Next >>

Have you ever used the Next >> link at the top of Blogger blogs? It can be quite informative! I did it today on my own blog which as many of you know is mainly about weight loss and my life. So, what did Blogger deem appropriate to follow my blog? See for yourself...

LOL, Yup! The Foodhoe Files! Yum! Now I want steak wrapped in bacon and slathered with herb butter!

Weight Loss/Gain Update

Ok, so, I've fallen off the weight loss wagon and am having a terrible time getting back on board. It all started with a plateau back in April/May. I got stuck. Ok, I got tired of fighting the battle. I got tired of telling my flesh, "No!" I was just tired. In June, my WW leader attended a spiritual retreat and came back feeling that God wanted her to quit leading WW's. This did not help my desire to give-up on WW's. I have spent over a year and $640 in membership fees at WW's. I was tired of it all. So, when my leader quit, I quit. Sure, she and I promised to keep in touch, continue to encourage one another, and check-in...It hasn't happened. She went back to school and I got busy with life in general.

So, I have blown it lately. I have gained 15lbs. and stopped exercising. In my defense, it is really hot down here in Louisiana and I have been battling with my asthma lately. Honestly, it is no excuse. I know how much chocolate has passed through my lips lately. I know how many times I could have picked up the free weights and worked out. I also know that it wouldn't kill me to walk around the block a few times.

So, here I am confessing to you all. I don't have the money to do WW's any more. My doctor told me that I really need to be doing The Insulin Resistance Diet instead. I have bought the book and read most of it, but I'm having trouble with starting it. Part of me feels like if I flunked out of WW's, how can I expect that I will ever succeed at the IR diet? Anyway, I'm going to do it. I think that I need to pull out the log book though and keep tabs on just what I eat too. I need some accountability in this area.

I have searched for blogs and info about it, but am not finding much. 3FatChicks has a HUGE forum post about it, but I'm way too ADHD to read the whole thing.
Anyone tried the Insulin Resistance Diet?

What God Really Thinks of Women

Standing in the book section of my local Wal-Mart, I'm browsing through the selection of Christian literature. As nursery director, I spend most Sunday services in the nursery. I love doing nursery since my child is in there, but miss out on hearing God's word in the service. I was really excited to hear that our church was starting a new women's Bible Study only to find out that it was scheduled on a day that I have to work (at the church), so I can't attend. Our Tuesday night Bible study has been put on hold, because several members are not able to attend. So, my heart went searching for God's word and came across What God Really Thinks of Women by Sharon Jaynes.

It starts off with a discussion of what the world thinks of women. The author gives an in depth account of the history of the Bible and how women were viewed. As I was reading the introductory chapters, I just had to share the quotes from Aristotle, Socrates and Plato with my husband! We had a good chuckle about the male chauvinistic ideals of the past.  The pharisees of the Jesus' day prayed everyday, thanking God that they had not been born a woman! Wow! How must that have made their wives feel?  My husband, even if he had these thoughts, knows better than to say them aloud.

 Sharon Jaynes is a true storyteller! I loved the way she made the reader step into the world of each of the women that Jesus spent time with. Being able to experience Mary Magdalene's face-to-face encounter with our Risen Lord at the tomb brought new understanding of how Christ loves me personally.

As the daughter of a retired pastor, raised in a church where women were to be seen and not heard (except from the children's ministry wing, the insights in this book have given me a new outlook on where God wants me to be in my future ministry.

What are you reading currently? How is God speaking to you?

I blew it today!

Yup, I tried to be so good, but temptation got the best of me.  I started out with my healthy oatmeal with ground flax, brown sugar and almond butter. Good stuff! When mid-morning came, I grabbed the 0 point Progresso soup which I ate the whole can, so that comes out to be 1.5 points. At lunch time, I grabbed a yummy spinach salad with grilled chicken that I had made the day before.

So, you ask with all these healthy choices, how could my day have turned south so quickly? It started with my child handing me half of a Little Debbie brownie. Well, there was the trip to Wal-Mart. Someone had put peanut butter M&M's right on the end of the register for me to grab! And was it the small bag that would have limited my intake? No, it was the big bag. These are a total target food for me and I should have never picked them up. But I did.

Then I stopped at Starbucks for a tall nonfat mocha which is still 3 points. Then my dear child, who has been sick asked me to get her a cheeseburger. So, a dash through the Burger King drive through and 2 Whopper Jr's with cheese "magically" appear. One for her and one for me! 10 points right there. I should have just gotten her the cheeseburger, because she flipped out that there was "salad" on her cheeseburger.

Something also, got into my head that said, make apple dumplings for supper? What???? What was I thinking? So, anyway, I burned up all my weekly points today, and am hoping that tomorrow will be a better day!

How can I teach my child healthy habits when I'm scarfing down peanut butter M&M's?

Finding Peace In The Midst Of The Storm

A friend asked me to write on this topic for her. I decided that I would post it on my blog for others struggling with the storms of life:

Hmmmm...my first thought is that Peace is not something that you find. It is something that you either have or don't. Our peace comes from Christ, the knowledge that no matter what is happening around us at the moment, God is still on His throne. He is in control and knows the best for us.

We live in a temporary world, but because our spirits are eternal, we confuse what is happening today with the eternal. We think that there is nothing in this world that is eternal except the gospel of Christ, but we as humans living in a temporary world are hardwired for the eternal. We think that the problem we face today is so terrible that we can't go on, but don't realize the problem is temporary.

My peace comes from the fact that I am not alone in my suffering and problems. And nothing that I am experiencing is new. Everything that is happening in my life has happened to others before me.
Hebrews 12:1-2 -  “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

My faith and actions determine what will happen next. I can allow my life to thrive in Christ or I can be destroyed by Satan. It is my choice. Yet even when I mess up and don't make the right decisions, God is able to work that out too.

All things work together for the good of those that love the Lord and are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

God knows your name. He knows who and what you are and He loves you anyway. That is the peace. He wants what is best for you. That brings peace. His hand is always open to you. His desire is for your best. Jeremiah 29:11. If only we will take His hand, He will lead us through the storm. That is true peace.

Quit fighting Him. Release the strongholds that are surrounding you. Free yourself to worship Him in a way that you have never done before. All He wants is for you to love Him as much as He loves you. He wants your praise and adoration. You have to completely give Him your all. You have to lay down your life, your illness, your panic attacks, your desires to Him. You have to ask Him to heal you completely, then accept that He has done it and never concern yourself with it again. All too often, we ask for healing. We pray fervent prayers asking God to take away our suffering. Then, we walk away from the  altar with one eye looking back at what we asked to be healed of. We pray and then walk away thinking, "sure hope that worked." That is not faith. God doesn't work like that. We have to believe it. COMPLETELY. Give your life fully to Him and watch what He can do.

Over a year ago, I asked God to heal me of my obesity. I believe that God could have gone zap! and the excess weight would have fallen to the floor, but He didn't. I believe that God is doing a work in my life that takes time. He is molding and shaping my mind as He molds my body. He is teaching me obedience through this experience. Do I believe that God is answering my prayer? Absolutely! Do I believe that God even cares if I weigh 150 lbs or 339lbs? Absolutely! He cares because He loves me. If it matters to me, it matters to God. I am His child and just as my heart breaks when I see Ellie cry, God's heart breaks when I cry. That is where my peace comes from. From knowing that God loves me so much that He will not let any thing happen to me that I can not handle. No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 1 Cor. 10:13

May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thess. 5:23

I'm a Loser!

Yup another loss! I didn't need the Post It note after all! I lost 1.6 lbs this week. I had even told my leader the whole bit about steroids and antibiotics.  I'm thrilled.

The meeting was good. We talked about avoiding boredom in both what we eat and how we move. There were lots of great ideas this meeting!

Food finds to try: Quaker Oats True Delights Blueberry Multigrain Crisps,  Whole Grain Couscous, Thomas Bagel Thins, cheddar popcorn seasoning and Pirates Booty Popcorn

Exercise ideas to try: Geocaching, WW's 5K Challenge (starting in April), check into classes offered at our local park.

Any other ideas that I should try? What ideas can you guys come up with?

Thanks to Sarahnaut on Flickr.com for the use of her photo!

Post It Note Tuesday

Friday, I ended up in the doctor's office with a sinus infection. Not only a sinus infection, but also my asthma. I haven't had a problem with my asthma in ages, so the asthma really took me by surprise. Anyway, the doctor prescribed me an inhaler, inhaled steroids, an antibiotic and steroid pills. I have heard from other WWers that the antibiotics and steroids can  mess up weight loss. So, here's my post it....