Diet & Wisdom Appetizers

My husband and I have been working on a “debt snowball” for some time trying to reduce our debt and live without the stranglehold of financial bondage. Some days it’s so overwhelming to look and see how far we still have to go. But on the other hand, it’s rewarding to look and see how far we’ve come and the progress we’ve made with regards to reducing our debt.

That started me thinking about how nice it would be if we could somehow do a “weight loss snowball.” And no before your mind wanders, I don’t mean those chocolate cupcakes covered in that weird pink foamy sugary coconut coating. Don’t let your mind think about those!

While we can’t apply weight loss to the same “snowball” principle, we can make it easier on ourselves if we don’t focus on the overall number of pounds we wish to lose.

Suppose for example, you weigh 200 pounds to start (no I’m not referring to myself or anyone in particular, it’s just a nice round number). If your desired goal weight is somewhere in the neighborhood of 130 pounds (hmm, I’d like to live in that neighborhood), if you start dwelling on the 70 pounds you need to lose, the urge to give up along the way may be overwhelming. It seems unattainable.

Seventy pounds is a significant amount of weight to lose. Rather than focusing on the 70, think rather on 10 pounds. Concentrate on getting just below that 190 mark. Then once you’ve crossed over into the 180s, don’t think about the 60 you want to lose – think only about the next 10 pounds.

The same way the debt snowball helps you to knock out your little bills first, concentrating on smaller weight loss goals helps you to stay focused and not become overwhelmed by the much larger goal. Once you’ve lost 30 or 40 pounds, you will find yourself pushing yourself harder to achieve your goal weight. Perhaps you’ll increase your walking distance or even feel strong enough to run. Or maybe you’ll find yourself cutting out some little treat you’ve been enjoying just so you can keep your calories down.

As previously mentioned in an earlier blog post, a weight loss journey is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. If you jump out ahead and set unrealistic goals without looking at the finish line, you’ll wear yourself out and quit long before you reach the finish line. It is possible to achieve lifelong success if you pace yourself and focus on one step – one pound at a time.

All the so-called “secrets of success” will not work unless you do. ~ Author Unknown

“7 Fear of the LORD is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline.” Proverbs 1:7 (NLT)

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, help me not to focus on how far I have to go to lose weight, but focus on the progress I’ve made so far. My clothes are getting looser and that equals success to me. Give me the tenacity to go the distance and see this journey through to the end. I pray for success regardless of how long it may take me. I ask these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Pat Benatar wrote, Love is a Battlefield (most of us know how tough relationships can be); Joyce Meyer wrote the best-selling book, The Battlefield of the Mind. Many of us are battling depression, battling the bulge and battling addictions. And let’s not forget the battle of the sexes. Goodness – am I the only one exhausted? Life can be war sometimes!

I think out of all these battles, the most difficult to fight, conquer and win is the Battlefield of the Mind. (Excellent book, BTW!) The hardest part of eating right and getting healthy this year has been the constant mental fencing and pairing my mind is engaged in on a daily basis.

I’ve finally figured out (duh!) I can’t afford to let my guard down for even an instant when it comes to my food addiction. I overcame my cookie/cupcake baking challenge yesterday, but felt a heaviness, not quite depression, but more one of despair all day yesterday. How can I be so upbeat and positive one day and the next, quite the opposite? There is definitely a battle raging in my mind.

Heaviness of spirit, depression, despair, these are all strategies used by the enemy to trip us up and get us confused in our minds and spirits so we’ll doubt God even cares about us - prompting us to ask “Are you there God?” Well of course He’s there. He’s not gone anywhere. We’ve just dropped our guard and let the enemy capture our thoughts.

Holy Scripture says it better than I ever could in the book of Ephesians 6: 10-12 (NLT): 10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. 12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.

Apparently if we hope to be victorious resisting the devil, a certain amount of accessorizing is necessary. Dressing for success doesn’t just mean designer clothes and fashionable jewelry – but a real power suit means donning some necessary battle gear. The Word of God tells us we need to be outfitted from head to toe: shoes of peace, breastplate of righteousness, a shield of faith, the sword of the spirit (the Word of God) and the helmet of salvation.

Once we’re fully outfitted, we need to be certain that we’ve got a warrior’s mentality which means we can’t afford to be weak and slack and let those negative thoughts or attitudes control us. We must constantly be renewing our mind, thinking positive thoughts and even on rainy, gloomy days, we can’t focus on the way the climate makes us feel, but stand on the truth of God’s word and be prepared to fight!

Feed your faith and your fears will starve to death. ~ Author Unknown

“3For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. 4The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Corinthians 10:3-5 (NIV)

PRAYER FOR TODAY: I pray for a sound mind that helps me to take all negative thoughts captive. Help me to don my armor and stand strong fighting this battle and help me never to let my guard down. I ask all these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Just when I thought I’d uncovered all my hidden triggers for food addictions, I woke to discover a brand new one – one I’d never considered before. Who knew that weather could trigger powerful eating urges? Lo and behold, it seems as though rainy days have a power all their own.

We’re experiencing colder than normal temperatures in the desert southwest this year, coupled with an above-average rainfall. In my mind, a cold, rainy day translates to BAKING! I awoke to rain and I can’t stop my mind from dwelling on how baking cookies or cupcakes today would make for the perfect relaxing Sunday afternoon.

There’s something about letting the heat of the oven warm the kitchen and family room as we huddle under blankets. Eating cookies warm from the oven, watching movies all day and sneaking in a cat nap or two conjures up images of paradise to me.

I know I could still do all those things, minus the warm cookies and substitute a fresh-popped bag of healthy popcorn, but my flesh wants the cookies! And then I want to bake cupcakes and lick icing off the knife and decorate them with crushed Oreos and drink hot chocolate swimming in marshmallows and whipped cream. And OMG somebody please stop me before I give myself a sugar stroke!

I can’t get these images out of my head. Blame it on the rain! I was fine until it started raining cats and dogs. The radar shows this to be a storm likely to last a couple of hours. Once the rain is gone, it’s still going to be a chilly afternoon – so … how am I going to survive without the cookies and cupcakes?

My plan – and there really must be a plan – first, I’m going to avoid The Food Network channel for my afternoon TV viewing. Because let’s face it, according to the comedian Jim Gaffigan, that’s just porn for food junkies and he’s so right. It’s also important not to watch movies that pertain to food, for example, while the movie Julie and Julia was one of my favorite movies of last year – not a great idea to watch that when I’m in the throes of massive sugar cravings.

Trying to get my brain to focus on something other than food will be a herculean task, but not an insurmountable one. I have many options that aren’t food related, such as DVDs, reading, napping or maybe even a board game with the family when my grandson comes over. Half the battle is fighting the thoughts in my head and if I replace those thoughts of food cravings with positive alternatives, I may have a prayer. Just like PMS doesn’t have to mean chocolate, rainy days don’t have to equal cookies.

Of course a sure fire cure would be to go upstairs and rummage through my closet and maybe pull out all the clothes I’ve outgrown in the last couple of years. Maybe by trying to squeeze into clothes I used to wear comfortably will provide enough incentive to take my mind off cookies and cupcakes, at least for today.

Conquering this rainy day battle is just that, one rainy day and I’m a long way from winning the war on excess weight. But this is a war I must fight one day at a time, one cookie at a time.

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain. ~ Author Unknown

22One day Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. 23As they sailed, he fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger. 24The disciples went and woke him, saying, “Master, Master, we’re going to drown!” He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. 25″Where is your faith?” he asked his disciples. In fear and amazement they asked one another, “Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him.” Luke 8:22-25 (NIV)

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for the rain that is such a blessing in the desert. I ask for strength to not allow the weather to trigger my desire for sugar and help me to overcome these urges to eat the wrong foods today. I thank you for all life’s blessings. In your name I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Amen.

I feel the winds of change blowing in my life – and for once they’re not tornado gusts or hurricane gale force winds. I got an encouraging email this morning for a great upcoming opportunity and “the old me” (pre-New Year’s resolution) would have IMMEDIATELY thought, “Oh crap! How can I lose 20 pounds before this event takes place?”

This “new and improved, positive thinking” girl that I’m morphing into thought, “Oh wow, I’ve got to go shopping and find something nice to wear!” And this is important because I’ve still got 40 pounds to lose and that thought about losing 20 pounds didn’t even enter my mind! EVERYTHING has always revolved around hiding my weight gain – or on those rare occasions, accentuating my weight loss. But not today!

This opportunity is so exciting, that my reaction became more about the actual event rather than focusing on the weight I need to lose. Okay, so maybe I’m “mountainizing” mole hills, but to me, this feels huge.

For most of my life everything has been about my weight. I’ve defined myself – even as far back as early childhood – as a chubby girl, a frumpy housewife or lately – a middle-aged menopausal muffin-top, full-figured woman. For my mind to not instantly focus on the weight but finding an outfit that would make me feel good about myself is indeed a sign that I’m making progress.

Two weeks ago, when I’d shared I’d only lost seven pounds in seven weeks I felt something finally break in me. It was at that admission, I realized that even if I never lose another pound, THIS IS ME, and I need to accept myself and love myself not based solely on what I weigh, but simply for who I am and I’m a good person. Apparently based on my initial reaction to my good news today, without even realizing it, I’m beginning to model my decision.

In the past, it didn’t matter what the event was – a birthday party, a reunion, family barbecue or even (I’m ashamed to admit this) a funeral, my absolute FIRST thought like a condititioned response or Pavlov’s dog was, “Oh crap … how can I lose 10 or 20 pounds before this funeral, etc.”

I see my “old” self as the most self-absorbed woman ever to walk the earth, that even in the event of someone’s unexpected death, I was focusing on me. Because let’s face it, when you attend a funeral you invariably run into people you may not have seen in decades and of course they’re thinking, “OMG, has SHE ever gotten fat!”

Hello! Wake-up call … nobody cares about my weight because people are usually too busy dealing with their own issues! And of course, especially at a funeral I should be thinking how can I encourage and support the bereaved, not “I wonder if this skirt makes my butt look huge.”

Okay, so maybe I AM the most self-absorbed person on the planet and I’m the only one who’s ever thought these horrible thoughts. By admitting them publicly I’m admitting my problem, taking responsibility for my issues and begging God to continue to heal me.

I know change doesn’t happen overnight, but I must confess, it’s exciting when those winds of change begin rustling through my life as I’m quite ready to blow these self-absorbed, addictive behaviors out of the way and get on with what God has in store for my future!

Sorry, this was a long post today – some days I’m a major word junkie – and today I needed to vent!

Blessings to all!

If nothing ever changed, there’d be no butterflies. ~ Author Unknown

“22 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.” Mark 11:22-25 (NLT)

PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord, for small victories! I see your hand at work in my life and I’m so immensely grateful. I pray you will continue to guide me and lead me and change anything in my attitude and heart that are displeasing to you. I ask all these things in your precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.

Two weeks ago I decided to lay my sugar addiction on the altar and give it to God for the 40 days of Lent. Now that I’m smack dab in the middle of my monthly Pretty Mean Sister (PMS) stage, I’m starting to have serious doubts about that decision. What was I thinking?

It turns out there IS NO substitute for sugar, most specifically chocolate when hormones are all over the map and I’m as jumpy as a barefoot tourist on hundred degree day at the beach. I find myself walking back and forth to the pantry constantly throughout my day for something – anything I can eat that will satisfy these urges.

To combat the sugar cravings I’ve doubled my intake of fresh fruit, which can lead to some uncomfortable digestive side-effects, details of which I’ll spare you the ugliness of. Because of the fiber, an apple is infinitely more filling than chocolate but has a long way to go on the emotional satisfaction meter. Now if I could dip that apple in chocolate or caramel – then yeah, it might get the job done. Clearly, I know this is not an option. But I can’t seem to convince my brain to stop thinking about chocolate.

It has been my pattern to push the envelope each month during my hormonal power surges and ignore the rules of sensible eating for 5 – 7 days each month. Since I’ve made this commitment to get healthy this year, pushing the envelope isn’t exactly allowed. Darn! When a woman has been having regular monthly hormonal power surges for as long as I have, it’s hard to manufacture a different mindset. I’ve always used sugar as a coping mechanism during this time of the month.

Once I started my weight loss journey in January, I was able to find healthy alternatives to the chocolate/sweet thing during that time of the month. There are a number of low-calorie sweet treats out there that adequately satisfy your sweet tooth. But during this 40-day period for me – there are no alternatives.

Even as I type this and my body is craving chocolate, I’m hearing that still small voice reminding me of what sacrifice really means. It’s almost as if I can see my Lord stretched out on the cross and him looking down at me saying, “Oh really, you’re uncomfortable and miserable?”

It brings tears to my eyes that I could even for a second compare my discomfort of sugar withdrawals to my Lord’s suffering. Whew – I’m a big selfish mess, aren’t I? Some days it’s hard to wrap my brain around the fact that He could still love me as I am. Luckily I don’t have to analyze it – just accept it. Thank you, Lord!

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves. ~ Edmund Hillary

“153 Look upon my suffering and deliver me, for I have not forgotten your law.” Psalm 119:53 (NIV)

PRAYER FOR TODAY: I know sugar withdrawal is nothing compared to what you suffered, Lord, and I’m sorry for being so focused on myself. The fact remains that my suffering is very real to me and I’m feeling extremely weak and challenged. I’m consumed with fear that I’ll be tempted to stop and buy something to alleviate this very real addiction and I don’t want to. Please give me strength to get through this day. I ask all these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.