Trim Healthy Mama

I have wanted to write about this book/diet I have (halfway started). It's called "Trim Healthy Mama". I read the book once but they say to read it 2-3 times to really start to understand the concept.  I have Facebook stalked the THM group and saw so many testimonials on how this diet had worked for people.  The first week I tried it I lost 5 pounds in a week!  Then I started cheating…… but I am back on the bandwagon.  I highly encourage you to look it up for yourself since, frankly, I am terrible at explaining it!  Here is an excerpt from the book:

"The two primary fuel sources for the body are glucose and fats.  It is crucial that protein be included in every meal, but it is not a primary fuel for the body.  Once you focus your meal on one fuel source at a time, your body will be able to burn through that fuel, and then switch directly to the task of burning your own adipose tissue (body fat) for fuel.  Results?  Natural weight loss."

There are two types of meals that you eat.  An Energizing meal. (E meal)  That meal is Higher on good carbs and low fats.  Then there is a Satisfying meal. (S meal).  That meal is Lower in carbs but higher in fats.  Both meals you are always adding protein.  The book is thick with information, recipes and food lists.  I have had some AMAZING meals and I will try to start posting recipes. You can eat whichever type of meal that you want but if you are going to switch to the other type (E to S or S to E) then you need to wait 3 hours so that your body can be digested and ready to switch.  For me, the S meals are so easy and delicious so I usually have that for breakfast and dinner and put an E meal to give me energy for lunch.

I'm going to start with a drink recipe that is not in the book ( I couldn't find it) but it is on the website.  I made it and when I saw the ingredients I was SCARED!  haha  I didn't want to take a drink but when I did, it was so good!  I just drank a Quart in about two and half hours. It's really good for you and it is better to make this then diet soda or juice.  Give it a try!  Do it!  Tell me what you think!

Good Girls Moon Shine

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbs. raw, Apple Cider Vinegar (try to find one with the mother included)  I bought Braggs brand   (I heard that makes a huge difference)
1 tsp. ginger powder (ground ginger)
2-4 mini spoonfuls of Stevia Extract
water
ice

Instructions:
1.Fill a Quart Sized jar with water and ice.
2.Add raw apple cider, ginger powder and sweetener
3.Stir well and enjoy!

Smoothie Making: Healthy Living

Ok, so I hit a wall 2 weeks ago. I was getting dressed for church and I "Officially" had NOTHING to wear. I had gained that much weight. I had given away all of my "fat" clothes when I lost weight, vowing to never go back. One thing I have learned about myself through foster care and Matt losing his job is that I am definately a stress eater! I told Matt that I refused to go buy something, we should not be spending money on that, especially when Matt still doesn't have a job. So I said, I was going to change. I did great last week, I lost almost 4 pounds! I worked out on the eliptical for an hour for 4 days (my goal was 5) and tried to eat as healthy as I could. I also went back to trying to stay away from white flour, sugar, and dairy. I did Ok. I still had a piece of Sam's Club pizza....but stopped eating after that piece of pizza. I don't stress out over stuff like that because it needs to be a lifestyle.

The one thing that I had been wanting to do is "Juice" in the mornings. I have a great Blendtec blender and so I was on the search for a great Juicing, all natural recipe. I stumbled on a book that I got on my Kindle called The Beauty Detox Solution . It gives a great recipe for a glowing green smoothie . While, I don't agreee with everything in the book from a Christian standpoint. She does have some great tips and she talks alot about food pairing and how that gives you energy and makes you look and feel healthy.

I like the book for that fact that she gives you tips on how to incorporate (even on a small level) things to make you feel better and loose weight as a lifestyle. While I am at it, if you are struggling spiritually with your weight (as I do). There are 2 books which I highly recommend reading BEFORE this other book . These books have really made a difference in my life regarding my lack of self control with food. They are MUST READS for anyone struggling. They are "Made to Crave" by Lysa Terkeurst and "Reshaping it All" by Candace Cameron Bure.
Lucy helped me get everything ready.
Washing lettuce and getting it ready for salads.

Digesting Truth

Ok. I have been struggling for the last month on my weigh loss journey. I don't LOVE to talk about it. As a matter of fact, every time lately someone tells me how good I look, I feel discouraged on the inside because I know that I am barely hanging on.

Here are the facts. I have lost 42 pounds but I have gained almost 4 back.....with in the last week. Granted, I just took a mini get away and I wouldn't be so discouraged but it had taken me a whole month to lose 3 pounds! And before you say that I have hit a plateau, I don't think that I have because I am not doing well in the self control department. I also REALLY hurt my knee this weekend. (It is actually a really funny story of how I did it....it involves me, my coordination...or lack there of, and trying to dance a little/ act out me on a treadmill). I haven't been able to get back to working out and I MIGHT need to see a DR. to make sure I didn't tear anything. ANYWAY, THAT IS OFF THE SUBJECT!

I have felt really off. Like all of these convictions I had are slowly fading away as I resort back to the way of eating I have lived for 38 years. OK, I was a preemie and skinny for a few years. I also started to notice other areas in my life where I had been working on self control start to lossen it's grip and relax. But, there was a little voice inside of my saying" NO,wait! I want to change! I want a life filled with holy self control! I don't want to give into this sin again!"

As I was ready to put my focus back, the Lord gave me a blog post today. It was by Lysa Terkeurst. You can read it on her blog but this is what spoke to me.

" How many people choose to ingest truth but never choose to digest it?..... Just taking the inspiration of truth but never being transformed by it, will lead us down a dangerous path of doubt. Doubting ourselves. Doubting God. Doubting the effectiveness of thruth. ...... Reading truth but not applying it. Like a message I hear at church but not living it. Knowing what I must do to experience life change but never putting it into action. Taking in knowledge but never letting it make a difference in my life."

I know what the truth is about my sin. I have been studying why/ how I have been sinning against God with food and my lack of self control in certain areas of my life. I know the lies I tell myself when I really want to eat something I shouldn't. I am so thankful to the Lord for that blog post today. I prayed for something to give me the desire to get back on track. In her book "Made to Crave" Lysa talks about this. There has to be something more than us wanting to lose weight to look good,etc. (insert your reason). Pretty soon the compliments fade, people will be used to the "skinny you", you will be done losing weight. So what will keep the weight off? It is the fact the your number one reason is to honor God with your body and in my case, honor God with my self control.

Does any of that make sense? I hope one day I can look back at these blog posts and say "Hallelujah! I have done it!" Or at least I might not struggle as much as I do now.

What are you struggling with? If you are a Christian and you know your struggling, what have you been studying in God's word to help you over come your sin? Are you digesting the truth or just ingesting it?

Psalm 51:6 " Behold you delight in the truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart."

Living a Conscious Life

From all of the emails I got and phone calls I recieved, I know I struck a chord with people when I talked about the book "Reshaping it All". I finished it this week. Boo Hoo. There are a couple of things that I want to write about. I am encouraged by what people have shared with me (even if they are too shy to leave a blog comment. Haha)

Matt and I were talking yesterday and he told me that he really sees a difference in me losing weight this time. I hope so. I think that I am not as focused on losing weight as I am thinking about it as a spiritual issue in my life. Matt and I have had so many major trials in our lives over the last couple of years....financial, losing Sissy, foster care, adopting Lucy... I kind of feel like the Lord has given us a little break in the hard knox department and I have decided to use this time to really work on me....from the inside out. I want to be used! I have been ministered to for so many years now and I am ready to minister!

I love what the Lord has been showing me as to what has been lacking in my life. One chapter in the book was talking about living a conscious life. When it gave a little survey on if you were living one or not, I COMPLETELY FAILED IT! Huge wake up call....huge!

Here are some of my shorthand notes. (Hope they make sense!)

Monitored Living= Conscious Living

1. be mindful of our actions (realize the excess we eat)

2. be alert ( better equipped to handle temptation)

3. be prepared (stick to wise eating and exercise)

Conscious Living involves:

1. choice (do it or not)

2. determination (work unto the Lord and not man, live healthy because my body is a temple.)

3. accountability (NOTHING is hidden from God)

MONITOR YOURSELF

How?

1. food journaling (record 1. what your eating 2. how much you are exercising 3. How much water you drink)

2. record bible reading

Conscious living transforms you (me) into a different person spiritualluy, mentally and physically.

Candace writes, " There comes a time when the plan we choose becomes ingrained in us. That's when the conscious living that we chose becomes habit, conviction and routine. It's a comforting phase to walk in because we're living a lifestyle instead of an outline of rules. We instinctively follow because our hearts have been trained. "

I can't wait for that day...when the decisions I am making now become such a part of my life that I don't even have to think about it. I am willing to put in the work. You can to if this is your struggle! Don't give up!

Reshaping it All

I have wanted to write this post for awhile but where to begin! I have been on a diet and losing weight. I gained a little over the holidays and then lost it again. I have officially lost 25.5 pounds. I have done it by doing an hour of cardio 5 days a week (at 5:30am!) and then I have tried to cut out sugar, white flour, and dairy.....and Diet Coke(ouch!) But that is not why I am writing.

The Lord has been working on my heart over the last couple of years about food being an idol of my heart. I love food, love to eat, get excited about recipes, love to cook...and athough I don't think there is anything wrong with loving to do those things as activites, I think it is the time I spend thinking about it. Sometimes it consumes me. Then let's not even talk about the quanity of food I can eat. I think I can out eat my husband easy!

Before Christmas, I started reading a book by Candace Cameron Bure ( You know, DJ from "Full House"?...and my childhood crush, Kirk Cameron's sister?)called, "Reshaping it All". In the book she shares her struggle with food growing up and how it became a sin issue in her life. It is also something that she has overcome. She wrote that she used to be a person that was obsessed with food and thought about it constantly and now it isn't really something she thinks alot about during the day. I wanted to almost cry. I can't imagine a life like that. She gives a lot of practical advice in her book. She writes,

5 important steps to reaching your goals:

1. envision your goal.

2. formulate a plan.

3. Consider the gain.

4. count the cost.

5. Do the neccesary work to achieve it.

The other thing that I am woking on in my life this year (that has a lot to do with food, is the area of self control.) I NEED to bring self control to so many areas in my life. Candace writes,

"In many cases a healthy body is a reflection of an inner life that is balanced and is one that has excercised self control."

She also talks about her keys to success,

1. Willpower

2. Belief

3. Decision

4. Action

She says that you HAVE to have all four for your new way of life to work. Another tip,

1. Stay in communication with God. (on this issue of food)

2. Monitor your behavior.

3. Buddy up, and be accountable to a partner. ( Shout out to Wendy! Holla!)

She goes on to explain all of these priciples. She has scripture verses at the end of each chapter, helpful hints, good recipes, and fun stories about growing up. I am only halfway through the book!

About 10 years ago, I lost 70 pounds and then came....my baby weight. (remember my kids are adopted). I worried, stressed, and was looking for something to make me happy and nothing makes me happier than a cheeseburger, fries and dessert! I had focused on losing weight but I had not fixed the problem of food being an idol in my life. I am working on that now.

Candace doesn't deprive herself of anything. She just makes really healthy choices most of the time. She limits dessert to once or twice a week. Last night I had 1 cookie and I didn't feel too bad about it because I had such a good week and I still lost 4.5 pounds this week! I have 57 more pounds to lose to hit a personal goal that I have. Praying that I do it. If you struggle with this at all buy the book. It has been the best cheerleader yet!