More {or Less} of Me Monday: Week 1

Since I've noticed that I rarely have anything to blog about on "More of Me Monday", I've decided that it would be the perfect opportunity for me to share about my journey to better health & weight loss.   My weight & health is something I constantly struggle with.....as Paul says in II Corintians 12, it is one of those "thorns in my flesh." 

You see, I struggle with something called "Insulin Resistance," a condition in which my body does not effeciently process sugars and other carbohydrates.  To put it simply, when I eat carbohydrates, my body produces insulin as it should, but rather than allowing the insulin in to break down the carbohydrates appropriately, my cells have become "resistant" to the insulin.....they just won't let it in.  In response to that, my body produces more and more insulin until it is finally able to break down the carbohydrates.  Unfortunately, all this extra insulin floating around in my body is turned into fat.  Nice, huh?

And as a bonus, the more weight I gain, the worse the insulin resistance becomes, which causes me to gain more weigh, and the cycle continues. 

While I know this and know how to best control it, unfortunately I don't always do it well, and the weight comes on rather quickly.  This extra weight bogs me down in several weighs ways, as I'm sure some of you can relate to.  Not only do I not have as much energy to do the things I enjoy, but I often get depressed, not liking the weigh way I look or how my clothes fit.  This poor image of myself then keeps me from doing other things I enjoy, like participating in social events.  So not only is losing weight important for me to be healthy physically, but it's also important for my mental health!  I know that if there's a little less of me physically, then there will be more of me in other ways......more confidence, more energy, more peace of mind, more enjoyment of life, etc.  {Thus the title "More {or Less} of me."}

Wow, just having shared this much is a huge step for me.  For years, and even sometimes still now, I was embarrassed and ashamed of my struggle with Insulin Resistance & didn't want anyone to know.  But I've found that there is something freeing in sharing it with others.  I also feel that in sharing my ups & downs and struggles with others and by blogging about my weight loss journey, that maybe it will also hold me accountable to some degree.  Perhaps it will be helpful to someone out there in blogland, too.  If not, feel free to skip these posts.  I won't be offended. :)

So my plan is to share my {fairly} low-carb menu plan for the week each Monday {this will help me be more organized, too!}, along with my exercise schedule.  I will also share how well I followed the plan the previous week & weight loss for the week. 

So, here we go:

Week 1 Menu Plan

Monday:
Breakfast: Multigrain Cheerios with Skim Milk

Snack: Granny Smith Apple with Peanut Butter

Lunch: Chicken Strips
Snack: Sugar Free Pudding

Dinner: Tuna Salad

Tuesday:
Breakfast: Wheat Chex with Skim Milk

Snack: Yogurt with Granola

Lunch: Left Over Tuna Salad

Snack: Deviled Eggs

Dinner: Quick Chicken Parmigiana & Green Beans

Wednesday:
Breakfast: Multigrain Cheerios with Skim Milk

Snack: Cottage Cheese & Peach Slices
Lunch: Left Over Chicken Parmigiana

Snack: Strawberries

Dinner: Fiesta (taco salad) without chips

Thursday: 
Breakfast: Wheat Chex with Skim Milk

Snack: Grapes
Lunch: Left Over Fiesta

Snack: Celery with Peanut Butter

Dinner: Meatloaf & Salad

Friday:
Breakfast: Multigrain Cheerios with Skim Milk

Snack: Pear Slices
Lunch: Left Over Meatloaf

Snack: Sugar Free Pudding

Dinner: Eat Out (splurge for the week)

Saturday:
Breakfast: Wheat Chex with Skim Milk

Snack: Yogurt with Granola
Lunch: Soup & Salad

Snack: Strawberries

Dinner: Breakfast for Dinner (Eggs & Bacon)

Sunday:
Breakfast: Multigrain Cheerios with Skim Milk

Snack: String Cheese
Lunch: Eat Out

Snack: Celery with Peanut Butter

Dinner: Left Overs

{This week I hope to make a list of meal/snack ideas, so that I have several to choose from each week.  I'm also considering putting together a 4-6 week menu plan that I can just repeat.}

Exercise Schedule:

Monday: Power 90 Cardio/Abs

Tuesday: Walk 30 minutes/Power 90 Circuit Training

Wednesday: Power 90 Cardio/Abs

Thursday: Walk 30 minutes/Power 90 Circuit Training

Friday: Power 90 Cardio/Abs

Saturday: Break

Sunday: Walk 30 minutes/Power 90 Circuit Training

Join me again next week, same time, same place, to see how Week 1 went!

Oh, and just one more thing, please feel free to leave comments with any tips you might have or ideas/recipes you have for healthy meals & snacks.  The more choices I have, the better!

{I'm joining with Menu Plan Monday at I'm an Organizing Junkie!}