Women's Wellness Wednesdays: What are YOU craving today?

I remember those evenings, when all the children were finally in bed, my husband was working the night shift so he was not home, and I was sitting on my couch in front of my TV.....exhausted.
It would hit me.
A bowl of ice cream sounds really nice right now!!
Or, how about that bag of pretzels?
Gonna wash it down with a Diet Root Beer.

When I changed up my diet over a year ago, I noticed something remarkable.
I gradually stopped craving sweets.
Sweets like anything chocolate, breads (which are almost all carbohydrate and are changed into sugar in your body for energy), diet soda, juices, cookies, desserts, etc.
I cut out desserts and sweet treats and ice cream and dairy, and I noticed that I didn't think about those kinds of foods, didn't have the afternoon crashes of energy, and pretty soon could walk past the dessert table at church functions without even thinking about it.

Recently, I came across some really helpful information:

(click on the above image to see it larger)

We were indeed designed by God to crave things.

But I don't believe it was his intention that we crave food.
When we CRAVE something to eat, there is usually something off balance in our body.
Cravings are an internal mechanism wired into our bodies to alert us to something necessary that we are missing.
God intended that we crave HIM.
Lysa Terkeurst, in her book Made to Crave, said:

"Yes, we were made to crave - long for, want greatly, desire eagerly, and beg for - God.

Only God.

But Satan wants to do everything possible to replace our craving for God with something else.

Here's what the Bible says about this:
'Do not love the world or anything in the world.  

If anyone loves the world - the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes

and the boasting of what he has and does - comes not from the Father

but from the world.  1 John 2:12-16'"

What a revelation for me to realize that the Devil uses our physical cravings to distract us from the One true source of all I need.

My sense of comfort, my desire to "reward" myself,  my lonliness, or boredom, or frustration.....all should be taken to the Lord.

I should be looking to Him to meet those needs in my life!

Another helpful article on physical cravings and the source of those can be found here:

Identify Your Food Cravings

When I walked away from those sweets and dairy products, I had to replace it with something else.
Something healthy, nutritious, better balanced.
And guess what?!
Those are the things I still look forward to and.....crave, if you will

In her book, Lysa also said:

"Cravings.  Are they a curse or a blessing?

The answer to that depends on what we're craving.  

And what we're craving will always depend on whatever we're consuming......

the object of our desire or

 God and his truth."

What are you craving today?

Mashed potatoes with gravy?

Macaroni and cheese?

Ice cream?

Chocolate chip cookies?

Chocolate chips?

Are you REALLY hungry,

or do you eat an unhealthy amount of those things causing an imbalance in nutrients and minerals

in your body that keep you satisfied and full of energy all day?

Or do you.....

"....As newborn babes, desire (crave) the sincere word of God

that you may grow thereby..."

1 Peter 2:2

-

"Where there is no vision..."

"Feel within deep latent urges to get things done,
to be rising above this slough of unconscious mediocrity that seems to characterize my days.
Father, if these strong currents be flesh driven,
I pray thee staunch and slay them,
but if sublimated, channeled into courses which will do Thy service,
then intensify them,
mobilize them,
give them direction, 
for I long--Thou knowest how earnestly--
that the bride of Thine own dear Son be made perfect and entire in my day.
Yea, Lord, if it cost me my bride in this life,
let me have They grace and power to bring to the Lamb the reward of His sufferings."

~~ 21 year old Jim Elliot
December 22, 1948
7 years before his slaughter on the mission field at the hand of the savages he committed to sharing the gospel with

This has been a wonderful first week of this new year!!

I was looking back at our first week of last year and was reminded that we were in the midst of a horrible stomach virus.

I'm oh, so grateful, to not be dealing with that!

You can read about it here.

We are still on Winter Break.....yep, no school.

Can I just say that I think that has been the smartest decision I've made concerning our homeschooling to date.

THREE weeks of winter break...no school.

There is usually no way that I am ready to jump back in to being strangled by the clock and all the things that have to be done everyday just to stay on track on the Monday after 2 weeks of reveling and celebration and the weekend with church and Christmas and New Year's Day!!!

We have enjoyed leisurely putting away the Christmas tree and the lights,

and getting the laundry caught up, and some cleaning done.

My husband and I have updated our yearly budget this week and have a plan!!

I climbed under both sets of bunkbeds in my girls' room and hauled out unbelievable things!!

I sat down with two of my children and we talked through some goals for projects we want to complete this spring toward earning some badges in our Master Club program at church on Wednesday nights. 

I've tried a couple new plant-based recipes from a folder of ideas I put together when looking through magazines, pulling out what I would actually use and tossing the magazine after it had been pilfered.

I've filled in our new calendar with all the appointments and special dates we need to remember.

I've pulled off all the Christmas pictures from last year {2010} that are on my frig., and put up all the fresh, new pictures from this past Christmas{2011}.

I've had time to knead through some ideas for a better system of making my weekly grocery lists, and maybe a daily to-do list to give me more focus during my days.

But most importantly,
I've been thinking about some goals for this year.
And a plan to make those goals a reality.

First, I did eventually finish memorizing the entire book of Philippians in 2011.
I loved doing that and it was fairly easy to work on during my hour long walks listening to the scriptures on my smart phone.
I'm pondering which book to work on this year.
It may take me longer than a year.
Maybe Galatians, maybe Ruth....or ESTHER!
For more on the critical need for scripture memorization in our lives....watch here.
I've also been thinking about naming this year.
To give it more clarity and focus for what I want to study and live out more authentically.
Last year, 2011, was "The Year of Grace."
I may need to do that one over some time.
But because of this marvelous freedom we have in Christ, because of His great love and mercy and forgiveness, upon our salvation, our accepting His free gift.....
it naturally causes me to want to draw nearer to Him.....to worship.....adore.
I want to know more about what true, authentic worship means.
Is all worship offered with sincerity and reverence acceptable to Him?
I want to explore how my own worship may be falling short or if it is quite anemic.
What more can I offer Him?
These are things I want to focus on studying and listening for.
So I'm naming 2012 my "Year of Worship."
For more on this idea, see here and here.

On a health note, by God's grace alone, I've been able to maintain the weight loss I reached in 2010.  
My goal at the beginning of last year was to get to the bottom of some hitches I was having with my thyroid levels.
Thankfully, I found a tremendous amount of relief from adding natural progesterone cream, completely ditching all my hygiene products that I learned are full of harmful chemicals and xenoestrogens, and my husband and I have determined to journey to a more plant-based diet.
We've gone dairy-free, and virtually left animal products behind.
It hasn't been easy with the children and we're still not perfect in our nutrition,
but we're progressing.
Moving forward in the journey to better health.
As a result, my endocrinologist lowered my dose of levothyroxine at my last visit.
I've had to be off all my allergy meds for the last month, and so far no infections and not a whole lot of itching/sneezing/congestion.
At least I can get by with minimal amounts of over-the-counter allergy meds.
We are saving to purchase a juicer, which we found to be very beneficial to us this last fall when my husband borrowed a Breville and lost 25 pounds in 15 days of strict juicing.
I even lost 7 more pounds in the 5 days I joined him!!!

Lots of things on the bucket list this year, and I'm very excited.
Excited to see what the Lord has in store for us, and to offer thanks for it all!!

The Journey: Why is obesity an epidemic in our country?

While I was on this journey last year to lose 45 pounds,

 not only was I learning how to count calories,

 how to fit exercise into my already bulging daily schedule,

how to plan ahead and list out my snacks for the day,

how to accept that loneliness, frustration, and boredom were emotions that were fueling some bad snacking habits,

but I also had to learn how to control my portions!!

It was another enormous "ah-HA" moment for me when I began paying attention

 to what a REAL serving size is.

I was a little ashamed when I realized that I was often eating enough for 2 or 3 people!!

It takes an enormous amount of self-control to only eat one piece of pizza when you're STARVING!

(Well, for me anyway!)

But that's just it.

I had to learn the foods that were "diet busters" for me and either:

1.  Avoid them completely until I wasn't starving

2.  Manage my hunger better with a salad or something ahead of time so I didn't gorge

I started thinking about this idea of self-control a LOT!

I thought about the way the American culture is overloaded with huge servings!

We want everything "super sized"

and instead of treating it like it is...enough servings for several people...

we eat the entire thing!!

I don't think we expect to go into a restaurant these days, and get anything less than 

a wheel barrel full of food on our plates.

And we wonder why obesity is such a problem?

 Americans are becoming more comfortable with and accommodating to being such an unhealthy size.

Have you noticed that clothing sizes are different/bigger than they used to be?

I'm convinced that the size 10 jeans I could buy today are waaaay bigger than the size 10 jeans I

used to buy 15-20 years ago.

They have such a large selection these days of clothing for the larger person,

as well as so many accoutrements to accommodate them.

I heard recently that the number of bariatric surgeries has just skyrocketed!

Obviously, we have a problem with obesity in this country,

but we want the quick way out of the problem.

We either live in denial (that hamburger isn't THAT big or I'm not THAT heavy, I'm just pleasantly plump!),

or want a quick-fix!

Why can't we be content with just one serving?

Isn't that all we really need?

Am I using my food to be my comfort?

Am I so overwhelmed with my responsibilities and daily stresses that I turn to that box of cookies?

Why am I not turning to the Lord with my burdens?

"The Lord is my portion, saith my soul;

therefore will I hope in Him."

~Lamentations 3:24

"I cried unto thee, O Lord:

I said, Thou art my refuge and my portion......

Attend unto my cry;

for I am very low:

....Bring my soul out of prison,

that I may praise thy name."

~Psalm 142:5-7

I get that obesity will not become completely extinct in our country if we all learned portion control.

I know there is so much more involved.

But I have observed that Americans eat way more than they need to,

and that the driving force behind that should be addressed.

Sure, it's genetic.

Because my parents had bad eating habits passed down to them from their parents.

And where did my grandparents learn unhealthy eating patterns?

From their parents.

That's the genetic link.

It became so intensely clear to me that my children learn how to eat

and why to eat from.....

ME.

I want them to learn that finding a quiet place to regroup when the frustration mounts,

or that a hot cup of tea or coffee with some sweet, lovely music can calm the soul

better than that bowl of ice cream.

I want them to learn that beginning their day in the majestic and peaceful presence of the Lord

will make all the days pressures pale in comparison.

"My flesh and my heart may fail,

but God is the strength of my heart

and my portion forever."

~Psalm 73:26

The Journey: Accepting that I must be a good steward of my body

As I moved farther along the road of this weight-loss last year, something occurred to me.

I would see these stories of men and women who so misused their food and completely ignored the warning signs of impeding danger happening in their bodies that eventually they became so morbidly obese that they would have to be cut out of their houses and hauled in special vehicles that could handle their weight to the nearest hospital that could handle the catastrophic damage they had incurred on their bodies.

Those stories left such an impact on me and I began pondering how and why such things could happen.
When most of these men and women reached a certain size, their poor bones just couldn't bear the weight anymore and they were often confined in an enormous bed in their living rooms.  I wondered how they continued to be able to eat.  I mean, if they couldn't walk, who was bringing the food to them??
Usually a family member.  And if that family member balked because they could see the danger this large person was in, that person would get extremely manipulative with them, and they obviously gave in to the large person's demands.  Obviously......I mean, how else could they sustain themselves?

So I began thinking......

"Is this really what God intended when He created our bodies?"

Why did God design our bodies they way He did?

Why did He create us with the need to consume food?  Such an enjoyable experience, most of the time.

Did He mean for us to literally feed ourselves to death?

Did He intend for us to use our food as a best friend?  A comfort in emotional times?  A way of escaping the boredom or stress or frustrations of the day?

Isn't that what He wants to be to us?

Shouldn't we find all our needs met in our relationship with our Heavenly Father?

Doesn't He want to meet all our needs?

Certainly He didn't intend for us to have a relationship with our food!!

Did He intend for us to just allow ourselves to slip into apathy, fatigue, and ill-health?

Now please don't think that I'm missing that some people have lots of things that are completely out of

their control that cause them to be unable to take good care of themselves.

I know there are single Moms out there who literally have no time for themselves between the needs of their children, their job, and their home.

I get that some people have illnesses that confine them at home when they would much rather

be out walking and getting some exercise!

That's NOT what I'm talking about.

I was just thinking about me.  

I learned that emotional eating is not just eating when you're sad.

Boredom, loneliness, and stress are all emotions too.

Three years ago, things were stressful in my life, but I had no IDEA the tidal wave of life that was about to be coming at me.

It happens.

But I wondered if the way I had responded to everything was what God has intended.

I only have this one body.

I don't have another chance.

Only one shot.

This is it.

How am I using it?

Am I taking the best care of it (this body) as I can?

I know that I cannot prevent every form of illness to come into my life.

No amount of vitamins, supplements, exercise, visits to the chiropractor, refusing to eat anything that is not hormone, chemical, or cage-free, tofu eating, or vegan dieting can prevent something that God has written into the appointment book of my life from happening to me.

But I do believe that He expects us to take care of the gifts He has given us.

I really think that our Intelligent Designer created us in the most spectacularly detailed way to function amazingly when cared for properly.

I have a responsibility to use this one body, this one life in the way He designed it, for His glory.

"For you are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God in your body,

and in your spirit,

which are God's"

~ 1 Corinthians 6:20

"...but that with all boldness,

as always,

so now Christ shall be magnified in my body,

whether it be by life or by death."

~Philippians 1:20

How can I do that when I abuse it?

How can I be considered a faithful "steward" if I'm trashing what He has given me, or ignoring it's flags for help?
How can do my best for Him, be the hands and feet of Jesus, if I'm too exhausted from being overweight or some other physical ailment that just needs a little attention?

I have to be responsible.

No one else can do this for me.

It's up to me.
I learned that I'm in a race....not to see who can finish first....but who can stay in it and finish at ALL.
Better be training, and as healthy as possible, and shaking off any extra things that may "weigh" me down.

"Do you not know that those who run in a race all run,

but only one receives the prize?

Run in such a way that you may win.

And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things.

They then do it to receive a perishable wreath,

but we an imperishable.

Therefore, I run in such a way,

as not without aim;

I box in such a way,

as not beating the air;

but I buffet my body and make it my slave,

lest possibly,

after I have preached to others,

I myself should be disqualified."

~ 1 Corinthians 9: 24-27

The Journey: Making a plan ("Plan-of-a-snack")

One thing that was terrific for me in learning how to manage my weight and eating habits was to PLAN out ahead of time the snacks that would fit into my daily calorie budget.
Let me tell ya, I was almost always ready for a little something half-way between breakfast and lunch, and between lunch and dinner.
Those were my two "tricky" times.
Especially after lunch.....about 3 pm!!
If I wasn't careful, I would start vacuuming up whatever I saw laying around the house.
And those aren't "free" calories!!

So it made sense to me to make a list of snacks that I knew I loved that had a label on it so I knew exactly how many calories were in it.
Here are some of my favorites:

A mini bag of microwave popcorn (100 calories each)

with a diet 7-up

This is super satisfying and fills you up!!

A tube of "go-gurt" yogurt....frozen!!!

Yummy and only like 70 calories

(I did stop buying these though when I realized they are LACED with high fructose corn syrup.
In their defense though, I do believe they have begun marketing these gogurt tubes without the HFCS under the name of "Gogurt Simple".  Check them out!)

Remember that a serving of fruit is always a great way to boost your vitamin and mineral intake,

as well as fluid and fiber.

A cold crispy apple is delicious, as well as one banana (already pre-packaged for you!),

or those cutie little clementine oranges.

If I was starving though, these weren't the best at satisfying and could even make you want to eat more...

like a teaser somehow!!

A bowl of fresh strawberries with a dollop of whipped topping is fabulous though!!

Very satisfying and packed with vitamin C and fiber.

The prettier I made it look, the more satisfying it was to me.

Who doesn't want to try something like this:

I learned that protein is a GREAT hunger buster, so I tried to add more protein into my mealtimes to curb that hunger longer.

Some yummy protein snacks are:

Cheese sticks and a few crackers.

(Beware though:  Cheese and peanut butter are calorie DENSE!!

They have a LOT of calories in just a mouthful.

Self-control is key here!  That's why I liked the pre-packaged cheese sticks because one serving is one package...it's all figured out for you.  Stop with one.)

My new favorite secret weapon is a little treat I discovered when looking for a higher protein snack.

These protein bars are delicious, easy to toss in your purse for those morning or afternoon shopping trips,

and always satisfied my craving for chocolate.  They became a staple snack item for me.

They are a little pricey though at about $1 a bar.

I bought mine at Costco in a 3-box package, but I also found them at Wal-Mart in single boxes.

They come in different flavors with the Chocolate Peanut Butter being my favorite with the

 Chewy Chocolate Chip coming in a close second!!

These bars are packed with 20 grams of protein and very little carbs, so they really curb your appetite!

Another great protein snack is a simple hard-boiled egg.

This is a great snack for my diabetic daughter too, because it has no carbs in it, she doesn't have to take insulin to eat it!!

One large hard boiled egg has only 70 calories!!

You don't want to be poppin' five of these babies in your mouth though.....watch the cholesterol!!

Again....moderation and self-control!!

Finally, another thing I learned about myself that was an "a-HA" moment

was that sometimes when I felt hungry.....my body was trying to tell me that I was just thirsty.

So I learned to use that hungry feeling as a cue for a drink.

I started trying some water (which I HATE),

or a diet 7-up or sprite, 

or a cup of hot tea or decaf coffee.

When I learned to slow down for a minute and incorporate a "coffee" break into my day,

it gave me a definite stopping point where I could catch my breath,

regroup,

refresh, 

and then go on with a little more energy.

Making time for a little refreshment in my afternoon was another lovely

routine that I've learned to love about a healthier lifestyle.

The Journey: Taking exercise to a new level

This time last year, I was just a couple weeks into my journey of learning a healthier lifestyle and working towards my goal of losing 45 pounds.  I was closely following the program on CalorieKing.com, and was seeing success.  Of course, I knew that weight loss involved not only monitoring your calorie intake (which was a lot of fun with the online journals and charts and little topics to read), but it involved using up the calories you consumed.

It was like an "a-ha" moment for me to put together that our bodies were intelligently designed to run like machines.  To be alive and simply function, your body has to have energy.  To have energy, your body was intelligently designed to have to consume food, which it converts into that energy.  Take in less fuel (food) than your body uses and you lose weight; take in more fuel (food) than your body needs and it just stores it all and you gain weight. 

 Simple, easy principle.

I learned that you can lose weight even if you don't exercise by following that principle.

But when you're trying to take in less calories than you're using,

it can be difficult to stay within your daily calorie target.

The easy way to "earn" more calories was to exercise.

Basically, however many calories you burn off, you need to consume.

So, say, I walked for 30 minutes and worked off 200 calories,

I needed to eat that many more calories so I didn't go too far below my calorie target.

If you go too low, then your body wants to go into "famine" mode and hang on to 

fat so you don't starve yourself.

Remember that you 're already working at a "reduced calorie" intake,

and not the calorie intake that you normally need to eat just to maintain.

So you should already be taking in 400 less calories per day to lose weight.

If you add an addition 200 calories (from the exercise) then you're going to be taking in too few calories and your body is designed to protect you from starvation!!

I was constantly reminded at how wonderfully we were created, and how loving our Heavenly Father is to think of all these things for us and to care for us!!

I learned that balance is the key!!

So I started exercising whenever I could.

It wasn't much at first.

It was still winter.

Remember I was struggling with being able to keep warm, so I wasn't inclined to go out on cold days.

I looked into a gym,

but couldn't afford it.

I wasn't terribly interested in going somewhere else to work out either.

Plus, there was the child care to think about.

So I simply started walking.....around the neighborhood.

For about 20-30 minutes 3 times a week.

No biggie.

Not stressful.

And I lost weight because of it.

After awhile though, it got kinda boring.

I wanted to do something with my mind during that time.

Then an opportunity came up at church for me to perform in a drama about the life of Fanny Crosby.

It was going to take a LOT of memorization.

I was intrigued by the challenge because I wasn't sure if my memory was as sharp as it had once been.

I was just starting the treatment for my thyroid, so my mind was still covered in a fog.

But I used that exercise time to memorize my lines.

We were performing this drama at Mother's Day in May.

As we got closer to Easter, I started thinking I needed more time to memorize.

So I started walking more.

I bumped up to 45 minutes of walking 3 times a week.

The weight started coming off steadily, but very gradually.

By the time Mother's Day rolled around,

I had all my lines memorized and had lost 20 pounds!!

What a feeling of accomplishment!

But then what.

After that was all over, I needed to keep going.

I had been telling my friend about my goals, and she was noticing the weight-loss.

I needed to add more time in because my calorie intake had been adjusted down because I was at a smaller body size now.

So I started setting my alarm for 6 am,

and would go out to the walking track that was about 5 minutes from my house.

I started by walking around the track 3 times which took me about 30 minutes.

Gradually, I added a lap as I could tolerate it.

Pretty soon I was doing 5 laps (which is exactly 4 miles) in about 65 minutes.

Then my friend asked if she could join me.

LOVED THAT!!!

I could only go on the days my husband wasn't working (since he leaves the house at 4:30 am),

so that was about 3-4 days a week.

When my friend couldn't go along,

I needed something else to occupy my mind.

I was so encouraged by memorizing the story of Fanny Crosby,

that I wondered why I hadn't thought of memorizing scripture while walking!!

It was then that I caught a radio broadcast of a lady who was accustomed to memorizing

entire BOOKS of the Bible.

And entire book??

Why not, I thought.

My favorite book of the Bible is Philippians, and through the years I've memorized large portions of every chapter, but never put the whole thing together.

So that was the starting point for me.

I began in the fall.

It has been slow going, and I've gotten distracted.

The weather has changed again, and it has gotten colder in the mornings.

I'm only up to the middle of the 3rd chapter.

But it's my goal to get back to that and finish the entire book by the end of February.

Yikes, I can't believe I just put that out there!!

But there it is.

And after that?

Who knows?

Maybe Ruth or Esther or another "Prison Epistle."

Would you like to join me?

Leave me a comment if you're interested.

Maybe a few verses a week?

I like to take a half a chapter a week, but that's just me.

Maybe you like to do more?

Exercising the mind is just as important as exercising the body!!

The Journey: a plateau

Plateau:  From "Wikipedia"

In geology and earth science, a plateau, also called a high plain or tableland, is an area of highland, usually consisting of relatively flat terrain. A highly eroded plateau is called a dissected plateau. A volcanic plateau is a plateau produced by volcanic activity.

Another definition of a plateau:  Taken from "Dictionary.com"

a period or state of little or no growth or decline: to reach a plateau in one's career




And finally from the "Calorie King" website:


If after losing weight successfully for some time, you reach a point where the number on the scale suddenly refuses to budge - sometimes for a number of weeks - you're said to have hit a "plateau".


After about 9 weeks of continual, gradual weight-loss, I hit my first plateau!!  Thankfully, the little challenges that you read through each week on the "Calorie King" program had already discussed this rather frustrating phenomena, so I wasn't too upset about it.  I just kept going.  Moving ahead like I had been doing and journaling my calories everyday, and exercising whenever I could.  Sure enough, the following week gave me another 1 pound loss.  


Two things became so clear to me almost immediately into this journey.  Weight loss is not (and should not be) this dramatic downward slide to 10 or 20 pounds of weight loss.  It is a slow gradual stair step down of consistent and purposeful retraining of yourself.  It comes slowly.  When you slip into old habits, you get back on track and continue to move forward in the things you have been learning.


It struck me how much this is exactly like my walk with the Lord.
  
There have been times in my life when I had time to consistently read God's Word on a daily basis, spend time in prayer, and memorize His Word.  
I knew my heart was searching for His leading in my life in every decision I faced at the time.
I felt like I was growing in my understanding of Him and His ways.
But then, something would change.
A new job.
A new schedule.
A new marriage to my husband.
A new lifestyle.
A new baby.
A new diagnosis.
I let those bumps in my life interrupt or stagnate my walk with the Lord.
I needed to keep on "in the things I had learned."
When I wasn't able to spend time with the Lord like I needed, I reached a plateau.
Where I wasn't growing or learning more and more about Him every day.
Where I wondered what was wrong.


But through this process, I remembered to get back to what I knew.
That's the answer.
To just keep on keeping on.
Do the right thing.
Do the things you know have been successful for you in the past.
Get back on track.
Get off the plateau.
Try something new to keep things fresh.
A new delicious, low-cal smoothie.
A new time in your day for your quiet time with the Lord.
Add some quiet music or a cup of coffee.


Work on your own version of a "Plateau Buster" and 
keep on going!!
Your body will forgive you and settle back in to weight loss.
My Heavenly Father extends grace.

The journey: Getting Started

That's such a lame title.

Maybe, as time goes on, I'll think of something a little more descriptive.

What I DO know is that I don't want this to be all about me.

Over the course of this year, I have learned so much about how SO MUCH is not about ME!

I write the following information strictly for the curious.

Since the beginning of this year, I have run into people I haven't seen for awhile and here is the first reaction:

"Wow!!  You've lost weight!"

The second statement that ALWAYS follows is this:

"How did you do it?"

So I quickly want to answer that question before I move onto what I actually gained this year!

When I decided that I was GOING to lose weight, I knew I was going to need a plan.

Something outlined in map formation.

With little goals along the way that would help me reach my ultimate goal of losing 45 pounds.

But I did not want to spend a lot of money on this.

I didn't want to buy any exercise equipment:

1. I don't have space in my crowded house for something like that.

2.  I don't know one. single. person who has purchased a piece of exercise equipment who didn't end up moving it out onto the patio for storage or just selling the thing. 

3.  I didn't want to get involved in something I would not want to continue once I reached my goal.

I didn't want to go out and spend a fortune on a gym membership,

or for a fancy, shmancy set of tennis shoes and matching workout clothes.

I didn't want to get involved in some kind of fad diet that you grow so secure in that you don't

learn how to change your lifestyle on your own for lasting weight loss.

No pills (what are you learning about yourself when you pop a pill?).

No weight watchers (great group, but not for me, 

hard to maintain unless you keep going to the support groups).

No pre-packaged meals sent to my house (too expensive, processed food, how are you learning portion control yourself when they do it for you?).

No cleanses or flushing of the bowels for this chick!!

I remembered that when we were sitting in the hospital with Ashlyn when she was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes nearly 2 years ago, that our "Diabetic Educator" handed us a book

that you take everywhere you go that has nearly every restaurant in the country listed

along with every entrée that restaurant offers.  Then they have the calories and carbs listed so you

can figure out how much insulin you need with your meal.

It's called "Calorie King."

I remembered that when I read through this book, I realized the guy who started putting all this information 

together was passionate about making weight management easier.

So I went to their website.

Calorie King

I read through the information on the website, and did the 1 week free trial.

What was there to lose (besides 45 pounds???)

I immediately liked the user friendliness of the program and ALL the tremendous information they give you.

I liked that it was simply about learning how many calories your body needs every day, 

and then reducing that amount by several hundred (calories) to lose 1-2 pounds a week.

I liked that you have to learn that every morsel you put in your mouth has a calorie attached to it,

and to remember that amount, you must write it down.

I especially like that they said up front, "You don't HAVE to exercise to lose the weight."

I wasn't sure how I would fit exercise into my already overloaded daily routine.

I didn't want my weight loss to become the overriding obsession of my life to the point

that it impacted my time with my children and husband.

I didn't want them resenting that I was gone everyday for hours!

So I signed up.

And I followed it faithfully.

I recorded my calorie intake everyday in their online journal, weighed in once a week, and learned that with exercising you can eat a few more calories on that day.  

I started walking 30 minutes 3 days a week.

Then I bumped it up to 45 minutes for 4 days a week.

The first week I lost 5 pounds, then every week after that I lost 2 pounds....until about the fourth week.

That's when I ran into my first experience with the phenomenon known as:

the plateau!!

That is the infamous point in your weight loss journey that can occur over and over where you lose very little weight one week to no weight at all!!

Those are very frustrating weeks!!

I'll tell you more about what I learned through those times and how to "bust 'em"

in the next installment of this journey!!

Before and After....My Journey

Why did I choose to blog?

What motivates me to sit down a few times a week and record the lessons I've learned,

the events our family has enjoyed together,

the struggles I'm growing in,

and the methods by which I do things?

One of the reasons I blog (journal) is so that my children will have a written record of why their mother did the things she did and how she did the things she did (in case by some wild chance they would want to follow that pattern too!)

I also blog with the thought that I'm not alone in this journey of motherhood and life.

I talk to other ladies everyday who are struggling with areas of their lives incredibly similar to my own,

and sometimes I'm a little farther down the road and want to offer some encouragement and ideas

to help her keep moving forward.

Finally, with those ideas in mind, I blog to point both my family and others to Christ.

He alone gets the credit for the beautiful things in my life,

as well as the challenging times which I know He has

sovereignly, deliberately planned for me to purge things out of my life,

and to grow new things in my life to make me more like Him.

On January 1st of this year (2010), I began a journey toward better health.

By December of last year, I just wasn't feeling like myself.

I've told many friends, "I just didn't feel like myself.  I don't know WHO I felt like,

but it WASN'T me."

I didn't like feeling the lifesaving flotation device around my waste every time I sat down that had gradually developed over a few years.

I had noticed that I was exhausted all the time.

Like, new pregnancy exhausted every time I woke up in the morning no matter how much sleep I had.

I noticed I was beginning to feel that my mind was in a thick fog. 

I always felt two steps behind every one else, and I had trouble remembering where I had put things, or names of people from long ago in my life, and if I didn't pay attention my mind would wander off.

These were such little issues I know, but they were beginning to bother me and interrupt my daily life.

Then, I was talking to a friend who was struggling with some thyroid issues.

As she began describing some of her symptoms, I could see some of the same things in me.

One evening, just by chance, I tried to find my thyroid, and low and behold I felt a knot!!

I couldn't believe it.

Shock.

I told my husband that I thought it might be a good idea for me to have a physical done since my 40th birthday was just 2 months away.

I went to my OB, and during his exam I told him about my feelings of hopelessness some days,

and like I was drowning in my responsibilities.

I asked him if this knot on my thyroid should be there, and he agreed that it should not.

He did some bloodwork, and sure enough my thyroid levels were high, and he referred me to an

endocrinologist (which, of course, I was completely comfortable with!).

To make a long story short, the knot is just a "beneign nodule" but I needed to be on some thyroid medication.

I told him I had set a goal to lose weight this year, and he told me that I wouldn't have lost much to ANY weight if I hadn't addressed this issue first.

Those two visits (and my impending BIG birthday) motivated me to get my physical health back under control.

I know I wasn't falling apart, but I know that's the mindset that gets folks in trouble.

Don't do anything.

Don't try something new because it's hard.

"It's not THAT bad."

I didn't want to be a statistic.

Type 2 Diabetes runs like a river through my family, and I just knew I was headed to take a dip in that river.

I knew I needed my energy back if I was going to continue on this path of homeschooling these children that I felt the Lord has brought me to.

So on the 1st of January, I set a goal to lose 45 pounds.

I weighed 180 pounds.

(I don't know why I hate putting that number out there.  For some reason, I feel embarassed that I somehow intentionally "let" myself get to that unhealthy weight when in reality it just grew there so gradually that I hadn't noticed.)

It has taken me just over 10 months, but this last weekend I FINALLY reached my goal!!

With the motivations in mind that I mentioned at the beginning of this post,

I will be journaling a little bit about where I've been and what I've learned to do to accomplish this over the next couple weeks.

Maybe I'll do a weekly series with a posting every Tuesday.....I'll have to think of a name.  

Any ideas?

(Maybe something like....."Weight-loss Wednesdays"......but then I'd have to do it on Wednesdays!)

Over time, this journey has become about WAY more than just losing the weight.

The Lord has taught me many things about myself, 

 about Him,

and that my sufficiency is found in Him alone!!

This picture was taken just 11 months ago at the end of December 2010.

I have such mixed emotions looking at this picture of myself (not of the people in the rest of the group!!).

I remember so vividly how the flags were waving violently in my head that I was not in a good place.

45 pounds lighter in October 2010 (several weeks ago).

What a journey this has been!!