Mandi Ehman's Blog
July 15, 2020
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April 23, 2017
Saying goodbye is hard to do {and where you can find me now!}
I’ve been trying to write this post for weeks now, but words keep failing me!
I’m not sure how you summarize a 10-year blogging career in just a few paragraphs, and that’s exactly what I need to do.
If I’m honest, I’ve known since we found out I was pregnant with “surprise!” baby #6 that my blogging days were coming to an end, but it’s taken me more than two years to work up the courage to walk away.
These days I’m juggling tweens and toddlers, homeschooling and a full-time job, and the truth is that blogging just isn’t on the priority list.
That’s the bad news.
The good news is that I still love to share tidbits from my life—tasty recipes, good books, lessons I’m learning, tricks I’ve discovered. So while I’ll be shutting down the blog and most of my newsletters, I will still be sending one weekly-ish newsletter full of those things.
There’s nothing out there quite like blogging, and I’ve grown as a writer, as an entrepreneur, as a wife and mother, and as a woman in ways that never would have happened without the blog and without each of you.
So whether you’ve been around since the beginning of my blogging career or just recently joined us, thank you from the bottom of my heart!
***
A few housekeeping details…
If you’re already subscribed to weekly emails, you’ll start getting those emails soon. If not, you can sign up here.
You’ll also find me on Facebook and Instagram where I share pictures, articles, micro-blog posts and things that make you go, “Aww!”
***
If you’re new to Life Your Way, welcome!
There is so much goodness in the archives—posts I’m really proud of and that I hope will encourage you, and even though I’m no longer blogging, I’ve listed some of my favorites below:
Our awesome collection of FREE printables
What I really want to say about vaccines
Why I tell my girls they’re beautiful. Often.
Have you bought new underwear this year?
Why we don’t talk about miscarriage {and why I AM}
On racism, injustice and having the hard conversations
The real truth about getting married young…or old…or any time
Why, yes, we DO have our hands full!
An open letter to my divorced parents: Thank you.
Why this type-A mom doesn’t plan her homeschool year
P.S. Don’t forget your free guide to the 7 Lies Work-at-Homeschooling Moms Believe…and the Truths That Will Set You Free
The post Saying goodbye is hard to do {and where you can find me now!} appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
On becoming the anti-blogger
March 11, 2017
Weekend reading: March 11, 2017
From Instagram: When your birthday falls on National Pancake Day, you get IHOP for your birthday breakfast. Happy 11th birthday, Dylan Grace! {She got a hedgehog for her birthday, so she doesn’t have presents from us today, but her sisters put together a fun gift for her!}
After weeks of struggling with my energy level during the day, it felt good to get back into our regular routine this week. I prioritized hydration, and it seems like that may have played a big role in my “bounce back.” Unfortunately, despite the new energy, I hit my first reading slump of the year. Having my energy back means I’m going from morning to night—work, chores, homeschool, dinner, bedtime—and I’m so tired at night that I fall asleep before I finish even a single chapter. Hoping to find a healthy balance in the coming weeks!
I’m also counting down to the end of our Essentials year. Although it’s bittersweet, I’ll be stepping down from tutoring and we won’t be returning to Classical Conversations next year. Despite Challenge having always been my “plan” for my kids, it doesn’t feel like the right fit for our oldest, and the commitment of tutoring is taking its toll. We’ll be doing a different drop-off co-op next year, which means I’ll be able to spread work across five full days instead of trying to cram them into four. I’ll miss our CC community (although I’m thankful to call many of them friends even outside of the group), but I’m also really excited about the change!
What I’m reading: French Kids Eat Everything: How Our Family Moved to France, Cured Picky Eating, Banned Snacking, and Discovered 10 Simple Rules for Raising Happy, Healthy Eaters by Karen Le Billon, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, and A Curious Beginning (A Veronica Speedwell Mystery) by Deanna Raybourn
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
On intentional living
Where YES Is Taking Me | Melissa Camara Wilkins
Completing the Cycle | Modern Mrs. Darcy
Why we should all set aside time to worry | Kelly Exeter
On traveling with kids
**In celebration of pre-ordering At Home in the World, the book I’m most anticipating in 2017!
For the equitable love of travel & home | The Art of Simple
11 ways we embrace traveling with kids | The Art of Simple
How to have a strong marriage and support network while traveling with kids | EntreFamily
On spring style & capsule wardrobes
Spring Wardrobe Staples + Outfit Ideas | Putting Me Together
7 Perks of a Minimalist Wardrobe | Be More With Less
Have a great weekend!
The post Weekend reading: March 11, 2017 appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
Weekend reading: May 21, 2016
Weekend reading: November 12, 2016
Weekend reading: January 7, 2017
Weekend reading: March 4, 2017
March 8, 2017
3 rules for making your bullet journal your own
After several months of trial and error, I finally feel as if I’ve made my bullet journal my own.
Am I doing it “right”? Probably not. Is it working for me? Yes!
Today I’m giving you a peek inside my bujo, but before I do that, I want to give you permission to jump in with both feet, try different methods to see which you like best, and “do you” when it comes to your bullet journal.
If you’ve wondered whether you can live up to the beautiful pictures on Pinterest, do it right, or make it work, here’s my best advice:
1. You’ll never know if this system will work for you until you try.
There are two temptations when you’re starting your first bullet journal: a) wait until you have the perfect supplies, or b) live in fear of messing up and ruining it. These two can keep you in a perpetual standstill. You buy the pretty new supplies (because who can resist office supplies?!) but then you never use them because you’re not sure how you want to use your journal and you’re afraid to “waste” it.
I started with an old journal that was just taking up space on a shelf (mostly because I have a tendency to buy new a little too easily and I didn’t want to waste money!). Once I was sure I wanted to continue and had a general idea of how I would use my bullet journal, I asked for a new pretty journal for Christmas.
Whether you’re starting with a cheap journal off your bookshelf or a brand new expensive one, the key is to just dive in and start using it. Your system will evolve with every page you create, and the more you allow yourself to mess up and experiment, the more freedom you’ll feel to continue to experiment—and mess up—as you go.
That freedom is where the real magic happens!
2. It’s not that hard to make your journal “pretty”…but you don’t have to.
Every time I use my journal in public, people comment on how creative and pretty it is. But the real secret? I use a few straight lines to draw an arrow or a banner in the header, add an easy-to-learn handwritten font and—voila!—suddenly it looks fancy. I have fun doing it, but I promise it doesn’t take any raw talent. At all.
Bullet journals were never intended to be over-the-top gorgeous or intricate; they’ve developed into an art form mostly as a function of living in the Pinterest era. I enjoy the creative aspect of it, so I’m not criticizing, but it’s important to realize that the system works without any of those extras. If the creative extras don’t appeal to you, just use it as a paper “brain” and move on.
If you do want a pretty journal, Pinterest is your friend! I love to search for bullet journal ideas and find new banners, headers, fonts and layouts to incorporate in my journal. That said, if you struggle with comparisons, you may want to avoid Pinterest altogether and do your own thing; the goal is to find inspiration, not see if you measure up!
3. Use the pages you want, and ignore the rest.
For some people, the creativity of creating new pages is what they really love, and it can be tempting to feel like you need to make tons of lists or extra layouts to do it “right”, but the beauty of this system is that you can create exactly the pages you want or need. Don’t let yourself get bogged down with “shoulds”!
For example, my Google calendar is still my main calendar and the one I consult daily, so I skip traditional monthly and weekly spreads and even things like future logs. I also don’t keep a ton of collections (besides the books I’ve read) because I just haven’t found any information that is that important for me to have access to.
This year I’ve started using my journal to track my goals for the year, and I added a “level 10 life” wheel to evaluate my progress a couple of weeks ago. In very non-type A fashion (shockingly!), I evaluated my goals during the third week of February and will do it again whenever the desire strikes rather than worrying about doing it on a certain day every month!
How I use my bullet journal
With those rules in place, I want to give you a peek into my journal. These pictures are of actual pages I’ve made and used and I’m sure you can spot a million “mistakes” on each of them. But the thing I love most about the bullet journal is that I get to start fresh every single time I turn the page, so I’m always trying new things and figuring out what works best for me!
Here are the main features of my journal (for now):
1. Every two weeks, I create a brain dump for things I need to get done. That brain dump becomes my master to-do list, and I add to it as I go. Rewriting this brain dump weekly feels redundant, but two weeks is long enough to get a good portion of my list done and need a new “dump” to clear my head and evaluate what’s on my plate for the next two weeks.
2. I usually create a two-week meal plan and grocery list at the same time, although my rhythm is a little bit off at the moment, so I’m currently doing those on opposite weeks. I don’t meal plan with specific days in mind but rather just make a list of meals that we’d like to have at some point during the upcoming two weeks and then a grocery list of what we need to buy for those meals.
3. At the beginning of each new week, I start a to-do list for Monday. I add to it and mark things off as I go, and then the next day I add a new header right underneath the previous list, wherever that falls. If I haven’t gotten much done one day, I might use the same list for two days in a row and then start a new one on the following day. Typically these spreads end up taking up two pages, no matter what the particulars look like that week.
4. I keep an ongoing list of tasks that pop up during the week in the sidebar, almost like bullet points. Some of these will get scheduled on daily to-do lists; others are small enough that I just cross them off when they’re done. This helps me keep track of ideas, requests from other people, and tiny tasks that just don’t justify a regular to-do list item.
5. My favorite part of the bullet journal system are task identifiers, and they’re probably the part of the system I adhere to most faithfully. I use identifiers for special days/memories/events, tasks, and appointments, with various symbols to show when they’re completed, become unnecessary, or need to be carried forward.
6. My only collections so far are related to goals for the year and books. I’ve only ever used color in my level-10 life chart; other than that, I prefer the simplicity of black-and-white.
***
If you’ve been thinking about creating a bullet journal but letting your perfectionism hold you back, I’d encourage you to jump in and get started. Today!
Remember, your system can grow organically as you try new things; you don’t have to do it perfectly from the beginning!
The post 3 rules for making your bullet journal your own appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
Carrot cake baked zoats + 5 more Whole30 tips
March 4, 2017
Weekend reading: March 4, 2017
From Instagram: This baby boy has woken up suddenly and grumpily every morning for his 16 months…until this week. For the past 3 days he’s woken up with talking and giggles and sweet smiles. I have no idea what changed, but I’m soaking it up! 
This week I took off work so that Sean could finish out some projects before we list our house next month. I started out with a big list of my own projects that I wanted to get done but quickly realized that I wasn’t going to get even a fraction of them done. Instead I went from meals to chores to school and back again without much downtime at all in the mix.
And honestly? It made me want to go back to work. Ha! I love my kids so much, and I enjoy homemaking, but as a task-oriented person, I also really like “getting things done”, and I found it a bit frustrating to not have time for that.
It was also a good reminder, though, that even with the “perfect” schedule, there’s only so much time in a day!
What I’m reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling, Getting Naked by Patrick Lencioni, and True Colors by Kristin Hannah
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
Books, books & more books
20 extra-long and totally readable books for your 2017 Reading Challenge | Modern Mrs. Darcy
Three books to read day-by-day | The Art of Simple
Expectations & contentment
7 Expectations to Let Go of Right Now | No Sidebar
3 Concepts That Help Me Be More Content | Andrea Dekker
Practical minimalism
Minimalism for families: The Dos and Don’ts | Be More With Less
Why Kids Need Minimalism | Becoming Minimalist
The Difference Between Decluttering and Minimalism | No Sidebar
Have a great weekend!
The post Weekend reading: March 4, 2017 appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
Weekend reading: July 2, 2016
Weekend reading: July 23, 2016
Weekend reading: September 3, 2016
Weekend reading: October 15, 2016
March 1, 2017
The books that kept me reading in February
I’m almost afraid to say it aloud, but as we kick off the third month 0f 2017, and I’m still reading like crazy. After last year’s struggle to fit in reading time, it feels so good to be reading a ton once again!
The increase in my reading this year stems not just from the change in Lucas as he’s gotten older and more independent (although that’s a huge part of it for sure), but also because I’m using different strategies to make reading a more regular part of my day.
Here are a few of those and the books I’ve been reading in the last 6 weeks or so:
1. Audiobooks
My track record with audiobooks is hit or miss; sometimes I listen to them religiously, and sometimes I shelve them for several months. But so far in 2017, I’ve been listening fairly regularly as part of my evening shower routine as well as in the car with the girls, and I’m enjoying the extra “reading” time when my hands and eyes are otherwise occupied.
I’ve listened to The More of Less by Joshua Becker and Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, and the girls and I finished Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder on our drive to and from the airport a few weeks ago and have started A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd.
2. {Fiction} Series & Collections
There’s something about reading through a series back to back that just keeps me reading. I’ve reread the first five Harry Potter books in the past few months, finishing Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix a couple of weeks ago and starting #6 this week.
I’m also really enjoying the Chief Inspector Armond Gamache series by Louise Penny. #8, The Beautiful Mystery, has been my favorite so far, although I’ll admit the intensity of #9 is starting to wear on me. At this point I’m committed and need to see it through to the end, though!
3. Patrick Lencioni’s Leadership Series
Technically this series could fall under the category above, but they’re unique enough that I’ve broken them out. The CEO of Ultimate Bundles asked me to read Patrick Lencioni’s latest book, Death by Meeting, as I figure out how to juggle meetings with my other responsibilities, and I was immediately hooked by Lencioni’s storytelling.
They’re not exceptionally written stories, and you’d never want to pick one up as an escapist read, but there’s something incredibly compelling about them as leadership fables. So far I’ve read four, including The Ideal Team Player, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and The 3 Big Questions for a Frantic Family, and I have at least one more in my to-read pile! As someone who is leading a team of people but never considered herself a manager (or even aspired to be one), I’m enjoying the unique perspective that Lencioni’s style offers.
4. Read-Alouds
One of my goals for 2017 is to make read-alouds a regular part of our homeschool day (rather than hit and miss) and to complete at least one chapter book a month. So far we’ve finished Pedro’s Journal by Pam Conrad, and we’re in the middle of both The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech (as part of Simple Homeschool’s Heal the World Book Club) and All of a Kind Family by Sydney Taylor.
***
What books are you reading in 2017?
The post The books that kept me reading in February appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
10 books to inspire you to take back your life
The books I’m reading…ever so slowly
How do you feel about memoirs? {Plus 6 memoirs I loved!}
Setting unreasonable reading goals, and my 2017 Reading Challenge picks
February 25, 2017
Weekend reading: February 25, 2017
From Instagram: Ahhh! I’m obsessed! Internet, meet Owen. Owen, meet the internet.
Over the weekend our second daughter asked for a hedgehog for her 11th birthday (well, actually, she asked for a fish…and somehow that turned into a hedgehog). In a typical Ehman move, we spent the evening researching as a family and found a local breeder, and on Wednesday night we picked up the hedgehog formerly known as Neptune and brought him home.
I am absolutely smitten with this guy, and we’re all enjoying him very much. He’s friendly and curious, and while he’s still adjusting to life in our home (and a little bit huffy when we interact with him), he’s getting calmer and more comfortable with us every day. Truthfully, I’m still a little nervous about getting stuck by his quills, but I’ve been able to hold him more and more without gloves, and we discovered yesterday that he loves to run around in the bathtub with a few toys!
What I’m reading: The Three Big Questions for a Frantic Family by Patrick Lencioni, Curious Faith by Logan Wolfram, How the Light Gets In (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #9) by Louise Penny
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
Margins, routines & rituals
How the ’empty shelf principle’ can help you fight overwhelm | Kelly Exeter
The Surprising Power of Daily Rituals | Michael Hyatt
Do You Hate to Rush? 11 Tips for Getting Ready Faster in the Morning. | Gretchen Rubin
Books for readers, young and old
3.5 tricks that are helping me read more this year | The Art of Simple
Books + Growing big kids | Kara Stephenson Anderson
Finding your style
13 questions to ask yourself before buying anything for your wardrobe | Modern Mrs. Darcy
Capsule Wardrobe Hacks: 10 Tiny Temporary Tips | Be More With Less
Five Favorite Things for Fashion | Life as Mom
Have a great weekend!
The post Weekend reading: February 25, 2017 appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
Weekend reading: April 9, 2016
Weekend reading: May 14, 2016
Weekend reading: June 11, 2016
Weekend reading: July 2, 2016
February 21, 2017
Carrot cake baked zoats + 5 more Whole30 tips
It’s been 3 weeks since I finished my {almost} Whole30, and I’ve done surprisingly well at maintaining the habits that I built during that challenge. I’m especially proud of myself for spending a week in Florida with my parents and sister and staying within a normal fluctuation of 2-3 pounds, especially since food is our family’s love language!
At some point I’d like to get serious about it again to try to lose this remaining 5-7 pounds (which may not even be possible after 6 kids…who knows?!), but for now I’m just focusing on making good choices and maintaining my current weight.
As I’ve been thinking about the changes I’ve made and why this time feels different than all the others, I’ve come up with a list of 5 tips that have helped me maintain the changes I made this time around (plus I’m sharing my carrot cake baked zoats recipe at the end of this post!):
1. Hydration is key.
We’ve all heard that thirst is often mistaken as hunger, but drinking enough also helps you feel satisfied between meals.
I start out each day with a bottle of water, a hot tea (which probably doesn’t actually help with hydration, but I gotta get my caffeine somewhere!), and a bottle of kombucha. Midday I’ll drink a quart of green tea (made with just 1 tea bag) and another bottle of water. I haven’t been as disciplined about this lately, but I was drinking a mug of chicken broth each afternoon for awhile, and I’d like to get back to that. And then in the evening I’ll have another bottle of water.
That’s a lot of liquid! But on the days that I skip out on drinks, I inevitably want to eat my arm off, and I end up making poor choices because I’m so hungry.
2. Eat enough fat.
One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned from the Whole30 is the importance of fat. And I’m not just talking about from a nutritional standpoint. Fat is also incredibly important for helping you feel full and remain that way in between meals.
When I started my Whole 30, I would make a big ol’ plate of food plus a side of fruit and nuts. Now that I’m almost 2 months in, I’m just not that hungry, so I tend to skip the fruit on the side. Unfortunately, that means I’m not getting the fat either, and on those days I end up hungry a couple of hours later. With that in mind, I’ve been trying to be more conscious about adding an oil-based dressing to my salad or grabbing a handful of nuts.
It turns out that making sure I have healthy fat with each meal is really one of the most important choices I make each day. (Who’da thunk?!)
3. Prep food ahead of time.
Eating real food, especially Paleo or Whole30, can be time intensive because of all the veggies to prep. Life is busy, and as much as I like to eat a pan full of roasted veggies, I can’t always carve out 20 minutes to prep them before lunch. Chopping veggies at the start of the week, or even just the night before, makes it so easy to just dump them in a pan with some olive oil and salt so that I can have a healthy, delicious midday meal.
Similarly, I like to make baked oatmeal with enough for leftovers or bake a big batch of egg cups ahead of time.
4. Make a list of standby meals.
On the other hand, sometimes there just isn’t anything prepped when meal time arrives, or we’re rushing out the door to get somewhere with no time for cooking. After getting caught without food on one too many occasions, I started a mental list of grab-and-go meals. This includes things like sliced pear with turkey lunch meat, hardboiled eggs with fruit, or an almond butter & banana smoothie.
5. Brush your teeth after dinner.
Finally, my routine right now includes an evening shower after dinner each night, and I find that brushing my teeth after my shower helps me avoid snacking in the hours between dinner and bedtime. Sometimes the little things really do make the biggest difference!
Carrot Cake Baked Zoats
Baked oatmeal has been our favorite breakfast for the past year, but this recipe is my favorite favorite, and it’s even better cold on the second and third mornings. My girls top theirs with a little maple syrup, but I don’t mind it without any sweetener.
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cup light olive oil
1/2 tbsp vanilla
3-3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 tbsp baking powder
5 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp salt
1 large zucchini
4 large carrots
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup pecans
Directions:
Whisk together eggs, olive oil and vanilla in a 9″x9″ pan.
Add oats on top and spread evenly (but not mixed in). Sprinkle baking powder, spice and salt on top.
Mix everything together
Shred zucchini and carrots (I use my spiralizer), add pecans and raisins, and gently fold everything together.
Cover and refrigerate overnight. In the morning, uncover and bake at 350 degrees F for 40 minutes.
(Lynn at Lynn’s Kitchen Adventures recently shared her method of freezing baked oatmeal, and I’m pretty sure I need to do this!)
The post Carrot cake baked zoats + 5 more Whole30 tips appeared first on Life Your Way.
No related posts.
February 4, 2017
Weekend reading: February 4, 2017
From Instagram: Team meeting with our sidekicks. {So thankful to be part of a company that values family and makes this possible!}
This week we started potty training Jack. I would love to be one of those moms who potty trains at 18 months or, even better, does elimination communication from the start, but I recognize my own limits and tendency to get frustrated, and I’ve found that waiting until they’re 3 makes it a lot easier for everyone!
He’s currently motivated by M&Ms and Paw Patrol underwear (which may just be the cutest things EVER!), and I’m doing my best to call them underwear after 12 years of referring to them as panties for the girls!
What I’m reading: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling, Move Your DNA by Katy Bowman, Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis, The Ideal Team Player by Patrick M. Lencioni
What I’m thinking about:
{Follow my personal Facebook feed for the things I’m thinking about and talking about all week!}
Raising adults
9 Important Skills We Owe It to Our Kids to Teach | Wellness Mama
Here’s Why We Do Hard Things With Our Kids | Jess Connell
How to raise kinder, less entitled kids (according to science) | Washington Post
“Reading” with audiobooks
3 ways to listen to Audible audiobooks without a membership | Modern Mrs. Darcy
17 great audiobooks for kids | Modern Mrs. Darcy
Audiobooks Don’t Work for Me: A Confession | Book Riot
Taking care of you
5 tips for an introvert homeschool mom | Simply Convivial
A Self Care Rhythm: a treat for each day of the week | K. Elizabeth Fleck
Beat anxiety like a ninja | Clean
Have a great weekend!
The post Weekend reading: February 4, 2017 appeared first on Life Your Way.
Related posts:
Weekend reading: February 13, 2016
Weekend reading: August 6, 2016
Weekend reading: November 26, 2016
Weekend reading: January 14, 2017
February 2, 2017
On completing an almost-Whole30 and creating sustainable habits
One of the goals I set for 2017 was to complete another Whole30, and I decided to jump in with both feet on January 1st (as did, it seems, half of the people I know!).
This time, I decided not to make a big deal or talk a lot about it on social media because I often find myself demotivated once I’ve shared something like that publicly and also because one of my main goals for the Whole30 itself was to find a healthy balance moving forward that extends past the 30-day challenge itself.
Although I’ve completed a full Whole30 in the past—and learned a lot about the additives in various foods and how different foods affect my body—my goal this time was to get control of my cravings, break my bad habits, and create a sustainable eating plan for the future.
With those goals in minds, I adjusted the Whole30 rules for myself in several ways…
1. I did not stress over additives. I’d like to say that I’m willing to get all of my bacon straight from the butcher without any sugar all the time, but I’m not (especially when the Never Any! brand of bacon is $4.49/lb at Aldi!). But beyond that, I want to be able to use things like lunch meat and store bought ketchup, mayo, and almond butter without hunting down special, more expensive versions. So I chose the best options available to me without worrying about the ingredients that broke the rules.
2. I didn’t give up my Starbucks lattes. Look, I know they’re expensive and some people consider them a waste, but lattes are one of life’s simplest pleasures for me, and I look forward to getting one a couple times a week when we’re “in town”. Giving up lattes is not a sustainable choice for me (because I don’t think it’s necessary for my long-term goals), and so I decided to allow myself that small treat a couple times a week.
3. I said yes to a little chocolate every day. Similarly, I don’t think that all sweets are awful, and finding a sustainable balance meant being able to say yes to a few squares of chocolate without scarfing down the whole bar. I’ve done surprisingly well at this given the large basket of chocolate in my wardrobe, sticking to just a small amount of mostly dark chocolate each day (usually around 10:30-11, almost like clockwork!).
4. I kept rice and oatmeal in moderation. In general, I’m not tempted to gorge on these foods, but they are staples of our diet, so I kept them, allowing myself unsweetened oats a couple times a week and rice once a week or so with dinner.
5. I weighed myself every day. I understand why you’re not supposed to weigh yourself every day on the Whole30—it is not a diet aimed solely at weight loss, and focusing too much on weight can undermine some of the other goals. But for me, knowing how my decisions affect my weight—and using that as a check-and-balance for my food decisions—is part of my goal, so I weighed myself every morning. At this point I’ve lost 12 pounds even with my “cheats”, and while I could possibly lose another 5-6 pounds, my goal at this point is maintenance rather than weight loss.
Considering we had the stomach flu in the midst of my 30 days (and I did allow myself toast with a little all-fruit jam on the days I was sick!), I’m proud of myself for sticking with the whole thing. I wasn’t convinced I’d be able to do it if I started making exceptions, but I really feel like I’ve found a health balance when it comes to food.
I’ve had food issues for my entire adulthood, and self-control and moderation have not been my strengths. But I read Full: Food, Jesus, and the Battle for Satisfaction by Asheritah Ciuciu in the first part of the month, and while I don’t agree with everything she said (she’s not a fan of the Whole30, for example), it did help me adjust my view of food and hunger through a lens of faith rather than cravings. I think it’s made a huge difference to my success this time. I wouldn’t turn down a piece of cheesecake (or a pan of my grandma’s rice pudding!), but I don’t feel like I’ll gorge on them when given the chance either.
And, honestly, I feel so good eating this way that I can’t imagine going back to my old habits, even now that my 30 days are up.
***
Whenever I talk about the Whole30, I get questions about how I fit it in a busy schedule with a large family. Here are my top 3 tips for making this work:
1. Choose simple breakfasts & lunches. I enjoyed experimenting with new foods for the first week or so of my challenge, but as it became less exciting and we eased back into our regular {busy} routine, I needed simple foods instead! That means scrambled eggs and sautéed veggies, egg cups baked in larger batches and reheated each morning, baked oatmeal with enough for leftovers, etc. When I’m in a pinch, I slice a pear, wrap sliced turkey around each piece, and add a handful of nuts on the side.
2. Don’t try to limit the amount you eat. The beauty of the Whole30 is you can eat as much as you want. I realized one night when my oldest made shepherds pie and I felt like I needed to limit how much I ate that not limiting is a huge part of what I love about this plan. I had lost touch with what hunger and fullness really felt like, allowing my tastebuds to dictate how much I ate instead, but now I eat until I’m full and then I stop. No worrying about calories, fat, etc. Easy!
3. Make Whole30-compliant dinners. Although my family didn’t participate in my Whole30, I did serve Whole30-compliant meals wherever it made sense. Paleo pumpkin pancakes with sausage patties have become one of our favorite breakfasts, and I always make dinners Whole30-compliant, even if they get something “extra” (pasta, bread, etc.) that I don’t. I can’t imagine making a Whole30 work with kids any other way, and they’ve tried all kinds of new foods in the process.
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Have you done a Whole30?
The post On completing an almost-Whole30 and creating sustainable habits appeared first on Life Your Way.
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