I love pizza. Especially Pizza Hut’s hand-tossed pepperoni pizza with extra cheese. My mouth is watering just thinking about it.
Our family has always had take-out pizza on a regular basis. It’s been a great back-up on the days that I forgot to lay something out to thaw for dinner, and when my family has asked at 6 or 7 p.m. as I’m pounding away on the laptop, “What’s for supper,” my standard response was, “Let’s just order a pizza.”
Last year I began preparing Wildtree healthy, crockpot meals for our family, which has been a lifesaver. Mom Off Track travel blogger has a great, REAL, balanced post about Wildtree which you can read here.
I had the privilege of doing the party alone with our two daughters Heather and Leah at Heather’s house, since she was a rep. Shopping for and prepping the meals does take a LOT of time, but to me, it’s so worth it!
This way my husband Ray, who loves to eat, has hot, healthy, delicious meals on the table at suppertime (or I bring them to his work) and I don’t have to cook for hours over a hot stove. You prepare the meals ahead of time, all at once, and freeze them for the week.
This year I also began a radical lifestyle change in my eating habits and walking daily. On bad weather days, I do Stacy Cronin’s kickboxing video on Amazon on our Xbox downstairs in our rec room.
Since January 2015, I’ve lost 19 pounds. Since January 2014, I’ve lost 39 pounds! I still have a long way to go to reach my ideal weight, so please keep praying for my daily discipline.
It’s so hard. For so long, I ate so much and ate the wrong (unhealthy) things. I think about food too much! My god was my belly. (Philippians 3:19)
Sometimes I really crave a pizza ~ or a big, greasy cheeseburger with french fries, Mexican rice, beans, chips and salsa, a big Sonic Coke at Happy Hour, and especially chocolate!
I finally decided recently that if I completely deprive myself of everything I love (like chocolate and other sweets), that one day I am just going to have a total meltdown and a big chocolate binge, eating pounds of it.
To avoid that, OCCASIONALLY I’m allowing myself a SMALL bite of chocolate, such as the Cheesecake Factory chocolate cheesecake that I had last night at our small group. I split a piece with my friend Liz. OMgosh, it tasted divine!
I believe God told me tiny bites occasionally of chocolate (or sweets) are okay, as long as I don’t do it a lot (such as several times a week, or even once a week – just indulging once in awhile). As our daughters Heather and Leah have been telling me lately, “Everything in moderation. It’s about balance, mom.”
For me, it’s not about the weight loss (although that is a GREAT side benefit of my lifestyle change!), but about fitness and wellness in body, soul, and spirit.
It’s also about being healthy so I can fulfill God’s purpose for my life ~ speaking and writing books. Without our bodies, we can’t do what God is calling you and me to do! We need to take care of ourselves. You are worth it!
Mostly, my diet now consists of:
- One or two eggs in the morning, prepared a variety of ways: an omelette, fried easy-over, scrambled.
- A salad at lunch and supper with lots of veggies: romaine lettuce, kale or spinach greens, chopped celery, onion, and/or garlic, a sprinkling of raw, whole flaxseed, and either 1 tablespoon of fat-free Ranch dressing or 2 tablespoons of Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar mixed with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Sometimes at supper time, I have one of the Wildtree crockpot meals with my family instead of a salad.
- For a snack in the morning, I have a handful of almonds. In the afternoon, I have a handful of almonds and/or some type of fresh fruit ~ usually a plum, but sometimes strawberries, blackberries, kiwi fruit, or nectarine.
- Sometimes, but not always, at night for a snack I have some almonds again.
- After our paydays, I usually go out to eat at the Mexican restaurant (fajitas, no rice, no beans, no chips and salsa, but with a salad) or The Flaming Lantern restaurant with our daughter Leah (I now usually order fish with salad). Ray and I have an occasional date night out at a restaurant.
- After breakfast, I enjoy a cup of hot green tea as I pray, read the Bible, and journal to start my day.
- Throughout the day I push water. I have a tall, blue water bottle that I refill numerous times as I’m working through the day. I set a goal to get up at the very least once an hour, so I’m not sitting all day at my laptop (which is very unhealthy!).
- I walk daily for approximately 40-45 minutes at the track in town. On bad weather days, I do the kickboxing workout video. Eventually I hope to run a little as I build endurance and stamina, and I’d like to get through the entire video (without panting!). My goal is to walk at least two 5K’s this year.
That’s what’s going on lately. I‘m part-way there and praying for God to help me to get “to the finish line” ~ my ideal weight and better health and fitness!
International Speaker/Author
How are you doing with your fitness/health goals this year? What are some of your fave healthy recipes?
Leave your comments below.
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