I Lost 275 Pounds!

Thank you, everyone! ☺️

It's not a journey I would have chosen to take, but I am still thankful for the experiences and lessons learned... they did work for my ultimate good- despite the messes I had made myself!

"Could you talk a bit about how you got your food prior, preparation, and overall culinary lifestyle and how things are now? Do you shop differently, eat out more, etc..."

EvgeniZyntx, Mennonite style of cooking includes a lot of 'comfort food' style of cooking... that traditional custom of serving 'seven sweets & seven sours' is the rule of thumb! A plethora of homemade breads, muffins, noodles (with brown butter!) baked goods (cakes, Whoopie pies, cookies) and home grown veggies and meat are staples at the table. Serving sumptuous food to your guests is a MUST and is to be expected... with Sunday dinners for 20-30 people a typical experience.

For me, breaking FREE of those traditions that I was also indulging in to drown and bury my feelings and emotions, meant turning down MANY meals away in the beginning of my journey. The few I could not turn down involved me eating a little something BEFORE we went, for I literally would have very little 'healthy' food to choose from besides meat. The veggies served are nearly ALWAYS buried under rich brown butter, sauces or cheese... so picking through a serving bowl hoping to find an area missed could get awkward!

At home, it meant finding alternative ways to fix healthy 'comfort' foods, while retaining some of the beloved favorites
for special occasions and holidays, instead of 'every day' fare.

As I lost the weight and finally got to the ROOT of my emotional dependency on food, and STOPPED feeding my feelings- my strength and courage grew. I was able to freely talk with my husband and our children about the possibility of
changing directions, and leaving the group. We left 3 years ago. ☺️

We honestly could not be happier now... but do look back and see SO many lessons learned, and know our time with the Mennonites was not 'a waste'. We firmly believe ALL things work together for good!

Thank you, kmleaf... just because I didn't lose the 275 pounds with MFP doesn't mean it's not an important part of my ongoing journey to STAY healthy! I use it to have personal accountability and faithfully track my food using it and also my app for FitBit. Maintenance for LIFE is not for the faint of heart (I am learning!) and keeping a constant and consistent watch over my choices will simply be my story from here on out. Still MUCH better than remaining 275 pounds overweight and very likely gaining MORE and simply waiting to die from some disease or injury my poor choices and the morbid obesity caused.

I don't accept FB 'friends' as I found early on too much 'weight loss talk' and posting food photos, etc... seems to grate on the nerves of those not wanting to be reminded of such things. lol! So, that is why I created a separate FB page to have a place I could share about my ongoing journey and share such things as meals I am having at home or at restaurants, recipe ideas, and just inspirational 'stuff' that I hope encourages and inspires others along their way too.

Not sure if I would get 'flagged' or 'warned' for sharing the name of my page... if I knew for sure it's okay, I will share. I have already been 'warned' (but not even sure WHY!!) a couple times since deciding to share about my journey here in the MFP community! lol!! You never know who's toes you might be stepping on, no matter WHAT you say or share... and keeping 'how' I lost the weight some kind of secret to those asking, or 'why' I am dressed as a Mennonite BEFORE but not NOW seems impossible to do. It's the whole package with me... unusual story? Yes. But it's mine, and I won't apologize about it.