Month: August 2012

Some days I make a real mess of things. I “get up on the wrong side of the bed” so to say. Everything I say is with the wrong words, everything I do is the wrong action. To top it off, I can forget how far I’ve come and eat for the wrong reasons.

Yes, I still have days like that. The wonderful news is, God still loves me, even when I don’t love myself. God’s grace and forgiveness is sufficient enough to cover my sins. The next day is a new day and the past is gone.I don’t have to relive my past mistakes and I don’t have to be tied down by them. God grants me the freedom to start over.

How about you? Have you accepted God’s forgiveness? Do you need a fresh start? God will give it to you, just as He has to me. Forgiveness is one of His specialties!

We’ve all heard the popular marketing phrase, “Eat A Rainbow”. I am here to tell you that I want you to eat a rainbow every week. Of course, I am referring to fruits and veggies, not skittles.

There are lots of colors of fruits and vegetables available in every color of the rainbow. Each color provides its own density of vitamins and minerals. The more variety we eat, the healthier we are.

To learn more about what fruits and veggies fall into each color group check out the resource on fruit and veggies, more matters.

Have you had your rainbow?

The more weight we want to lose, the longer the journey will take. It’s important not to let ourselves get discouraged along the way. We would all love to wake up the next morning and be at that “magical” number on the scale we are working towards.

However, there is nothing magical about weight loss. It comes down to finding a plan we can stick to and making an effort each and every day. The more days we stick to our plan, the more success we experience.

If you simply have a bad day and go over your calorie count, eat that candy bar or order a dessert with dinner. Then get back to your plan the next day, or better yet, the next meal. If we find ourselves eating everything in sight and going over our calorie count day after day, it’s time to re-evaluate. We offer a free wellness evaluation if you simply fill out our online form.

It’s alright to “treat” ourselves on occasion, but for me, occasionally is once a month. I have a friend that treats herself once a week. However, I can’t reccomend letting our mindset go to treating ourselves more often than once a week.

If your family has a special meal together once a week, you can still enjoy the meal. After church on Sundays, my family and I go out to eat. I can still enjoy eating wherever we go out to eat and I simply watch portion size, leave off the bread or other appetizers and skip dessert or share it. After all, being with family is the real reason to go and its great to not feel deprived or left out while not undoing my hard work for the week.

Last week we discussed water retention and its causes. Now, this week we’re going to discuss what to do about it.

One of the best ways is to drink extra water. The water helps get our bodies back in balance and eliminate the excess fluid.

Another great thing to do is to increase your vitamin C. Talk to your doctor and find out if a food high in vitamin C or supplement should be added to your diet.

In addition, there are supplements that can be taken on a regular basis to help ward off water retention. One popular supplement that I have taken regularly is Cell-U-Loss by Herbalife. This pill is to be taken 3 times a day and helps eliminate cellulite as well as water retention.

Lastly, I want to reccomend for those of you that suffer from this regularly to spek with your doctor. Find out if you need a low sodium diet, supplements, vitamin C, to drink more water or even a prescription water pill. Track what you you are eating and drinking and how bad the symptoms are. The more information you can give your health care provider, the better they can help you.

There are many more ways to combat water retention. What are some of the ones you have tried?

It’s that time again. Grab that tape measure and see how many inches have disappeared.

When you are done, take a moment to reflect on the progress you have made and share with us!

When I started on my journey, I had a total of 143 pounds to lose. That number seemed astronomical and unattainable. Thinking about losing 143 pounds, when losing just one pound seemed difficult, could be very discouraging.

I quickly learned to set small goals, no more than 5 pounds at a time. A small, attainable goal was all it took to get me motivated and on the move! It is exciting to reach a goal and give yourself that proverbial high-five.

I even wrote my goals down. I had sticky notes on every cupboard in the kitchen that held food, in my wallet to remind me when I was spending money and in other locations that helped me retain my focus.

Of course, if your entire goal is to lose 5 pounds, then your focus should be one pound or even a half a pound at a time. We simply use small goals to keep ourselves motivated throughout the journey.

What size goal do you have?

It’s a stressful day, nothing is going my way. Some unforeseen urgent task has just landed in my lap. The kids are hungry and I’ve skipped a meal. I’m off my plan and ready to eat everything in sight. Does this sound familiar?

Food can seem like a good place to turn. It can provide temporary comfort with long term consequences. Stress and the need for comfort are never the right reasons to eat.

In the past, I turned to food all too often. Now, I turn more and more to prayer. There is no situation that I find myself in that God doesn’t already know about and can’t handle. We all know this truth, but living it can be more difficult.

Plus, God puts people in our lives to help us along the way. Just this week, I was in just such a situation. I sent a text to a friend asking for prayer. Knowing a friend was praying for me made a difference and kept me on track.

What about you, where do you turn for support?

Exercise is not always fun. In fact, sometimes it can be downright boring. Sometimes you have to force yourself through.

The best way to beat this is with an exercise buddy. Your spouse, your best friend, or even an acquaintance with an interest in getting fit. The time you spend together will not just help you physically, but emotionally as well. There is alot to be said about having a friend to vent to when things go wrong. Just remember to spend as much time listening as you do talking and you’ll have a buddy for life!

Do you have an exercise buddy?

Before I began my weight loss journey, God dealt with me about what I was eating. I knew I was supposed to give up white potatoes and soda. They were the staple of my diet.

I ate french fries, hash browns, baked potatoes, chips, potato soup, mashed potatoes and fried potatoes. It was rare for me to have a meal without potatoes in some form.

I also drank 10 to 12, 20 ounce colas per day! Yes, I had that amount of empty calories and sugar each and every day.

I was extremely sick, which probably doesn’t surprise you. However, it was actually ongoing digestive issues that put me into this way of eating. Potatoes were one of the few foods that I could eat and keep down. Therefore, potatoes became one of the few things I ate. Not to mention I love them-too much.

The sodas were drank in such large quantities to keep my blood sugar spiked. Colas can give us a sudden spike in our blood sugar followed by a sudden crash. I had to keep drinking to compensate.

So, here I was, depending on potatoes and colas for a miserable existance. But, God had other plans for me, complete dependance on Him. So, I gave up the potatoes and sodas almost 3 years ago and have gained so much more!

Is God directing you to give up something? Share with us.