Month: August 2012

We all see commercials every day for different weight loss programs. They push a particular piece of fitness equipment, an exercise routine, or a pre-packaged meal plan. If you watch the commercials closely, you will also see a fine print disclaimer that reads, “results not typical.”

Well, I am here to tell you, that YOU CAN lose weight. You CAN reach your goal. The reason I know this is I know the secret ingredient to losing weight – it’s you, yourself. That’s right, YOU are the secret ingredient to your weight loss.

If you can keep your focus on God and seek Him daily for your eternal living water and submit the physical food and drink to his guidance, then you will have success! Following God is a success guaranteed plan!

I have had a personal struggle with pitted edema or water retention for years. This is especially true in my feet, ankles and legs. However, it has sometimes been so severe that even my fingers and arms were swollen. Over the next two Mondays, we’ll cover how water retention affects weight loss and what we can do about it.

Water retention, personally, makes me feel tired. I can tell a huge difference in my energy level on the days when my swelling is at its worst. The worst effect, however, is psychological. When watert retention is high, the scale goes up. It can make it difficult for me to feel like I’m making progress. Even when sticking to my plan, water retention can make the scale jump up 3, 5, 10, even 15 pounds overnight.

Yes, i have had the scale jump up 15 pounds in less than 24 hours! In fact, I let it get to me too much one time and stopped trying to lose weight. When I finally got the water weight gone and got back on the scales, my true weight was up. I had let myself fall into some old sinful habits and I had to work even harder to get back to where I was. Although, in some ways, it grieves me to remember the hard work I had undone, I really learned a hard lesson about keeping my faith and trusting that God still has my back.

Have you had issues with water retention? Next week we’ll cover some ways in which we can combat water retention. So, if you’ve found some things that work for you, share them and we may include them in our article.

As you begin to lose weight, you should begin feeling better. Every 5 pounds we lose is 20 pounds of pressure off of our knees. Your other joints should be less stressed from the loss of excess weight also. Your muscles will be stronger from strength training. Clothes will begin feeling looser. Our energy levels will increase.

Yes, if we are losing weight the right way, we will start seeing a lot of changes, physically, in how we look and feel. I love the amount of energy I have now and how much better my back and knees feel. Are you seeing changes yet? If not, contact us at WAVES either by phone (706-745-8632) or by email for a free personal evaluation.

A lifestyle change, instead of just a diet means making changes that you can live with the rest of your life. It is a daily commitment to live differently, eat better, exercise more. Yet, we  are all going to have days when we slip or even fall.

Maybe it was a church gathering, a wedding, a birthday or some other special occasion. In these situations I have seen many people beat themselves up emotionally and verbally again and again. This isn’t necessary or helpful.

So, what should we do? I like to think of what our Heavenly Father does for us, no matter our sin or our slip up; God shows us grace – amazing grace.

So, perhaps, you were in sin when you over ate. That sin is called gluttony. God instructs us to simply confess our sin with our lips and then repent. When we do this, God forgives us, washes the slate clean. We can move on and be free from guilt with God’s forgiveness.

What did you do the last time you slipped?

A long day, an argument with a friend, a financial setback; there are lots of reasons we need a good friend to turn to.

Too many times, I would turn to food. I can’t explain to you why I did this. I know food can’t listen to me, offer Christian advice or help me to find a good solution to any problem. Yet, it somehow became my crutch and the first thing I did for comfort.

Well, praise God, I am no longer bound by that habit anymore! Jesus has taught me to run to Him instead. If I need Comfort, He is there! If I need a friend, He is there. Jesus is the one friend that never lets me down, never leaves me nor forsakes me. Jesus is always there and supplies my every need. Do you know Jesus as your savior and friend?

Routines are great. We know what to expect, when to expect it, and what is expected of us. This is especially true in exercise routines. I use a set workout and I stick to it. However, if we find ourselves at a plateau or losing interest in our workouts, then it’s time to try something new.

If you are at a gym, then consult one of the personal trainers about a new workout. If you are using a DVD series, then try a different set. If you are walking, try jogging or water aerobics. You can even search online for exercise demos. If you have an iPhone, try Nike Trainer or other workout apps. Android users can use Nike Boom.

What routines have you used and enjoyed? What are you wanting to try next?

Drinking half of our body weight in water everyday can seem like a tall order. For those not in the habit of drinking water everyday, it may even seem impossible.

One easy solution is to drink a small glass of water every hour on the hour. A friend of mine recommended this to me some years ago. She looked like she was in her 40’s-early 50’s. This is quite impressive when you learn she was almost 30 years older!

She she shared with me how she drank her water on the hour, kept a positive attitude through her faith, ate healthy every day, exercised for at least 30 minutes, and had a support network. She did all of this in the face of extreme adversity, with her husband terminally ill and her family living far away.

Although she didn’t know our motto,she lived by making WAVES every day. So, let’s all look younger, feel better and be happier. Can you drink water every hour?

Many of us get stuck in a rut on this journey, when we use the scales as our only method to measure our success. Don’t forget, inches also count!

It feels great to fit into that beautiful dress you’ve had hanging in the closet, just waithing for you to fit into it.  Or for men to go down to the next waist size.

Let’s face it, we care about how we look and what size we wear. We shouldn’t let the number on the scale dictate how well we are doing.

Now, as you shrink out of those clothes, I want to encourage you to pay it forward. Find someone else on this weight loss journey and pass them along. I call this Weight Loss Wonder Pants. I created a special page just for this. Why? Because we feel wonderful when we fit into that smaller size jeans. Do you have any clothes to pass along? Or are you looking for a particular size? Visit the Weight Loss Wonder Pants page and share with others.