I know that I don't post on this blog very often but sometimes I am just inspired. As some of you know, I've been doing this eating right thing for going on 11 months now. In the beginning, I was reluctant to mention it to anyone... Just in case I failed. So I promised myself that once I hit 50 lbs lost, I would blog about it. Well, I am blogging a bit late, because 50 lbs has come and gone.. This morning I stepped on the scale and I realized that I had met my second short term goal... that is to be the same weight as I was before I got pregnant with my oldest almost 13 years ago. 57 pounds gone.... So for those who are curious, I am going to explain how I am doing it and then I want to tell you a few stories of what I have experienced since I started this journey.
In order to tell this story, I will have to go back to a year ago. I was on Facebook and noticed a picture of a lady that I knew. They were kind of before and after pictures of her after losing some weight. She inspired me. At that same time, Hubby took some pictures of me and this is what I saw...
That picture was taken a year ago.. when I saw it, I was shocked. You see I am one of those people that when I look in the mirror, I don't see how big I am. Not sure why. I always look smaller in mirrors. haha. So to see a picture of myself was a big shock.
So I did some digging into how my friend on facebook had lost so much weight. I found out that she was doing a plan called Trim Healthy Mama.
It just so happened that I had gotten some money for Christmas so I ordered the book right away. While I waited for the book to arrive, I slowly starting cutting out refined sugar from my diet. I couldn't wait. Change had to happen NOW.
My book arrived and I officially started the Trim Healthy Mama plan on March 2nd. The basics of the plan (and I mean basics, to really grasp the concept you would have to read the book) are separating your fuels. Fats vs Carbs. That keeps your blood sugar balanced. There different meal types. S (Satisfying) meals are meals that are full of good fats (butter, coconut oil, meats) and no more than 10 grams of carbs. An example of an S meal would be my lunch today, I had leftover beef spaghetti sauce over baked spaghetti squash and topped with some mozza and parmesan cheese. E (Energizing) meals are meals that have between 20-45 grams of good carbs (brown rice, sweet potatoes, sprouted grain breads, oatmeal), lean protein (chicken breast, tuna etc) and no more than 5 grams of fat. An example of an E meal would be baked oatmeal with berries and greek yogurt or maybe chicken breast served with rice or maybe even on some sprouted bread. This meal is where you would get your fruits as well. Fuel pull meals have 5 grams or less of fat and 10 grams or less of carbs, Don't be deceived. Fuel pull meals can be very filling, for example the other day I sauteed chicken breast with peppers and mushrooms but instead of using oil, I used fat free chicken broth. I was able to eat a heap of food and be under my limits for a fuel pull meal. The main thing is to always have protein, especially with meals that have carbs in them. It's really an easy plan to follow but like most eating plans, there are things to avoid. I've had to give up all sugar, white potatoes, white bread, corn. (That last one was no loss to me though, I hate corn! haha)
Now you might think that not having sugar means I don't get to have any sweets. Not so.. Just yesterday I had chocolate pie. There are alternatives to sugar that are just as good although a little more expensive. I mainly use a Stevia/Erythritol mix. You have to be careful when buying this because sometimes it will say Stevia on the box but in the ingredients they have maltodextrin in it which is derived from corn which will spike your blood sugar. I use this mostly...
You can also use Xylitol which can be bought at the Bulk Barn in Canada. I am very very careful when I use Xylitol because it is very toxic to dogs and I would hate my little pup to ingest it. So I only use it in drinks and never use it in sweets that my kids might want and drop on the floor.
Don't go thinking that I am constantly counting my carbs and fats either. For one thing, you don't count the carbs in non starchy veggies and you don't count the fat in your lean protein (as long as it is a lean protein, you wouldn't eat red meat or bacon with a carb laden meal) I've done this long enough now that I know what foods fall in what category. So that's the basic premise of the plan. Now I want to share some stories of my experience. But first some pictures. I did take pictures in the last 10.5 months so I could see for myself the change. I have a lot more to go but I will say this, I am proud of myself.
As you can see, there is quite a difference. Now I want to share something. I have had so many people come up to me and tell me how great I am looking. In church, at the grocery stores and even in restaurants. Everyone wants to tell me to keep up the good work and how I inspire them. It has been great. It has been encouraging to me that people notice. I had several people tell me even today. It makes you feel good when someone notices your hard work and says something. It certainly boosts the self esteem. I have noticed even within myself that I am bolder, more confident as if my weight had somehow squashed down a part of me.
A couple weeks ago, I was on stage at church on the worship team and after church while talking with my friends, several of them told me how beautiful I was. I was certainly flattered but later in my own quiet time as I reflected on my day I realized that that was the first time that I could remember that anyone besides my husband had told me that I was beautiful. Today after getting another encouraging compliment from someone, I started reflecting on that again. A year ago, no one told me I was beautiful, no one told me that I was glowing, no one told me how great I looked that day.
This is my biggest revelation from this journey. Beauty is not how we look. Beauty is not how much we weigh. Beauty is who we are, how we treat others and how we treat ourselves. We love our loved ones not because of what they look like, we love them for who they are so why wouldn't we tell them they are beautiful ALL THE TIME? Comments like "you look great today" or "You are just sparkling!" lift people up. People need to be lifted up always.
That's my challenge to you. Look past weight, look past looks. Tell someone they are beautiful. Tell someone how much you appreciate them.
