Trimming the Fat: 8 Things To Get On The Healthy Path TODAY!

~*~To read the collection of posts in this series, please click {here}~*~

Hello Friends! Just one more installment after this and “Trimming the Fat” series with Katharine Barrett will be over… :0(! BUT, I am planning on keeping up with posts and giving updates/sharing ideas as my family continues on the path of debt and weight reduction! 

This week had a few YAYS and a few NAYS as far as our “debt-free in 2013″ is concerned.

We DID receive our larger IRS refund and were able to pay off one small credit card bill and ALL of our medical debt! It was just a bit more than we thought, but still keeps us on track.

WOOT WOOT!

We had planned on sending about $5,000 and knocking the larger MasterCard bill in half, but as life often goes, we were “hit” with a home repair to the tune of $325 {new sewer pump}.

THANK God that Jim {the hubby} is resourceful and handy. He was able to procure the assistance of a friend and replace it with a better motor. Crisis diverted! Our sewer pump is not just for sewage, but all of our water! So dishes can be washed, showers taken, and toilets flushed. A luxury I know {and I MEAN that}, but an appreciated one! 

Jim also had an unexpected work-related trip out of town that required a hotel room for about $100. These small bits will need to be replenished to keep us on task. 

The small, monthly amounts we allotted to those smaller bills will now be transferred to the LARGE MasterCard bill we have left. I encourage you STRONGLY to consider doing this if you are working towards being debt free.

It is easy to think of that now available cash as “extra”, but until your debt is manageable, there is NO extra! LUMP it all into the last bit of debt you have and you will be shocked at how it adds up!

Our “small” payments came close to $2,000 over a 12 month time. Imagine what could have been done with that money???

Of course, medical bills can rarely be avoided, but if we had no other debt, we would have been able to pay them off much quicker if not at once.

Onward and Upward!

Now about the other “weighty” issue :0). I am on track and losing weight, but it feels INCREMENTAL!!! I have no numbers to share as of yet, but I believe I am finally figuring out how to work with this menopause body of mine!

I am following The South Beach Diet eating plan. I am not a fan of labeling making healthy eating choices a “diet”, but that is what it is known as, so there ya have it.

Then plan is simple, but hard. For two weeks NO bread, sugar, fruit, or starchy veggies. Then after the 2 week first phase, you add carbs in the form of fruits and 100% whole grains S-L-O-W-L-Y. You reserve sugar and sweets for rare, occasional treats.

Oh….

And you exercise! About 30-45 minutes of interval training at least five days a week.

Basically that’s the plan: eat less and pay careful attention to WHAT you eat, move your body, drink water.

IMAGINE it could be so simple! Simple…yes. Easy….wellllllll. When you like the sweet stuff and are not a fan of sweating much, the challenge presents itself naturally! 

I cannot recommend the SBD App enough! It is awesome, easy to use, and just $1.99 {which came from my left over shopping money last week!}. As much as I LOVE SparkPeople, the system is not “low-carb” friendly. I still LOVE the encouragement from my Spark Friends, but the SBD App is just better for low-carb. It gives you your nutritional breakdown, calculates your exercise, gives easy to follow recipes, and “pings” you reminders throughout the day.

One thing we decided would be an important tool to get EVERYONE involved in this healthy lifestyle is to join the YMCA. YES, I KNOW I said we would not spend anything extra this year, but hear me out.

The YMCA offers a full year, family membership for about $400. We are making four installment payments and this way my boys and I hold each other accountable. The money came in an unusual way that I am not going to share just yet…it was legal and not too difficult :0).

So, not only do I get to take my boys with me and we work out at the same time, this ALSO gets me up and out of the house by 7:20 EVERY day…almost like a job :0)! I am not one for routine and I often find reasons to NOT get to me Walk Away the Pounds walking DVD’s…but with my boys needing/wanting to go daily, I have NO choice since they need me to take them. Takes care of TWO of my “issues” at once :0).

I wanted to share a few things with you that have helped me immensely these past two weeks.

Small, incremental steps to a healthier lifestyle will have a far greater success than if we try to do it ALL at once!   <click

8 SIMPLE CHOICES TOWARDS BETTER HEALTH: TODAY!

1. DRINK WATER. Yes…water! It is free and easy to find. Start with 2 8 OZ cups at each meal.

2. WALK. Yes..walk! It is free and easy to do. Start with 10 minutes after lunch.

3. MAKE THE CHOICE NOT to go NEAR a drive through for ANY reason other than a coffee :0).

4. EAT AT THE TABLE{at home or at the office}, not in front of a TV or at your desk.

5. COMMIT TO POSITIVE SELF-TALK. TELL yourself you CAN do it and when the negative talk comes in, STOP yourself mid-track and replace it with a positive thought. Sounds silly, but it works. I also have a few little “signs” around my house that remind me that I CAN do ANYTHING for 14 days!!! My 14 days involved NO sugar, bread, or fruit. JUST 14 days of no sugar or refined bread/pasta alone can get you jump starting onto a GREAT path. YOU CAN DO THIS!

6. BUY {AND EAT} LETTUCE. Yes…lettuce! It is cheap and easy to find. Start with 1-2 cups at breakfast and dinner. I chop mine small so it is easier to eat! Thanks to Mary Jane Butters for that tid-bit.

7. BUY BONELESS, SKINLESS CHICKEN BREAST. Designate that for YOU! It is NOT selfish of you to do this for your health. If you buy just two pounds at $3 a pound, for $6 you can portion it and flatten it out into 4-6 baggies. Chicken that is flattened can cook up in less than 6 minutes! Add a few spices, chop over that lettuce mix you bought, add 1/8 c low fat cheddar, EVO, S&P…VIOLA! Lunch…dinner…heck! Have it for breakfast!!!

8. SPEND TIME GATHERING UPLIFTING PINS. As much as Pinterest offers GREAT recipes, it also offers some pretty fantastic inspirational quotes, blogs, photos, and recipes for a healthy life style!

I have some pretty awesome recipes to share in the coming days. Really, you can find low-carb recipes EVERYWHERE. Best of all , they are “REAL FOOD”!! I have a few tweaked for EASE. I need “easy” in my life. And tasty. It doesn’t matter how “good” something is for you if you HATE it!

I hope these little suggestions will encourage you to make choices right NOW that will help get you on track to a healthy life. PLEASE feel free to share ANY of your tips with me! Also, if you have a blog/series on healthy living, please let me know! I would LOVE to feature you on my little place in the world!

More soon my Chickie Girl friends!!!

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