Ideas and tips

     The most important thing to remember and know is that YOU CAN lose weight!! If you're anything like me you've tried it all. It works for a bit then it gets old or you don't see the results you want so you stop. My problem was and is I have no follow through and when things do go well I stop. I think at some level I don't think I deserve the outcome. I don't deserve the praise. At some point you have to push those thoughts aside and just go for it. You deserve to be healthy and if you have a family they deserve to have you healthy.
      When I started my journey it was for vein reasons. Chris had lost so much weight and I weighed more than he did. Being a foot taller than me I couldn't stand that thought. It made me feel so ugly. Then I stopped and looked at my son. Looked at what he was eating. Then I felt worse. What was I doing?? When I was growing up my mom worked in the bowling alley and everyone that came in would buy me candy, cokes, burgers and fries. Then when she worked at the landfill she hardly cooked so we ate out all the time. I'm not knocking how she fed me because that's how she was raised. I think that's why I love cooking most of our meals.
      The key to my weight loss has been the cooking at home. The problem with that is that most people don't have the time to do that. Between work, kids and other things it is hard to cook dinner. If you live in a big town it's easier to just go and pick something up. That means really unhealthy food. I tell people like my mom and Becky that for them they HAVE to make time each week to prep meals. One day in the kitchen and a freezer can make all the difference. If you are serious then make the time. There are options out there for healthier choices. In San Angelo there is Smiling Moose and McAlister's. You could also run into a store like H-E-B and grab some fresh fruit and a sandwich. There are presliced veggies and fruit that you could run in and get. That's fast food. Here is a sample of the meal plan I made for my mom.

Breakfast- Smoothie and fruit
Snack- Nuts and Fruit
Lunch- Salad and Wrap(s)
Snack- Fruit and Cheese stick
Dinner- Homemade pizza and salad. For one just use a tortilla and top with pizza stuff. I use Turkey pepperoni
Snack- Fruit

      When I talk to my mom I tell her that fruit and veggies are limitless. Eat as much as you want even until you are stuffed with those and you will be OK. It helps clean you out and provides your body with great nutrients. So go ahead and eat all the fruits and veggies you want. Snack on Nuts. Watch the nuts though they can be full of sugar and salt. This tip brings into play the next key to my weight loss. Poop! If you don't poop at least once a day then it's a sign that you are not getting enough roughage. That's another good thing to me not working. I don't have to worry about going to the restroom.
      These are just a handful of my tips. My ideas. I am not a doctor and what worked for me may not work for you. It took me a long time to not use a whole box of pasta when I made spaghetti. A long time to develop a taste for fresh fruit over canned fruit. Take it one day at a time and try not to change too much too fast. Make one goal a week. Those small changes will help you make the big changes down the road.