOW to do it...and it came! I prayed...and it kept coming! It has come every day this week! I pray in the morning and I purposefully, and specifically, ask God to help me through my day. The biggie is, when I feel extremely hungry, instead of just going and getting whatever I want, I pray again...specifically...for God to fill that hole that's making me hungry...and not one time has He failed me since doing so!

Last night I was so hungry! What I've been doing, basically, boils down to having one larger meal and four smaller meals per day, and by smaller 'meal' I mean anything from a mini wheat bagel and a tablespoon of peanut butter and a cup of tea, to a large green salad with vinegar and oil dressing on it. None of the meals I'm eating are 'large' like they used to be and I don't miss them. But, last night I was really hungry...and I am NOT the kind of girl that can go to bed hungry. I just can't! My danger point has always been after supper. From supper until bedtime...it's just one thing after another after another...a cheese stick, a bowl of cereal, a cookie, a brownie, a big bowl of popcorn...all in the same four or five hours between supper and bedtime! Ridiculous!

When I started this, I vowed that, with God's help, I would not eat a bite after 8:00 at night...and, thus far, I haven't! But, oh! Like I said, I was soooooo hungry last night! And I really was! I believe that I was actually hungry! But I went to bed and I prayed. I just kept saying, "Lord, You take this! You fill this hole! Fill me with You, Lord! Help me to overcome the flesh and gain victory over it!"...and you know what? Next thing I knew I was waking up and looking forward to another day! And, believe me! I'm being much more discerning about what foods I'm putting in my mouth! I don't want to waste one calorie on something that I don't really want!

So...where am I? What are my goals? And where am I going?

As of this morning I weighed in at 247.8. I am 8/10 of a pound from reaching my first goal of losing 10 pounds. From there my goal is to get back to where I was last summer (234 pounds) by my 50th birthday, which is coming up in August. I think I can do it! After that, my goal is to carry on and reach my goal weight of 150 pounds by my 51st birthday in August 2012.

Will I do it? Only God knows, but, one thing I'm sure of, is this...I have a better chance now of achieving my goals than ever before, because, for the first time in my life, I am allowing God to fill a void in my life that, thus far, I have always tried to fill with other things to excess...men that treated me badly, alcohol, cigarettes, and, finally, food. God has delivered me from the first three things on that list, and I have no doubt that He is willing and able to deliver me from the fourth...

...By the way, Amy Parham's book 10 Lessons from a Former Fat Girl - Living with Less of You and More of Life,  arrived today. As soon as I finish reading Candace's book, I'm going to get started on it!"

A Real-Life Weight-Loss Success Story - Our 15-Year-Old Son

August 17, 2010

May 4, 2011

Our youngest son, Tony (15), has a real-life weight-loss success story to share and, with his permission I am sharing it here with you all.


Over the past few months Tony has been making a conscious effort to lose weight and get in shape. He hasn't had a drop of pop since the 13th of December, and is really watching his fat and sugar intake. He walks an average of 3 miles, and does 15 to 50 repetitions of various cardio-workout exercises, per day. To date
he has lost 48 pounds and has gone from a size 38 down to a 32. He's got 22 pounds to go before hitting his goal weight.

He has truly become an inspiration to me and now he is encouraging me in battle to lose weight!