FAT Snowball

Finished Session 2 of Made to Crave. It was a good class except that I talked too much as usual.  We had good discussion about some of the challenges we face, and I loved it when some of the ladies were willing to share some of their victories.

I'm all about acknowledging when I've messed up and then celebrating what I've done right.

One of the Jesus Girls talked about how she and her husband have attended Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and they have started budgeting, using the envelope system and are becoming debt free. She was frustrated because she and her husband were able to work through their financial issues, yet she struggles to put a food plan together and stick with it.

First off, I think she's being too hard on herself, but I understand her frustration.

You don't get out of debt or lose weight over night.  It takes the "want to" to make it happen, it takes a plan and the willingness to sacrifice and suffer some discomfort, it takes goals and the patience to reach them and it takes small victories along the way to keep you motivated and moving toward success.

Part of Dave Ramsey's plan involves what he calls the debt snowball.  Identify your debt, pay off the smallest debt first and roll that payment into the next debt until it's paid, and so on.  He acknowledges that this plan helps the bottom line, but more importantly those small victories keep you motivated to tackle the next debt.

For me to be able to lose weight I had the find the 'want to'.  I needed a plan, and the willingness to sacrifice and 'suffer' some discomfort. I needed goals and the patience to reach them.  I NEED the small victories along the way to keep me motivated and moving toward success.

I'm trying NOT to visualize that each time I lose a pound of fat that it's snowballing into a big round ball somewhere.  That's just gross!  (Here's where I make a pun about my bottom line.) But the small victory of that first pound, eventually five, then ten and now 20 is keeping me focused on succeeding.

I've had setbacks and challenges and weeks where I've actually gained weight.  Working through money issues are similar.  There will always be cars that breakdown, a large utility bill or emergencies. There will always be long hours at work, a family celebration or boredom, loneliness and grief. But having the 'want to', the plan and the willingness to sacrifice and 'suffer' will get you through the rough patches, so why not celebrate the victories and keep working on that snowball.

Being $20,000 in debt and being 20 pounds over weight have a lot in common working towards the bottom line. (Sorry, I couldn't help myself!)

Victory Lap

I finished my 5k race in 46:14 minutes.  Not great by most standards and I didn't win any awards or medals, in fact I didn't even get a t-shirt (I registered late and they ran out), but I am ok with that.  I was 'racing' for other reasons.

I made an observation today. We all need accountability, encouragement, and someone/something who will motivate you to do your best.

You could spot the 'real' runners by the tan skin, flat stomachs, and those fancy running shorts. Most of the people seemed to be with family or friends and there were a good many people who appeared to be there for the moral support and to cheer them on.

Today I was by myself, but I wasn't alone. Thankfully I too have been blessed with accountability, encouragement and motivation.

At 5:30 a.m. when the alarm went off I started to self-doubt and talk myself out of even going, in spite of the fact that the weather was near-perfect for a race. I was going by myself,  I didn't have the ''outfit' and I certainly didn't have the flat stomach. I knew that I would be at the back of the pack from the get-go.

Having already paid my money kept me on track, I wasn't about to waste $25.  I think if I would have waited to register the day of the race I would have blown the whole thing off, rolled over and slept in.

My daughter and best friend, Jody, races and has been a constant source of support.  The thought of even competing in a 5k had never crossed my mind until she started planting the seeds of encouragement last summer. This was my 3rd 5k!

And as for my motivation, that seems to be coming from my deep desire to get healthy, be a good leader to our Bible study group and ultimately be able to give God all the glory for changing me on the inside and out.

I call today a NSV. Non-Scale Victory.  A NSV that is helping to build my sense of accomplishment, my sense of empowerment, my determination to make good choices for my body and soul.

Today I took a victory lap.

Empowered

Our First Place 4 Health class has finished for the season, but we aren't.

We've taken a break from the program and decided to do the new Bible study, Made to Crave for the next six weeks.  There was a great turn-out for our first class.  Lots of diversity in age, life experiences and weight.  I'm pretty sure that we're all going to be blessed by the study, each other and God's Word as we allow it to penetrate our minds and our hearts.

Last night Lysa TerKeurst, the author of the study, spoke to us on DVD about changing our way of thinking from feeling deprived about the choices we make to realizing that we are empowered by God to make permanent and meaningful changes in our life.  That we can move from craving food to craving a deeper relationship with Him.

Because I'm facilitating the class I'm a few days ahead of the group and I would like to share with you what being Empowered looked like for me today .

This box of cookies was dropped off at my desk about 2 hours before lunch time.  These Come See Me treats just screamed, Eat Me, especially since the cottage cheese and toasted bagel from breakfast were just a faint memory to my stomach by 10 a.m.

Ordinarily I would have taken one and then left the box at my desk for anyone who happened by and then finished up the left-overs when no one was looking.  But today I took fast action and made the rounds, handing out every single cookie in the box before my resolve gave way to the purple frosting.

The real miracle was that I didn't feel deprived, I felt empowered because I decided that a sugar cookie loaded with frosting wasn't worth the guilt  I would feel after I wiped the last crumb from my chin.

When lunch time finally rolled around I made another empowering choice. I had an apple, a cheese stick, a Fiber Plus bar and a Diet Coke and I was good for the rest of the afternoon and didn't think about food until dinner time.

An old Weight Watcher saying, "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels," is true, but an even truer saying is "Nothing tastes as good as being empowered!"

It should be noted that I won today's battle with frosted sugar cookies, and I might not do as well tomorrow or the day after, but I'm ok with that, since all I can do is worry about today. Tomorrow has enough worries of it's own.

Weeds in my garden

Some people would look at this dandelion and see salad. No thanks. There are dogs who regularly pass by the backyard.

Some people would look at the yellow flower and think it's was intentionally planted. It wasn't.

I don't want to admit how many times I've tried to dig it up, but it keeps coming back because I didn't get all of the root, apparently it's very deep.

The same could be said about sin in my life.

Many of my thistles are revealed on a daily basis to everyone who knows me.

The sins I commit aren't 'biggies' that would garner national attention. They are usually small petty things like pride, anger, bitterness and over eating — things that blend in with the people around me so it looks normal and in place.

Every day I try to avoid gossip. I try to treat others like I want to be treated. I try to make wise food choices. I try to bring honor to God by my words and actions.

Every day I try, yet the dandelions in my life keep coming back because I can't dig deep enough to get to the root of my problem.

Then of course I'm reminded "Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit," says the Lord Almighty.

It's only by the power of the Holy Spirit that the sin in my life will be corrected and some day completely eradicated.

And knowing that "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus." Encourages me to keep digging, keep trying, because I want to look the very best on the inside and outside for the One who saved me.

Taking care of the garden

My weight loss journey is very much like tending my garden.

Every year at this time I'm filled with hope and visions for the backyard.  I will work feverishly getting weeds pulled, plants fed and beds mulched.  My muscles loudly protest at the bending, twisting, tugging and pulling and the poison ivy makes me miserable, but I press on because I know it will be worth it.

By late-spring everything is almost perfect. The flowers are blooming, the weeds are under control, insects aren't an issue and the warm glorious sun is a blessing for me and the plants. The vegetable garden has neat little rows of tomatoes, beans and squash, promising a bounty for our dinner table.  As soon as I'm prescribed prednisone the poison ivy blisters disappear.

I'm sure that Better Homes and Gardens will be calling soon wanting to do an article on the yard. Life is good.

Lamb's Ear

By the time summer approaches my muscles have forgiven me and the poison ivy has healed but the flower beds aren't as pretty as they could be.  The weeds have reappeared, black spot and insects — especially Japanese beetles — have become my nemesis, and the birds, rabbits and squirrels are regularly raiding the vegetable garden when I'm not looking.  I'm discouraged, but I haven't given up hope.

When August comes, I have retreated to the air conditioned living room. The sun has become an enemy and scorched what was left of my pitiful vegetable garden. The weeds have completely overrun the flower beds, the black spot has stripped the roses bare and the grass crunches under my feet. The only thing that's thriving is the lamb's ear which seems to be able to grow in concrete and the poison ivy is waiting patiently in the bushes to attack me at least one more time before Thanksgiving.

When I do venture out in the scalding heat it's only long enough to declare that I give up. I'm not going to bother with a garden next year because it's just not worth the effort.

The winter months will find me daydreaming about tulips, roses and fresh tomatoes. I've completely forgotten about the failures, heat and skin rashes. I'm spending a good deal of my time perusing garden magazines trying to decide what I'll put in place of plants that didn't make it last year. I can almost taste the tomato sandwiches AND I have a new soap that's supposed to prevent poison ivy.

The changes I'm making physically, spiritually, emotionally and mentally are just like my garden.  There are different seasons each bringing different challenges. I've had set backs and become very discouraged but I know that there are also rewards to my effort and if something isn't working out like I had hoped it would …well... I'll just focus on what is working, start thinking about what I can do different next time and be very thankful that exercising regularly, making good food choices and staying in God's Word will not expose me to poison ivy.

Group Effort

Did you know that you needed two different varieties of blueberry bushes to produce blueberries? I didn't until I went shopping for some plants last week.

Apparently they need each other to cross-pollenate to bear fruit.

When I look at the two bushes I can't tell the difference except for the garden tag that identifies them as Powder Blue and Tifblue plants.  They look exactly the same to my amateur eye, but I've been assured by the master gardener who sold them to me that they have the different DNA required to fill my freezer full of blueberries in about three years.

Which got me to thinking, about our FP4H class. Although we don't all look alike we need others to cross-pollenate to bear fruit, to succeed, to become strong and healthy individuals.

The exchange of ideas, encouragement and feedback from our different DNA is vital to our ability to bear fruit. It was God's intention for us to need Him and each other.

"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work." Ecclesiastes 4:9

We share other similarities with my blueberry plants. Our root system will naturally run shallow until the Master Garden prunes us; we require full Son; and when we bloom where we are planted the fruit we bear will be sweet.

Take THAT Aetna!

     For the past few months I've been receiving letters from Aetna, my medical insurance provider, telling me that it was very likely that I had developed diabetes and I needed to see my physician to help me control the disease.
     I was annoyed with the insurance company that they would presume to know what's best for me.
     Of course they didn't realize that I have been steadily losing weight with the FP4H class (18 pounds now!), I've been exercising regularly and I've eliminated most of the refined sugars and unhealthy fats from my diet.
     However Aetna should know that I see my Dr. for regular check-ups and she is diligent in monitoring my blood stats — they pay the claims.
   Yesterday was my scheduled annual visit to the Dr. and all of my blood tests revealed a drastic improvement from a year ago.  My blood pressure was normal, and for the first time since my cholesterol levels have been monitored my totals were well below 200, and the best news ever was that my blood sugar was well within normal limits! Yea me!
     My Dr. mentioned the letters she had received from Aetna informing her that I was diabetic and that she should change up my meds to treat the disease.
     She commented, "They are acting like I'm not doing a good job treating you!"as she pulled four letters from the file and threw them away.
     How cool is that, that I've been freed from the threat of diabetes, even my medical file is getting thinner and Aetna will have to dream up something else to worry about!