Sunday, December 21, 2008

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

Saturday, December 20, 2008

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!).

Thursday, December 18, 2008

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

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

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

Friday, December 12, 2008

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


Saturday, December 6, 2008

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!

Friday, December 5, 2008

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

Thursday, December 4, 2008

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