A NEW DAY

It is of the LORD's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. - Lamentations 3:22-24

OKAY,friends! This is why we can never let emotional upheavals of our daily lives dictate our eating patterns! It's a NEW DAY! Yesterday was all doom and gloom for(still unknown origin) but today I woke up early to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground, my mind is clear and peace resides again in my soul. YES! I am EMPOWERED with the knowledge that I did not let a "bad day" throw my eating off track! Step by step, I survived the day!
Yesterday, I had to just 'claim it' by faith, today I 'feel it' but my actions do not change the reality that He is there ALL THE TIME! 

      Regardless, of our feelings or moods, God's word tells us that His love, mercy and faithfulness are bestowed on us day after day, new every morning!

"Thank you, Lord, for your FAITHFULNESS to walk with me and to PROVIDE my needs EVERY DAY!"

Great is Thy Faithfulness

Great is Thy faithfulness! 

Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth

Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

WHAT HAPPENED? Where'd My Strength Go?

So...I woke up this morning feeling "out of sorts." I went through my morning routine of Coffee, RX's and writing in my journal.....and STILL, I am in a funk!  I have no obvious reason to feel Blue or Blah or whatever you want to call it.....but just kinda' like an engine that needs a tune-up!.....So, what do you do when you don't feel like coping....but are just strong enough to know that you must COPE ANYWAY?  I also began to think, "What in the world do I have to offer anyone today that is worth reading?"

One thing that I have learned over the first couple of years of my journey is that feelings are very unreliable and that motivation is fleeting;  excitement and positive thinking can be here today and gone tomorrow....I think it's called LIFE! 

While looking for this little poster on motivation, I also found a wonderful scripture of direction and guidance from the Word.

This statement of resolve and faith from Psalm 121 will be my watchword today!  I can claim this promise and rest assured that I have the Lord by my side no matter how I may feel at the moment.  As I have done before, I will put my "blinders on" and putting one foot in front of the other, I will press on!  Eating badly would only discourage me and make me angry for having abandoned my goals. My motivation to succeed would not be helped by delaying my efforts until another day when I "felt like it!"   So, knowing that the Lord of creation loves me and will walk through this day with me, I will continue on the path, regardless of the temporary emotional upheaval that I am experiencing today! I know that at the end of the day I will feel empowered for having made the right choice, and as always, "Tomorrow is another day!"

  

Dealing with Danger

A sensible person sees danger and takes cover, but the inexperienced keep going and are punished. ~~~Proverbs 22:3

So.....what do we do when we perceive that there is "danger ahead"? Do we rush head-long into it, avoid it, pretend it's not there, or what?

When it comes to weight-loss it seems that danger lurks everywhere; that it is impossible to ignore, and that try as we will, we will never be able to avoid that avalanche of temptations that constantly threaten our success. So...what are we to do?

In three days I will face a weekend of Fun, Fellowship & Food at our Annual Ladies  Retreat.....Outside of worship, EATING is what we do for FUN!  I cannot avoid this danger, but I can "take cover" as this scripture teaches me.

I must use my "experience" to prepare ahead of time what I will do in the various food-focused situations. I can take my own food for traveling (cheese sticks, water, nuts); I can determine in my heart to make wise choices when we go out to eat; I can simply smile and say, "No, Thank You" when offered treats, pizza, donuts, etc. It really IS POSSIBLE to take care of myself without making others feel bad!  Really!!  I know that if I am comfortable and content with my choices, others will not feel compelled to "change my mind" or "give me an excuse to break my diet!"  The secret to dealing with this kind of danger lies in having a positive mindset and confidence in the lifestyle I have chosen for myself.  I refuse to be the "wet-blanket" on everyone else's fun! I also refuse to make friends with the "lions and tigers" (carbohydrates and sugars) that would devour my success!  When all else fails and I really get backed into a corner, I'll blame it on "Doctor's orders"....that always works! 

Being prepared physically and mentally to face the dangers, I will be able to  focus on the enjoyment of being with friends and take advantage of the opportunity for Spiritual Growth. With God's enabling, I will not fall prey to the dangers of celebrating with carbs and sugars which would destroy my weight-loss efforts, commitments to myself and my example to others. 

Today, as you face the "lions and tigers" of your life, BE CONFIDENT and DEFINITE in your choices! He who hesitates, is lost!

CHOOSE LIFE--ACCEPT the PAIN

Excerpt from The Walk, by Richard Paul Evans.
   "The thing is, the only real sign of life is growth. And growth requires pain. So to choose life is to accept pain. Some people go to such lengths to avoid pain that they give up on life. They bury their hearts or they drug or drink themselves numb until they don't feel anything anymore. The irony is, in the end their escape becomes more painful than what they're avoiding."

WOW! Just insert the words "EAT THEMSELVES NUMB" and you've got my past defense mechanism in a nutshell! Facing painful conversations, dealing with painful or uncomfortable situations, experiencing painful memories....it would never take much "real or imagined" pain for me to reach for FOOD, instead of risking it! But the reality is just as this writer indicated, the "escape" became more painful than the issues of life themselves.

My escape into food, and the resulting weight of over 500 pounds was very painful physicially...but the numbing of emotions was successful! Now, as I have peeled away a good bit of those layers of fat, the emotions keep coming closer and closer to the surface and demand my attention! I am faced with the choice of letting myself stay emotionally DEAD, or to "Choose Life---and Accept the Pain."  I am CHOOSING LIFE rather than hide from it in layers of fat and handfuls of food and avoidance!  How do I do this?

Daily journal entries.....Blogging....Focusing on my Protein-based eating plan....Continued prayer and reliance on the Lord for guidance....Sharing the Journey support group meetings....seeking Education/Psychological studies into proven methods of changing how I think and respond to life's pain and emotional upheavals! There is NO MAGIC BULLET.....but Victory is mine, because as I told the doctor this morning, "I'm no ordinary woman!"

Blessings on all my readers! Thank you for your support.  I trust that you will find some of these self-observations beneficial in your own journey.

Staying Alert for Pitfalls

Okay, yesterday I put myself  "out there" for all to see......now the work begins.  I know the basic eating plan of protein, lots of water, small amounts of fruit and veggies, but there are some things I have historically stumbled over. These are the pitfalls that tend to show up so often, I should probably just expect them:
*failing to drink enough water
*too much sodium
*processed meat choices
*larger portions than are allowed (measure!)
*poor PLANNING and PREPARATION (results in grabbing the wrong foods on the run)
*Emotional upheavals, which, left unchecked, results in poor eating choices.

SO...today I WILL:

Drink a gallon of Water!
Avoid sodium-based, processed foods.
Measure (at least when it comes to fruit and veggies)
Prepare some Grab-n-Go proteins: lean meats, egg muffins, omelets, etc.
When emotionally stressed or thrown into an inner panic or fit of anger:
     PAUSE/WAIT/PRAY....do not eat impusively
     THINK of why I want to eat, what I'm feeling and what it is that I really want besides food.....
     JOURNAL my thoughts, feelings, prayers
     ACT in constructive and not destructive or self-defeating ways..........
     EATING IN THESE SITUATIONS IS RARELY THE RIGHT THING TO DO.....Drink Tea! .

Today and tomorrow (Saturday and Sunday) are difficult days for eating correctly, but I will follow my plan and stay alert for dangers that would delay and destroy my progress.

Renewed Commitment

Well friends, It's been awhile since I was here and I thought I might start up this blog again. I'm not sure of all the benefits of it, but am gonna' give both my weight-loss efforts and blogging about them another shot!

I've been at a standstill with my weight-loss for quite awhile and it's time to move on! Actually, it's more of a matter of "treading water in order to not drown" than it is a stand-still. As you know, if you're not losing, chances are you are gaining! So....I've lost and regained the same 20 pounds for over a year now.  I think it's about time to change that! Don't you?

Here's my plan.....I've begun my Weigh Station plan again100% and am committed to NOT having any SUGAR or CARB relapses that cause that 20 lb regain.  309lb is the mark on the scale that will mark my having lost 200 pounds !! Currently, I'm 34 pounds ABOVE that weight, but this is a goal that I am determined to reach within the next two months or so.  I have a women's retreat to attend NEXT weekend...so that is the first hurdle that I will have to deal with!! It's never an easy thing to change your lifestyle, but I am determined to continue my journey, not only to 309lbs, but to move on down to a weight that is UNDER 200lbs and eventually have skin-removal surgery, which will be necessary due to the massive weight-loss that will have been accomplished.  I've got a long way to go, so I think that I'D BETTER GET BUSY! Welcome to my journey, where I am determined to Strive to Survive!

Thanks for reading! I appreciate your support and welcome your comments on this blog.