Baby Steps

The reality is that our budget is still a struggle. My dear husband has been able to secure a second job, but it’s PRN, so now he has two jobs that we never know how many hours a week will represent. It still should be more money, which is good to get us out of this hole. I feel we’re just still catching up, instead of making progress. Just one day at a time.

I’ve lost 15 pounds! I know it’s a good accomplishment, but it’s still not enough for me. The difference between this time and any prior attempts is that, even though I’m not with the same fire I started, I’m really going to do for life and that’s engrained in my life. I’ve done a lot of changes, little ones that can be considered a “back to basics” thing.

I’ve changed my milk. – All my life I use to drink 2%. I adamantly thought that I could not go under that because in my mind it would taste nasty. I heard that it would cut my calories and take 50% of the milk fat. So I tried it and now I’m sold, 1% milk it is
Whole wheat- I have successfully eliminated the “whites”, bread, rice and pasta. For the rice, I though it was going to be a struggle because it’s so hard to cook. I found pre-bagged rice that it’s boiled in 10 minutes… a life saver! Pasta, I’ve been trying to limit them to a minimum. I use bean sprouts for soups instead of noodles. It gives you the impression of noodles, but it’s a vegetable. I make my own muffins and they’re all done with whole wheat flour.
Potatoes- I can’t say they’re totally out of my life, but I’ve been using more sweet potatoes than white ones lately.
I’m working out. I know I need to do more of this, but as of right now I’m doing a minimum of two days a week for 30 minutes. I usually do the 3rd and 4th day, but 2 has been my absolute minimum.

Amongst my accomplishments in this area I have to say:
My sugar levels have normalized.
My hormones have seemed to work better
I sleep better
Since I’m doing a lot of food planning, my food budget has become better
Despite our struggles, this has helped our marriage to be better and make us work more as a team. This has been a big plus. I think we had not realized how far we where from each other until we started this journey, but the gap is closing. Thank you Lord!

Talking about the Lord, this is still our area of weakness. Hubby’s schedules have kept us from being able to be active at church. I think that we can do more on our daily lives to give God more of our individual time and we don’t. To me is sad to say that, I wouldn’t want to “schedule God” like I have scheduled everything else, but I guess that would be better than what I’m doing right now, which is give HIM crumbs of my time. I don’t forget and I do appreciate everything HE does for me, every single day. I talk and sort of pray, my way… but I do feel like I still need to do more and get closer.

As this year unfolds, this is just February, so I guess I’m not doing too badly for what we have though out to be a 2 yr plan of revamping our lives. I know my OCD self thinks, that I have not done enough. I have to remind myself that it will be ok and that if God allows me life, we will be living the basic, peaceful, loving life we desire.