In observance of my Sabbath day of rest, I ordinarily refrain from any type of organized exercise regime at least one day a week. I slack off on my calorie counting and diet restrictions in exchange for spending a restful day with family, which might include Taco Bell or a big Sunday dinner with the whole family. My Sabbath is a day set aside for church, family and fellowship. Guilt is strictly forbidden.
I’m the type of person who needs to rest and reflect on my past week before I begin a new one. God did not hardwire me for being on the go 24/7. I’ve been blessed with the gift of relaxation for which I’m profoundly grateful. My husband, on the other hand is completely opposite so weekends tend to be a bit of a power struggle.
This weekend we agreed to a Sabbath compromise that fulfilled his need to be busy and my need to relax and reflect. Taking advantage of our 70° + temperatures we went for a long nature walk both Saturday and Sunday. Over the course of the two days, I logged slightly more than 11 miles on my pedometer. Not exactly a day off with the exercise thing, but no regrets – it was fun.
I’m more of a meanderer and the hubs is a bit of a power walker. Somehow we managed to get in a good bit of exercise, enjoyed a myriad of wildlife and even stopped to smell the barbecue. Without paying attention, we walked to a nearby park, led there as if by some invisible pulley towards the smell of wafting meat over a charcoal fire. If I would have been walking strictly for exercise, the barbecue would’ve barely registered a blip on my radar. Being as this was a relaxing walk, we slowed and let our noses feast on the tantalizing aromas of sizzling steaks.
Sometimes you have to ditch the schedules, the cardio burn and the heart rate monitoring to stop and enjoy life’s journey, or before you know it, you’re number’s up. Take the time to truly appreciate all that God has blessed you with.
Don’t let life pass you by because of your busy agenda. Stop and smell the barbecue! God himself appreciated the smell of grilled meat. The Old Testament is filled with scriptures referencing what a pleasing aroma the sacrifices were to God. HEL-LO … that sounds like barbecue to me! Follow God’s example and be blessed by the aroma of life.
Weekends don’t count unless you spend them doing something completely pointless. ~ Bill Watterson
18 Along with the bread, present seven one-year-old male lambs with no defects, one young bull, and two rams as burnt offerings to the LORD. These burnt offerings, together with the grain offerings and liquid offerings, will be a special gift, a pleasing aroma to the LORD.” Leviticus 23:18 (New Living Translation)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for weekends. Refresh my body, soul and spirit and prepare me for the week ahead. May I give my all this week to everything I put my hand to. As we begin a new month, help me to exercise and eat right and have a positive attitude and be recommitted to my resolution to get healthy. May I resist temptation and use wisdom and balance in both my eating and exercise this week. I ask all these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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In the early stages of any weight loss program, it’s tempting to want to weigh yourself on a daily basis. I used to suffer from a serious addiction to the scale – or PAMMI (Personality Altering, Mood Monitoring Instrument). PAMMI controlled my life depending on what the numbers registered. There was a time I’d weigh myself four or five times EACH DAY. Depending on the numbers, my mood and temperament adjusted accordingly based on a weight loss or gain. Thankfully, those days are long behind me.
Unfortunately I have a tendency to be out of balance in the opposite direction now. I went from obsessive PAMMI checks, to weighing once a week; once a month, once a quarter, to eventually only once or twice a year. The reason for the radical about face with my scale addiction was excessive weight gain during my courtship with menopause.
Now that I’m one month into my New Year’s resolution, I’ve committed to weighing at least once a month. Even that is extremely challenging for me because with such an out of synch metabolism, regardless of my activity level and my food restrictions, losing weight is nigh too impossible for me.
After 30 days of moderate exercise and changing up my eating habits, my weight is down a mere two pounds. In light of this insignificant weight loss, the urge to host yet another pity party was fleeting and I know would prove futile.
Trying to be a “glass half-full” girl, it’s important to remind myself that while two pounds may seem like nothing, when added up over the course of the next year, two pounds per mouth would afford me a 24 pound weight loss, which is not nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Obviously I was hoping for a greater weight loss, but my accountability partner graciously reminded me that the overall goal of this resolution shouldn’t be about just losing weight. Getting healthy and gaining freedom over food addictions should be first and foremost. I’m sick and tired of being in bondage to food and if I’m truly honest with myself my ultimate goal is to live free and not let my fleshly desires control me.
I’m a long way from where I want to be but thank goodness – I’m not where I used to be!
When the world says, “Give up,” Hope whispers, “Try it one more time.” ~Author Unknown
31-33Jesus answered them, “Do you finally believe? In fact, you’re about to make a run for it—saving your own skins and abandoning me. But I’m not abandoned. The Father is with me. I’ve told you all this so that trusting me, you will be unshakable and assured, deeply at peace. In this godless world you will continue to experience difficulties. But take heart! I’ve conquered the world.” John 16:31-33 (The Message)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for whatever weight loss I achieve, even if after so much hard work, it doesn’t seem like a lot. I pray I will stand strong against the enemy and defeat any and all discouragement. May my body obey the dictates of a healthy lifestyle and do what You designed it do – get healthy and trim down – in spite of the fact that I’ve abused it with yo-yo dieting and obsessive exercise and binge eating. Forgive me for all my past mistakes. May I go forward and not look behind, focusing only on the future and my success. In your name I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Remember that the Devil doesn’t sleep, but seeks our ruin in a thousand different ways ~ Angela Merici
You’ve done everything right. You’ve stuck to your meal plan – maybe not 100% to the letter, but fairly close to that. You’ve been exercising four or five days a week, maybe more. You’re giving yourself daily pep talks and loving yourself and reversed your negative attitude. Yet in spite of all your best efforts, four weeks has come and gone on your New Year’s resolution and your weight is still the same as are most of your body measurements.
Oh wait – is that only me?
When you’ve given it your all and have little to show for it, how do you keep a positive attitude when it feels like there’s absolutely nothing to celebrate? Believe me, I’ve asked myself that question a dozen times today. I DO feel as though I’m being punished.
Realistically, I am likely reaping what I’ve sown from previous fad diets and years of yo-yo dieting, repeated weight loss and weight gain. My metabolism is on a permanent hiatus and nothing short of an act of God is going to get it to move and burn fat.
The one thing I want to do is to soothe my troubled soul with a sleeve of cookies, but I know that’s what got me where I am today. While it may seem like there is comfort in sugar and food, the nanosecond of satisfaction that food brings leads to a mountain of guilt and yes – even more weight gain.
This is one of those days I feel like I need to drop to the floor on my face before God and pour out my hurts and my emotional pain of dealing with unwanted weight. If I weren’t surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, I might be tempted to do exactly that. Of course that would lead to my subsequent detainment in some sort of facility, no doubt. But God can see my heart and he knows how troubled I am because of these weight/body issues. Inside – I’m crying! I’m comforted knowing that God hears me.
I know I can’t give up or give in. I will press forward through this trial and be better for it in the end. Nobody ever said life was fair and this clearly feels like one of those situations that isn’t fair. God after all, did design us to be unique and individual, so who am I to complain that he made me SO unique that what works for everyone else, doesn’t work for me? Okay, I’m reaching, but at least I’m trying to look at the positive. Some days are a stretch!
Without the burden of afflictions it is impossible to reach the height of grace. The gift of grace increases as the struggles increase.
- Saint Rose of Lima
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30 (NKJ)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, I will not give up or give in to this desire to wallow in self-pity. Help me to stand strong against affliction and temptation. May I grow stronger in grace and character as a result of my adversity and this “thorn in my flesh.” Thank you for life’s many blessings. I ask all these things in your holy name, Lord. Amen.
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The NFL is currently partnering with several organizations including The American Heart Association to combat childhood obesity with a program they call, NFL Play 60. Basically, it’s a challenge designed to encourage kids to get active and play for at least one hour a day. With techno-goodies galore such as Nintendo, X-Box, Play Station, iPods, cell phones, TiVo, DVRs and cable television, the 21st century is raising an obese generation of couch potatoes.
I’ve been guilty of couch potatoing on occasion which is why I think the Play 60 challenge is a great idea. I try to get in about 45-60 minutes of cardio several times a week and shoot for 2-3 days of strength training/weight lifting each week. I typically have more success with cardio than I do the weight lifting, but even a little is better than none at all.
Without variety, exercise can quickly become so bor-ing many people ditch their programs shortly after starting. Hiking has provided some much needed variety to my otherwise humdrum workout schedule, as has running the bleachers at the high school track. I’m fortunate to live near a high school and between the many sport courts and assorted playing fields, my workouts vary on a weekly basis. Regardless of what workout I choose, I always wear a pedometer so I can track my steps. Ideally to maintain optimum health, experts recommend walking 10,000 steps per day.
Recently I’ve added tennis to my Play 60 playlist. I haven’t played “serious” tennis in a decade or more – and what I do on a tennis court couldn’t be considered “serious” by any stretch of the imagination. I spend more time chasing errant tennis balls than actually hitting anything. I played one day last week with my faithful hiking partner and haven’t laughed that hard since I can’t remember when. The excessive laughter should be a clue to our skill level.
Yesterday I dragged my daughter with me to the courts because the one thing I noticed after last week’s tennis was I had sore muscles in places I’d yet to discover. My daughter is a natural born athlete so she had me running cross court dodging, weaving and pivoting like some derelict grasshopper. It wasn’t pretty, but it was funny and it was great exercise.
I wore my pedometer and rather than playing an actual tennis match, we agreed to play until the meter registered the two mile mark. We volleyed, served and laughed for nearly 60 minutes. We looked so ridiculous with tennis balls anchored on our hips my daughter said we looked like we had giant tumors on our pelvic bones. We took turns yelling “Tumor!” each time we’d use a ball from our bulging pockets.
While I’m sure no one was scouting either of us for a tennis club membership, we achieved our ultimate goal which was to Play 60. The Play 60 challenge should be expanded to include Laugh 60. That’s a two-fold challenge that not only benefits your body but your spirit as well. If you’re going to exercise (and you should be exercising) why not make it fun? Play 60 today!
A good, real, unrestrained, hearty laugh is a sort of glorified internal massage, performed rapidly and automatically. It manipulates and revitalizes corners and unexplored crannies of the system that are unresponsive to most other exercise methods. ~Author unknown
4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:4-7 (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: I bless you Lord Jesus for the wonderful gift of laughter. Laughter truly is a good medicine. Please remind me to partake of a dose of laughter every few hours as needed. Help me to remember it’s the one medicine I can never overdose on. Thank you for all life’s many blessings, Lord. In your name I ask all these things, Father. Amen
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I have to stop and ask myself frequently, if I like what I see reflected back in my mirror? Mirrors are those things in life that I avoid unless absolutely necessary. (The same way I avoid clothes shopping and root canals.) Over the course of my lifetime, I can recall a handful of times when I’ve looked in the mirror and without hesitation thought, “Man I look pretty good.” Sadly, those days have been far and few between. I think I average about one per decade.
Surprisingly, my aversion to mirrors isn’t because of my weight but mainly a dissatisfaction of my face in general. I am getting slightly better with age, but I’m still a WIP (work in progress). I’m not even sure when this aversion actually began. It’s likely as with most of my idiosyncrasies, this one too surely dates back to childhood. And while I know my aversion to my reflection grieves my Heavenly Father, this is proving to be a hard habit to break.
I’m smart enough to know that losing weight will only solve some of my issues. Hopefully, once I’ve reached my desired goal weight, my blood pressure will be normal and I’ll be able to climb stairs without huffing and puffing. Honestly if I only achieve both of those goals, I’ll be ecstatic. I’m no stranger to my goal weight; I’ve been there before and successfully maintained it for a number of years. Yet even then – I still wasn’t happy with my reflection. Clearly, there are deeper emotional scars that need healing.
I know with athletes, especially runners, they achieve the most success when they look ahead toward the finish line and visualize themselves crossing the line to victory. I’ve also heard it said, that when a runner has any kind of lead it can be detrimental for them to turn around and look behind them to see who’s chasing them.
With this weight loss journey I need to strive to adopt a similar game plan. Since I’ve been at my desired goal weight before and was unhappy with myself, it does me no good to long for bygone days. I AM planning to achieve weight loss success by the end of 2010. In order for me to deem the year a complete success, it’s imperative I learn self-acceptance. That means accepting all my flaws, wrinkles, freckles and/or age spots and less than perfect body. I’m never going to be in my 20s or 30s again. If I could go back again, perhaps I would, but only to have another chance to do things the right way and appreciate the woman I was back then.
We can’t go back in time and correct our previous wrongs. We CAN look towards the finish line and imagine success this year and imagine crossing the finish line and liking the people we’ve become.
We can do whatever we wish to do provided our wish is strong enough. What do you want most to do? That’s what I have to keep asking myself, in the face of difficulties. ~ Katherine Mansfield
24-25You’ve all been to the stadium and seen the athletes race. Everyone runs; one wins. Run to win. All good athletes train hard. They do it for a gold medal that tarnishes and fades. You’re after one that’s gold eternally.
26-27I don’t know about you, but I’m running hard for the finish line. I’m giving it everything I’ve got. No sloppy living for me! I’m staying alert and in top condition. I’m not going to get caught napping, telling everyone else all about it and then missing out myself. 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (The Message)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, help me to run this race with endurance and not look back to my past failures but look toward the future. Help me to see myself as succeeding at my goals and believe I am created in your image. Help me to see the beauty buried within me and not concentrate on my imperfect outer shell. Thank you for continuing to love me inspite of my weird attitudes and paranoid idiosyncrasies. You’re the best, God! I ask all these things in your precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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As I’ve been continuing my reading in the book of Exodus, there’s so much food for thought in that one book of the Bible alone. I find it remarkable that when the Israelites complained about all the good food they left back in Egypt, God supernaturally provided them with quail and manna to eat – enough for millions of people – and sufficient quantities of both manna and quail DAILY for 40 years! That’s pretty huge!
Can you imagine eating the same thing – day in and day out, for 40 straight years? Okay, so I’d probably be one of those people constantly complaining, because 40 years of the same meal sounds kind of boring. (Sorry Lord!)
There are pros and cons of repetitive meals. Part of me thinks it would be great to get up everyday and know exactly what I was supposed to eat; know that God was going to make it available to me and provide enough for each day (and twice the amount on the Sabbath). While that would certainly make life easier without so many diverse choices, it could eventually get boring. But it’d be really easy to stay on your eating program.
On the other hand, there is something to be said for variety. The difference between this generation and the Israelites is junk food is a phone call away for easy delivery or a quick trip to the Quick Trip. Moses didn’t make a trip to Costco for Snickers bars and bagels in bulk. The Israelites ate what was presented to them and that had to sustain them.
I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere. I’ve decided to adopt an “Exodus” state of mind with regards to my meal planning. Because I do have so many choices available at my house, I have a tendency to get off track and overeat. And because my weight loss has been so minimal after nearly one month, it’s time to limit my choices – for a while anyway.
Although I’ve been doing a half-way decent job of writing down what I eat, I’m not being as diligent as I could be. Beginning tomorrow, my accountability partner and I have decided to start emailing our daily menu plan to each other so we can help one another stay on track. My partner is counting calories and I’m counting Weight Watcher® points. Knowing one day ahead of time exactly what I will be eating will help me to stay more accountable and on target. My menu won’t be as limited as manna and quail, but it’s time I got a little more restrictive with my choices.
The one thing I’ve learned from reading the book of Exodus, is regardless of what’s on my menu or my plate, it’s important to always remember it’s God who has provided for me and I hope to never eat another meal without thanking Jehovah-Jireh, my provider.
In order to change we must be sick and tired of being sick and tired. ~Author Unknown
11-12 GOD spoke to Moses, “I’ve listened to the complaints of the Israelites. Now tell them: ‘At dusk you will eat meat and at dawn you’ll eat your fill of bread; and you’ll realize that I am GOD, your God.’” Exodus 16:11-12 (The Message Bible)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for the many varieties of food you’ve provided. I pray that you will help me to stay strong and committed to my eating plan. Help me not to overindulge and help me to be diligent in writing down all that I’m eating. I pray the foods I eat will provide nourishment to my body, while helping me to be as healthy as possible and help me to lose weight in a safe, effective manner. Thank you for providing for my physical needs. I ask all these things in your holy name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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I’ve been doing a lot of reading of Scripture lately and as always I’m blown away by God’s awesome power. Currently I’m in the book of Exodus and I’m fascinated by the persecution of the Israelites and God’s faithfulness to protect them and lead them out of Egypt. And of course, I’m continually baffled over the Israelites constant complaining throughout their entire journey when God performed such repeated, incredible miracles in their presence.
As I’ve been reading the Scriptures, God’s power to change situations including the will of people, control the climate and even the direction the sun moves, overwhelms me. It started me thinking that if God can cause the sun to actually stop moving in the sky (see Joshua 10:13-14) why doesn’t he answer my simple prayer of “Lord, take away my craving for sweets?”
And not just that prayer, but “Please Lord, speed up my metabolism so my body burns fat more efficiently.” There are days when I plead with God, to “take away my desire to feed my emotions with food” and days when I beg God to “remove all temptation from me.” In fact, it seems as though the days I pray the most fervently for God to remove temptation from me – those are the days that the most fattening desserts show up in the break room at work.
What the heck? Are you kidding me, God? Does God have a really weird sense of humor? Is God mad at me? Is God treating me like an unloved step-child?
Of course the answers to all of these questions are a resounding “NO.” God’s word is filled with reassuring words that God loves us, died for us and wants us to operate in the gifts of the spirit (love, joy, peace, etc.). God however, is not some magical genie in a bottle who is waiting to grant our every wish. Nor is he, Monty Hall wanting to “Let’s Make a Deal.”
God is our loving heavenly Father, and as a father, he knows our wants, needs and desires intimately. He wants the best for us, but He’s not going to hand us everything on a silver platter and require nothing of us in return. God wants us to have no other Gods before him. He wants us to delight ourselves in him and he will give us the desires of our heart. He wants us to submit ourselves to Him, resist the devil and he will flee. He wants us to trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding.
As a parent, we don’t automatically give our children everything they desire, especially if we know that what they’re asking us for is something they aren’t mature enough to handle yet. And while I think I could handle a faster metabolism, God designed my body just so and He knows what will work best for me. Clearly even with weight loss, there are always lessons to learn; spiritual growth and maturity that must be achieved and faith to be walked out. If God granted our every request, we’d have no need of faith at all. And without faith, we’d have no need of God.
Before you begin a thing remind yourself that difficulties and delays quite impossible to foresee are ahead. … You can only see one thing clearly, and that is your goal. Form a mental vision of that and cling to it through thick and thin. ~ Kathleen Norris
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
“He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.’” Matthew 17:20-21 (NIV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, forgive me for behaving like a spoiled child who always wants her own way. I want to be in your perfect will – to learn what you have to teach me throughout this journey of weight loss. Give me the strength I need to resist temptation. Help me to walk in love, joy, peace, faith and especially self-control. Give me this day my daily bread and may that be enough for this day and help me not to worry about tomorrow. I ask all these things in your holy blessed name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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It goes without saying that there will be unexpected derailments of your weight loss train once you’ve finally gotten yourself on track. The enemy wants nothing more than to see you fail. There will be distractions, speed bumps and full blown attacks on your mind, body, spirit and overall life in general.
Losing weight and getting healthy is a declaration of war on fat, sugar, carbohydrates and sloppy living. Everyday there must be a renewing of your mind and attitude. How badly do you want to be healthy and be at a more manageable weight?
The attacks can be full blown frontal assaults or subtle blips on your radar screen barely recognizable as attacks. I’ve been battling a stomach bug for a couple of days. At first I thought nothing much of it, but after two days of surviving on crackers and 7-Up, I realize this is just another attack from the enemy to keep me from eating healthy.
It’s important to listen to your body. Mine was telling me the only thing I was going to be able to keep in my stomach was crackers or toast – both of which are not conducive to weight loss. It’s important to keep the bigger picture in mind and realize that this is cold and flu season and stomach bugs don’t last forever. If you need to adjust your diet for the cold or flu, listen to your body and make sure you’re eating sufficient calories to fight your illness.
Once your cold or flu has passed, get yourself right back on the weight loss, New Year’s resolution train and go full speed ahead. You may want to be slightly more restrictive the first few days after an illness to compensate for the extra carbs your body has been consuming during sickness.
Getting back on track may seem harder than ever, especially if your body is in a slightly weakened state from illness. Resuming exercise will be especially tough, so do what you can without injuring your weakened body. Go slow at first, working your way back into a normal exercise routine.
Don’t let an unexpected sickness derail you permanently. Otherwise, a year from now, you’ll be in the same place as you are today – full of excuses and stuck at the dead end station of “Big Buttville” or “Backfat Junction” and no closer to your healthy goals or desired weight. Put on your armor and board the train immediately after your illness has passed. NO EXCUSES.
I’m feeling better today and just got my itinerary and had my ticket punched for the stop at the end of the line called, “Holy Cow Town – She look’s AMAZING for a woman her age!” I hope I’ll see all my friends there!
If your body’s not right, the rest of your day will go all wrong. Take care of yourself. ~V.L. Allineare
1-2 “So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.” Romans 12:1-2 (The Message Bible)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for bringing me through this bout of sickness. Being sick gives me a greater appreciation for good health. Help me to do my part to maintain optimum health as much as I’m able. Help me to get back on track and eat right, exercise and renew my mind, spirit and attitude DAILY. Thank you for your many blessings, Lord. In your name I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Amen.
Gaining and losing weight is kind of a bizarre phenomenon if you think about it. Not so much the gaining part perhaps, but definitely the losing part. When we gain weight that’s something tangible, right there for us to feel and see. Even though we don’t gain 20 or 30 pounds overnight, there comes a point when we wake up and realize that all of our clothes are “suddenly” tighter.
Naturally we blame, the dryer that shrunk our clothes or the new medication we’ve started taking. The climate change is always good for the blame game. “Winter’s coming – it’s time to pork up for the winter and pack on our winter weight.” Men blame their wives cooking. Women blame their husband’s obsession with tailgating parties during football/basketball/hockey season, or their passion for Friday night pizza. We even blame it on our kids because it’s their fault for not finishing the food on their plate and it would be a sin to let good food go to waste! For every pound gained there is an equally legitimate excuse.
I see and feel my weight gain mostly with my “menopausal midriff.” My midsection is the ONE area I’ve never carried excess weight before, so I feel as though I’m suddenly walking around with my own personal floatation device. My own little PFD. It’s a strange feeling that has me constantly looking over my shoulder as if I’m being followed. But then, no – I turn around and see it’s just my back fat following me.
The good news is, after three weeks, I’m seeing a very slight decrease of my back fat. Yeah God! It can’t come off fast enough as far as I’m concerned. What really perplexes me though is, when we lose weight, where does that fat go?
I have a friend who’s down about 60 pounds. That’s a noticeable amount of weight to lose. Obviously our body rids itself of excess fluids and food through the normal “elimination process” specifically designed by the great Master himself. But when you go to bed and wake up the next morning and suddenly you’re down five pounds – where did that five pounds go overnight? Did it somehow slide off our body and we’ve left traces of it in our jammies or on our sheets? (Maybe that’s the stuff that those tiny microbial insects feed off of in our beds? Ick!)
Sorry, I can’t be more poignant or thought provoking today. It’s challenging to wax poetic or impart inspirational words of wisdom on a daily basis. Occasionally there must be light-hearted fluff!
Blessings to you all! I pray you take time to enjoy this journey.
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities have crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson
“You were saved by faith in God, who treats us much better than we deserve. This is God’s gift to you, and not anything you have done on your own. It isn’t something you have earned, so there is nothing you can brag about. God planned for us to do good things and to live as he has always wanted us to live. That’s why he sent Christ to make us what we are.” Ephesians 2:8-10 (CEV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord I thank you for designing us to be well-oiled machines that respond to exercise and changes in our diets. Wherever excess weight goes, I thank you that it goes. I pray the weight I lose will be a permanent loss. I pray with each pound lost, I’ll discover more of my true self and I pray I’ll draw closer to you each and every day. In your name I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Three weeks have come and gone in the New Year and I’m not surprised to hear of the number of people who’ve already ditched their resolutions. I’ll admit, three weeks feels like a lifetime for me especially since I feel as though I’ve very little to show for it yet.
For the most part, my clothes fit the same – no dramatic changes in any of my numbers yet. I have to ask myself every day, “What am I hoping to accomplish with this resolution?” Depending on my mood, the answer is subject to change.
Losing weight remains at the top of the list, but I’m hoping at some point, I’ll adjust my attitude enough so at the end of the year, I can look myself in the mirror and like who I am. For many – that would be no big deal, but not all of us possess a healthy self-esteem. I’m pretty sure I’m the queen of the low self-esteem club. It will take more than a resolution to change a lifetime worth of negative self-talk.
Sadly, I’m one of those people whose worth and value is intimately intertwined with what I weigh. It’s stupid I know, but it’s something I’m aware of and have spent years trying to overcome. For too many reasons to list, even though I like who I am as a person and a woman (most of the time), I feel like if I weighed what it says on my driver’s license (insert your snort of laughter here), then I’d be a happier person in general. Since I’ve gained this extra weight, I feel like there’s a stranger living in my body. I’ve never felt less like myself than I have in the few years I’ve been “dating menopause.”
This is a good news/bad news scenario since I know that the weight will take some time to come off and I know that women can be peri-menopausal for 10-15 years. So I guess the good news is there’s a very dim light at the end of this menopause tunnel, but the bad news it’s an express train carrying Father Time, Mr. Gravity and most likely my AARP membership.
For now, I’ll hang in there. Hopefully, I’ve convinced enough friends to come along on the journey with me so I won’t be totally alone! Thank goodness I can rest in the knowledge God is with me and will remain by my side indefinitely.
I know not what the future holds, but I know who holds the future. ~Author Unknown
“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jer. 29:11 (NIV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for seeing me through another moderately successful week. I pray you will help me to learn from any mistakes made this past week. May I continually move forward and conquer bad habits. I pray each day will bring me one day closer to a happier, healthier me. Thank you for your many blessings. I ask all these things in your precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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Some days it seems as though the universe, God, the devil and even well-meaning friends are all conspiring together to do battle against our willpower to succeed. For me, I’ve found a good rhythm with my healthy eating. I’m keeping track of how many calories I’m consuming (most days). I’m exercising four or five days a week and I’m delighted to report, I’m finding a little extra breathing room in my fat-girl jeans this week. Praise God for small victories!
Within the span of two short days however, the potential to undo all of my hard work looms, waiting to pierce my vulnerabilities like a giant thorn in my flesh. Last night, it was Krispy Kreme donuts, apples with caramel dip and chips and salsa at my small group meeting. Somehow I managed to say “no” to all of them. Today I’m the victim of a rainy day food fest extravaganza at work resplendent with homemade tortilla soup, chocolate frosted brownies, lemon cake and some other stuff smothered in cheese.
Okay, Universe … enough already! I’m sure this is how an alcoholic must view an invitation to a cocktail party or a wine & cheese festival. It’s torturous! The smell of simmering soup wafting throughout the office vents was enough to make my eyes glaze over and stimulate my salivary glands. I’m human – not SUPER-human and unfortunately the world doesn’t stop spinning on its axis simply because I’m adopting a healthier lifestyle.
It’s unrealistic to expect all of the people around us to bend to our will and stop cooking and baking and cease and desist going out for lunches and dinners. Today I opted to sample the soup (about a ½ cup) and it was delicious. I didn’t overindulge and make a pig of myself (which would have been easy to do). I said no thank you to all of the baked goods and even resisted the cheese smothered extras.
Believe me – my flesh was pushing me to dive in and go for a full-fledged attack mode. But before I “dove” or “attacked” I stopped and took a couple of deep breaths, said a cursory prayer and then tugged on the waistband of my pants. They weren’t cutting off my circulation today and I liked that feeling. So when push came to shove, I preferred the feeling of freedom in my waistband as opposed to satisfying my sweet tooth. I’m not gonna lie to you – it was hard. But I’m told, the more frequently you exercise your “no thank-you” response, the easier it becomes to exorcise your inner demons and banish your excess weight!
Today was one small victory in what will prove to be the battle of the century. Thank you Lord for the baby steps!
I have heard there are troubles of more than one kind.
Some come from ahead and some come from behind.
But I’ve bought a big bat. I’m all ready you see.
Now my troubles are going to have troubles with me!
~Dr. Seuss
“I plead with you to give your bodies to God. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice - the kind he will accept. When you think of what he has done for you, is this too much to ask?” Romans 12:1 (NLT)
PRAYER: I am so grateful that you gave me the willpower to resist the temptation of excess food last night and again today. Strengthen my will to be able to say ‘no’ on a regular basis. Help me to take better care of body and make it a holy habitation for your Holy Spirit. I ask all these things in your precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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“Ugh … I look so fat in these pants. Could my butt be any bigger?” “This haircut is so hideous, it makes me look like a bowling pin.” “I’m so ugly! What was God thinking when he made me this way?”
Does any of this sound at all familiar? No? Is it only me, then? I’ve said all of these things and more – many, many times over. Maintaining a positive attitude for the long haul of this weight loss resolution is going to prove challenging, to say the least. All it takes is one little thought or misspoken word to upset the apple cart of our emotions. Especially if we’re prone to negative thoughts regarding our self-esteem – like I am.
On a good day, if I’m lucky - I can look at myself in a mirror and be “okay” with myself. However, when it comes to my appearance, those “good days” are far and few between. Some carefully guarded childhood dysfunction contributes to my low self-esteem issues and they’ve been difficult to overcome. Unfortunately, I hail from a long line of “negative Nancy’s” so I’m battling with generational low self-esteem issues as well.
Admitting I’ve suffered from an eating/exercise disorder was the first step. For me, the second step is retraining my thoughts AND my mouth to stop the negative talk and self-loathing and self-hatred. As a mother, I’d be crushed if I heard one of my children speak ugly thoughts about themselves. I know that my ugly talk about myself, grieves my heavenly Father.
For successful weight loss, we need to get in the habit of weighing our food portions so we can control our calories. Why not start weighing the words of our mouth by eliminating unhealthy talk from our vocabulary as well so we can have a healthy self-esteem!
One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn’t pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. ~ Lucille Ball
“Jesus called the crowd to him and said, ‘Listen and understand. What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him ‘unclean,’ but what comes out of his mouth, that is what makes him ‘unclean.’” Matthew 15:10-11 (NIV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Forgive me Lord for my negative self-talk. I ask you to forgive me. Help me to stop from speaking the negative thoughts in my head. And while we’re at it – help to stop the negative thoughts before they even take form in my brain. I know you created me in your image and you think I’m fabulous! I ask all these things in your holy name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
I have a number of friends who’ve embarked upon a month-long weight loss challenge that began on January 1st. I don’t think any of them are calling this challenge a “resolution” per se, since the definition of resolution is, the act or process of resolving or the action of solving. The only thing to be solved at the end of their 30 days is who will walk away with the cash prize – the proceeds of which came from each of them through a minimum buy-in.
After 19 days, one contestant is boasting of their 20-pound weight loss, due primarily to a diet of nothing more than a liquid diet shake. Another contestant was heard proclaiming that “I’ll kill myself or die trying in order to win that money.” While yet another vowed “they were going to starve to lose weight and win the money.”
Even though I made a resolution to lose weight this year, I opted not to participate in this particular challenge. Money wasn’t enough of a motivator to entice me to join their “fun.” Call it wisdom, cynicism or good old-fashioned common sense, but because of several physical factors, I know I’d be throwing my money away. Half of the contestants are men and everyone knows that men have significantly less body fat and lose weight considerably faster and easier than women.
I’m also significantly older than most of the other contestants and it’s no surprise that older women have a tougher time losing weight than younger ones. But the main reason I decided not to pursue this challenge is because not one of these people is using any wisdom or common sense to lose weight. They are guaranteed to regain all of their weight within a few weeks of ending the challenge because they’ve got to eventually start eating real foods again. The only thing to be gained from this challenge will be a little bit of money, but they’ll likely do irreparable damage to their fat-burning metabolism.
Our bodies don’t respond well to sudden, drastic drops in weight especially if it’s done in a very unhealthy manner. It wreaks havoc on our fat-burning system. I’m a seasoned expert at fad diets and know from experience that they don’t work and the weight lost, quickly returns.
Set your goals on 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week. You may lose a little more or little less than that each week, but be realistic and don’t get hung up on the numbers. Weight lost slowly over a longer period of time, ensures your ultimate success because you’re being smart. Remember - you have to eat, to lose!
“Momma always said, ‘stupid is as stupid does.’” ~ Forrest Gump
“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-9 (NIV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you, Lord for wisdom and common sense. Help me not be overly anxious and in an unrealistic hurry to lose weight, because I know that will cause me to do something stupid that won’t be good for my body. I pray for patience to tackle this weight loss journey one day at a time. Thank you for all your many blessings. In your name I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Give me this day my daily bread. Amen.
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My apologies for the late posting of today’s Daily Diet Bread, but my computer issues aren’t resolved yet, so I’m working with what I’ve got. But better late than never, right?
I know we aren’t supposed to live by our feelings, but some days “feel” harder than others. My computer problems coupled with some personal issues going on have led me to major frustrations which have me feeling like I want to eat my weight in Oreos. But, I know from past experience that giving in to feelings only leads to self-loathing and self-hatred and intense feelings of failure. I really want to keep my New Year’s resolution, so I’m doing my best to ignore my feelings today.
Feelings are fickle things that can have us do (or not do) all sorts of things if we let them control us. You make a promise to go and workout with a friend, but you feel lazy today, so you blow her off. You promise to visit a sick friend but you don’t feel like driving that far and fighting the traffic, so you don’t go. You don’t feel like weighing out your food portions today because you’re short on time, so you simply guess at the amounts. You do feel like giving in to that urge to eat ice cream for dinner instead of 3 oz. of chicken and a salad because you had a bad day at work. You feel like charging a new computer on your credit card because you can’t possibly live without a working computer.
God designed us to be emotional beings, but he didn’t intend for us to live our lives based solely on how we feel. Feelings will rarely line up with doing the right thing. NOBODY feels like working out or keeping a food diary or resisting donuts or visiting a sick friend or cutting up our charge cards … or fill in the blanks as you see fit.
Don’t give your feelings a chance to control you but pray about decisions before you let your feelings convince you otherwise. Choose rather than feel!
Feelings are much like waves, we can’t stop them from coming but we can choose which one to surf. ~Jonatan Mårtensson
“You will keep him in perfect peace all who trust in you, whose thoughts are stayed on you.” Isaiah 26:3 (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, help me not to live according to my feelings or make decisions based on how I feel, but rather on wise counsel, sound judgment, logic and facts. Thank you that you made us such emotional creatures and we are grateful when we do feel compassion for others, but help those feelings not to cloud our judgment. I pray for restful sleep, to be rejuvenated as I rest and wake refreshed with a clear mind and renewed spirit. In your name I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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You’re cooking along through the weekend. You said “no” to Friday pizza and Saturday movie popcorn. You even shared a muffin after church with diet cokes and friends rather than having a whole muffin like you wanted. And then life throws you an unexpected curve ball that spells disaster, and in one fell swoop manages to undo two weeks worth of hard work on your part.
Your computer freaks out and erases a bunch of your documents and you know your hard drive is nearing its end. One of your children has a full-blown crisis of epic proportions that you’re unable to fix for them. You receive a phone call that a church friend of yours was just told her daughter who’s in the hospital has taken a turn for the worse and needs last rites administered. An old hip injury that you thought you’d been healed from rears its ugly head and you’re in considerable pain – again. Your checkbook is a disaster zone and you’ve got an unexpected bill to pay and you have a heavy burden to help the people of Haiti. You barely slept last night and had horrible nightmares when you finally did doze off.
Any one of these is enough to send you foraging in the pantry for something sweet, salty or crunchy. Pick your poison. Unfortunately all of these happened to me over the course of the last two days. I’d love to brag that I overcame temptation, remained strong and nibbled on carrots and celery all afternoon, but that’d be a bold-face lie. I did what I do best and that was turn to my old best friend, who today happened to be dark-chocolate covered almonds and had twice the normal helping.
Of course, the almond binge was closely followed by bingeing’s second cousin – Mr. Guilt. But before I let myself fall face down in a giant vat of chips, I stopped. Not because I was overcome with a sudden wave of good intentions. No, I had to stop because I had a stomach ache. For which I promptly thanked the good Lord, because I’m certain that was his only way to get my attention before I completely fell of the weight loss wagon. Okay –so technically, I did fall off the wagon, but because of the stomach ache, I didn’t let it back up and run me over a few times – so there is hope.
My point is, I’m not perfect and sometimes life will just be life and there will be curve balls and disasters with your kids and bills and problems and … meltdowns. Welcome to the real world. To counteract my meltdown, I had a very small dinner with high protein and low carbs. I filled up on veggies and said no to the second piece of bread that I really wanted.
Because this is my Sabbath and my day of rest and the day I’ve chosen to relax my stringent healthy eating program, I’m refusing to give the meltdown its due and keeping it in perspective. I’m praying for the strength to survive the next meltdown (because there will always be meltdowns) and hopefully before the next one hits, I’ll come up with a solution for coping that doesn’t include chocolate. Losing weight, daily blogging … it really is nothing when compared to the fact that a friend of mine must stand by helplessly and watch her daughter pass from this life to the next today. So in the grand scheme of life – my problems are minimal and God is in control.
“Jesus said, ‘I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’” John 14:6 (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Be with my friends today, Lord as they say goodbye to their beloved. Help me to keep things in perspective and not sweat the small stuff. I know that you are in control – today and always. In your name I pray, Lord. Amen
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Ever had one of those days when you’re afraid to get up and look at yourself in the mirror? Today is that day for me. Since I publicly admitted my weaknesses with food and exercise addictions yesterday, the enemy has been working overtime to heap a load of guilt and shame upon me. I’m feeling a bit liked a marked woman – like I should have a scarlet letter on my chest or something.
Realistically I know that no one can make me feel shame unless I choose to pick it up and carry it around. And that would be counterproductive to my New Year’s resolution. So I’m not having any of that guilt or shame stuff, devil. I know you’re a thief and a liar.
There is a certain freedom that comes with purging the soul. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve shocked or surprised anyone by my confession. I know that my friends and family can look at me and see that I’ve gained weight over the last couple of years – so I’ve not been fooling anyone – except maybe myself.
Now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, so to speak, the only place left to go now is forward. No more slinking around letting that little voice creep into my head that tells me I’m no good because I’m fat or use food to mask my feelings. At one time or another, most of us hear those little niggling voices of doubt whenever we feel like we’ve got a physical imperfection. Be it excess weight, bad acne, a giant nose, an overbite – or whatever “thorn in your flesh” the enemy uses against you to make you feel ugly or inadequate. That thing that makes us avoid mirrors and cameras. In these fleshly bodies, none of us will ever be perfect this side of heaven. And no matter how hard we try, we’ll never achieve physical perfection. Even though billions of dollars are spent by marketing guru’s and manufacturing companies to sell us products to make us think we can have perfect, skin, teeth, hair or bodies.
Rather than focusing on my negatives and verbally lambasting myself, I’m choosing to adopt a healthier, more positive attitude and enjoy this journey. None of us knows how many days we’ll have here on this Earth. I’ve wasted far too many days as it is crying over my perceived physical imperfections. Today I’m choosing to accept the things I can’t change (my height, my age, my gender) and truly commit to working towards the goal of changing the things I can control such as my weight and obsession with food and exercise. One step at a time will eventually bring me one step closer to a healthier, happier me!
The hardest part of any weight loss program is not what I put into my mouth – but what thoughts I put into my head. Attitude is everything.
“You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love. The entire law is summed up in a single command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” Galatians 5:13-14 (NIV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: I know that “loving your neighbor as yourself” is one of the greatest commandments, Lord, but when one has spent most of their lifetime not loving themselves, or even liking themselves for that matter, that is a very hard commandment to follow. I’ve been guilty of negative self talk and I know that saddens you. Please forgive me and help me to dwell on all the positive qualities I have and not just on my physical appearance. Search my heart Lord and know that my desire is to serve you completely and wholly. In your name, I ask all these things, Lord Jesus. Amen.
With two weeks behind us (and most of us secretly hoping that our behinds are shrinking even a little bit), it’s a good day to take stock of what we’ve accomplished in the last two weeks. For me, I’ve noticed a trend this week in the fact that when I go to bed at night, my stomach has been growling. For some you may be thinking, “So?” But for me, the evidence of hunger is a positive sign that I’ve not been over-indulging or binge eating. Hunger pains are somewhat foreign to me. It’s been a long time since I placed food restrictions on myself.
I’m an emotional eater and tend to use food not just when I’m depressed but in cases of sadness, worry and stress. I also use food in times of celebration. I can best be described as a “Seafood” eater. Or more appropriately “See” food, meaning if I see it – I eat it – and boy, did I! Major lifestyle changes in the last year, my age and my casual relationship with menopause have all attributed to my recent weight gain. For me, the hardest part of my resolution to lose weight and get healthy, has been admitting publicly that I have a food addiction.
I use food to pacify my emotions and then make feeble attempts to counteract my indulgences by combating the excess calories with obsessive exercise. Looking back over my journals for the past decade and beyond, I’m ashamed to admit this has been a habitual pattern most of my life. Now in my 50s, my metabolism can no longer be manipulated by my food bingeing and compulsive exercise. It would seem as though the price for my addictions is going to be steep, as now my extra 20 pounds has blossomed into nearly 40 pounds – and this excess weight is not coming off without a fight.
I don’t want to keep repeating the same mistakes and never defeat this foe. I’ve been walking faithfully with God and growing and maturing in other areas for more than three decades, but in this one area of my life, I’ve been unwilling or unable to lay this addiction down. I’ve experienced great success in the past and even worked for an international weight loss organization for several years and maintained my “ideal weight” for nearly 10 years. The death of both my parents, getting older, menopause and Empty Nest Syndrome have all conspired against me and my weight goals.
The first step towards healing is admitting there is a problem. The second step is working out these issues one at a time, facing my weaknesses head on and taking it one day at a time. The enemy would have us believe we’re the only one who ever sruggles with these suffocating addictions. The good news is - the enemy is a liar, and our Father in Heaven promises never to leave us or forsake us.
Tomorrow is a new day!
The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. ~ Albert Einstein
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.” Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: I confess my addiction to food and exercise, Lord. I pray you will forgive me for my weaknesses. Lift me up and make me strong when I am weak. Help me to resist temptation and trust in you to guide my paths. I’m afraid I’ll continue to live this way unles you step in and change my temperament and my resolve. I cannot do this without your constant help and intervention. Give me this day my daily bread and may that bread be enough to satisfy my spirit and my flesh. I ask these things in your name, Lord Jesus. Amen.
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January 14, 2010
I am blessed to have a sister in Christ as my accountability partner. (Thanks, Christina! Thank you, Jesus!) We try to hike 2-3 days each week and pushing each other (not literally, but mentally) helps us stay focused on the hike. After a few months of hiking, our breathing is better and our times with each hike are improving. While the hiking is very strenuous most days (*SIDEBAR: I always have to talk myself into going), the time passes quickly because we unburden our souls, share our trials and our victories and we support, encourage and pray for one another throughout the entire hike. These regular hikes are as beneficial to my soul as they are for my body. Hopefully my accountability partner agrees.
Last week, Christina was forced to hike without me one day, but had the pleasure of sharing the trail with a woman who was a personal trainer who gave her some valuable hiking tips – which Christina passed along to me. One of the greatest tips was that when walking downhill, try to clench your butt cheeks the entire downward slope. This helps to firm up those glutes and if practiced frequently, you’ll eventually achieve those much sought after “Buns of Steel.” (Hey sounds good to me.)
Yesterday as we hiked, Christina reminded me to clench my glutes on the downhill and I got a visual of trying to squeeze a quarter between my buttocks cheeks and holding it there for the descent. It was hard to keep from laughing as with each downhill we’d remind one another, “Squeeze the quarter, girl! Squeeze the quarter!” With all of the pinching and squeezing going on, I fully expected my gluteus maximus to be sufficiently sore today. However, rising from bed at the crack of pre-dawn, I was somewhat disappointed that there was nary a twinge of discomfort in my derrière. Which leads me to believe that my gluteus maximus is exactly that – maximus, and in order for it to become a gluteus minimus, I need to squeeze a couple hundred dollars worth of quarters if I’m going to penetrate that protective layer of maximus covering my tooshie.
I’ve decided to try “squeezing quarters” not just while hiking, but frequently throughout my normal daily routines. Walking to and from the car. Around the office at work. Up and down the stairs at home. While vacuuming the carpet. You get the idea. As long as my maximus is in fact, maximus, I will endeavor to do my best to reduce it to a minimus and pray that underneath that protective layer, I’ll uncover my dormant Buns of Steel.
And for the record, Men, stop laughing at us. There are many men out there who could benefit from this as well, since most men complain about their pancake butts once they reach a certain age. Try squeezing a few quarters yourself and who knows – you might be able to plump up those pancakes sufficiently to avoid having to wear your trousers up under your armpits!
Full steam ahead – get thee behind me Satan. Nearly two weeks down and each day brings us one day closer to walking in victory!
If you don’t make a total commitment to whatever you’re doing, then you start looking to bail out the first time the boat starts leaking. It’s tough enough getting that boat to shore with everybody rowing, let alone when a guy stands up and starts putting his life jacket on. ~ Lou Holtz
“You are tempted in the same way that everyone else is tempted. But God can be trusted not to let you be tempted too much, and he will show you how to escape from your temptations.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 (CEV)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: I thank you, Lord for always challenging me to try harder to become a better person each and every day. Some days I feel like giving up, but I know you purposely put people in my life to encourage and support me. (Thank you for Christina. May she be blessed as she has blessed me.) I’m getting too old to keep giving up and starting over. Please let THIS year, be the year of my success. Give me this day my daily bread. Amen.
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January 13, 2010
I watched part of The Biggest Loser last night and as usual, for even the 30 minutes I tuned in, I was moved to compassion by these severely obese people, but also inspired by their courage and determination. And of course, blown away by the radical amount of weight they’ve lost in only two weeks. It’s so important to keep reality shows in perspective though.
Yes, it’s a great show for motivating those of us at home to get off the couch and make changes in our lives. However, most of us aren’t afforded the luxury of being isolated on a weight loss ranch for three or four months at a time and taken out of our normal lives to concentrate on the singular goal of losing weight. Given the same exact circumstances, - away from jobs, kids, school and day-to-day responsibilities and given the advantage of working out six or eight hours each day, we’d all lose massive amounts of weight in a short period of time. Plus on The Biggest Loser campus they’ve got a bevy of nutritionists and medical doctors and not to mention amazing trainers at their beck and call monitoring their progress. Real-life rarely affords that. Get a clue, folks – that’s not real life – but reality TV.
Most of us do have busy lives with jobs and households to run and we’re lucky to squeeze in 30-45 minutes of exercise three or four times a week. And realistically, if you weigh over five hundred pounds (like one of this season’s contestants), losing 45 pounds in two weeks is a very small percentage of weight loss.
It’s okay to set goals with regards to our weight loss, but keep them realistic. Rather than focusing on a specific number like, “I’m going to lose 20 pounds by the end of the month if it kills me!” (Oh really?) Set your sights on something more easily attainable such as “At the end of one month, I want to be able to walk a mile without gasping for air.” Or, “At the end of this month, I want to fit in to jeans one size smaller.” Or, “In one month I hope to be able to bend over and comfortably touch my toes without blacking out when I stand up.” Keep it real.
Obviously your goals will change as your body and your weight changes. Set mini goals each week without putting pressure on yourself to weigh a certain number at the end of each week. Even if your goals are as simple as “I will resist the temptation of eating the complimentary bread that comes before my meal this week.” Or “I will not give in to the urge to eat the candy sitting on the receptionist’s desk at work this week.” Resisting temptations are every bit as important as going to the gym or losing five pounds this week. Learning to say “no” to unwise food choices is half the battle of losing weight. Even if you only lose one pound this week, give yourself a pat on the back because you are blessed to be a “Loser!”
Look at the realistic things you can accomplish this week – and then do them!
Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. ~ Unknown Source
“For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4:13 (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: I know that apart from you Lord, I am nothing. I pray for the emotional and mental strength to resist temptations today. I pray for the time to be able to exercise today and I pray for physical strength to give it 100% when I do exercise. I pray my body will function as you designed it and that my heart and my lungs will be strengthened by my efforts. I pray my arms, my legs and my mind will work in perfect harmony so I can maximize whatever exercise I get today. Thank you for all you have blessed me with, Lord. Give me this day my daily bread. Amen.
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January 12, 2010
Occasionally there will be one of those days when you just want to have a good old fashioned pity party because of your weight issues? It seems so unfair that we’re surrounded by people who can eat anything they want and never gain a pound. It seems unfair that when we’re working so hard to control our food portions and eating healthy foods, someone brings donuts to work. It seems unfair that we’ve got a friend doing the same program as we are and they’re down a whole pant size while we’re still squeezing into our fat girl jeans. It just seems so unfair that we weren’t born 5′9″ tall and we’re trapped in a short squatty body. It seems so unfair – fill in the blank – with the appropriate grievance. The list is endless.
Some days it seems so much easier to blame our faulty metabolism or defective thyroid on our weight problems. I’ve even gone so far as to blame God, because after all, He made me this way. I’ve blamed my parents, who were so genetically mismatched (in my opinion) they had no business ever procreating. Some days it just feels easier to play the blame game rather than pointing that finger of accusation back at myself.
Playing the blame game or having a pity party proves two things – most of us have a terrible two-year-old living on the inside of us and whining is easier than working at something. It bears noting that hosting a pity party is one party for which there are no complimentary hostess gifts. We need to reprimand that inner whiny two-year-old and get tough with ourselves.
Haven’t we all told our children at one time or another “Life’s not fair – suck it up!” Losing weight and getting healthy is the perfect time to remind ourselves “Life’s not fair so suck it up!” Don’t count on losing weight getting any easier. Our minds, our stomachs and our bodies rarely are in agreement with one another. There will be “off” days. If losing weight were easy, it wouldn’t be a billion dollar a year business. We want the quick fix. With weight loss, we all know there isn’t one. Don’t let the off days discourage you to the point of throwing in the towel. One day soon you’ll be the person your friends are whining about because you’re looking so good. Quit your whining and suck it up!
Obesity is a mental state, a disease brought on by boredom and disappointment. ~Cyril Connolly, The Unquiet Grave
Always be joyful. Keep on praying. No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, forgive me for my self-absorption and my whining and complaining. I know there are so many people whose lives are far more tragic than mine and I am blessed. Thank you that I have food options and I don’t live in country where want and hunger is a way of life. I pray your forgiveness and thank you for reigning me in and helping me to see the bigger picture. Give me this day, my daily bread, Lord.
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January 11, 2010
It’s Monday and many of us secretly hope to wake up and all of sudden find that we’ve lost 20 pounds overnight. After all – it’s been 10 whole days! The cold hard reality, is that 10 days is barely enough time to make a significant change in the way we’re feeling or looking. Believe it or not, there is a huge contingency of people who’ve already ditched their resolutions and fallen right back into old bad habits. Hopefully you aren’t one of them.
In order to keep ourselves from becoming yet another weight-loss failure statistic, we must have tenacity for the boring day-to-day business of making lifestyle changes. Boredom is the number one reason most people quit any activity or program. Perhaps it’s time we mix it up a little and consider incorporating moderate exercise into our daily routine. (It’s always recommended to check with your physician before beginning any new exercise routine.)
Exercise doesn’t have to be boring or expensive. A good pair of walking shoes can put you on the right track (literally). Hopefully you’ve already found a reliable accountabiltiy partner to help with your eating resolutions as you restructure your food choices. To guarantee success when exercising, having a willing accountability partner will do exactly what the name suggests – keep you accountable and committed to a workout program. Find a walking buddy who you can meet with regularly and start slowly.
Don’t overdue your first day of any new exercise, especially if you haven’t exercised in a while. Overdoing it too soon causes those underused muscles to rebel and keeps us from advancing any further. If you’re not already exercising, pick a short walking route to begin with and choose a comfortable steady pace. (Try your neighborhood, a park, a high school track or the mall.) Ideally you want to challenge your body to walk farther and faster each day.
Check with your local high school or YMCA for public indoor pools. Swimming is a great exercise that won’t impact your joints the way walking, jogging or cycling will. Dust off your bicycle or tennis equipment, golf clubs, softball gear, bowling ball and shoes … whatever will get you moving and off the couch. Maybe you’ll want to invest in a Nintendo Wii Fit and make it a family affair. Your spouse and kids will love spending time with you and your body will thank you for it in the long run.
In a perfect world where money is no object, we’d all hire personal trainers and belong to a gym outfitted with every modern piece of exercise equipment. Since a lot of us don’t have those options, we need to get creative. Or in a perfect world, we’d all have a magic genie who would simply snap his fingers and give us perfect bodies with instant weight loss. Since that’s not realistic - hang tough and focus on what you can do today to make positive changes. Be it eating right, exercising more or studying God’s Word for wisdom and strength - do what you have to do DAILY to endure to the finish. Boredom can only defeat you if you let it. Attitude is everything!
The greatest discovery of my generation is that a human being can alter his life by altering his attitudes of mind. - William James (1842-1910)
“And I am sure that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on that day when Christ Jesus comes back again.” Philippians 1:6 (NLT)
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Lord, I pray you will give strength to my body to begin a healthy exercise program. Help me to find something that’s not only fun, but will be of great benefit to my body and my spirit. I thank you for the ability to move what I’ve got and helping me to do what I can right where I am at. May I be challenged each day to work a little harder than I did the day before. And may I start to see the benefits of my healthy eating and exercising SOON, God so I will not become bored and quit. Give me this day my daily bread! Amen.
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January 10, 2010
So we’ve been battling the bulge. Wrestling with restaurant menus and meal planning. Tackling the jobs of ridding the pantry of all non-healthy snacks. Weighing and measuring our foods. Lifting our spirits with positive attitudes. Attacking the stairs instead of using the elevator. Parking a little farther from the door so we can power walk to the door. Shoring up our defenses, toting that bale, lifting that hay, banging the drum … blah, blah, blah. Whatever your metaphor - I don’t know about you, but all this working to get healthy and I’m a little tired.
God did not design our bodies to be in work mode 24/7. Even He rested after all the work He had done. Since we’re in the very beginning stages of making lifestyle changes that will carry us through the rest of our lives, why not decide to set aside one day a week to rest our weary minds and bodies for the purpose of simple relaxation.
I suggest you relax (NOT COMPLETELY ABANDON) your mindset that has us in diet mode everyday of the week. (Although, we’re not on a diet - but making lifestyle changes!) Relax your rigorous mindset from worrying about everything that goes in your mouth and every extra calorie you need to burn.
Whether your Sabbath is Saturday or Sunday, God purposely set aside one day a week for us to rest and regroup. Ideally God intended the day to be a day of spending in communion with Him with praise, prayer, worship and fellowship. All great ideas. In addition to spending quality time with God why not spend quality time with loved ones, friends, family, or even quiet reflection time for yourself to just sit and bask in inactivity.
Give yourself permission to chill out one day without worrying about work, schedules, meal planning, grocery shopping, etc. You get the idea. Relax your “diet” mentality for today and enjoy Sunday dinner with your family even if it’s fried chicken with biscuits and gravy. Peel the skin off the chicken, use common sense to limit your portion sizes and focus on the social aspect of the meal.
Regardless of how you spend your Sabbath, rest up for tomorrow is a new day and a new week which most likely will bring with it new challenges. The long haul is going to be just that - long. Pace yourself and sprinkle your weight loss program with realistic expectations and enough down time to give you strength to see your goals become reality. We’re in a marathon - not a sprint!
He enjoys true leisure who has time to improve his soul’s estate. ~Henry David Thoreau
“So creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day, having finished his task, God rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation.” Genesis 2:1-3
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you, Lord for a day of resting my mind, my body and my spirit. May I be rejuvinated and renewed to begin fresh tomorrow with a healthy attitude and mindset. May I enjoy all you have created, today and everyday. I thank you for all the immeasurable blessings in my life. Give me this day, my daily bread. Amen.
January 9, 2010
Weekends bring with them their own special brand of temptation in the form of dining out. Only one week into our commitment to get healthy and leaner in 2010, and around every corner lies a saboteur. Our well meaning spouse who brings home pizza and wings so, “You don’t have to cook tonight, Honey!” Or maybe it’s your mother-in-law who’s feeling a little bit lonely so she calls and invites you out for a big pancake breakfast. Even the kids - the young and innocent - who beg and plead for you to treat them to In-N-Out burgers after their triumphant Soccer Tournament win. Ouch! Help us Lord!
Now that we’re incorporating lifestyle changes into our daily nutrition, eating out should be looked upon as a very winable challenge. Unless we intend to lock ourselves away like reclusive hermits until we feel as though we’ve loss sufficient weight, gotten our blood pressure under control and have healthy cholesterol – we’re going to have to figure out how to interact with the dining out population.
It’s important to set healthy boundaries when eating out. Never confess to anyone that “you can’t eat there, because I’m on a diet.” Sadly, there are a lot of people out there who will take that as a personal challenge and do everything in their power to thwart your efforts. (Those are usually the well meaning friends who weigh 90 lbs. or the ones who have stopped trying altogether and want everyone to be as miserable as they are.)
Most restaraunts these days serve entrees with humongous portions. Enlist the aide of a friend or spouse to share an entree with you. If you have no takers on the sharing thing, ask the waitress for a “To Go” container IMMEDIATELY when you order your food and when the meal arrives IMMEDIATELY transfer half the portion to the styrofoam container and save it for lunch the next day. Both of the options have just saved you HALF the calories.
Stay away from entrees that have heavy sauces (cream or butter) and choose vegetables or salad as your sides rather than pototoes (mashed, fried or otherwise). When having salad, it’s the cheese, croutons and fatty dressings that add the most calories. Opt for a low-cal dressing or vinegar and oil - always ON THE SIDE. Learn these words! They are your friend when eliminating useless calories.
Eating fast food isn’t rocket science. Avoid any menu item that has the words “Grande,” “Extra-Large,” “Super-Size,” or “Jumbo” in the description. Common sense should tell you that these should be big “no-no’s” for anyone wanting to trim down. Substituting a side salad or plain baked potato is obviously going to be a healthier choice than jumbo fries.
No truer words were ever spoken than those by Garfield the Cat, who said, “Diet is die with a ‘t’ on the end. Amen, Garfield! We are not on a diet, but have chosen to clean house and get these temples of ours in better shape. If we’re going to be around for the long haul and be about God’s business, we need to take care of what He has entrusted to us today!
“So humble yourselves before God. Resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. Draw close to God, and God will draw close to you.” James 4:7-8 (NLT)
Obstacles are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal. - Henry Ford
PRAYER FOR TODAY: That is my prayer, Lord, that I can resist the devil and all the slings and arrows he aims at me for my destruction. Help me to stand strong, make healthy choices and choose to do the right thing to care for this temple that you have entrusted to me. Give me this day, my daily bread. Amen.
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January 8, 2010
Congratulations, we’ve made it through our first week of getting healthy and positive lifestyle changes! Monitoring our progress by weighing ourselves helps us to chart our successes and/or failures. However, it’s important not to become a slave to the scale – or PAMMI, which is an acronym for: Personality Altering, Mood Monitoring Instrument. Letting the scale dictate our moods based on a loss or a gain may seem far-fetched, but if you’re a woman, you know exactly what I’m talking about! Don’t give in to the enemy whose sole job in life is to make you unhappy however he can.
Don’t become fixated with the numbers on the scale and don’t have unrealistic expectations. A two to five pound weight loss for the first week is excellent. If you lost more than that - yay for you! But if you only lost one pound or less don’t beat yourself up. Every pound lost is a victory. Numbers should not be able to steal our joy!
Weighing every day (or after every meal or every trip to the gym) quickly becomes just another bondage or addiction. A once-a-week weigh in is realistic. Keeping a written record will help us stay accountable and on track. It’s also a good idea to record your measurements with a measuring tape about once a month. Oftentimes the numbers on the scale aren’t relaying what’s really happening in our bodies. We may be losing inches that don’t reflect on the scale. No change on the scale can oftentimes lead to discouragement and cause us to give up prematurely. The changes in your body may be too subtle to show up on the scale, but the measurements won’t lie.
Avoid comparing your weight loss journey with someone else. You are a unique individual, specially created in the Father’s image and we’re all different. Even if you’re following an identical program with your spouse, best friend or identical twin sister or brother, your DNA is different, so your weight loss is specific to YOU. If God has taken the time to number the hairs on your head, you can rest assured that He’s got your number when it comes to losing weight!
Keep up the good work! Tomorrow is a new day and new week!
“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.” Psalm 139:13-14 (NLT)
A pound lost is a pound gone and hopefully one we’ll never see again!
PRAYER FOR TODAY: Thank you Lord for getting me through a week of lifestyle changes and that much closer to my goal of healthy living. May you bless me with mercy and grace to continue these changes for the upcoming week. Grant me wisdom and common sense to incorporate even more changes with this new week. May I not be overwhelmed to the point of stress and may I not become complacent and fall into boredom so I revert back to my bad habits. Help me to overcome laziness in my thoughts and actions. Give me this day, my daily bread! Amen.
