Day 28 on Bright Line Eating - It Takes Faith to Change

We finished our 4th week using Bright Line Eating and we weighed in this morning and the results are:

Week 4:

I have released 2 pounds!

Brent has released 3 pounds!

TOTAL:

I have released 14 pounds since we started!

Brent has released 10 pounds since we started!

So Brent have now released more pounds than me last week! Yay! I can't believe it's already been 4 weeks. As we've been going on this it seems to go by faster.  However, I am BUSY in the kitchen much more. 

Things That Have Changed

I was originally planning to PRE-MAKE all my food on Sunday, but that hasn't happened. And it's okay, as long as I have the needed food and often I pre-make some of it. Like I will take 5 to 6 lbs of ground turkey and cook it up and add in the taco seasonings. Then I portion it out in 10 oz. containers and store in the fridge. Then, when I make our taco salads, I weigh 6 oz. on to Brent's plate and I already know the rest is 4 oz for me. That makes taco salads easy to make for me.

I sometimes chop up salad or veggies, but often I do it before the meal. It seems to be all working out good. 

In the past I wasn't making many meals for my family. My kids are all 18 and older and they all have jobs so they prepare their own meals and lunches for work. I've just tried to keep the food in the house for them.  

I hate to admit this, but I was often very tired and I struggled with my moods. So I sometimes relied on my kids to bring me food while I sat on my recliner. They are all such loving children, and didn't complain to bring me food and often cleaned up afterwards. 

That has totally changed! I never eat in our media room, or anywhere else but our kitchen table! And now, I am the one making meals more often for my kids! When they are home and I'm making me and Brent's breakfast, lunch or dinner, I make portions for them too. I will often just add in something more for them like a breaded chicken patty, extra fruit and so forth. Now that they are older, they actually love my roasted veggies and salads. They have been thanking me for the meals I make and I feel like a better mom. And I don't just leave all the clean up to them, I find myself having more energy and desire to clean up in the kitchen. My son told me that every night after dinner, he will always do the dishes for me! How sweet is that?

I've had to CHANGE how I do things. Some of these changes have been initially difficult. Like:

• Staying on a schedule of eating
• Writing down beforehand all our meals
• Shopping often and keeping the foods we eat fresh and on hand
• Not thinking about off-plan eating or certain food triggers

Yet it has gotten progressively easier. I think the HOPE of getting all my weight off is my driving force. And because I know this will work, and I've seeing evidence of that, I have no desire to mess it up. 

Effective Change Requires Faith

I also have to admit that I know the Lord's Hand has been involved in this. I know this because for the last 4 years I've been trying various things and I got to the point where I felt there was no hope. I had been praying to be shown a way that I could get my weight off and that Brent and I could get healthier. I truly felt defeated... for a long time. I had given up inside and was not monitoring my eating much, because I felt like it wasn't making a difference when I did.

When I was introduced to Bright Line Eating through my friend and it was explained to me, it felt different. As I saw all the results of others on FB who have used this program, and how so many have kept the weight off - I began to believe that this would work for us. More than that, I felt a confirming feeling that THIS was my answer.  

This is the same feeling I felt back in 2010 when I first found TSFL/Medifast program. I knew it would work. That was my answer in 2010 and in 2018, BLE in our answer.

The main factors involved aren't just solely the design, science and genius of the program, the main factor is FAITH. And specifically (for me), faith in my Savior Jesus Christ, that HE will bless our efforts with success. I KNOW it is through His mercy and grace that we can do this, after doing all in our power. He makes up the rest. 

For change to be effective, there must be Faith or Belief that it can happen. Then it takes Work to make it happen. If I am willing to put in the work, I pray that my Savior will ensure that my work yields my desired results. For me, my physical state and spiritual state are completely interconnected. I learned this my first time around and I'm re-learning it again!

Another bit of honesty here for anyone who actually does read this, is I feel that timing is not coincidence. I feel like there are tribulations close ahead, and the Lord is giving me a time to get my weight down (and Brent), so that we can be in a better place physically to handle all that is coming.

Meal in the Theater

Last week we tried something. We tried eating our day 2 dinner at a theater during a movie. I brought our protein, and some of our veggies, and we used theater popcorn and butter as the rest of our veggies and the fat. This was pre-planned, and it went really well. I had pre-weighed our popcorn tub to ensure the amount of popcorn we could eat. 

What we learned from this was:

• Eating popcorn at the theater wasn't near as enjoyable as I thought!
• It was nice, but not "filling" like our meals at home.
• I realized that going without popcorn at the theater is fine, and not a big loss!

Here are our meals for week 4:

Week 4 - Day 1:

 BREAKFAST: 4 oz Cottage Cheese, Pineapple, Oatmeal and Berries

 LUNCH: 4 oz Turkey Leg Meat, 6 oz Squash, Pear, Cheese

DINNER: 4 oz Pork, Sauteed Peppers, Mushrooms and Onions, Salad, Cheese

Week 4 - Day 2:

 BREAKFAST: Oatmeal/Egg/.5 Banana Waffle, Sausage, Berries

LUNCH: 4 oz Cottage Cheese, Pineapple, Squash, 2 Dill Pickles

(I am loving squash more than I ever did!)

DINNER: (No image, at the theater: Salmon Patty (veggie Burgers for Brent), Cucumbers, Popcorn and Butter

Week 4 - Day 3:

 BREAKFAST: 2 Scrambled Eggs, Clementine and Berries, Oatmeal

 LUNCH (Brent): 1 oz Almond Butter, Cheese, Celery, Apple

 LUNCH (Margene): 4 oz Cottage Cheese, Pineapple, Squash, Cheese

DINNER (at a relative's home): Pork, Salad, Cabbage, & Sauteed Onions, Peppers, and Mushrooms

We were able to keep our bright lines when eating at my sister's house. I brought my mobile scale and measured it all. It was yummy!

Week 4 - Day 4:

 BREAKFAST: 2 Scrambled Eggs, 4 oz Pan Fried Potatoes, Pear

LUNCH: Taco Salad (4 oz Ground Taco Seasoned Turkey), Romaine Lettuce, Peppers, Tomatoes, Shredded Cheese) Grapes

DINNER: 4 oz Shredded Pork, Tomatoes, Sauteed Asparagus, Peppers and Onions, Dill Pickle, Cheese

Week 4 - Day 5:

 BREAKFAST: 1 oz Triscuits (7), Cheese, Netcarine

 LUNCH (Margene): 4 oz Cottage Cheese, Pineapple, Strawberries, Celery, Yellow Pepper, Laughing Cow Cheese Wedge

 LUNCH (Brent): Hot Dogs, Hummus, Celery, Cantaloupe, Pineapple, Strawberries, Cheese

DINNER: Salmon Patty & Cheese, Tomatoes, Sauteed Peppers and Mushrooms, Dill Pickle

Week 4 - Day 6:

 BREAKFAST: Oatmeal/Egg/Banana Waffle, Strawberries, Sausage

FAVORITE!

 LUNCH: 4 oz Turkey Leg Meat, Celery, Dill Pickle, Cheese, Grapes and Cantaloupe

DINNER: Taco Salad (Ground Taco Seasoned Turkey, Romaine Lettuce, Peppers, Tomatoes, Cheese)

Week 4 - Day 7:

We Fasted Breakfast and Lunch

(Brent couldn't fast completely so he had a small piece of fruit and slice of cheese for these meals)

DINNER: Prime Rib (I didn't weigh because I was using my lunch and dinner protein for this), Steamed Cabbage, Tomatoes, and Dill Pickle

This was the BEST prime rib I've ever had. I marinated it with a big of olive oil and a herbal rub, the black char is not burnt - it was very tasty! I cooked it Medium - Using Olive Oil on my Iron Skillet, and after turning it over, I then popped it in my 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. It was perfect!

We are pressing forward on Week 5! Today I tried making tortillas out of lentils! A one ingredient tortilla. I will share next week how that worked out.

Onward and upward. Life is good

~Margene XoxO