Challenge From God

Now that I am getting this planning thing down I was telling our bible study group that for the first time in years I have been at peace with my food and eating habits (Lysa Terkeurst talks about how our battle with food can wage war with our soul which I can definitely relate to.)  So yesterday was the first day that I have really experienced any "hunger" that had nothing to do with actually having an empty stomach.  I knew it related to the emotional stress I'm going through with the flood we had recently in the house.  This hunger allowed me to really live out the statement made by the Apostle Paul who said, everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial, everything is permissible--but not everthing is constructive"  (1 Cor. 10:23 NIV.)  With this verse floating through my mind I choose to not stop and eat something just because I "wanted" to when I wasn't really hungry.

Anyway, as of last night Ian and I have been moved to a hotel and needless to say my predetermined meals and snacks plan for the week just went out the window.  I work very early in the morning and as a result the "free" breakfast the hotel has wasn't available yet, the grocery store (my second option) wasn't open either and neither was Burger King (a cheeseburger for my third option).  By this point it is 5:30 a.m. and I am nearly at work and the only option remaining is McDonald's (I don't like fast food breakfasts) so I swing through the drive-thru and the only thing I am willing to eat are the sausage biscuits.  Do you know how many points they are?  Now I am stressed out because not only am I off plan (which has been so successful and given me an enormous sense of peace) but I am apprehensive about slipping back into old habits and regaining the weight I have already lost.

I am telling my friend about this at work and realized as I was doing so that I feel like God is telling me that this is my opportunity to learn how to work this pre-planning "thing" when life gets out of contol.  It's almost like He's saying, "Can you still make plans and follow through on those plans when life is chaotic?  Can you still make good choices when things are not the way you want them to?"  And suddenly I realized I don't have to have a setback in the midst of all this.

So I have reworked my eating plan for today taking into account the sausage biscuits already eaten.  And, I am planning to go home this evening and see how much of the food in our refrigerator can be moved to the hotel (so we can eat healthy and it won't go bad.)  I have already made a short shopping list of healthy meal options I can pick up at the grocery store; meals which don't require a stove but only a microwave.  So tonight I can sit down and rework my meal plans for the remainder of this week.  Life can go on inspite of my initial planning efforts being scuttled and my fears of a setback.  This too is freeing--and it also means I have accepted the challenge from God.

Turning a Corner

It's been nearly two weeks since I started predetermining what I was going to week.  The first effort took more than two hours to plan out four days of meals and snacks, the second effort took nearly two hours to plan out an entire week, and yesterday it took me less than an hour to plan out this upcoming week.  A friend coincidentally gave me a Weight Watchers cookbook just last week (I've always read the magazines for their recipes when she brought them into work) and I am going to try out three new recipes in this upcoming week.  I'm looking forward to seeing if they're as good as they sound in the book.

I feel like I've turned a corner in my weight loss efforts.  I realize I am still in the honeymoon period of this new effort but it honestly feels like planning my menus in advance was the final step I needed in this journey.  I have been eating healthy for nearly six years now but couldn't seem to control my portion sizes or stop the fast food habits (for any real length of time.)  Then when I began working on my Masters degree I added the habit of late night snacking and eating--which really hadn't been an issue before--and I couldn't seem to stop that either once I got my degree.  All of these issues: the overeating, fast food and eating after dinner have just stopped.  I just can't explain it other than to say God placed the final tool I needed into my toolbox this year and I am finally doing what I need to do to lose weight.

I'm super hungry right now but in less than I half an hour I am meeting my friend Lynn, for our weekly Saturday morning walk and breakfast outing and I can wait until then to eat.  This decision making power seems somewhat new for me in the diet/healthy eating arena of my life but I experienced the same thing last night too.  Lynn and I have both been having rough weeks (I had a flood and her mom's had head surgery) and I now plan for an "open" meal on my Friday evenings.  I texted her to see if she wanted to eat at La Palapa and she said yes.  Before I got there I predetermined that I would only eat five chips and half of a cheese enchilada plate with the rice and beans.  I love cheese enchiladas--they're Mexican comfort food as far as I am concerned--but even with the chips and salsa and the cheesy-gooey enchiladas I ate just what I planned and took the remaining food home to Ian.  He ate it and when I stepped on the scale this morning I was rewarded for my choices.

According to Lysa Terkeurst at about week four she hit a wall.  If that is typical of most who join her on her Made to Crave journey then I should hit that same wall in another week or so.  Hopefully having three solid weeks of eating right and losing weight will help to arm me against the struggle that is upcoming.  She says that as quickly as the struggle started it ended but the battle still has to be fought.

So here's to turning a corner in the right direction--finally--and to facing the wall when it comes.

Cheshire Cat Grins

I feel a sense of hope that I haven't experienced before when it comes to weight loss.  I am finishing my fourth day of predetermining what I will eat and I feel that overall I have been highly successful.  I say this because I have already experienced several situations that would normally set me back and have dealt with them as well or better than I had anticipated.

First experience provided a choice, which was to eat the lunch I brought to work yesterday or to eat a lunch brought by one of the other women (for a huge group of us at work.)  I made the decision to eat my lunch and eat a small helping of what she brought (a little bit of pancit and a lot of green beans in oyster sauce--good Philippine food!)  I avoided everything else and was quite happy with my choices.  I did fall off the wagon (so to speak) later that evening but even that gave me an opportunity to get right back on track this morning.

Second area of potential problems revolved around a planned night of dinner and a DVD with my Mom and her husband at their place.  Earlier in the day I had texted them to ask if they wanted to come over for dinner at my house.  When they said yes it meant I got to control the menu--which kept me completely on track with my meal plan (which I had made without thinking about my Friday night plans.)

Today I spent a couple of hours predetermining my meals for the next week.  Similar to my earlier efforts this week, it took quite a while to figure out what my week's meals and snacks would look like.  But I am smarter as a result of the first effort and I laid it out on a spreadsheet so that I could easily move things around to satisfy my various criteria (variety, sufficient fruits, veggies, whole grains, lean meats, considering leftover options for lunch and finally staying with a certain calorie level.)  But with my week's meal plan in mind I could then write my grocery shopping list based on what I needed to make sure I could accomplish my plans.  This then allowed me to deal with my next set of challenges.

Third, fourth and fifth opportunities to go off track and slip back into old habits occurred after work today--when I was hungry and grocery shopping.  The standard advice is to avoid shopping when hungry but because I had a list of specific items to fill in for my predetermined meals for the next week there was no reason to buy anything not on my list.  Then, on my way from Costco to Fresh & Easy I passed several of my favorite fast food restaurants (remember I'm still hungry) and didn't stop because I had a plan.  Lastly, I prepared everything for dinner (we had large Cobb salad for dinner and a small blueberry muffin for dessert) and then sat and played a game while waiting for them to arrive.  We ate dinner, we're watching the BBC's Inspector Lewis right now and I am feeling quite pleased with myself.  In fact, if my feelings could be described in a visual way I might look like the Cheshire cat, with a very large grin on my face.

I am so ready for this weekend and the next week.  And, I cannot wait to step on the scale Monday for my official weigh in.  It's not often I make a statement like that!  And, I am looking forward to eating according to my predetermined meal plan.

Empowered and Determined

We're working through a bible study called Made to Crave by Lysa Terkeurst right now.  She challenged us to not just write down what we're eating as we're eating or after we've eaten but before we eat.  And not just before we eat a meal but to write down what we're going to eat for the whole week in advance.  Then to grocery shop and pre-plan and pre-package as much as we can so that when we do get hungry we already have what we need ready for that meal or snack.

With the challenge in mind, I sat down last night and planned out breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks for the next four days (through Friday) and found that it takes a lot more effort and time to figure out what you're going to eat and to keep it within your appropriate calorie level.  Actually I found that often my basic "go to" meals and snacks are under what I should be eating on a daily basis.  That means that all the unplanned eating and second (and third) helpings are doing me in.  So today I ate exactly what was on my eating plan for the day and while I occasionally experienced a twinge of hunger it was nothing I couldn't deal with.

Now I have to make it through the evening.  But this gives me the opportunity to practice the last lesson which deals with the way we think.  I can choose to be deprived or empowered.  Deprived because I can start thinking negative things, like "I can't have that" or empowered because I can remind myself that, "Everything is permissible--but not everything is beneficial.  Everything is permissible--but not everything is constructive" (1 Cor. 10:23 NIV) or in a more common vernacular I can say, "I can, but I think I won't."

This verse speaks to the freedom we have as Christians to eat anything, there are no forbidden foods.  But with that freedom comes the understanding that just because we can do something doesn't mean it is beneficial to do it.  By shifting the way I look at my choices I can change the way I feel about making better food choices.

Now that doesn't mean that I might not feel hunger this evening but really that's a good thing.  It forces my body to draw energy from my fat stores, thereby helping me to lose weight.  I have had all the calories that I need to lose weight today while also maintaining a healthy and balanced diet.  And after today I make the same choices tomorrow until this becomes a lifestyle and not a plan to follow.

So here's to the first day of a new way of eating.

Being Well Rested

I am going to second my If All Else Fails post and reiterate how helpful it can be to a weight loss effort to go to bed early when you're tempted to eat and to just plain go to bed when your tired.  Like many people I am an emotional eater but what is even more damaging to my body is being tired.

I have been a single parent since my son's birth and the memory that over arches everything we ever did or I the feelings I felt was the sense of being tired all the time.  It is not his fault; it is one of the consequences of doing things outside of God's will.  He always intended for a child to be raised by both of his biological parents and in a perfect world that would happen.  I honestly believe one of the main reasons why so many women are overweight is that they are raising children on their own or with very little help.  If they're serious about the responsibility then they are probably tired all the time.

I bring this up because we often find that food will help to combat that sense of tiredness (if even for a short time) but when the energy rush has dissipated more food is required.  I remember when I worked downtown going to the little market a couple of blocks from where I worked and buying potato chips and dip nearly every afternoon to snack on for the remainder of the day--just so I could make it through last part of my work day.  Of course we'd stop and get fast food on the way home because I was too tired to cook.  And then I would eat to get through the evening responsibilities.  There were times when I couldn't crawl into bed fast enough after I got Ian to sleep at night.  But here's the rub; when you've eaten a lot in the evening your body uses it's energy to digest the food and you don't get restful sleep which means you to wake up tired.  It was a never ending and destructive lifestyle that packed the pounds on.

Now that Ian is 18 I can just go to bed if I want--and if I was smarter I would.  Sometimes I just stay up, just to stay up, and I eat my way though the evening trying to stay awake.  It can be rather sad really.  You may laugh but I seriously crawled into bed last night at 6:30pm.  There were multiple reasons for doing so: I was tired, I was chilled to the bone, and I was hungry (because I was tired.)  I finally gave up the fight, brushed my teeth and crawled into bed with my sweats, socks, two shirts and a hoody sweatshirt on in order to warm up.  I was warm and sound asleep by 7:30pm.  I woke up at 5am this morning and I feel good.  And, the scale didn't reflect a late night binge either.

So my advice to anyone trying to lose weight is to do everything in your power to make sure you get enough sleep.  When you are well rested and have the phyiscal resources you need you are far more likely to bre able to accomplish everything you need to get done.

Weight Loss Programs

I have tried nearly everything but the way that I choose to eat when I am not binging or eating fast food is based on a balanced diet promoted by the USDA pyramid and the First Place 4 Health program.  Both recommend fruits, vegetables, whole grains, lean meats, calcium (milk) and healthy oils in specific serving amounts, which equates to 1 ounce or 1/2 cup servings usually.  It is a very easy way to measure and track food portions and it helps to ensure that our bodies get sufficient vitamins and minerals.

I also prefer to track my food and activity using e-tools rather than writing it down with pen and paper.  And because I was looking for a fresh start I mentioned I have chosen to use the WW website for my tracking efforts.  I did it mainly so I could use a web tool where I had no history already and because it has a lot of helpful tools on it.  Calorie King does much the same thing but again I have used their tool and wanted a fresh slate to start on.  Spark People and Fitbe also have great websites and they are free if you are interested in using web tools.

My only concern and the reason I bring up what food program I am using to guide my food choices is because many of the websites allow you to just count calories, or points, and as long as you stay at your appropriate calorie level you will lose weight.  It is a mathematical certainty.  FP4H is about quality and quantity and it pushes you to eat the appropriate amounts of breads/grains, fruits and vegetables (all carbohydrates when it comes to most web tools) meats, milk products and healthy fat servings--while just eating to meet a number may not.

The other thing to always remember is that we should never eat below 1200 calories on a regular basis (sometimes we're just sick and don't eat) but unfortunately 1200 calories does not actually provide all the nutrients we need to be healthy.  That is why we should be incorporating exercise into our days.  By doing so we can then eat additional healthy calories which will support strong and healthy bodies.  We shouldn't be exercising just so we can eat junk food!

Another reason I choose to follow FP4H is that it looks at each of as a whole being with a spirit, emotions, a mind and a body.  All four need to be healthy in order to be the best we can be and while other programs may look at mind and emotions as a part of their weight loss programs most do not take into account the spiritual aspects of our lives.  Whether you know it or not we were created to worship God and when we don't we try to fill that hole in our lives with something else.  There will always be a sense that something is missing.  And I have to tell you from a personal perspective that when I am on track with my bible study, my weight loss efforts are usually on track too.  Fortunately, we will be starting a new session of FP4H at our church next week and I look forward to being a part of it after more than a year away.  I need the accountability and the relationships it provides me.

If All Else Fails

If all else fails going to bed early can curb evening eating problems.  Ian and I had dinner about 5pm and by 6:30pm I was ready to eat again, even though I was not hungry.  Part of that stems from my early mornings and work schedule but I decided I would go to my room and get ready for bed rather than sit and be tempted by food for the next several hours.  I washed my face, brushed my teeth and then decided I would re-watch one of the Elementary episodes on the internet.  So I went and got my laptop, got my bills and listened to the show while sitting in bed and working on my budget for January.  By the time I finished it was a little bit after 8pm and I was ready for bed.  I let another episode play and fell asleep to it.  Woke up at 10:30pm to shut off the computer and went back to sleep.  Unfortunately, it was cold (how surprising) in the morning so even though I got nearly 8 hours of sleep I didn't want to get out of bed.

I am not into New Year's resolutions but I do like to track my eating and activity (writing down what you eat on a consistent basis is one of the strongest indicators of a successful weight loss effort and helps to ensure the weight loss is maintained once accomplished.)  I needed a fresh start visually and decided I would try the weight watchers website (I have used so many and like aspects of them all but wanted something where I had no history.)  Of course you pay to use it but I committed to three months and started using it about two weeks ago.  I think they have done a great job with their website.  Keeping track of points is different from keeping track of calories (I calculate that each point is about 50 calories worth of food consumed) but I can work with it and I really like their recipe builder and meal tracker tools.  So I have gotten myself back on track with my eating from both a health perspective and a portion perspective.

The other important element to weight loss is exercise, which I have even made a stab at these last couple of days.  It appears to be linked to New Year's also but is more in line with the fact that I started tracking my food and activity again and the fact that my boss has given me an hour off each afternoon this past week.  The weather has been glorious and the lake is full because of all the rain we've had in the last month.  And because it is winter the migratory birds are at the lake making the scenery even more interesting.  So I have been grabbing Reilly and driving over to the lake and we've been walking the last several afternoons.  I have to admit it is a completely different crowd of people from those that we normally see on Saturday mornings when we walk.  I really should make it a habit to walk in the afternoon even when I get off at the regular time--we'll have to see what happens in the next week or so.

So, my advice to me (and to anyone else that needs it) is regardless of the time of year if all else fails start fresh and get on track with eating healthy and exercising regularly.