Saturday, February 28, 2009

Lifestyle changes

First of all, thank you for all the sweet notes of encouragement in the comments and private emails to me regarding adopting again. I will keep you all posted!

As CJ was looking through our Disney pictures he decided to make some life changes in regard to his weight. I am always looking for someone to keep me accountable as I tend to snack in the evening and I too have noticed about a 5-7 lb weight gain that I do not like at all! So, I decided to jump on the band wagon. Truthfully, I have been secretly praying for CJ to have a wake-up call before his health starts to get effected. Once we started talking about his daily diet, I was shocked beyond belief, in fact I think I was speechless! Here is a look at his diet Mon-Fri.

Breakfast from the gas station: Mountain Dew, king-size candy bar, hostess donuts (personally I would have been sick)

Lunch: Fast food from anywhere.

Dinner: whatever I made which I tend to cook on the light side, no deep fried and no processed packaged foods except mac and cheese.

After Dinner: A bowl of cookies, candies or anything sweet we had in the house or a bowl of chips.

Beverages: Diet Coke!

TOTAL COST PER MONTH: $325-375!!! Ouch.

Get the idea.

So, once he told me I have to confess I was broken hearted. As his wife, I feel it's my duty to help him and support him in anyway I can so I immediately went to the grocery store and Wal-Mart. I read every label, choose the best fresh fruit, veggies and lean meat and looked for alternative snacks for him to be able to grab and go... I had a few challenges along the way as my husband is extremely PICKY and he has lost his taste and smell senses due to severe allergies/surgeries. So I had my work cut out for me! I bought him an insulated lunch box so he could bring his lunch and he could nibble throughout the day instead of waiting until he's so hungry that he's looking for the nearest fast food joint. He made me a promise to not be so picky when it comes to breads ( I love whole grain, he likes white). I do buy whole grain white bread for the girls but I really wanted to see if he would eat the brown bread =). I also bought whole grain flat breads and soft tortillas for chicken/pork wraps. Another great alternate is the 100 calories packs, there are so many varieties now, I think I bought out Wal-mart's selection! So here's his new daily diet I thought I would share....

Breakfast: SlimFast protein breakfast bar or a SlimFast protein drink

Lunch: Sandwich wrap or regular sandwich on whole grain bread, baked chips, 100 calorie pack and fresh fruit or celery sticks, carbonated flavored water and a regular bottle of water.

Dinner: Usually Chicken or boneless pork chops, baked potato with baked beans, corn or a salad.

Snack: Skinny Cow fudge bar or Ice cream sandwich (they are fantastic and under 100 calories!!!)

As a result of cooking, chopping, label reading, salt substitutes, no soda, etc... here are the latest numbers....

CJ: total weight loss 14 lbs Goal to lose: 30-35lbs
(He has more energy and his asthma is better!!)

Trevor (Works out at the gym 3-4 days ): 5 lbs Goal to lose: 25 lbs

Amy (along with walking 8-10 miles per week on my treadmill): 4 lbs Goal to lose: 15lbs


Now, Trevor and I are not picky eaters so our new way of eating looks like this:

Breakfast: Cereal with fresh berries and bananas or a hard boiled egg with yogurt or if we're in a hurry I usually grab a Slim Fast protein shake. I will not give up my coffee with fat free creamer.

Lunch: A salad with lots of fresh veggies and chicken breast with dressing on the side or a medium size sweet potato with a tsp. of real butter and a tsp. of Splenda brown sugar. Trevor will at times eat a sandwich on whole grain bread with baked chips.

Dinner: Same as above.


Since I've had more time, I'm cooking more! Before we would eat out about three times a week now, we eat out on Friday nights and Sunday after church. I'm grocery shopping a little more but we figured we're saving around $300 a month!!!

We are also incorporating Prayer. I never thought it was something to pray about but I feel the Lord wants us to keep our bodies healthy and keep things in moderation. I also feel now is the time to do it before we wake up one day to a diagnosis or other health issue related to weight. I thank God everyday my husband makes better food choices not just for him but for us. I will keep you posted on our results!!! If anyone would like any tips or if you have any suggestions PLEASE send me a comment or drop me an email. I'm always open to new ideas and I'm always ready to lend an ear.

God bless!

2 comments:

Jenna York said...

Make sure to keep your eyes open for high fiber foods. They will keep you fuller longer. I was at the Dollar Tree (cheap me ;). ) and I found fiber one bars (5pack). One bar give you I believe 1/3 of your daily fiber. I also have bought some individual tea packets with added fiber (again 1/3 of RDA). CJ if he likes, could keep water bottles and a box of these handy for a drink. They have no sugar and no calories (or minimal depending on brand). Fiber is incredibly important as we get, excuse the word, older we have to ensure we get the exact amount of that. We don't want to have to go for that colon test!! OUCH! That is the best tip I know of especially about watching weight.

Jenna York said...

Oh, I forgot to say one more thing! Congratulations to you all on your success so far! It's a hard thing to do! Keep up the good work!