That being said; a huge thing for our family on this wellness journey is the need to be able to 'live healthy' in a 'normal' world! I have heard of and even tried lots of lifestyles but knew that we could never stay consistent. We believe that staying consistent is the key to a lifestyle change. With sugar being our first and greatest challenge, at this point, we have decided to start there and move on as we feel lead. So, my friends, thank you again. I will read and listen and learn and we will adapt changes into our lifestyle as we move along!
We are eating a lot less bread but are definitely NOT on a gluten free diet, (yet)! :) That may come but right now it is enough for us to just cut back.
I do bake goodies but my self control trick while baking is; for every 'lick', I drink 4 oz of water. And before I start with the baking/licking I eat a protein. That is the protein that will help keep my blood sugar from soaring. The water keeps me from 'licking' very often since licking involves a lot more now then it used to! After the cookies, bars, cakes, breads (yes, breads! They are carbs, you know), etc, are cooled, I portion them into baggies or containers and freeze them! RIGHT AWAY! It's a lot more of a pain to eat frozen stuff!! Putting frozen portions out for lunches etc, is ultra easy tho and can be done while fixing breakfast. Planning ahead is important and sure doesn't hurt me! :)
This pan of bars has about 6,180 calories!
I cut them into 60 bars. This makes them about the size of a 'fun size' candy bar and about 100 to 105 calories per bar.
That way I can eat a cheese stick, a bar, and some almonds and it's about 250 calories.
Usually I put them in snack baggies to freeze them but this time I was out. So I used an ice cream bucket with waxed paper between the layers. No excuses!! These buddies are going in the freezer!!
Yay! No 'picking' at the bars for me now!! :)
(Steve was very sad to discover they were already in the freezer! LOL)
With frozen things in the freezer, I have something on hand when I need it most (think unannounced visitors).
We do keep bacon at a minimum since it is relatively high in calories and is loaded with fat! The same with sausage! Plus, both are pork and isn't really all that good for you in the first place....
Measure, measure, measure is my goal! And I make it easy by having measuring cups on hand just for that! One is often surprised at how much we really are overeating!
We use the slow cooker a lot!! Almost everyday, certainly several times a week! It's SO easy to throw everything into the pot and forget about it till Dinner!
Mondays is our 'cook for the week' day because that is what fits into our schedule. It doesn't usually take long and since we are doing bulk in everything there are less dishes, etc, to contend with. I just start dinner an hour or so earlier by doing the precooking and baking for the week right along with the evening meal!
Monday is also our clean the children's bedroom day. Cleaning, washing and vacuuming are all done, bed sheets changed, bookshelves straightened and toys put away. Fly lady taught me that! :) I divide the rooms of my house into the days of the week (Mon - Fri) and clean whatever I need to, so Friday isn't overwhelming for me. When one has low energy, one has to get rather creative! Lol
Oh, and BTW, Steve has lost 15 lbs since we began this lifestyle change in Jan!! I am so happy for him since he is very excited about it!
