Beach Blog

This week's blog comes to you from the Oregon Coast. While I wait in the car my guys are out in the torrential downpour of rain playing disc golf. My musings today are on maintaining a healthy lifestyle when you are completely out of your home environment.

                                                                           

I have been planning my food and what I'd do on vacation for the past month yet yesterday while on the road my carefully crafted plan fell apart. My "planned indulgence" turned into an unplanned run in with 3 cookies. My carefully planned "Simply Filling" dinner didn't happen when we stopped to eat out because it was getting late. My goal to lose weight while on vacation might not happen unless I make the whole family crazy and do nothing but think of my next bite. Thinking of food non stop is bad for me.

What I can do on vacation. Put into practice the MTC (Made to Crave) tools that I've learned. Truths that stand out and help me to focus.

"Make my next choice a good one". This morning I started with an apple, oatmeal with flax seed and a banana. My morning attitude and choices set the tone for the day.
                                                                           

 Drink more water. I have my water bottle with me. No excuses.

Move more! Hubby & I had a lovely 3 mile walk on the beach this morning. Okay, the company was lovely. The whipping wind and rain weren't awesome but we had fun regardless!

                                                          

Focus more on family than on food.

                                                                         

Don't get into "vacation mode" and throw months of hard work out the window.

Vacation is a time to renew and refresh myself. Putting myself back into food bondage isn't refreshing whatsoever. Each choice I make. Each food temptation I am victorious over. Each step of obedience to God in this area of my life is my renewing and refreshing.

 I will fully satisfy the needs of those who are weary and fully refresh the souls of those who are faint.
Jeremiah 31:25 NET Bible

Scale ~ Friend or Foe?

So my friend Trish is pretty much my hero. I'm just going to lay that right out here. She also did the Made to Crave study followed by the MTC Action Plan. She has not weighed. She has not stepped on the scale at the beginning of her changed life. She has not stepped on the scale in all of the weeks of changing the inside of herself. The outside IS changing though. She can tell by the fact that her clothes are getting looser and her husband has noticed. She truly is living the thing that we all say but often don't truly mean "my worth is not determined by a number of the scale".

I am happy to tell you that I am not judging my "progress" of a changed life by the scale either. What I am measuring it by is the peace that I finally have. The fact that food no longer has unlimited power over me. The fact that I'm not thinking about food and counting every morsel and planning what I am going to eat next (healthy or not). I do weigh throughout the week. One of the issues that I have had since a teenager growing up on the farm was that I have no portion control built into my eating. The Weight Watchers Simply Filling eating plan that I follow works extremely well for me BUT it is based on eating when you are hungry, stopping when you are full. That is something that I am still learning. The scale is a tool that I can use to help me measure my obedience to God's direction in my life and my correctly interpreting my hunger/full signals.The scale no longer has power to make me feel successful or worthy. It no longer can make me fall to a depth of despair or rise to a euphoric high.

Worried about the number? The scale might not be moving because you are gaining muscle!

Use your scale wisely. If it's a good tool for you, then use it! If it becomes where you are finding your happy than step away from it.

 Certainly it feels good to fit in smaller clothes. It feels good to see the number descending on my weight chart. It feels awesome to have the beginning of muscle instead of just "flabs". It is nice to have markers along the way that help us to see our progress in tangible ways. More importantly it feels amazing to hear God's still small voice guiding me to the apple when I'm thinking about the pop chips. It feels incredible to finally be listening with my heart when God says "I made you. I love you. You are beautiful".

Love yourself. You are worthy. God loves you more than you can ever imagine! You are defined by being a child of God, not by a number on the scale.

The Myth of Magical Success

How many times have I, have we, sought a quick and easy fix to our weight loss problems?
 I have to admit that I have looked for magical success in this area of my life. I once even sunk low enough to buy a "weight loss program" that was achieved through how you BREATHED. (blush)

The Made to Crave Action Plan Online Bible Study recently concluded and today while I was working out, between gasping for breath and sweating wildly, I was pondering my changed attitude. In the past I have successfully lost large amounts of weight only to reach a certain point, get discouraged and quit. When I didn't get the results that I wanted I threw in the towel rather than stay the course.

During the past months I have taken 30 lbs of fat off my  body. I have also shed some foolish ideas such as "once I lose this weight I can go back to eating like I did when I was 20". In the past I have even fallen prey to those thoughts of "I don't want to deprive myself today, I will do it tomorrow" and "I'll wait until after the holiday, the occasion, the end of the year, etc. to begin eating healthy". Once I admitted to myself that there WAS no "going back" my thoughts towards food changed dramatically and I am embracing the new, healthier way of life! I am enjoying what I can eat.

A few weeks ago I became convicted that although I was working out regularly I had fallen into some sloppy habits of just trudging through. Really, how seriously was I working out if I was texting while I was doing it? Although I am, and will always be, a firm believer that consistency of exercise is the key (as in, don't burn yourself out trying to do too much) I definitely was not working hard enough to get the results that I wanted. Part of the MTC Action Plan was exercising in our Target Heart Rate Zone. Can we say "oh. my. heck."? Sweaty. Breathless. Happy. I am working towards the results I want and not just expecting "Magical Success".

At the end of the day I would rather look back and know that I gave it my all rather than be stuck in a rut and wishing for magical success to fall my way! That pretty much holds true with everything in my life. Set your goal. Make it realistic. Then be willing to work hard for what you want!

Joy markers of my path

It all started with an ordinary brown bag, filled with 4 ordinary river rocks. What God did is extraordinary. The retreat I attended was titled "Unstopping the wells that the enemy has stopped up".
When I went I never dreamed of what God was going to do in my life! It had been months in the making but that night I finally opened up my heart to what God was trying to do in my life. We used our rocks to build an "altar" to lay burdens on and give them to God. I knelt praying with tears rolling down my face. By the time I reached the point of going up for prayer I was a sobbing mess. Through my mess, God made beautiful. God spoke words through a woman praying over me and I walked away with "Determination" and "Deliverance" resounding in my heart. When I got home I wrote those words on the rocks from the conference. Those marked a night of being set free. Great joy!
                                                                         
A couple of months later God gave me the word "Victory" to add to my remaining rocks. That was the point in time when he was calling me to fast from soda.
                                                                             

"Determination" marks the jar that has stones in it representing the pounds that I need to lose. "Victory" marks the jar that has the pounds lost, but more importantly the obedience that is happening in my life.
                                                                     

Since that time I have other words that mark occasions and joys. Loved. When I finally started to love myself. "Crave God" as I journeyed through Made to Crave and watched him change my life! "Peace" as I made choices that were in the center of His will. "Friends" to mark the times when life was turning upside down and he sent fellowship, laughter, accountability and Christian women to walk beside me.

As I continue to live more fully in his will I will continue to fill up my Joy Jar with markers of what he is doing in my life.
                                                                      

I have a remaining rock from the conference waiting for the next turning point that He has for me.
I have the feeling it's going to be a big one and I can't WAIT for it!

Polyphenols on a Budget? Absolutely!

Polyphenols on a budget. What in the world are polyphenols you might be asking? In the Made to Crave Action Plan we are learning how to maximize key nutrients.
"Polyphenols are compounds found primarily in plants, especially in naturally ripened, dark-skinned fruits and vegetables. Current research suggests they may play a significant role in promoting health and preventing disease." Quote from "Made to Crave Action Plan" by Lysa Terkeurst & Dr Ski Chilton.

The list is full of VERY yummy Fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, seed and additional sources. The downside is that for those of us in a single income home it can get expensive to fill up on the apricots, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, and strawberries that are high in polyphenols. Especially when we live 2 hrs from the nearest Costco or Walmart to buy frozen varieties of them.
                                                                   

My personal challenge this week was to fit as many of these powerful foods as I could into my existing menu. I am using the Weight Watcher Simply Filling method for healthy eating and much to my delight the things that I am learning in MTC Action Plan are things that I have already incorporated into my life.
                                                 
                                                                 

Back to the food... One affordable fruit with high polyphenol levels is apples. We bought a 5 lb bag of apples for $4.99 this week. (A great deal for our area!) Walnuts are on the "seeds with polyphenols" list as are flax seeds. Cinnamon also made the list for additional sources of Polyphenols.
                                                                 
                                                                           

                                                             
Putting these into breakfast with my oatmeal was a perfect way to keep the budget intact and still fill up on some really great nutrients!

                                                           

 You are looking at a bowl of oatmeal with an apple, 1 Tablespoon walnuts, flax seed, cinnamon and nutmeg. I got my morning serving of dairy by adding Fat free milk with it. With the Simply Filling plan I only needed to count points for the tablespoon of walnuts 1 PP and the rest fit exactly into the power foods that I eat daily!

And for a snack later...

Dark Chocolate! Science has proven what we already knew... a little dark chocolate is good for you!
Yes, Dark chocolate is on the polyphenols list. Today's snack for me is a square of Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt.


“You’re blessed when you’ve worked up a good appetite for God. He’s food and drink in the best meal you’ll ever eat” Matthew 5:6, MSG

She likes to Move it!

This week's MTC Action Plan photo blog is "get moving" which is a subject near and dear to my heart. Although I exercised in my 20's once I had kids, worked full time and was a busy wife and mother I quit regularly exercising. When I started back to exercise in 2005 I thought that I "hated" it. I knew that I had to do something so I decided that although I wasn't changing what I ate I would walk.
 I would at least be "a fat woman with a healthier heart". So I dragged myself out the door. I was right. I hated it. After a few starts and stops eventually I began to walk a 500 step loop outside just 3 days a week. Over a period of months I learned that I actually enjoyed walking outside. We lived in a beautiful remote area. The day that my boys and I walked up a dirt two track road, over a hill and around to another road and home ranked high on my list of "best days of my life"!
                                                               
                                                

At that time I had lost 70 lbs which all started from that 500 steps... I had added in Leslie Sansone walking DVD's for indoor walking. With access to the BLM firefighter gym I was also using the elliptical and stationary bike. I no longer had to carefully tread over the cattle guards in the area but could literally hop over them!
                                                                          

Due to a combination of things I ended up damaging my knee and tearing my leg muscle. That took me on a spiral downward of hopelessness and "giving up". I could not longer walk. I couldn't even bear weight on my leg for a period of years! My recovery was slow, painful and filled with despair. My entire life I have fought weight and only maintained by exercise. At that time I wasn't truly willing to change what I was eating and without exercise I gained back 40 lbs of the lost weight.

Although I had given up on myself, God hadn't ever given up on me though! Through a series of things he kept gradually drawing me back to a desire to have a healthier body. After a move for my husband's job I was able to find help for my knee and 5 years later I am pain free most days! I can walk on it. I can bicycle on it. I can do yoga and stability ball and Leslie Sansone indoor walks and walk up and down stairs!

So, here we are, back to MTC Action Plan and "Get Moving!". I have to admit that my friends that don't want to exercise will sort of avoid me because I can be a bit of a nag in my enthusiasm for them to "Get Moving"! I thought that I would post what has worked for me. I recently hit my 50 lbs loss from my highest weight ever. I'm definitely NOT a small size and I still have weight to lose but God has changed my heart so that I no longer lust after food. Living within His will tastes sweeter than anything else. What I know is that although there are still days that I don't "feel" like exercising I don't ever get done with a workout and say "boy, do I regret working out".

How I motivate myself
I write a plan for the week, looking at my "busy" days and my "free" days and schedule accordingly.
I record my exercise after I've done it so I can look back at where I've come from. I love to write it on the calendar and I also use an app called "Walk Journal"
                                                                         

I know that I do better with variety, AND it's better for me so I schedule in a variety of things such as yoga, walking in varying distances and intensities, weight training and biking when the weather permits.

What I love to do
Use my feet.. I still have to be careful outside, especially on pavement and elevation changes.
                                                             
                                                             

        

Use my feet with Leslie Sansone Walk at Home exercise DVD's....

                                                             

Ride my very sweet Cruiser Bike! (which I won't take down our lane until the mud dries)
                                                                 
                                                                     

Stretchy band and hand weights (used with Leslie DVD's)

                                                                       

...........................................You Can Do Yoga ... yes, It's Leslie Sansone again!

"You Can Do Abs with the stability ball"... you guessed it, Leslie Sansone!
... and "You Can Do Piilates"...

Garden!!

Exercise isn't just going to a gym. An active life can take you far!

My mind will still lie to me and say "You can't possible walk a 5K" but I have!
My mind will lie to me and say "that's too far" or "You're too tired"  but it's not true!
My mind will especially lie to me and say "you don't have time to exercise. You are too big to exercise. This is too hard!" but then the voice of God's truth speaks louder and I am reminded that I am beautiful to Him. My body is His temple. God is with me.

"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Isaish 43:18-19

... now.. quit reading blogs and GET MOVING! Just start. You can do it my friend!
God is with you on this journey of seeking His best for your life and health.

                                                                 

God's Greater love & My changing Heart

Wow! What a fabulous weekend I had. I can see God changing my heart. I am truly satisfied with healthier foods. I never dreamed that would happen! We went to Spokane for Hubby's birthday which is a scary situation for me. When I've been in healthy eating mode in the past I just tried to avoid any situations that were out of my control. I'm successful when I plan but feel overwhelmed when I'm facing with many decisions that don't "fit" my plan. Oftentimes I've given in to the lie that it's "just on this trip" "This is a special occasion". This time Made to Crave words played in my head. "compromise builds on compromise".
                       
                                                                        

I was blown away seeing God provide so many "healthy outs" for my eating options. For so many years I just haven't felt "worthy". I know God is super busy, right? He's dealing with wars and famines and truly BIG issues why would my food issues be of major importance? I felt guilty and unworthy to have to admit "God, I can't possibly do this on my own". Since yielding my food to Him I have seen his tender loving care in ways I never dreamed of!  I guess I'm just a slow learner because my whole life I've been reading how much God cares for me but I couldn't translate that from words to truly understanding it. God loves me so much that Hubby's first choice to eat at the buffet was discarded when we were in line with at least 25 people ahead of us waiting to pay. God loves me so much that I was able to enjoy some popcorn at the hockey game but then was prompted to hand it over to my husband to keep away from me. God loves me so much that I was able to eat Mongolian Grill and totally stay on my plan. God loves me so much that when I was tempted to eat a fried donut the steamer tray was empty. I can't even begin to imagine how many situations God has provided an escape route for me. Sometimes I took it, others I ignored him.
                                                                        
                                                                      

I am now defining my success not by dropping numbers on the scale, or shrinking inches but by my obedience to God. I am happily content. I'm not ecstatic about losing weight but feel contentment, peace and joy being obedient to God. It's a great place to be.