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!}

Scripture Sunday: Wrestling with God

But Jacob stayed behind by himself, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.  When the man saw that he couldn't get the best of Jacob as they wrestled, he deliberately threw Jacob's hip out of joint......The man said, "....Your name is no longer Jacob.  From now on it's Israel (God-Wrestler); you've wrestled with God and you've come through........The sun came up as he left Peniel, limping because of his hip.

Genesis 32: 24-25, 28, 31 (The Message)

What does it mean to wrestle? According to most dictionaries, it means "to contend" or "to struggle."  Merriam-Webster even goes a step further and states that it can mean "to engage in deep thought, consideration, or debate."  While we might not physically wrestle with God as Jacob did, it's quite likely that we wrestle with God in other ways.  At first, "wrestling with God" might seem like a negative thing, like God is our opponent, but the truth is, sometimes it is in those "wrestling matches" that God can most change us.  {Did you notice that Jacob emerged from his struggle different?  With a new name?  With a limp?} In fact, God would much rather us wrestle with Him than not have any relationship or any communication with Him at all.  Throughout Scripture, you see men & women of God who often "wrestle" with God, question Him, and ask Him to change His mind.  Often those "wrestling matches" with God result in miracles, answered prayer, and change.  {One example is in Genesis 18 where Abraham pleads with God to save Sodom & Gomorrah for the sake of even just a handful of righteous.  Through Abraham's consistent prayer & questioning of God, God chose to save Lot, Abraham's nephew.} 

What is it that you're wrestling with God about today?  Is it about His calling on your life?  Something He's asked you to do?  Or maybe it's about that miracle you've been longing for or that healing you've been asking for.  Or maybe it's about something you just don't understand and you're seeking an explanation from God.  Whatever it is, I encourage you to press on!  Scripture tells us to be persistant in our prayer (Luke 18) & to pray without ceasing (I Thessalonians 5:17).  It's okay to ask God questions.  You may think asking questions means you lack faith, but the truth is, it's a sign that although you don't understand something or agree with something, you believe that God is in control.  Why else would you ask God for an answer or an explanation?  You wouldn't ask a waiter at a restaurant to prescribe you a medication or even how to fix your air conditioner, would you?  Why not?  Because you wouldn't trust his answer.....you couldn't be sure that he had the correct answer or could give you what you ask.  In fact, you'd probably assume that he wasn't any more knowledgable than you on the subject. 

So why do you ask of God and question God?  Because, know matter how upset or unsure you might be, somewhere in your heart you know that God has the answer and is in control.  You know that He knows more than you do.  You know that ultimately He's in charge & has a plan.  So you see, that's faith!

Does wrestling with God mean that He'll always answer you as you hope or that you'll win?  Not necessarily.  Notice that the passage above doesn't say that Jacob won, but rather that he "came through".  Sometimes the most important part of these "wrestling matches" is not getting an answer, but "coming through."  It's what you take from your encounter with God.  It's how you come out of it a new person......changed.  Jacob's new name & limp forever served as a reminder to him of his encounter with God, of his dependence on God, of his relationship with God.

You see, it's impossible to have an encounter with God and not be changed!  And maybe, just maybe, that change in us is the reason God allowed the "wrestling match" in the first place.

Tablescape Thursday: Flowers ~N~ Flutters Dessert Table

The flowers appear on the earth; The time of the singing of birds is come.......

Song of Solomon 2:12 (ASV)

Last week, I shared my "Flowers ~N~ Flutters" tablescape. 

{Because of the blogger glitch, some of you may not have been able to view it, so feel free to click on the link above if you'd like to see the full post.}

Today I'm going to give you a glimpse of my coordinating dessert buffet.


To add some softness to the dark wood, I covered the buffet with a sheer tablecloth with little pink rosebuds. 

Since the buffet was within arm's reach of the dinner table, during dinner it was the perfect spot to keep pitchers of sweet tea & water for quick & easy refills.


But when dessert time rolled around, the pitchers were exchanged for bowls of vanilla ice cream.

Pink & green-footed bowls with scalloped edges add to the feminine, airy feel........


.......while glittery butterflies & dragonflies gently resting on the ice cream adds some sparkle.




The tiered metal stand, with a little bird resting on top, holds strawberry cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. 


In keeping with the theme, sugared gumdrops & mint leaves are formed to look like flower petals.

{Although these did NOT turn out like I had envisioned, I will do a tutorial sometime in the near future.  Maybe you'll have better luck!}

Pink & green floral napkins are topped with a butterfly napkin weight.

Little goblets with a bee design (sitting on either side of the cake) hold forks & spoons, which also have a bee design. 
{Sorry, none of the close ups turned out.}

And last, but not least, my FAVORITE part of the table........




......a buttermilk poundcake with powdered sugar glaze (look for the recipe next Tuesday) is the center of attention.

Resting on a cabbage cake plate, which coordinates with the dessert plates, it receives the honor it deserves.


The middle of the cake is filled with fresh flowers & another glittery buttefly.





Would you like a piece?

I saved one just for you!

Just a few more pics......

rosebud tablecloth - ebay

2-tiered server - TJ Maxx

cabbage plates/cake stand - Williams Sonoma

bee glasses - Tuesday Morning/(also at Horchow)

bee flatware - Horchow

antiqued white chargers - Horchow

pink & green ice cream bowls - Dillards (years ago)

napkin holder/weight - by Mariposa

{To see other tablescapes using the same items, click on the links above.}

Check out these great blogs that I'll be linking to:

Tablescape Thursday at BNOTP

Tabletop Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Wow Us Wednesday

Mosaic Monday at Little Red House

Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound

Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper

Show & Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Friday Favorites at Simply Sweet Home

Hoo's Got Talent at Night Owl Crafting

Open House Party at No Minimalist Here

Home Sweet Home at The Charm of the Home

Newbie Party at DebbieDoos

Wildcard Wednesday: Just A Few More Signs of Spring......in the Garden

Okay, I know I told you I was almost finished with all of the "Signs of Spring", but more just keep popping up!  In the last couple weeks, we've had a few new blooms that I just have to share. 

I love looking out my kitchen window while I'm cooking or doing dishes to see this.....

 ......and this......

 .....and this......

In the front yard, the bright yellow Daylilies are a nice greeting after a hard day at work.

 

And the pansies have enjoyed a few days of cooler weather.

And just one more to show you.  These were our very first peony blooms! 

I love their soft pink color!

 Unfortunately, with the rain we've had & nothing to support them, the weight of their big, moppy heads caused them to do a head-dive into the surrounding dirt.......so we clipped them, washed them off, & brought them indoors to enjoy.

 They just might be my new favorite flower!

What is it about flowers that makes my happy?  That brings a smile to my face?

Is it their pop of color after a color-less winter?  Is it their fresh fragrance?  Is it because they signify new life.......new beginnings.....hope?  Is it because they point to an amazing Creator? 

Maybe a little of everything.

What about you?  What is it about fresh blooms that you love?

Check out these fantastic blog parties:

Bloomin Tuesday at Ms. Green thumb Jean

Outdoor Wednesday at A Southern Daydreamer

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

Fresh Cut Friday at Rose Vignettes

Show & Tell Friday at Romantic Home

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home

Pink Saturday at How Sweet The Sound

This Week in My Garden at The Little Round Table

Want to see more Fresh Blooms in my garden?  Click here for all of my garden posts.