We just had two new shelves built into the kitchen wall; we needed the space. Maria painted the shelves green over the weekend. Since grains and nuts are now an integral part of our lives, we decided to make the shelves a nuts and grains repository.

The grains are on top, the nuts and figs on the bottom.

Maria generally handles the preparation of the vegetables (mainly chopping). I take the cooking of the grains and soup ingredients – barley, couscous, quinoa, several different kinds of oats, including steel cut, dried peas,  lentils.

We usually shop together now to ensure we are on the same track with food. Maria always hates to shop and didn’t for years. But it is fun for us both now. We plan and talk about recipes and what we need for the new way we are eating. We are learning a lot, and both of us love that.

Every morning, I cook a different kind of protein food; we often have oatmeal for breakfast, the rest we store for other meals to use in soups, salads, and stir-fry. Usually, these grains are mixed in stir fries or salads. Sometimes, I just eat them as a snack with nuts like almonds or walnuts.

Grains are essential to me. They are high in fiber, low in calories, and filling. They are also linked to helping control diabetes and heart disease. Researchers have also found that grains reduce inflammation and seem to lower cancer risk.

I’m learning to balance my meals – protein foods, fruit, vegetables, all-natural. I’m also going to the gym three or four times a week. As long as I have music to listen too, I’m happy there.

I am losing weight slowly, steadily, and I feel stronger and clearer.

The weight loss will benefit me in many ways – my heart, my feet, my legs, my diabetes, my sleep. It already has. My last blood test was stellar.

I love cooking oats and grains every morning. The shelves are right in front of me, so I don’t forget that they are there.

Today it was couscous, my first time. I wake up thinking about how I’m going to cook each grain. I used to wake up worrying about money and fuming at perceived slights and failures.

This morning, I mixed chicken broth in with the boiling water and cooked the couscous for 10 minutes on the stovetop. There are several different ways to cook grains; I’m using broths and seasonings and learning what works.

A big surprise is that these healthy foods are also delicious when prepared properly. I’m into spices and flavoring.

The couscous tastes excellent, a nice addition to our containers holding barley and rolled oats.

I don’t diet consciously or take my weight every day. This is a long, gradual haul, and if I rush it, I’ll fall backward. I think in ounces, not pounds.

It has to be natural and slow. I weigh myself once or twice a week, and I don’t count calories. I don’t eat foods that are processed, made with sugar, or stuffed with carbohydrates. It will take a couple of years to get where I want to go, weight-wise.

I see that changing the way I eat is neither quick nor straightforward. It means changing the way I think about food, not just how I eat it or how much I eat.

Cooking grains is an essential part of our diet now (Maria doesn’t need to lose weight, but she supports this program in every way) and my morning routine. I need to think ahead, not just grab what’s in the refrigerator or call for a sandwich or pizza.

When I get up, I check the grain jars and see what we need to buy and what I need to cook. I know all the times and water mixes (with oats, I often add a cup of oat or almond milk for flavor and softness). I check on the food, stirring and sniffing it. I write down what we need to replenish.

For the first time in my life, I look forward to eating food that works for me and doesn’t just keep me alive. The weight loss bolsters my confidence and will. My involvement in shopping and cooking provides ownership.

I always farmed food choices on to others; I want to take responsibility for myself. It turns out it is not too late, after all. I need to take it seriously.

I don’t believe in lecturing people, we all have to make our own choices. What works for me may not work for anybody else. But it seems to be working for me.

I do have a new relationship with food. And I like it. We are friends at last.