Integrity

in·teg·ri·ty (noun) \in-ˈte-grə-tē\ : firm adherence to a code

I was in a staff meeting at work not too long ago, when one of my bosses made a comment about integrity in respect to doing what you say you are going to do on the job. Immediately, I was convicted about my personal life. I realized that although I don't usually have an issue completing the tasks I tell others that I am going to do, I regularly don't do what I tell myself I am going to do. And it hit me, that is a lack of integrity. It is a lack of integrity every time I start the day saying I am going to eat healthy and then shovel in 3 peanut butter cookies by lunch. I was essentially repeatedly lying to myself. 

Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord, but those who act faithfully are his delight. (Proverbs 12:22) 

My struggle to adhere to the eating / exercise regiment that I placed for myself were causing me to lose my integrity and become an abomination before the Lord. And I don't mean to speak in extremes, as I understand the Lord's grace, but He was highlighting this weakness in my life. Day after day, I was not doing what I said I was going to do.

And so, I set out to think of some ways to help me be a woman of integrity and bring delight to the Lord in this area of personal discipline. And, I am finding success. While I am only 4 days in, I am very pleased with the outcome. Not only have I stuck to my guns, but I have lost 5.4lbs in 4 days! Don't worry, I'll share my secret. This has two parts.

The first: I am limiting my food to what would be allowed on a typical Daniel fast (veggies, fruits, grains from seeds), and also allowing lean meats. I must admit, I do allow light salad dressings as well, as well as a few other low calorie sauces to add flavor.

The second: While this may sound extreme and ridiculous, it is working for me. I am using one day per week to plan and prepare my meals. This past Sunday I went shopping and then sat down to figure out what I wanted to make (probably a little backwards, but I already had a somewhat idea). Then I sat down with my Perfect Diet Tracker app on my Mac to figure out the caloric intake of everything. And so I made myself a daily meal plan that is about 1250 calories. My goal is to stay in the 1200-1500 range, as that is healthy for me. I decided to go with simplicity and made myself the same meal for each day. So I portioned everything out and put them into Ziploc bags, one for each day of the week. To help me keep on track, I already have all my food prepared for each day, and I know exactly what I am allowed to eat. I am only allowed to eat what is in the baggie (with a few exceptions below). I even prepared for snacking and included that in my plan. And then if one day I am extra hungry, I allow fruits and veggies to be my "cheat food". Meaning, I can eat extra grapes or a banana, and I will still be under 1500 calories and still eating food that is on my list. I have also allowed myself to substitute a salad for one of my main meals

It has been working GREAT! I feel that I have plenty of food throughout the day, it tastes good, and I am losing weight. What could be better?

If you're interested, here is what I have been eating:

16oz of Bolthouse Farms Strawberry Banana Smoothie - 240 calories

1 banana - 112 calories

36 almonds - 255 calories

1 cup rice and beans meal (brown rice, black beans, chili beans, diced tomatoes) - 241 calories

1/2 cup pistachios - 170 calories

1 cup rice and chicken meal (chicken breast, veggies, brown rice, and I like to add Chipotle peppers for flavoring) - 144 calories

1 cup homemade sugar free applesauce (this is absolutely amazing, and all natural, just apples, lemon juice, water and cinnamon) - 90 calories