My Idea!!

For those of you who know me, I am really not a blogger. I have just found a platform that I am very passionate about, so bear with me please. I have a couple ideas. I have established a healthy lifestyle support group on F-book. I think this could be a great way for us to support each other in our goals and establish some healthy habits. I will try to post tips each week and monthly challenges. If used the way I envision it we could share our struggles and victories and encourage each other. I am also working on getting  a trainer friend of mine to join the group to help give exercise and nutritional tips. All this said, anyone who has wanted to make changes, continue on in changes already made,or just wants to get in a the habit of a healthy lifestyle, this is for you. Everyone is welcome, just let me know and if you are not already invited in the group I will add you. . Remember this is not a DIET club, I still think that is a bad word, this is for creating healthy habits and changing your life. It is always easier with the support of Friends. Happy/healthy lifestyle to you all!!!!

I Have gained!!!

    It has been a while,since my last post I have "Gained A Lot." I have gained the ability to cross my legs, sit Indian style, walk up and down stairs several times w/o getting winded, shop in a section that does not say plus size,run miles with eeze, and gained a little more pep in my step!!! I have officially lost 30 pounds!!!! It has taken 21 weeks, but it is worth the wait!!! I have gone from a size 20 to a size 14/16 pending on the brand : ) Oh, and you know that diet challenge, I actually won it!!! I got to buy 2 new outfits and some sneakers for my new favorite hobby, Running!!! That's right running. Those who know me, know that I said I will never be a runner, but I guess I never could enjoy it before. I have been running 5 days a week for around a month now. It has been a wonderful oasis for me. I get 30 minutes of peace and quite with my i-pod and God. I LOVE it!!!!
   Now what are my new goals??? Well, I still have a lot ahead of me. I am definitely slowing down in the weight loss department. This is pretty typical, but can be a little discouraging. I am trying some new things and playing with my calories a little bit too. My new goal is 30 more pounds. I would like to do this by Christmas time, but at least 20 by then. I would love for you all to pray with me as I try to keep my body healthy and get an even healthier one in the near future. I could easily be tempted by food and laziness, so any prayers are appreciated.
I will leave you with some tips and bible verses that may encourage you if you are struggling with me in the area of weight.

1. Pray everyday, for yourself and for others.
2. Read your bible everyday.
Communication is a basic requirement for any relationship. These two steps allow us to build and strengthen our relationship with God. Praying is our way of talking to God. Reading the bible is God’s way of talking to us. We must do both to create two-way conversations.

– Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.
– Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

3. Find  support. A group or an individual.
4. Call or visit with that person/group at least once a week.
. Transforming old habits into new healthier habits is difficult to do without help. We need to know that other people are interested in our well-being and our progress. Sometimes we need the opportunity to focus on others and their well-being instead of our own. Sharing our experiences keeps all of us from feeling isolated.
 Losing weight with a partner or group increases your likelihood of success.

– Proverbs 3:28 Say not unto thy neighbour, Go, and come again, and tomorrow I will give; when thou hast it by thee.
– Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

5. Ask for help when you need it.
A lot of us have tried to lose weight on our own. Most of us have been unsuccessful. We get to places where we are stuck. We have bad days and hard weeks. We have months that test our resolve. Some of us have had years of swimming in darkness. We lose our sense of humor and we forget to pray. This is when we need to ask for help. Whether it is a little pebble in our path, or a big boulder, we don’t have to do it alone. We can call on God to help us, and we can call on other human beings too. A good time to ask for help is when we feel confused, frustrated or hopeless. When we think we are undeserving of help, and that no one wants to help us anyway, that’s our signal. It’s time to open up to others. Whenever feelings like this creep into our minds, it is a sure bet that the time has come to pray. Call a group member or a friend right away. Before you know it, things will start to make sense again.

– Matthew 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
– Psalms 16:7 I will bless the LORD, who hath given me counsel: my reins also instruct me in the night seasons.

6. Drink at least 8 glasses of water every day (64 oz total).
Water does a lot of good things for our bodies. It keeps our bladders and kidneys functioning properly. It improves our skin and makes our wrinkles less noticeable. Water keeps us hydrated so we have more energy. It flushes impurities out of our bodies and puts a spring our step. Soda pop, coffee, tea and kool-aid do not count as water. Water counts as water. If you don’t like your tap water then drink filtered or bottled water, or keep water in your fridge.

– Psalms 107:9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.

7. Write down everything you eat everyday.
Before we get to where we’re going, we need to know where we are. Before we can follow a new food plan we need to know what we are eating today. It isn’t easy to write down everything we eat. As a matter of fact, for some of us it is extremely difficult. It still has to be done. Some of us may wonder why we have to keep track of the chaotic way we eat. After all, we know the old chaos isn’t working, that is why we are ready to change. Writing down what we eat brings order to the chaos. It helps us come to face to face with our own behavior. Forming a habit takes 3 weeks. Writing down everything we eat for a week or two, without the worry of following a meal plan yet, gives us a head start on this habit.

8. Follow your food plan everyday.
Choose a food plan or life style plan. It can be the diabetic/weight loss exchanges, the USDA pyramid, or another healthy food plan of your choice. Next, look over the records you’ve kept for the past week or two. Make note of any trends in your eating behavior. For instance, you may notice that you don’t always eat enough vegetables or that you eat a lot more fat than your plan allows. Keep these things in mind and address them in your plan. Our weaknesses are the pathway to success. When we can see the weak points in our behavior, we have the opportunity to overcome these weaknesses and turn them into strengths.

– Galatians 5:24-25 And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.

9. Exercise 4 to 6 times a week.
Exercise builds muscle. It increases metabolism and decreases appetite. It gives us more energy. Exercise makes us stronger. People who exercise regularly struggle less with depression and mental fatigue. Exercise is easier to do with a friend. If you have a friend you can exercise with, Great! If you don’t, you can still exercise by yourself. Plan on spending 20 to 30 minutes a day, 4 to 6 times a week, doing some type of healthy physical activity.

– Proverbs 6:9 How long wilt thou sleep, O sluggard? when wilt thou arise out of thy sleep?13.

10.Weigh yourself once a week, no more, no less. Weighing ourselves everyday or several times a day is the same as measuring the length of our hair or fingernails everyday. It is a waste of our time. It will tie us up in knots and plant us firmly in the valley of confusion. The scale is only one way of measuring success. It may not always be the most accurate way. Do yourself a favor. Decide to weigh yourself once a week, and be content with your decision. Obsessive scale use only leads to disappointment.
– Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
11. Keep the dishes done and the kitchen clean. When the sink is full of dirty dishes and the kitchen is cluttered, we can’t cook. If we can’t cook then we go hungry or eat unhealthy snack foods or go out to eat. All of these results sabotage our success. Cooking and eating homemade food brings us closer to our goals. Going hungry, eating out and eating processed or convenience foods makes it more difficult to reach our goals. The easiest way to cook at home is to keep the dishes done and the kitchen clean. Not everyone has this struggle, but many of us do. If you already keep your kitchen tidy, that’s super! If you don’t, then you are encouraged to make it a higher priority.
12. Do something very nice for someone at least once a week. Lots of us eat as a response to frustration, stress or anger. When we feel these feelings we need to find an alternative to eating. Being nice to someone is a great substitute to eating. When the kids or husband or a friend or sister are doing everything they can to get our goat, we don’t have to eat a candy bar or a bag of chips. We can think up ways to be nice to the offending person instead. Sure it is difficult. Sure it is challenging. It is still worth doing. We can turn this weakness into a strength. We can turn our wills to God and allow him to work inside of us when we are confronted with unfair treatment and unfair demands.
Happy life style to you all!!!