I’m posting this Transformation Day 2012 update on a Tuesday instead of the usual Monday because today is my 3-month mark! I’m three months in and I’ve made good progress.
First, I’ll share my weight stats. Today, I weighed in at 257.8. This means that in the last week, I’ve lost .6 pounds, but more impressive in my mind is the fact that I’m down 21 pounds in 3 months. There are a lot of folks who switch to a low-carb or Paleo-type eating plan that experience much quicker weight loss. I realize that. I’m honest with myself though, and I realize that after all the years of losing and regaining weight, my metabolism is damaged. I also know I have endocrine issues that are fighting against my progress. This means that the weight isn’t going to melt off my body. It DOES mean that these changes will likely stay in my life long-term. Good stuff!
As always, I’m continuing to make progress with other aspects of preparedness. I used my best friend’s Excalibur last week to put back a lot of apples as well as some tomatoes that have, shockingly enough, made it this far in my friend’s garden. We’ve had a couple hard frosts here in Indiana so far, but there were still peppers and tomatoes for harvest. Yay!
Since I was trying to get over being sick last week, I didn’t manage to get apple butter put back for the season. I plan on doing some no-sugar-added apple butter this week, and I’ll post how that works out. I canned all kinds of jelly last year when we harvested cherries and plums from our trees, but we didn’t get a single bit of fruit this year, so we’re still trying to put something back for the kids and gifting for the winter.
And what’s more exciting to me is the fact that we’re drying black walnuts in their husks so we can harvest the meat in a few weeks. We didn’t even know we had the trees by our creek until a few weeks ago, but now we know, and we couldn’t be more thrilled.
Food self-reliance is a huge issue for my family because what we eat is such a huge part of our health. With illness, obesity, allergies, inflammation, and other issues playing such a big part in my family’s life, we can’t afford to find ourselves in a situation where we rely on foods that make us sick to fill our bellies. Putting food back when there’s surplus, buying extra items at the store, planning a garden, and working out trade arrangements with friends and neighbors all play a role in making it work. I urge everyone to keep this in mind because I’m betting that almost all of you eat at least twice a day. Healthy food and clean water are a HUGE, and they’re something that we shouldn’t be taking for granted.
I hope the rest of you are making progress toward your goals as you claim your liberty. Think now. Act now. Make progress every day. Even if you’re taking baby steps, you’re still making progress. Stay positive! You deserve it! Your family deserves it!