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.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Saturday, February 23, 2013
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.
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.
Friday, February 15, 2013
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.
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.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
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.
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.
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