Reclaiming My Health - Part One

If you've been following The Nest Effect for awhile, then perhaps you know of my health issues.

Here's a recap and some other info I perhaps haven't shared.

• I have hypothyroidism and bile that just won't quit.
• The last time I went to the doctor I was told that I need to cut down on my sodium intake. {GASP! But salt is my favorite. I'd choose it any day over sugar!}
• The Dr. also said I better lose some weight due to health issues that run in my family.
• I lost weight last year for our wedding, but then due to lack of finding a job, I ended up depressed and eating my sorrows away. I gained back what I lost, plus 5 pounds.
• I'm a junky eater. I love pizza way more than anyone should. I love chips, popcorn {especially movie theater popcorn}, and any other super-salty treat. And then there's hamburgers, macaroni salad, wimpies, hamburg gravy, Chinese food, pasta, etc. - ya know, all of the really delicious foods.
• I love soda. I've switched to diet soda, which I know is no better, but at least the calories are not there.

Now, I'm not writing this post for any sort of sympathy or what-ev-er. I'm writing this post to hold myself accountable. When it's out in the open, I feel like it's more than just me tracking my progress, even if y'all don't care about this health-journey I'm on. At least if it's out there, it somehow feels more...real?

So I said last week, this is all about being healthy. That is my main concern, but if I lose some weight in the process, that's just an added bonus. I wanted to share with you the resources I've been using because I like them so much.

Okay, I'm not being paid or commissioned or anything to mention WW. I've always wanted to try it out because I love the idea of counting points rather than calories. After all, calories are so difficult to count, especially when you eat more than the portion, but not another whole portion.

I'm subscribed online only. I'm not into going to meetings and what-not, so this is a solo deal for me. I Googled "WeightWatchers deal" and found one for $50 for 3 months. Perfect.

And even cooler than anything else, they have smartphone apps. Seriously. It can't get any easier. 3 apps are available for my Motorola Droid Razr smartphone: WW Points Tracker, WW Barcode Scanner, and WW Points Calculator. The Barcode Scanner is SO amazing. I just scan the barcode of what I'm eating and then select how much of the serving size I'm eating, and it calculates it all for me.

Fruits and vegetables are 0 points. So if I've used all of my points for the day and I'm truly hungry, I don't feel guilty and starve myself like I have with other calorie-counting programs I've tried. I feel like WW focuses more on eating healthy than full-blown "I hate my life because I'm dieting" programs. I'm learning to love fruits and vegetables, which is healthy long-term.

For eating out, I've found two websites who have national chain restaurant PointsPlus values already calculated out for you. {Exercise 4 Weight Loss // Just Diet Now} This has been SO helpful when we've made a quick stop when we're out at Wendy's or equivalent.

Here's an example from just the other night.

• We stop at Wendy's. I am just craving a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger...for two weeks now. I think about having one, but decided to check my points that I have left first, and how many points it will cost me. We've already had dinner for the night, but I'm legitimately hungry.
• A Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger is 9 points. I had 6 points left. Not happening. So I opted for a 6 point value size french fry. Just as satisfying.
• Chris got a Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger {9 points}, 5 piece chicken nugget {6 points}, medium Coke {7 points}, and small frosty {8 points}. He's not trying to lose weight, or be healthy, obviously. All of that adds up to more points than I'm allowed in one day. So grossly ridiculous. haha

Do you follow The House of Smiths? If not, you should. Not only is Shelley an amazing home/DIY blogger, but she's on an incredible weight loss journey and sharing her story along the way. She is truly such an inspiration. She has lost over 60 pounds this year and is still going. I love following her journey and enjoy her spunky personality that comes out in the way she writes her posts. She's absolutely amazing.

Last week I found a recipe blog called Skinnytaste. Not only does she share low fat recipes, but they're all foods that real people actually eat. It's not just vegetarian, or things you've never heard of {not that there's anything wrong with either of those, it's just not my thing}. The best part for me, at this time, is she gives the WW PointsPlus values for each meal. {Thank you!}

This week I made Gina's Swedish Meatballs recipe. Have you ever eaten IKEA's swedish meatballs? Okay, I felt like I was at IKEA eating them. They were so incredibly delicious. And Chris, who hates anything low fat since he only wants to gain weight, loved the meal as well.

I've started pinning recipes that I want to try on Pinterest. {Don't worry, I'm not pinning a recipe, then copying and pasting the WHOLE recipe in the description box. That bugs me...so I won't do it. Just the recipe name will do.} Check out my To Eat & Drink board to see what I'm pinning.

Okay, okay...this post is long enough and I've been typing for an hour. I have more to share about this topic at hand, so I'll post again next week.

Do you have any websites or online resources for me, regarding my healthy journey? I'd love to discover more websites!