The Beginning

DISCLAIMER: This post is not meant to be preachy.  I SWEAR it!!

So, I am a religious woman.  I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, or Mormon, for others out there that don't know what a Latter Day Saint is.  I turn to prayer in my times of need.  This was a time of need, more desperation really. I was at a loss, conflicted, and truly NOT happy with myself which, in turn, was making my family miserable because I was miserable. I have prayed and pondered for a VERY long time for help and guidance in finding a way to become healthier. Recently, something very simple kept coming back to me as I would pray.  It is called, The Word of Wisdom.  It is a dietary guideline that was given by revelation to the prophet Joseph Smith.  You can read more about it here.  It was an answer to my prayers, but I didn't understand it.  I thought I WAS living a life that adhered to the Word of Wisdom.  My sister, too, has struggled with her weight.  SHE called me up one day and was talking to me about this book that she was reading and how it made COMPLETE sense.  It is called "The WOW Diet Words of Wisdom, Dietary Enlightenment from Leading World Religions, and Scientific Study".  The more I talked to her and thought about it, the more I knew that this was a way to understand the answer I was given. ( I HIGHLY recommend this book. I read the book in a day, it is a very short and light read.  I love the author, she is very funny!)  

Anyway, the author of the book studied 7 world religions that have dietary guidelines.  (All of which pretty much are the same.)  The gist of the guidelines are eating more whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds and less meat, sugar, and processed foods.  The thing that I thought would be the hardest for me would be "giving up" sugar.....and meat.  I actually don't miss it AT ALL. I enlisted my husband in this new adventure and we both sat down with the kids and told them that we were going to start eating better, eating the way God had intended. This was IT!!  This was what we needed to be doing, what I NEEDED to be doing.
 
I started about 5 1/2 weeks ago. (You can follow my progress with the link on the right.) It isn't so much a "diet".  I don't feel like I'm on a "diet".  I don't measure, weigh, or count my food or calories which I LOVE!  That was always such a hassle with other "diets" out there. I HATED IT!  Instead, I eat until I am no longer hungry.  Instead of sugar, we use honey. And since we don't eat meat every day, our grocery bill has gone down SIGNIFICANTLY! We were struggling to keep our $300 bi-weekly grocery budget, but now, it isn't so much an issue. We buy whole grains in bulk, such as wheat, barley, oats, and quinoa, and we participate in our local food co-op bi-weekly.  The only thing we run out of is milk, and who doesn't run out of milk with 6 people living in a home. (My mom lives with us.)  ;)  It really has been the answer to my prayers.