Change is Good!

I have been unintentionally absent. I went to my Dr. Tuesday. I weighed in on his scale at 185.5 (184.5 on mine). He wasn't as hard on me as I am on myself. We did discuss the need to clear my kitchen of anything I shouldn't have and to really embrace NO CARBS, including my little "permissions" to myself. I have buckled down & this morning my scale said 182. The numbers don't lie. This really works. I keep reminding myself that one woman I met a few weeks ago follows my docs guidelines & decided not to have the lap band surgery. She has lost 152 lbs in 15 months! If I had that will power I would not have failed at almost a lifetime of weight loss attempts.
This evening my daughter came over & we went through the pantry, fridge & freezer. We purged alot of things we weren't using & I shouldn't have. We also removed some things I shouldn't have & might be tempted to eat if they stuck around. She traded me some meats & alot of vegetables so it wasn't a huge write off for our grocery budget. In these times of financial hardship for so many it can be cost prohibitive to cleanse your kitchen of less healthy, but often more affordable food options. I have been tying to shop more often & buy less. To reduce portion sizes & stick to only what I need for the one or two meals I am shopping for. I was slowly phasing out the "bad" stuff & only buying the "good". I had alot of back stock & just needed to clear it out. It feels good to have it done. We still have plenty of groceries. I kept some of my hubby's preferences & kids favorites, but healthier foods are good for all of us!
Tonight's dinner was a good example: Had some leftover Italian sausages, onions, peppers, & mushrooms. For the kids I added some sausage to spaghetti sauce, added some ricotta & mozzarella cheeses & cooked corkscrew pasta. Done.. they loved it & even had seconds. I combined the rest of the sausage, the onions, peppers, mushrooms & a spoonful of sauce. I placed half the mixture in a casserole dish. I spread a layer of ricotta cheese & some grated mozzarella over that then topped it with the rest of the sausage mixture & some more grated cheese. Popped it into a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. That was my dinner & it was delicious! My daughter said she preferred mine to the pasta. I did not feel deprived, had no desire for the pasta & enjoyed my meal. I also have enough for another meal tomorrow.
I grew up with meat, potatoes, & lots of pasta. Whatever could be stretched to feed 7children & 2 adults on limited income. It is hard to change gears at 47years of age! But I am committed to do this and have learned the hard way that it is a lifestyle CHANGE.
Truth: This is one of those instances when CHANGE IS GOOD!!