Pssst: I’m SO sorry that the Winter Dinner Menus PDF link was not in the footer of the email update announcing the new ebook! I had put it in, but apparently I didn’t give it enough time to process (arrrgggg…) and I saw that it came through with the old Autumn ebook link. My appologies! It should be in the footer of the next update (which would be this one).
Hey there, friends! Did you know that you can connect the seasonal dinner plan ebooks and the real food weight loss tips, tricks, and how-to’s I shared last spring to spur your own lifestyle change – whether it’s to lose weight or eat more healthfully?
Ha! I didn’t either until I received the following email from one of my awesome readers (which I’ve been meaning to share with you for awhile, and now that the Winter Dinner Menus ebook is done, I have an extra minute!). Denise wrote to me before the holidays and said:
I just wanted to write a quick e-mail thanking you for your Autumn E-book. I have been following it along with your {real food} weight loss plan and have found the food delicious and inexpensive.
Apart from making most of our meals from scratch (bread, salad dressing, etc.) which has gotten rave reviews by my husband (he brags about it to family and friends), I have also lost about 5 pounds so far and have been keeping the weekly shopping to around $50 a week by mostly utilizing {a local store’s} bulk foods section.
I’m traditionally a lurker when it comes to most blogs, but your excellent (and free!) resource I believe deserves some credit!
Isn’t that cool? I totally loved that it took a reader putting two and two together and then letting me in on it. Of course that’s what I do and how I really eat, it just – duh – never occurred to me to link them together for you guys. So now, thanks to Denise, I am!
As a reminder, here are the topics I touched on when I shared how I lost more weight than ever before – eating whole, real foods – more than a year ago (and I’m happy to report it is staying off and I’m still eating the same way – which you can see through the menus I’ve shared here on the blog and in the menu ebooks):
- A Weighty Issue – Intro and my history with weight and body image
- How I Lost Weight Eating Real Food {More Than Ever!} - General how-tos
- Tips, Tricks, and Techniques For Weight Loss - It’s all in the details.
- More Tips, Tricks, and Techniques For Weight Loss - Details part 2
- Portion Control: Real Life, Real Food – Pictures of a few days worth of meals
- Is Exercise Necessary For Weight Loss? - The short and long answer
- A Simple, Easy Workout {And a Free Printable} - Exactly what I do in my home
Once you have these tips – cutting portions, eating real food, making it simple but from scratch – then use the menus and shopping lists in the ebook to give you ideas of what a whole food, from scratch lifestyle looks like. And that it’s doable! And totally NOT a diet, but the way God made us – to eat good food when we’re hungry, stop when we’re full, and then forget about it and go on with all the other, more important, things in our lives.
Denise also discovered that when you plan your meals and make some things from scratch you can save money, too. It’s like a win-win-win situation: eating good food-losing weight-saving money!
And if you are finding success and inspiration from something I wrote about, I’d LOVE to know. Seriously, it’s the reason I do this. Comment or email and if you have any questions I’ll try to answer those as well.
Here’s to a wonderful and healthy new year-
I believe a cottage can be anywhere or anything (condo, ranch, farmhouse) as long as you have a "cottage mentality" which puts people above things, celebrates imperfections, embraces simplicity, and finds joy in everyday life. Thanks for joining me!
Thank you so much for this series of posts about weight loss. I’ve been uncomfortable in my clothes for several years, but have never been able to make myself take the steps to lose weight (even though my doctor keep telling me to lose 15 pounds or so). Your tips and “cut portions in half” are so simple – it’s just the advice I need at this minute. I’m going to try this. One day at a time. Thank you for sharing your story.
Yeah, Lisa! I’m cheering you on…
Hey Jami nice article. Worth reading.
Thank you for sharing such a informative and useful post with us.
This is a great article! Cutting portions and eating real whole food are both great tips! I think the hardest part, for most people, is just getting started – you know, knowing what direction they should be heading in. Once you get started, in the right direction, losing weight is really not that difficult!
I have been looking for a good ranch dressing from scratch. Yours is awesome! I have been moving to a real food diet and your recipes are wonderful.
Thanks so much, Debbie!