Natasha weigh in

I am going on with the theme that Claudia has started. My weigh in was a three pound loss. Praise the Lord. He is so faithful. I am excited to see the loss, but I am way more encouraged by what God is doing in my life. I feel strengthened by Him. I am trying to follow Jesus and what He said in John 4:34. Jesus said to them, "My food is to the will of him who sent me and to accomplish his work. Other translations say nourishment instead of food. I love that verse and I am making that my verse to work on this year. To me it means that I must humble myself daily to ask God what He wants me to do each moment of each day. To find my nourishment and satisfaction in Him. Not in food. To allow Him to break my addiction to food. No longer to find my comfort and my strength from overeating. I need to feel hungry physically. As a overweight person, I always make sure I am not hungry. I am always making sure my physical needs are met and more. Well, now I am trying to transfer that to being spiritually hungry. To get through my pain with my Salvation, my Rock and my Savior. To overfill myself with Him.

Praise you Jesus!

Natasha

Weigh-In and Desperation Band

Today we weighed, and I stayed the same. Natasha has a better report. I did meet my goal for exercise, though. And I find myself enjoying it more and wanting to exercise. My body has really come to need it and enjoy it. That's a very awesome thing.

I also wanted to comment on a song that we have on our playlist. Natasha told me when she got on the blog, and heard Christmas music instead of, "Rescue" she was not happy. She really liked having "Rescue" as our opening song, and I agree with her. It is such an awesome song and expresses so much of what I feel, and what I want to feel toward God.

I want to share the lyrics, and also the band, with you. They're pretty neat.

You are the source of life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of you

I need you, Jesus,
to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other name
by which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow you.

You are the source of life
I can't be left behind
No one else will do
I will take hold of you

'Cause I need you, Jesus,
to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other name
by which I am saved
Capture me with grace

And I need you Jesus
to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other name
by which I am saved
Capture me with grace
I will follow you.

I will follow you.
I will follow you.

This world has nothing for me.

I will follow you.

This world has nothing for me.

I will follow you.


And I need you Jesus
to come to my rescue
Where else can I go?
There's no other name
by which I am saved
Capture me with grace
Capture me with grace
Capture me with grace

I will follow you.

Don't you just love those lyrics? This world has nothing for me. Can you honestly say that? Can I honestly say that?? Do I love and treasure Jesus Christ so much that anything the world has to offer is nothing compared to Him?? I want so badly for that to be the cry of my heart.

In case you're wondering about the Desperation Band, here is a link for you to find out more about them. Their story and their ministry are really neat!!

Anchor Friday-Hard Holidays

"That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." 2 Corinthians 4:16-18 (New Living Translation)

This week, Joan expressed what I am sure we are all feeling and thinking this Christmas Season. It's so incredibly difficult to resist all the delicious temptations that are put before us during the month of December. But this verse tells us that we need to fix our gaze on the things that cannot be seen. . .

~our treasures that are in heaven
~our Savior Jesus
~God our Father
~our crowns of glory
~the pleasures of knowing Christ

These things will last forever. That cheesecake will not. That extra helping of ham will not. Those sugar cookies will not. Those things will soon be gone!!

We need to take our eyes off of those things, and off of our fleshly lusts and appetites, and stop worshipping our bellies. Fix your eyes on Christ and let Him be your joy and satisfaction. You will not be left feeling guilty and full of regrets. You will have a joy that is inexpressible and full of glory. Just trust and believe that that's true! And then sit back and watch God do amazing things in your heart and life (and body!).

Victory

Tonight was my work party. I called and spoke with Claudia today for encouragement and for prayer to help me with my choices tonight. I am so thankful for Claudia. She is always there ready to listen and help me no matter what she is feeling. My prayer is that I help her as she does me.

This morning, I did not read the Word, but made a quick promise to God that I would not eat or indulge in any dessert. I knew that I could make that promise. As for the rest, I was not specific. As the day went on, I realized that I must make a mental plan in my head of what I would eat tonight and how much. I knew that I must have an offensive plan of attack. Like I was going into battle, which is exactly what I was doing. The battle against my flesh. I wanted to choose Jesus. I wanted to love Him more than food. It is a choice that I wanted to make. I said another quick prayer and asked Him to show me what to eat. I am learning to be dependent on Him for all these decisions, even to the detail of how much I can eat.

I helped prepare for the party and had many opportunities to eat a little here, a little there. I decided to not eat anything until everyone got there. I ate a small amount of appetizers, and the main course was italian. I had a medium size piece of lasagna and cheese ravoli with one breadstick. NO DESSERT. Of course, my old habit was to take some home with me. I thought I will put it in the freezer for a treat later. Now, guess who is going to get these yummy treats tomorrow.. You guessed right. Claudia. She can throw it away or whatever she wants to do with it. Now, I could just throw it away, but for some reason it means something to me to physically hand it to Claudia. She is so fortunate to have a friend like me, isn't she?

So, we will see what the scale says tomorrow. No matter what it says..I know God is working in me and I am the most blessed person right now. No words can describe the feeling that I have knowing the Creator of the world is working in me. Me..

Praise you Jesus!

Natasha

Pain

First off, I am sorry I have been silent. I am physically sick and have spent the whole weekend in bed. I manage to work all day, then come home to sleep. Tonight is the first night I am awake.



Last Wednesday, I felt led to rid my house of all junk food. Yes, my house, because I have goodies not just in my kitchen but other places as well. You know what I am talking about. I gave all of my food to Claudia. Which, in a way, was a cruel thing to do to Claudia. (Thanks, you are the best, didn't mean to tempt you). Let me try to describe what happened to me. As I am purging my house of this food that is not good for me, I felt freedom. I felt sad. I was saying goodbye to my best friend. Yes, my best friend. My comfort, my joy, my validation, my security, and my god. I had to completely humble myself and accept responsibility for the choices that I was making. I had to look at myself and realize that I am responsible for the extra fat on my body, the reason for my feelings of being not heard. My desire to stuff my feelings down. My comfort in the food instead of Jesus. My laziness to just eat and not try to exercise my body. I found relief from eating massive amounts of calories instead of facing the emotions that I didn't want to. The realization that I am alone, single, childless, and very scared of living outside of my comfort zone. Not really wanting to surrender that part of myself to God. Ask Him what His plan is for me that day. Should I be at the gym working out my daily frustrations? In His Word searching for that promise that I need to hold onto? On my knees interceding for some lost soul, my family members, my co-workers. I cannot imagine Jesus went to the cross so I can sit on my behind ignoring the life He wants me live more abundantly. I am worshipping the world and my flesh in those moments.

As I am packing up the food, I am crying like I haven't cried in years. Heart wrenching sobs that took my breathe away, I realized in the moment, I am not alone. Jesus is there right along side me encouraging me and in my mind smiling. I didn't see Him of course, but my Spirit had such a peace and comfort, I hold onto His promise that He never leaves or forsakes us. I am asking..no begging Him to fill this emptyness that I felt at that moment. Who knew cleaning out cabinets would be so emotional?



Now, a week has passed. While being sick isn't helping, I have realized how much my daily frustations were covered by food. Now when I come home I have to eat healthy food (which I never seem to overindulge with those, am I right, or am I right?) I have to face my feelings. While I am not really enjoying it too much, I do feel that I am growing. Growing more dependent of my Savior. I am growing in my prayer life. I am trusting more. Praise you Jesus! To all the glory and honor goes to Him!



Natasha

Anchor Friday - Live in the Light

Joan's post this week was so awesome. I really loved the story of the woman who was celebrating reaching her goal weight after losing 198 pounds! Wow. Amazing. And her encouragement to everyone was to stop making excuses.

Wow. How many times have I made excuses for my sinful behavior? Can you relate with any of these?

~When I was little, my parents taught me to eat everything on my plate. So, I can't help it. If I'm full, I just go ahead finish what's on my plate anyway, because that's the way I was raised.

~I'm on my period. I always crave chocolate when I'm on my period.

~I'm on vacation with my family. Of course I'm going to eat lots of chips and candy and Coke in the car, that's just part of the fun!

~I'm angry at my husband, so I'm going to eat this gallon of ice cream. Hey, what do you expect? What would you do if your husband treated you like that?

~My life is just so crazy and hectic. I don't have the time or energy to think about what I'm eating and keep track of my calories. And I certainly don't have time to exercise.

And those are just a few of the excuses I have thrown out there, expecting God to "buy" into it. I love that Joan looked up the word "excuses" in Ephesians 5:6 in the Amplified, Message and NIV versions of the Bible, and found these phrases: empty words, groundless arguments, and religious smooth talk.

Wow. Yep. That's exactly what it is when we try to justify our sinful attitudes and behaviors. When God hears me making excuses, He's thinking, "Those are empty words, Claudia." or "Nothing but groundless arguments, Claudia." or "I'm not lovin that religious smooth talk, Claudia."

That's convicting.

The first time God convicted me of excuse-making, it was when I read, I Really Want to Change, So Help Me God, by James MacDonald. Awesome, awesome book. I am telling you. You've got to read it. I really want to do an entire post on it, and hit the highlights of the things I learned, but right now it's bedtime.

I would love to hear your thoughts on excuse-making. What are some excuses you have tried to use with God? In what areas of your life do you need to stop making excuses?

~Claudia

Claudia's Weigh-In (not)

Here we are, Friday again, and -oops- I forgot to weigh! And I always weigh at the same time of the day, so I'm going to have to wait until tomorrow. Although, I did weigh 3 days ago, and I had gained that 3# back. : p

Natasha and I talked about how there may be weeks that we gain weight, or stay the same, but if we continue on the track that we're on, we will actually see progress. As D has always encourages us, it's not always the number on that scale that tells what's really going on. Yes, in the long run, if we are faithful to this committment, we will see our weight go down. But on a day-to-day and week-to-week basis, we may only notice other ways in which we are growing and changing.

For example, even though I gained weight this week again, I did exercise 4x. When we first started this blog, guess how many times a week I was exercising?? ZERO. And I really had no desire to. I honestly didn't think I ever would have a desire to, and didn't think I could work it into my schedule. So for about the first month, I just didn't even try. But finally, I made the committment to exercise twice a week, 10 min. each.

And now, I crave the exercise. If I don't exercise, I feel yuck. It's like I get an unsettled, antsy feeling if I don't exercise. And my goal is 3x a week, 20 min. each. Although, I will try to shoot for 4 when I can. So, that's an awesome improvement for me!

Also, my attitude was much better this week than last. For the last 2 weeks, I was just in such a slump. My attitude really stunk, and I just didn't feel like trying. I didn't write down what I was eating, and I had no desire to control myself.

This week, the first few days weren't so great, but as the week went on, I kept spending time with the Lord, offering myself to Him, repenting of my sin, and enjoying fellowship with Him. And my attitude got better! I started writing down my points again and made a conscious effort to control how much I ate.

So, I am just really thankful to the Lord for how He's helping me. And how I don't have to rely on the scale to gauge my progress and growth.

Praise the Lord!

~Claudia

Natasha Weigh in

God is great! I must remember that whenever I feel frustrated or upset. I did really well this week with my choices, eating, but did not exercise. I stayed the same this week. I did not gain or lose any weight..the same number appeared. My conclusion...exercise is so important. As Claudia lost three pounds (YEAH!!!), she faithfully did her exercise.

Exercise is so important for many reasons. It relieves stress for me. Raises your metabolism. Gain more muscle,which burns 50 % more calories, than fat pound for pound. Helps release endorphins which make me feel better. I feel that I make better choices when eating. I love to exercise, yet I do not make it a priority in my life.

This week, after a Christmas party, I went home slightly hungry. I then decided that I felt deprived a little and would eat more. But, then I was reminded that I wanted to treasure Christ more than eating. I wanted to feast on Him instead of empty calories. Instead of turning on the t.v., I opened His Word. As I did that, I felt His power and love. I felt comfort. I felt a victory over Satan and my flesh. I slept wonderfully that night. I woke up refreshed and ready to start the day. God has given me power. God gave me peace. He filled me with joy. Praise you Jesus!

Anchor Friday - Christ-Centered

Romans 12:1(NIV)
Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20(NIV)
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.

Philippians 3:20-21(NIV)
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.


Joan has chosen these 3 passages from God's Word for Anchor Friday today. I really love these verses. It's so amazing how the body is such an important issue to God. God cares about our bodies and what we do with them and how we treat them.

Which is why we're doing this, all this pain and effort toward making our bodies healthy. Following Christ is not all about purely "spiritual" things. If you remember, the early church battled false teachers called gnostics who taught that all material is evil, and since our bodies are material, our bodies are evil. And if that's the case, all that really matters to God is our spirits. So, they would say, God doesn't really care what we do with our bodies, as long as we are worshiping Him with our spirit.

This is absolutely not true! Yes, of course, we worship God with our spirit but we also worship with our bodies! (Romans 12:1)

Here's what Paul has to say about our bodies in Romans 6:12-14, "Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been bought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace."

This week, let us slow down, take the time to think about the choices we are making, and make a conscious effort to offer the members of our bodies as instruments of righteousness to God. Don't think about yesterday, don't think about tomorrow, or even tonight, but think about right now, and the choice you are about to make with the members of your body.

Claudia's Weigh-In

I am really perplexed at how all this weight loss works. How can I gain 3 pounds one week, and lose 3 pounds the next? I didn't think I even did all that great, except for exercising. Does 3 days of exercising make that much difference?



Well, I'm not sure, but I sure am happy I lost that 3 I gained last week. It really motivates me to stick with the exercising each week.



I am so glad that I have Natasha to help me in this endeavour. She is such a great example to me. She has a lot of great testimonies of how God helped her to make good choices these last couple of weeks. Please share with us, Natasha!



"...sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace." Romans 6:12-14

My Favorite Exercise

I am happy to report that I have exercised 3x this week, 15-20 min. each time. That goal has been upped from 2x per week. After I started getting into the habit of making time to exercise, the easier it got.

And I thought I'd use this as an opportunity to share with you the exercise routine that I use the most. It's Debbie Siebers' Slim in Six. I absolutely love it. It is low-impact, but high-intensity. Of all the exercise routines I have tried, I find this one to work my muscles the most and I seem to get a lot out of it in a short time.

There are lots of squats, and lunges, and stuff like that. But it not only works your legs, but your arms and waist too. I just love it.

So, what about you? We'd like to know what your favorite exercise is. Share with us!!

~Claudia

My weigh in

Claudia and I seem to be on opposite weeks with our weigh loss. I lost the 6 pounds I had gained from last week, so I am back at the starting point. I am grateful for that weight loss, now I look forward to losing more. So, my prayer is that both Claudia and I will lose weight this week.

We made it through the one holiday. Now, we have the whole month of Christmas celebrations. I am asking for prayer on not to indulge on all those yummy treats that people will be bringing into my workplace.
I will also up my exercise time to help me with those extra calories. It will also help me to say no when I have just exercised. Doesn't that seem to work that way? Whenever I exercise faithfully, I seem to have more control.

Claudia doesn't know it yet, but she will here shortly..I am going to ask her to fast two days this month with me..Either two separate days or two in a row. What do you think of that? What are some suggestions that you may have?

I know that I am most thankful during this time that I have the support of Claudia and you who is reading this. Thank you!

Praise you Jesus!

Late Weigh-In Again

Sorry for my late weigh-in again! We didn't weight til Saturday this time. I was so dreading it. I knew I had gained weight. I could just feel it! I gained 3.

*SIGH*

I have got to get serious. I just got so lazy last week and took a break from my normal routine, partly so I could focus on cleaning and cooking for Thanksgiving.

So, I am praying, praying, praying that I will step it up this week by spending more time with the Lord, offering myself to Him every morning, by exercising THREE times this week (increasing it from 2 a week) and by just being more conscious of what I am eating and taking the time to write it all down and adding up the points.

I don't know what I would do if I didn't have the Lord. If I didn't have the security of knowing that He loves me and He accepts me no matter what, because of what Jesus has done for me. I would be in complete despair if I didn't have Him! Thank you, Lord.

Anchor Friday

We have just joined Anchor Friday, hosted by Joan over at moregodlessme. Here was her last post about eNcouragement:

As you see eNcouragement doesn't really begin with the letter N, but that's how important I view encouragment in our journey to living healthier. No one is an island. We are created to fellowship with God and with each other. This is a big part of Anchor Friday. We want to be an encourgement to each other and ourselves.
I want to encourage you that yesterday is the past. That turkey, gravy and dressing are in the past. What will you do today? I will probably eat leftovers, but I will use a small plate. I made extra veggies for leftovers too. Will I stay stuck on what I ate yesterday and tell myself that I failed? No. I will look at today and go forward. I will go to God for renewed focus, forgiveness and for the strength to forgive myself.
Today I will move more and eat less and drink plenty of water. Today. What will you do today?
Dear Father in Heaven,
Help us to encourage each other and ourselves to live for you and live healthy. Forgive us when we stray and lead us back to your light. In Christ's name, I pray. Amen.

Thanksgiving Blunders & Book Giveaway

Claudia and Natasha's first-ever Thanksgiving Book Giveaway!

If you're like me, you probably had at least one Thanksgiving Blunder today. Share it with us in the comments section, and Natasha and I will choose the funniest one and send you a book, absolutely free, compliments of us!

You can choose between these 2 books:


1- Dinner with a Perfect Stranger by David Gregory








2-Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ by John Piper







Wanna hear my Thanksgiving blunder?? Here it is. Can you top mine??

"Here I am at 10am Thanksgiving morning, and I have already had my first blunder. I made some rolls that I had to cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise before baking.....and what did I do? I put the rolls in the oven with the plastic wrap still on it!!! I took it out and thought, "Hmm, wonder why they're so shiny?"

It was really difficult to peel it all off after it had melted onto the rolls. I got the big chunks off, but I think we'll all be eating a little bit of plastic today."

Cranberry Sauce from Scratch

One of the things I'd like to do regularly on this blog is share my favorite recipes with you all (healthy ones, of course!) So, I thought about sharing my cranberry sauce recipe.

Most people just get the canned cranberry sauce, and that's what I always had growing up. But I never liked it. I never liked the fact that it stayed in the shape of the jar when my parents plopped it onto the plate. And then they would just slice is up. Yuck.

Last year I made cranberry sauce from scratch, and loved it! If you don't make anything from scratch for Thanksgiving, you should at least make this because it's so much better and way too easy and quick.

1 pound whole, fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup OJ
2 tsp. orange zest

Cook over medium heat until it thickens and most of the cranberries pop open, about 8 minutes.
Enjoy!

No Pigging Out on Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Natasha and I survived our day of fasting the day before our day of pigging out. NOT. If you read my last post, you'll know that Natasha twisted my arm to get me to fast with her today so that we will have more self-control on Thanksgiving Day. Pigging out is not an option!!

I have to confess....I was not having a good attitude today. Even though I agreed to fast, I was not completely sold on the whole thing. I really, really wanted to eat. The last time we fasted, I drank coffee with cream and sugar and Natasha said I couldn't do that anymore. So I was not happy with that.

And I didn't even really pray. While my family ate lunch, I sat on my bed throwing a spiritual temper tantrum. I held the bible in my hands and had my head down, but I wasn't really praying or communing with God. Not good.

Also, I didn't get much sleep last night, so I was really tired all day. I had so much cleaning to do to get ready for tomorrow, and I really just had no motivation to do it! So, I finally realized I just needed to take a nap and get caught up on sleep. I actually was able to take a 2 hour nap! I musta really needed that. I felt much better when I woke up.

We actually agreed to just fast breakfast and lunch. We both ate dinner like normal. So, that made me feel better too : )

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving. I would love to hear how it went for you, eating-wise. What kinds of yummy things did you eat? Were you able to control yourself and not pig out? I hope so! May God receive glory for the way we eat and enjoy ourselves on Thanksgiving Day!

Hungry

Hungry, a song that I sang last night at bible study. I am not sure who wrote it, but it is about spiritual hunger. I am not sure I feel this way all the time, but I want to.

Here is the song...

Hungry, I come to you for I know you satisfy
I am empty, but I know your love does not run dry
And so I wait for you , So I wait for you.

I'm falling on my knees
Offering all of me
Jesus you're all this heart is living for

Broken, I run to you for your arms are open wide
I am weary, but I know your touch restores my life
And so I wait for you, So I wait for you.

May this be my heart's cry. Praise you Jesus.

Weigh In

As we weighed in this week, I was not happy. The scale was not my friend. I had gained 6 pounds. Now, mind you, this was over two weeks. But, needless to say, this is not good.

In all seriousness, I have not been recording my food intake, nor have I been exercising like I should be. So, now I am picking myself up again. Again. I exercised Friday afternoon and yesterday. I have followed my eating program, and wrote everything down. Yes, I am not happy about this. I don't really feel like doing this, but I know that I have to. I want to feel better about myself. I want to be healthier. Most of all, I want to honor God. I do not want to separate myself from Him.

Another thing that Claudia and I talked about was the fact that we are not giving God the first fruit of our time each day. We made a commitment this week to do just that thing. Of course, I also suggested the all day fast the day before Thanksgiving. Wasn't that a funny post by her? I am serious about that. I am addicted to sugar and need to break that. I need to realize that Thursday is not a free pass to sin!

With all of that said. I know that God still loves me. I need to remember that. God is not surprised by my sin. Of course, it is not an excuse to sin, just a reminder that I can approach God at all times. He still loves me.

Praise you Jesus!

Late Weigh-In

Hi Everyone! I am so sorry I haven't posted....my computer has been down! And it isn't even up yet; I am on the computer at my husband's office. So, now I am trying to get caught up. I am going to have to keep it short because I don't feel like being here all night on Saturday night! {not that I don't love blogging and sharing my life with you guys :O) }

Natasha and I weighed yesterday and I was so amazed. I was down 1 pound. I was sure I would be up a couple pounds because I cheated at the beginning of the week, and then stopped writing my points down at the end of the week. But, I did exercise twice as much as what my weekly goal is {yay!}. So, I was pleasantly surprised.

I need to do better this week, though. I want to lose 9 more by Christmas, and at this rate, it ain't gonna happen! So, 2 pounds this week. 2 pounds. 2 pounds. 2 pounds. 2 pounds.

Oh, sure. Lose 2 pounds during the week of Thanksgiving. Mmm-hmm. Sure.

Well, Natasha had a great little idea for us. She is well aware of her weaknesses and they're the same as mine. When it comes to Thanksgiving, we have a tendency to treat it as a "free" day and allow ourselves to pig out.

Well, seeing as pigging out (eating too much) is gluttony, and the Bible is clear that gluttony is a sin, and is usually held up at the same level as drunkenness, then there is never a time when it's okay to do it.

So, Natasha proposes a *great* plan (hear the sarcasm in my voice?). It went something like this:


Natasha: Why don't we fast on Wednesday?

Me: {straight face. no response}

Natasha: I just think it will help us on Thanksgiving.

Me: {straight face. no response}

Natasha: When we fasted the last time {24 hrs} I found that I was able to control myself better the next day.

Me: {straight face.} Mm hmm.

Natasha: Well, why don't you just pray about it. Maybe we could fast for 2 meals, lunch and dinner.

Me: Alrighty. I will pray about it and get back to you on that. {straight face still.}


In all seriousness, she's probably right. But, my problem is, we just fasted! It was only supposed to be once a month, and it's only been like 2 weeks. I told her we should have just waited until this Wednesday for our first time fasting together. But, I will probably end up doing it.

Fasting really is an awesome thing for me spiritually. So I know it will help alot and I probably won't pig out as bad on Thanksgiving, and just be thankful for the food God gives me to enjoy and to sustain my body. Thank you, Lord!

Life's choices

Today I realized how much I was mistaken about my weight issues. I always thought that "all I had to do" to lose weight was eat less and expend more energy daily. Simple right? The bottom line is, in fact, less calories/more energy. But I know now how much my food issues are tied into some many other aspects of my life.

For example, I do not make the time each week to make a shopping list, shop, chop and plan meals. Instead I eat fast food, freezer meals or make dinner plans with others. (which leads me to not be a good steward with my finances)

I do not plan my exercise for the week. And if I do, I usually allow myself to be inticied by other social activities. (which again does not make me a good steward of money and time)

I do not like to be alone at home. I used to, but I think I feel more worthy if I am busy. So I fill up my days with friends/family/bible studies..anything to avoid being alone. These things are not bad in themselves, but sometimes I feel so overextended that I miss out on my ''rest'' with Him. (bad steward of time management)

Which the above things leads me to be tired. I am exhausted and anxious, then I turn around and eat. I stay up too late..do not sleep properly which is not good for me physically or mentally.

Then, because I am tired and conflicted, I usually become passive/aggressive. I do not confront situations that upset/hurt me and just stuff it down. Usually with food.

So, again, I realize that I must change other things in my life to stop this cycle of overeating. It is not just a matter of saying I will eat less. Maybe it is, but I am just making this all too complicated? I do not know. I am waiting patiently for wisdom to come.

Onto a positive note:
I love that God speaks to me through His Word. I love that He gave us His Words for us to read at any moment. I love that He is faithful when we are not. I love that I am forgiven. Thank you Jesus!

1-Meal Fasting

Today Natasha and I are fasting for just one meal-lunch. And, I think we agreed that we would not save those points/calories for the rest of the day; rather, we count them as if we used them (Natasha is doing a diabetic-type diet, and I am doing Weight Watchers).

This morning I was so tempted to just eat a little extra, knowing that I would be losing about 8 points at lunchtime. But I didn't. It kinda defeats the purpose, ya know? So, hopefully, by God's grace, I will control myself the rest of the day and just eat normal.

So, my normal snack time is 3:00, and it's 2:20 now. So, I plan to have a yogurt and maybe some pretzels. And then dinner will be at 5:30. Which reminds me! I need to get it in the crockpot!

Keep your eyes on the Lord and honor Him in all you do today!

Being Good and Choosing Christ

This post is a response to Natasha's....

It's so easy to compare ourselves to others and then conclude that we are "good people." But when we compare ourselves (contrast ourselves) to God, we realize what wretched sinners we are, and that only God is good ("dirty, rotten, stinkin sinners" as my friends and I used to say when I first got saved).

Paul says, "Oh wretched man that I am! Who will save me from this body of death??" He also called himself, "the chief of sinners." How could he think he was the chief of sinners?? No way, not Paul! But it's because God had made him well-acquainted with his sin. And that's the only we can say of ourselves, "I am the chief of sinners!" is when we know our sin so well, and we are so repulsed by it, and we just think, there can't be anybody as bad as I am! Shouldn't we think of ourselves this way?

As far as choosing to follow God it is never the easy road. As long as we are in this flesh, we will never find it easy. But, it's always the most rewarding, most satisfying, most fulfilling choice. "Broad (easy) is the way that leads to destruction, and narrow (hard) is the way that leads to life." I love what you said, Natasha, about our flesh seeking out sin. We are not neutral. We are looking for temptation, and that's why when it comes to us, it's so easy to say, "YES!" I never thought of that verse in James as meaning that. But that is what it's saying!

"But each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire..."

Yes, God has chosen us (hallelujah!) and He wants us to choose Him everyday. And since it's so difficult, He gives us fellow believers...Christian friends...fellow sisters in Christ who love us enough to hold us accountable and ask the hard questions and get in our kitchen when we need it!!! Thank you, Natasha, for being that friend for me. And I hope I can continue to be that friend for you.

And for all you fellow sisters in Christ who are struggling in this area, just rest in Christ and trust in His love and power for you. Don't focus too much on your failure....acknowledge it -yes-grieve over it-yes- repent of it -yes- and then embrace Christ's victory for you!

"We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin....for the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So YOU ALSO MUST consider yourselves DEAD TO SIN and alive to God in Christ Jesus." Romans 6

God's Holiness

God's Holiness

As I continue to strive towards God's Holiness, I realize that I compare myself to the world's standard and not His. Of course, I would like to think that I am "better" than most, but in reality, I am NOT! I continue daily to struggle with my choices to follow God's standard or "my standards". It should be easy right? Sinning is much easier and much more desirable to our flesh. In James, (1:14-16) it talks about how our flesh seeks out our worldly desires. In my case, food, and lots of it. Not only the amount, but the fattening and unhealthy foods. I use food to replace the void that only God can fill. Why? I don't know. Maybe because I am lazy. It is easier to turn on the t.v. or get on email than to get on my knees before Him. It is much easier to drive through a fast food restaurant than to plan the meal, shop and prepare it at home.

One thing I know. God does not want this for me. He wants me to choose Him. He has chosen me. May I be reminded of this. Praise you Jesus!



James 1:13-16 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

Hello Everybody! I'm checking in tonight....I did not have a good day. I did not want to even post tonight but Natasha and I agreed we'd take turns posting everyday. I don't want to discourage anybody with my lameness.

So, take this as a lesson in what NOT to do. I mentioned before that I have a hard time when I am in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Today I went out with my family to a restaurant and just decided to eat whatever I wanted. I was more concerned about not spending too much money rather than picking the healthiest thing. I also wanted something my kids would like in case they wanted to have some of mine.

And it wouldn't have been a big deal if I had just eaten half of it. But I ate about 7/8 of it. I left some on my plate so I wouldn't look like a total pig. Goodness. I think I do better when I am fasting. Even though it is hard, it's actually easier not to eat anything, than to just try to eat a little bit.

I also have not been offering myself to the Lord at the beginning of each day, like I should. To offer my body to Him as a living sacrifice. I haven't spent much time with Him these past few days.

So, I guess I need to spend some time with Him tonight before I lay my head down to sleep. Keep me accountable, everybody! Ask me if I did it!


Psalm 63:3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.

Weigh in

The last two days were wonderful. I had a great time supervising my niece's "dance" party. Not to mention all the exercise I got from running up and down stairs and just having fun with the kids.



I have not weighed in like Claudia has. Not because I am afraid of what will show, but because I want to wait until next Friday. The day, in my mind, that I am holding myself responsible to.



I had small victories this weekend. I kept myself focused on my relationships to others, not food. I spent time taking care of my body by exercising, not by eating. I prayed a lot. That is my saving grace in all of this. We have a God who wants to talk to us all the time. And boy, I can talk. But, it is great that He never gets tired or weary of that. It is comforting to know that I am not invisible to Him, like I feel sometimes in this world. As a heavy person, I do not feel heard or seen sometimes. God sees our heart.

Praise you Jesus!

Weigh-In Update

Today was Natasha's and my weigh-in day. I lost 2 pounds. I am pretty happy about that, needless to say. But, tonight, I feel yucky because I ate too many snacks while watching a movie with my family. My stomach is too full.

Whenever I'm eating healthy snacks, I feel like it's not a big deal to have take an extra bite here and an extra bite there. But then it ends up being too much.

I am on Weight Watchers, so I know what my point limit is. But it's just so hard when there's sort of a "party" atmosphere and I'm relaxed and having fun.

Here's where you're supposed to say, "That's no excuse!" That's what Natasha would say, right Natasha? I need to stick to my points if I'm going to continue to lose weight!

So, now I'll try to make up for it tomorrow by exercising! My goal for exercising is not a high and lofty goal....2 days/week, 15 min/day. Eventually I will increase that! But for now, it is easily attainable and I need to take "baby steps."

So, anyway, this is not any kind of an exciting post. Just a little update for you to know how I did today! Natasha can post tomorrow and let you know about her weigh-in and her night with her family at a birthday party.

She can also share with you this really awesome thing she read in the book about holiness that she's been reading. It was very convicting! But good.

Thanks to those of you who've been commenting! Natasha and I are soooo excited to have people reading and interacting! God bless, goodnight!!

My Eyes are on You

I woke up this morning feeling glad. Glad because after a very long, difficult day of fasting yesterday, I now can eat.

Natasha and I decided we are going to fast once a month, and yesterday was our first time. No, this is not a weight-loss tactic. We want to fast in the biblical way and that is, to fast and PRAY. Pray for ourselves to honor God in our eating and in the way we care for our bodies.

It's amazing how fasting makes me think about God more, and my relationship with Him. Yes, fasting also makes me think about food more, BUT, when I think about food and how much I want it, I always ask myself, "Do I ever want God this much? Do I ever ache to have God like this?" And the answer is always, "no."

But I want to!! I want so badly to have stomach pains and a headache and lack of concentration when I don't get God's word in me and spend time with Him. I want it to affect me like that. I want to desire God more than my daily bread. I want to find my satisfaction in God regardless of if I get satisfaction from food.

So, last night, I was so hungry when I went to bed. And at first, the only thing that was keeping me from eating was Natasha. I couldn't bear the thought of telling her the next day that I blew the fast. But then, as I lay myself down, I started thinking about people in the world who have to feel like this everyday. They don't get to eat everyday. They don't know where their next meal is coming from. And here I am, I have a whole kitchen stocked with food, and I know I will get to eat the next day.

So, I stopped complaining and went to sleep.

When I woke up, I wasn't feeling the same hunger pains that I went to bed with. So, I was glad. I was able to just take my morning in stride, and not raid the refrigerator and start stuffing my face. I just made my coffee, toasted my bagel and enjoyed my break-fast.

God is so good to me. I have absolutely nothing to complain about.

I also read this article this morning that has nothing to do with eating, but it sort of piggy-backs off what Natasha said in her post yesterday about trusting Jesus to fight our battles for us. Here's the key verse:

“We are powerless against this great horde that is coming against us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

I LOVE that verse!! We do not know what to do but our eyes are on You!! You really should read this story from 2 Chronicles 20 about Jehoshaphat facing the armies of Moab, Edom and Ammon. God is so amazing.

http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/

Jesus fighting the battle

Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord (Acts 3:19).

I am exhausted. Tired of fighting this same battle. ME, fighting this battle. Not the Lord, not allowing Him to do this for me. The above verse tells me that if I truly REPENT, and TURN to God, my sin will be wiped out. My sin of gluttony. My overindulgence. My pride and selfishness. Not just turning from overeating, but doing a 180 turn away from gluttony to God. I cannot just turn 90 degrees away from eating, but I must also turn that other 90 degrees to God. How does this happen? What must I do? I desire rest.

Matt 11:28-30 tells me how! Jesus says,"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

It will not be easy to take his yoke. I will have to let Him lead me. I cannot lead, I must follow. That means I must turn down that second helping. I must stop eating candy when I should be eating fruit. I should cook dinner instead of going through the drive thru. Learning to say no to all of my cravings at all times and yes to my Savior. Glorifying Him in my food choices.


Spending time with Him. Finding my rest in Him. Not food. He promises. I will find rest and refreshings times.



Praise you Jesus!

Treasuring Christ in our Eating

You may ask, if this is a blog about losing weight, keeping fit and eating healthy, then why is it called, "Treauring Christ in our Eating"? That's a strange title.

Yes, it may be slightly odd, but we chose this title to show our true intentions.

We are two women, Natasha and Claudia, who have been radically transformed by the grace of God in our lives. We have trusted in Jesus Christ as our Savior and have a desire to worship, love and serve Him in all we do. And this isn't just in 'church' activities. This is something we seek in every aspect of life.

In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, he says, "Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." So, his point is, even in the everyday, mundane things of life, such as eating and drinking, and by extension, sleeping and working and resting....we are to do it all for the glory of God. Natasha and I realized that we had to change our thinking with our food choices/diet. God is very serious about sin and we are not. And guess what? Gluttony is a sin! It is not tolerated by God, but it is tolerated by His people. God has convicted us that when we overindulge, we are sinning against Him, against His Holiness. God commands us to be holy, for He is Holy.

Leviticus 11:45 'For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.'"

See, the main 2 problems we have with food are:
1. We love food too much and we eat too much of it.
2. We use food in the wrong way, such as for comfort when we are depressed.

So, when Natasha and I look at 1 Corinthians 10:31, it has a very specific application for us. It is telling us, "The way you eat and drink should be done in such a way that you are glorifying God." And thus far in our lives, Natasha and I have not been eating and drinking to the glory of God. We have been eating and drinking to satisfy the cravings of our body without any restrictions, seeking to derive pleasure, satisfaction and comfort from food. And we have thereby become overweight and unhealthy.

This does not glorify God! And we want to change that. Really badly. Our souls are aching to make a complete, 180 degree turn-around so that we will not be giving in to the cravings of our bodies anymore.

Our desire is, that when we eat, we will eat in such a way that shows that CHRIST is what we treasure more than ANYTHING.

I guess you could call this our purpose statement. Let me repeat it:

We desire to eat and drink and treat our bodies in such a way that shows that Christ is what we treasure more than anything else in this world.

Knowing this and putting this into practice are two different things. This blog, for us, is our journey of putting this into action. I know that we will fail at times, but God will not. We pray that He will give us an undivided heart that we may fear His Name. In turn, we will praise His name forever (Ps. 86:11-12).

What a great testimony to Christ. To Him be the glory and honor forever.