I walked up and down the grocery store today and estimated that there are about 10 gajillion calories and fat grams in those aisles, give or take a jillion.
All of those options yet so many of them are TERRIBLE for me. I shouldn’t even give them a second glance, but they taste oh so delicious.
Healthy eating is hard, y’all. I know it because I live it, and now I’m helping my mom try to figure it out as well.
My mom was discharged from the hospital one month ago after open heart surgery, with instructions from her doctors to eat “healthy”. But… that’s pretty much the extent of the info they provided us. We got a brochure about lowering her sodium intake and not much else. Just strict finger-pointing rules to “Eat healthy”.
Well ok. Of course. After you go through a medical event of this magnitude, getting healthy tends to take priority.
But what the heck does healthy actually mean? Everyone seems to have a different opinion and none of them align with the other. One says Diet Coke is poison, another says they drink it all day long. One says low fat is the way to go, another says low carb.
It’s so confusing.
We have been asking the doctors (including the surgeon, the surgeon’s PA, the home health nurse, her cardiologist AND her primary care doctor) for a month now to give us a referral to a nutritionist, but so far none of them have helped us in that department. So, we struck out to find a nutritionist on our own and have been using Google for the rest of it. The doctors are really good at scolding you for “cheating” when you gain a pound or two, but they are terrible at giving you actualy dietary resources with hard and fast information to help you plan a diet that you can stand to live with for the rest of your life.
I have been on more diets than I care to count. I’ve done the Whole30. I’ve tried Trim Healthy Mama and Atkins. I know all about Wheat Bellies and The Omnivores Dilemma. I attended my first Weight Watchers meeting when I was 12 years old.
I have screamed and cried and prayed and begged. And still I am unskinny.
One time I had a doctor tell me “Just, you know… eat a sandwich and a bag of chips” for lunch to help me lose weight. I’m not sure exactly what he thought I was eating for lunch (prime rib slathered in gallons of ice cream?) but this was not very helpful advice. I’m searching high and low for TRULY helpful information that I can use to help my family get healthier but also my parents. Now that we live next door to them, we are sharing more dinners than ever, so this have become a team effort.
I have found and become an affiliate for the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, which is on sale for a limited time offer (just six days!). It’s this HUGE bundle with $2,400+ worth of e-books, workshops, courses and freebies that I can buy for just $30.00!! WHAT? Sold.
I’ve paid more than $30 for a single cookbook at the bookstore that made promises to help me get thin. So, I figure what the heck do I have to lose! Let’s do it. There are books in the bundle about healthy recipes, meal plans, homemaking, essential oils, herbal remedies, DIY beauty recipes and more. I’m all about this kind of stuff.
I’m ordering the bundle today to get free early-bird access to the mobile versions of all the books in the Bundle.
So far, I’m loving what I’m seeing! I hope and pray we can find THE thing that makes all of this just “click” for us. We need all the help we can get. We will schedule an appointment with the nutritionist soon, and I’ll keep you posted on our progress.
If you want to order the Ultimate Healthy Living Bundle, you can only buy it at this $30 rate until September 26th at midnight, so make it quick! Here is a “by the numbers” version of what you’ll get:
$2,417.58 bundle value (at 98% off!)
58 ebooks & printables
25 ecourses, videos & audios
$251.95 in bonuses
9 physical bonuses
2 digital bonuses
5 bonuses that ship internationally (plus one more to Canada)
Here is a small glimpse at the e-books included in this bundle. There are so many great ones that I am excited to read.
Who wants to try to get healthy with me and my mama? If you have any good heart-wise tips, advice or websites that we need to check out, please email me or leave a comment. I’m all ears. A few friends have already texted me with excellent websites and info, so please keep them coming. I appreciate all the help we can get!
P.S. Don’t forget that the special Early Bird Pricing expires today at 11:59 P.M Eastern Time. Now is the time to act if you think this bundle might be just what you need!
I’m so glad your mom is doing well. I agree with you that eating and living healthy is a struggle, but it can be done. About a year ago, at age 60, I changed my eating habits and so far have lost 68 lbs. and feel great! I eliminated all processed foods, white sugar, white flour, reduced carbs overall and cut way back on red meat. I increased my fruit and veggie intake dramatically. Sometimes I have an entire meal of just veggies. Some of the people I follow for healthy eating/living information are: https://www.drfuhrman.com/learn/who-is-dr-fuhrman, Super Healthy Kids, Trading Cardio for Cosmos, Against all grain, The Joy Fit Club on the Today show, Dr. Mark Hyman and Dr. Mehmet Oz. If you would get recipes from these places and eat just what these people say to eat, you will lose weight, be heart healthy and feel great. On a side note, if you have a Dr. and cardiologist that will not give your mom a referral for a nutritionist, consider finding new doctors. That’s ridiculous. Good luck on your journey!
Thanks so much Kathy! What an inspiration you are! 68 lbs is amazing!!
My biggest challenge is processed food- sugar, flour, etc so you hit the nail on the head for me. I will check out all of those websites you recommended. I have read Dr. Mark Hyman’s books and loved them. And yes, it’s been a struggle to get a nutritionist referral but we finally got one from her regular doctor. You would think that heart patients would be released from the hospital without a nutritionist to meet with on a regular basis.
Thanks again!
Beth
Like you I have been “unskinny” most of my life. I have finally found something that has worked pretty well for me. I started using MyFitnessPal.com on Jan. 1st of this year. It was tough because I was 60 and I’m 5’3″ and I was 213.6 lbs. They were limiting me to 1200 calories a day! According to BMI I was supposed to lose 70 pounds! I’m not aiming for that. Right now I just want to go from obese to overweight! It took me six months but I lost 20 pounds. I recorded everything and used Map My Walk to record my walks. Then I read something about how so many of the Biggest Loser people ended up gaining back all their weight and more because losing so much weight in such a short period of time screwed up their metabolism and that you should try to maintain a weight loss at intermediate points. So on 6/21 I was 213 pounds and I stopped. Even though I’m retired life has been busy and it was nice to take a break. We went on vacation and I had a convention and I avoided the scales like the plague. So earlier this week I got back to it and started recording again and yesterday got back on the scales and was shocked to see that I hadn’t gained any weight during my “sabbatical” and was actually down another half pound. I haven’t eliminated anything from my diet because I don’t think of it like a diet. This is my life and my health and so what if it’s unfair that losing weight is a long and difficult process – it is what it is. I avoid processed foods and sodas and limit my bread. But I use real butter when I do have bread and real sugar and half and half in my coffee. I avoid beef but use bison instead. Increase my veggies and whole grains and just record it all. I always loved dessert but now most of the time dessert is 8 Ghiradelli 60% cacao chocolate chips.
Sorry for going on so long but I know what a struggle it is. You and your Mom can do this!
Thanks so much Laura! I read that exact same article about The Biggest Loser and it really makes you stop and think hard. The struggle is SO real for so many of us, and articles like that can make things feel hopeless sometimes.
I have the MyFitnessPal app on my phone, now I just need to use it. 🙂 Thank you so much for your words of wisdom! I’m soaking in everything right now and really trying to make some changes for good.
I definitely agree- our healthcare programs have left out an essential element – and that is how to get healthy and stay healthy. If someone would step in and take up that element they WOULD be a “bajillionaire”‘. When I was 52 or 53 years old I was following Heather and Vanessa At the Picket Fence. We all began to see changes in Heather that were awesome and she shared with me that she was using a counselor – Sheree People’s on Facebook. Through her I started Take Shape For Life and Medifast. I lost 78 pounds, got back down to my high school weight – and it was awesome! It was HARD, but worth it. Of course, it gets easier after a while, your tastebuds have to change, learn to like new foods. There is something out there that will work- you have to be determined, stick to it, and just do it. The best thing is, you have each other to cheer you on!
Weight watchers has changed – it couldn’t hurt to give it another try. The main thing is – just start somewhere, ask God to guide you, and He will lead you to where you need to be! Can’t wait to hear good things from you!
I had a conversation about TSFL with Heather while we were at the Haven Conference in Atlanta in July. I have watched her journey and been SO SO proud of her incredible progress. I meant to follow up with her about it but then mom’s heart stuff happened and it’s been a non-stop whirlwind ever since. I’ll email her for more info. Heather and Vanessa are my sisters from another mister! Love those girls.
I know Oprah recently bought WW so I might give it a look.
Thanks so much for your support, Vicki! <3
What’s the catch? I have called other places to order things and all of a sudden, it cost more than advertised..sorry, but can you provide more information? Are you using this program? Have You lost weight? Do they want you to buy supplements or packaged foods? You don’t get that amount of stuff valued at that price and drop it down to $30.
No catch at all that I can see. As an affiliate, I got early access to all the downloads and freebies. I’ve already started reading a few of them and they are all VERY good info. The only thing that might be considered a “catch” is that you will need to sign up for a few email lists to get the downloads (not all but some) but I haven’t noticed a huge influx of extra emails so far. If that is an issue you can just unsubscribe down at the bottom of them.
I hope you know I wouldn’t promote anything here on this blog that is shady. I’ve been blogging too long to do something like that. If I talk about it, I’ve used it and I recommend it personally. 🙂
Oh, the other catch is that it’s only available at this price for a very limited time, so better hurry if you wanna buy! 🙂
Yeah, I hear ya! I have been on WW off and on for years. But this time…….ah, this time I think they nailed it! It IS healthy eating. I have lost 30. What I can tell you is that you eat real food, manage your intake with points. Protein is the added plus as protein fills you up! It is one awesome program. Yes, Oprah is on the board but she has nothing to do with the new program. I would not waste my time or money with all the other stuff. Also WW has on their app a section called connect. You scroll and read stories after story of people and their journey. How they deal with “food” issues. It is a support system to read anytime you need or to also share your ideas. This is the best thing besides the tweaking of the program that WW has done!
The smart point weight watcher program is nutritionally sound. I found this to be a lifestyle change versus a “diet”. I’m slowly taking off my weight and feel great. You can do this!
HI! I joined weight watchers two weeks ago today. I’ve lost 7.8 lbs. I’m 61 so I know this is going to be tough. I own about 7 weight watchers cookbooks and if you follow their plan, TRACK, and record points, you will definitely lose weight. It will probably take me a year to lose my weight. It can be a slow process and you have peaks and valleys. I’m going to hang in for the long haul!
I wish your family a lot of luck, and you CAN do it!
I have to recommend Eat to Live. I started it on April 1 st and have lost 50 pounds so far. I’m off my blood pressure medication, off my arthritis pain medication and have cut my psoriatic arthritis meds in half so far. This plan teaches you to eat for health, not just cutting calories to lose weight. Diets I’ve tried in the past never really focused on eating healthy. I turned 59 this year and haven’t felt this good in years. I’m doing a stepping routine in the morning and walking a half hour each night. It’s all about fueling your body with healthy foods and moving your body more. It’s not easy, it takes a lot of thought and preparation but so worth it to be healthy.
There are so many ways to approach healthy living that it can be overwhelming. I believe in simple, easy to incorporate ways to begin with. Among the first things find out how many steps you are clocking a day, chances are not as many as think. Then set your target 10000 steps equals about 1500 calories burned for a female. If you use a devise such as afit bit, most of them allow you to track calories consummed. This is the start, now you have an idea of consumption vs burn ratio. Next up, want chips… Reach for ten almonds. Think u need a snack, get up and walk for three minutes, u might just be board. If u are still hungry, eat a small snack. Cucumbers and peppers will satisfy u, but won’t pack in sugar and salt. Want pop, grab water and toss in some cucumber and mint. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Want something sweet within reason, read the label … If it has anything beside sugar, raw sugar, cane sugar…. But it back down. Our bodies have a hard time processing glucose syrup, artificial sweeteners and anything else that falls in between. Want chocolate, reach for the dark chocolate instead. Wanta vanilla latte from Starbucks, get a latte with skim milk and a raw sugar. If you still want the vanilla, carry a small bottle and add a dash yourself. Using coffee mate in your coffee, replace it with half and half and vanilla. Lots of recipes on-line for homemade replacements. If you use salted butter, replace it with unsalted, if using a margarine, toss it and use a small amount of unsalted butter. If a recipe calls from salt, skip it, unless you are baking. Replace your salt, with sea salt. Replace pre-packaged meals with homemade meals when possible. Replace pb with natural pb or almond butter. increase your vegetable intake, eat meat free once a week. Small steps lead to bigger steps over time. And result in long term success. You got this…?
This blog on the challenges of healthy living is a candid and relatable exploration of a journey that, at times, can feel like a winding path of obstacles and triumphs. It skillfully navigates the complexities of striving for wellness in a world that often presents hurdles, reminding readers that the pursuit of a healthy lifestyle is a dynamic and ongoing process.