Week 2 Weigh-in and Meeting

Wow! I can't believe I have almost 2 weeks of healthy eating and exercise under my belt. Since January 3rd, I have lost 11.5 lbs!!! I'm thrilled with my results, thrilled with my new-found energy, and thrilled that my family is eating healthier too.

Last night we had our 2nd weigh in and meeting with the BL group at my church. I just have to say that I am so thankful for this group. At last week's meeting, I was in a fog. I had just worked 2 nights in a row and was hungry and exhausted. I was going through the motions to be sure. But this week I was rested and ready to see my results and learn all I could from our mentors!

We started off by doing the weigh in. I went first for my team. We are split into 2 different groups; one for each campus (location) of our church. Within those groups we are split into 2 more groups; blue team and red team. I'm on the blue team. Go Blue!!!  I had a loss of 7.2 lbs since the last weigh in a week before. Yeah!!!! I was hoping for 10lbs, but was truly happy with what I achieved. I ended up winning the award for highest percentage of weight loss on my team. Yippee! What a good feeling. Its like an extra shot of motivation to make this week a great one! I know there will be temptation and an occasional bad choice. But wow! I'm thankful for the Lord's strength because that's how I've done it.

After weigh-in we did a quick devotional on surrender. So important to surrender our wills to the Lord in all things, including our health and well-being. Then it was time to get to work! We did group workout. Week 2 is definitely harder than week 1 in that respect. Picture Pilates and Calisthenics. For about 1/2 hour. Lots of using your own body weight as resistance. I added in weights for the first time and it was way more challenging. But the cool thing is that I'm starting to see my recovery time shorten. The huffing and puffing when we were done was over quickly and it was nice and relaxing to stretch at the end.

We ended our meeting with our Nutrition lecture. This is my favorite part. I'm developing such a passion for healthy eating. It's so fascinating! I also get so angry at what conventional nutrition, the FDA, and our government tells us is healthy. So not true! I'll have to write separate posts about that because there is just so much good info out there. It would change the way people eat if they only knew.

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

I made these for dinner the other night and they were fantastic!

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
1 lb ground turkey
1 Cup Shitake Mushroom caps, chopped
3 T Organic Almond/Cashew Butter
1 T Sesame Oil
1 T Rice Vinegar
1 8-oz can Water Chestnuts, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T fresh ginger, minced
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup green onions, chopped
1 Head Lettuce, separated into leaves

Cook turkey in skillet about 5 minutes, until turkey crumbles and is no longer pink. Add mushrooms and next 7 ingredients. Cook on medium-high heat, stirring constantly, 4 minutes. Add green onions if desired and cook 1 minute. Spoon mixture evenly onto lettuce leaves; roll up. Serve with extra soy sauce if desired.

Recipe from Maximized Living Nutrition Plans by Dr. B.J. Hardick, Kimberly Roberto, and Dr. Ben Lerner.

Temptation

"There has no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man. BUT GOD IS FAITHFUL; He will not suffer you to be tempted above that which you are able, but will with the temptation, make a way to escape, that you may be able to bear it. " 2 Corinthians 10:13 KJV

"Remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what others experience. AND GOD IS FAITHFUL. He will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you will not give in to it. " 2 Corinthians 10:13 NLT

Temptation has been knocking on my door this week. When I am at home, surrounded by good food choices, it doesn't seem so bad. But there are so many times that I am faced with bad choices. The breakroom at work is always filled with junk food for the taking. Going out to eat for breakfast makes me feel nervous inside. Am I strong enough to pass up the hashbrowns I love and eat only the omelet on my plate? Gatherings at church almost always have an abundance of food. And every once in a while I'm just so hungry, I'm even tempted to keep eating the healthy stuff, even though I know I've already had enough. It's tiresome after a while. Exhausting really. If I was addicted to alcohol or drugs, I could avoid those entirely. But I still have to eat. I still have to make good choices all day long, and sometimes its overwhelming. Sometimes it's very lonely; surely I'm the only one going through this. Sometimes my heart gets rebellious and I just. don't. want. to.  (insert some good foot-stomping right there.)

When I was in high school, I went on a summer missions trip. Included in the trip was verse memorization. We were given a pack of cards, each containing a different scripture verse. There were 40 in all, and we were required to memorize one each day. At the end of the week we would review all that we had learned so far. We also did Bible quizzing, ensuring that those verses would stick in our heads. Oh how grateful I am for that summer! I've always been good at memorization, so it wasn't a struggle for me. I actually enjoyed it. But at the time I didn't realize how much of an impact that would have on my whole life. Those verses have never left me. God's Word says:

"I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Blessed are you, O Lord; teach me your principles. I have recited aloud all the laws you have given us. I will delight in your principles and not forget your word." Psalm 119:11-13, 16 NLT

"For the Word of God is full of living power. It is sharper than the sharpest knife, cutting deep into our innermost thoughts and desires. It exposes us for what we really are." Hebrews 4:12 NLT 

I am so thankful that God's Word is so powerful. That scripture I memorized 19 years ago has not left my heart. It's amazing to me that God shows his faithfulness in that way. Learning His Word does not produce nothing. If you take the time to do it, it will be there when you need it the most. For me personally, I have needed the above verses on temptation so much this week. There are several things that really stand out to me when I ponder that verse. 

We are not alone. There is no temptation that we face that hasn't been faced by others before. So even when we feel alone, it's not true. Many others have come before, and many will come behind us as well. I pray that God will deliver me fully from this temptation, so that I may help those that come behind me. Even Christ experienced the same temptations. According to Hebrews 4:14-16:

"That is why we have a great High Priest who has gone to heaven, Jesus the Son of God. Let us cling to him and never stop trusting him. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same temptations we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will received his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it. "

Wow! Take a moment to just let those words sink in. They are powerful! I am in awe of God's grace and mercy. How compassionate of God to send his Son to experience full humanity. Christ knows our struggles! He knows the temptations that we face. He faced them. He knows what gluttony is, he was tempted by it, and he did not give in. He was without sin. How thankful I am that my God really KNOWS what I'm going through. And by his power, he always makes a way to escape. When those temptations feel too much to bear, Christ ALWAYS sends a way of escape. I just need to open my eyes to see it, and then choose to obey.

-10 lbs!

Well, I'm happy to report that I have successfully completed week 1. I started this journey on January 3. As of this morning, I've lost 10 lbs! Not too shabby for only 8 days! Even better, I'm starting to find it much easier. The first few days were rough. I was so hungry! I think my body is adjusting to it all now. It is still sometimes challenging to stay within my calorie goals of 1200-1500 per day. But I am looking at each day as a learning experience. Some days will be better than others and I'm not going to beat myself up on the hard days.

Exercise is going well too. It's quickly becoming part of my routine. I wouldn't say I'm loving it, but I am feeling much healthier as a result. I'm excited to see just how much weight I'll have lost at my weekly weigh-in on Thursday night. It's enough motivation to keep me going, even when I really don't want to put on my gym shoes.

This morning I felt convicted that the easier it gets to stay on plan, the less I call out for help from my Savior. So my prayer today is that God would keep my pride in check and I would rely on His strength alone! Less of me, More of Him.

Week 1

I had my first meeting with the group at church that I'm participating in. I was exhausted because I was coming off of 2 days working midnights. Needless to say, I was just kind of going through the motions.

We started off with getting our team shirts and recording our beginning stats. Ugh. That part was the worst. I knew how much I weighed, and my measurements weren't all that surprising. But finding out my BMI and percentage of Body Fat? WOW! I hated it and loved it at the same time. Hated it because I felt embarrassed and ashamed. But I loved it because it was so motivating. The more I reflect on those numbers, the more I wanna make changing them my goal. Its fun to lose pounds, but it will be so rewarding to see my body fat percentage and BMI go down.

After finishing stats we took the obligatory "before" photos and group photos. There was also a man getting up in everyone's face with a video camera. Really? I don't remember signing up for that part.

The next part of the meeting was a nutrition lecture. This is the part that is very interesting. I'll probably start posting seperately about it because there is just so much info out there! We are basically following a "paleo" diet. Very basic foods. Nuts and seeds, fresh local meats, raw whole dairy, and lots of fruits and veggies. We'll be restricted to 1500 calories a day. I have to admit, yesterday was very difficult for me. I was sooooo hungry. I literally thought I might be sick because of it. Part of the learning process if figuring out when and what to eat. I realized I hadn't eaten very much over the past 12 hours, so that was part of my problem.

After the lecture they demonstrated the basic exercises that we'd be doing that night. Nothing too new or exciting since I'd been doing it for over a month already.

We ended our meeting with devotions. I plan to write separate posts on those as well. There is just too much good stuff for one post!

Tears Are Flowing

The past few days have been so emotional. Its so foreign to me. I'm not used to allowing myself the freedom to feel, the freedom to process and deal with things. A few days ago I knew I'd need some encouragement for this week, so I loaded up my iPod with some new worship music. Did a lot of driving around town yesterday, listening to music, tears running down my face. It was so healing.

I cried tears for nieces and nephews I won't get to meet until Heaven. Tears for friends who desperately want to hold a baby in their arms. Tears for youthful dreams unrealized. Tears of guilt for bad choices. Tears of regretfulness and confession. It seemed that just when I would stop crying, another lyric would appear through a song that would strike a nerve, and the tears would start again.

This is new to me. Its been a long time. I have a hard time even letting my husband see these tears. Explaining is just so hard to do, especially when I'm in the midst of trying to figure things out. I'm just so thankful. So grateful for mercy and grace.

Day 2

1 day down, many more to go. I woke up this morning a bit on the grumpy side. Hungry and still tired, I quickly remembered I had to put more thought into my food choices today than I really want to. But I turned on the radio and listened to some really encouraging music while taking the girls to school this morning. Kind of changed my attitude and renewed my determination. I can do this! More importantly, I want to do this!

So yesterday was a day of ups and downs. Highs and lows. Since my crutch of overeating has been taken away, the tears have not stopped flowing! Its amazing how quickly that happens. I'm just so thankful for God's patience with me. He welcomes us back with open arms no matter how badly we've messed up. So I let the tears flow, knowing that it is an important part of this journey.

I am happy to report that I stayed on track with my eating and working out! My goal is to stay below 1500 calories daily and get some exercise in too. Even though it was hard, I didn't exceed 1500. And I did a 30-minute workout dvd as well. I still need to find a way to drink more water. I drank 70 oz, but should be drinking closer to 100 oz.

So this morning I enjoyed a fantastic bowl of oatmeal, inspired by Kath. This lady knows how to make oatmeal! I don't have too many interesting toppings right now, but I can see myself getting hooked on keeping them around. Today I just made a bowl of steel cut oats and topped it with Naturally Nutty Almond Butter. I also added a tablespoon of dry toasted pecans and a dash of cinnamon. Wow! Soooo good, and sooo filling. Paired with a cup of coffee, I am one satisfied lady.

Here's to a fantastic day!!!