Start Here

New here?

Welcome to Organize Yourself Skinny! I am thrilled that you stopped by and look forward to having you become a part of our community. Read below to learn about my personal story and what you will find on this site.

Been here before?

Grab a cup of coffee and jump to the latest post or take a browse through the recipes.

What makes Organize Yourself Skinny incredibly awesome is the community of amazing women it has attracted. When I first started this site I knew I would meet some interesting people but not in my wildest dreams did I imagine the pure awesomeness of the women that have come to make up the Organize Yourself Skinny community.

Want to get more involved in the Organize Yourself Skinny community?

• Join the Organize Yourself Skinny facebook community. You will always find a very encouraging group of friends sharing their recipes, tips, and support.
• You can also join me over on Twitter and Pinterest.

I know you are all busy people so if you don’t have time to keep up with the happenings going on in the world of social media then subscribe to Organize Yourself Skinny by email and have all posts sent directly to your inbox every day. In my opinion, this is one of my favorite ways to stay connected.

Now onto my weight loss story…

In October 2010 I made the commitment to lose the 60lbs that I put on over the last 10+ years. 30lbs down and 30 more to go I finally made friends with healthy eating and weight loss.

Great! Now how did you do that?

Well let me tell you. Instead of focusing on the latest fad diet or following some ridiculously strict menu plan I adopted simple concepts that I knew my family and I could embrace. I organized myself skinny!

These concepts, explained below, allow the flexibility a busy family needs to successfully take on a healthier lifestyle. You are in control and make the rules based on the needs of your family.

1. Increase food and nutrition knowledge. By reading and researching the different ways foods (both good and bad) affect your health you are armed with the knowledge to make informed decisions. This gives us much more control because we then know better what is in our foods.  Since taking the time to educate myself on food I have chosen to take on more of a clean eating lifestyle. You can read more about what I mean by that in my eating guidelines. Also, check out these clean eating and healthy lifestyle resources I compiled over the years.
2. Calorie awareness and portion control. You will be shocked the first day you become aware of the calories you are eating. I know I was. However, I was pleasantly surprised, and you will be too, that with only a few easy adjustments you can get your daily calories and portions under control. Learn how I easily cut 500 calories just in coffee drinks (though this is a constant battle for me). I use the term calorie awareness because I think it is important to be aware of your calories but not so rigid that it becomes a burden.
3. Cook nutritious wholesome meals at home. By learning to cook more at home I actually enjoy more of the foods I love by giving them healthy makeovers. Some of my favorites truly taste better than the take out version because I control the quality and amount of the ingredients used. Some favorite healthy makeover recipes are my Buffalo Chicken Wrap, Cheeseburger Wrap, Homemade Pizza, Homemade Granola, and more. You can see all my recipes here.
4. Menu planning. In the past, when it came to getting meals on the table, I frequently used the “fly by the seat of my pants” menu planning method. Of course this flawed technique almost always resulted in quick processed “dinners” from a box or take-out which ultimately contributed to my unhealthy lifestyle and weight gain. Once I learned and implemented effective menu planning it became much easier to control our diet because I knew what we were eating ahead of time. Menu planning has not only assisted me in losing weight but it has also reduced our monthly grocery budget by a couple hundred dollars. We are eating healthier and spending less money doing so.
   
5. Utilize small kitchen appliances to make preparing healthy foods easier. If you are anything like me then you probably have at least one small kitchen appliance (slow cooker, rice cooker, indoor grill, food processor, etc) sitting in the corner of your kitchen or basement alone waiting to be played with. It wasn’t until I started to consistently utilize these tools that I realized the powerful role they would have in providing my family with healthy meals. As a busy mom I cannot imagine going a week without using one these gems.
6. Freezer cooking and other make ahead cooking techniques. These techniques tie the rest of the concepts together and create the backbone for my healthy living and weight loss strategy. Using these techniques I am able fit nutritious wholesome food into my very busy life. With a little planning, time, and effort I am able to have all of my families meals ready and prepared when we need them. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are always waiting for us!
7. Starting a blog. I just recently added this to the list because honestly if it was not for writing here at Organize Yourself Skinny every week I am confident I would have gain all my weight back. Writing here keeps me accountable and up to date on clean eating, exercise, and living a healthy lifestyle. Because of the positive experience I continue to have with blogging I encourage all of you to give it a try. Not sure where to start? Don’t worry I put together a “How to Start a Blog” page. Check it out.

You can read some more about my personal weight loss journey along with seeing before (yikes!) and after pictures here.

This does not seem like your “typical” diet plan, does it? Well that’s because it’s not. These are genuine concepts that anyone can take on and adapt to suit their own family’s lifestyle, needs, and tastes.

Thank you for stopping by and again I look forward to having you a part of the Organize Yourself Skinny community!