Value your body, God does , Let's diet together!

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 1 Corinthians 6: 19,20

One thing I learned about 10 years ago was that my body is important to God, so it should be important to me, I needed to get healthy.

I have put God in the center of my marriage, our store , ranch and my weight loss, without him there I just could not do it!

Thought maybe all who want to get together no matter what diet you are on to support one another, encourage one another and just spread Gods love to all and loose those extra pounds together! We can learn from each other about control , resisting , temptation, dishonor, fitness centers, exercise etc, recipes and on and on!

What do y'all say?

First thing please pray and ask God.

We can use the Bible as our Bible Study. or you can have your own Bible study and tell us what stood out to you in it. That would be sharing God's word.

Commitment
Encouragement
Exercise
Bible Study
Prayer

If you would like to join me, you can either weigh, take measurements, and put them somewhere where you can find them, you don't have to tell the whole world, only You and God will know. Come on here and post . I found the more you post, the more dedicated you get to your diet.

Are you ready, for that first step to a New Healthier You in body and spirit?

HI BOOTSIE ~ I'll be your first poster ... my plan is a mish-mash of plans as you likely already know; it is a portion plan with a calorie cap which seems to help me watch what I'm eating better. My maintenance day cap is 2000 (based on the average adult female), but my losing weight cap is 1700; and I cycle between 1500-1700 through the week.

Actually, most calculators say that I should be eating 2900 cals to maintain and 2400 to lose 1 lb a week, but as you know -- I have to take into account my physical limitations as well. That is why I calculated at x 10 only which is the lowest number possible.

Sometimes, I do wonder if I am eating enuff; as I have had some stalls over time, but I am still losing inches on my body. My clothes are getting looser all the time, so I think that I am toning up a bit (which I really need).

Anyways, I also borrow tips and recipes from other plans like VOLUMETRICS which has been very, very helpful to me. On the spiritual side, you know about that from my thread on EMOTIONAL HEALING in this forum.

As my signature says, I'm a work in progress and this is a life-long journey. Hope some others join us here too ...

OH, and I just wanted to say to anyone reading this or that may be hesitant to join us ... this thread is NOT about judging others. It is NOT about whipping others into shape with scripture verses. It is NOT my thread or her thread, it is OUR thread -- one where I hope we can just come in unity to share our plans, our ideas, our tips, our recipes, our mistakes, our successes, our lessons, and our victories!

WE all want to make progress whether it be in losing weight, or inches, or sizes, or exercising, or maintaining, or whatever. Any kind of achievement counts -- even if it is just a wee "ah-hah moment". Plus, those of you who have already reached your goals, do come by and share with us. We want to learn from you too.

Everyone is different; and we all grow at our own pace. We have different lives, different circumstances, different stressors, different families, different dynamics; different physiques; well, let's just say that it's different strokes for different folks, and leave it at that ...

We'd be glad to pray for anything that may come up for you as well; and offer tips on how to overcome problems or issues as well. This site is really great for that -- but this thread is here just to offer encouragement with a spiritual slant to it. My best advice is to put GOD first (and GOD IS LOVE); Pray & Praise second; and thirdly, "take what you want and leave the rest" ...

Thank You Rosebud, have you ever tried olive oil over your salad? I started putting it on my husbands salad and he loves it made that way. He told me the other day I want a salad made just like you made it last night for his lunch.

I want to say a little about myself.

I have been struggling with my weight since 2005, bouncing up and down ,mainly up. I am so tired of it but that is something I just need to get control of. I am getting where I can pass up the scale at times for I think it is evil but that is only because I have gained weight or I would just love to step upon it. I would rather go by my measurements once a month. I went to help put together a Garage Sale today for the Community and I was putting things out and pricing stuff that had not been priced. I went over to check out the exercise stuff, and right before me sit Rising above by Gwen Shamblin, the weigh down workshop, 12 cassettes and the work book never been used! They already had it priced , so glad , for 4 dollars! I been asking God to guide me and I just feel he lead me there today. I know how much that would of cost me and boy did I get a bargain! Now I have to go buy a cassette player, tomorrow. I can hardly wait to look in the mirror and see the woman that God wants me to be! Thanks Rosebud for joining me on this journey, think it is going to be a-lot of fun!

Hi! I'd like to join you too. I've been really struggling lately and seem to be putting on weight rather quickly. I've determined this is partially due to medication I take, but I know I still need to (somehow) control the amount of food I take in. This is where I struggle! I do alright in the mornings and noontimes, but come late afternoon and evenings and I seem to go off the deepend! I long to have someone to talk to about it, but I feel like I don't have anyone around me who understands. I know I've done better in the past when I regularly checked in with online support, so here I am again

As far as what plan I'm following...I don't know! I seem to go back and forth between South Beach, calorie cycling, and following something like Weigh Down or Thin Within (eat when hungry, etc.) The "eat when hungry" plans seem so appealing, but funny enough I have the hardest time with them because it's difficult for me to trust myself to stop, it's easier to follow something rigid that tells me exactly what to eat and when, although it's harder to stick to those types of plans! I also know I really need to start regularly getting some exercise (more than once a week!)

Thank you for pointing out that my body is important to God, that's something I don't think about much. I'm going to keep that in mind today. I'm excited to be joining you here, thanks for starting this! God Bless you mightily today!!! ~Jenny

JENNY ~ glad you joined us here; we know how you feel. I think we have all been where you are many times. I read somewhere here that some medications can make you hungrier, so you have to really fight that by making better choices. I know when I was on Metformin, I felt famished a lot and had to battle that; thank goodness, I am now off that.

I was just thinking that maybe you need a more flexible plan. There are no fast and hard rules, really. You can make a plan up that suits you; that's what I did. First of all, make small changes, so you won't be overwhelmed. Then, take your most favorite meals &, dishes and make them healthier; that's what I did for our dinners -- and DH is very happy with that and so am I!!!

I buy the leanest meat I can find and afford for every meal. Tonight we are having a nice plump chicken (one of my favorite things) that was on sale this week so I bought 3 (2 for the freezer) -- with lots and lots of veggies: carrots, turnip, onion, celery, broccoli, green & yellow snap beans, sweet potatoes, small new potatoes, etc. The roasting pan is filled to capacity and we'll have some leftover for another dinner and lots for soup too.

We got Shreddies on sale this week so that is what DH and I had for breakfast with 1% milk (sometimes skim if we have it) and a slice of wg toast with a half a banana on it; and a coffee. For my morning snack I had the other half of the small banana and an ounce of old cheddar cheese; and another coffee.

For lunch, I took leftover rice & mushroom medley veggies and added that to a can of cream mushroom soup with 1.5 cans of water added to that. We each had a bunwich with lean meat (Pillar's ham; 2 slices for 30 cals) with our bowl of soup. I piled mine with lots of lettuce and sliced tomato. TIP: I buy romaine heads to use them for salads and sandwiches.

After awhile you get quite proficient at finding the best foods for your plan. I make my shopping times a hunting expedition for new finds. I eat lots of salad (to fill me up); and roasted or steamed veggies. I buy fruit and veggies that are on sale each week and put some in the freezer too. Like I bought two heads of broccoli and put one in the freezer (all prepared in a freezer bag).

Which plan did you have the most success with? Which one did you find the easiest to stick with? Which one do you think you could keep to for the rest of your life? Maybe a homemade combo-plan would be best for you. You could combine a few of them into one to suit you.


BOOTSIE ~ yes, I am going to try that; I priced the olive oil ... It's over $10.00 for a small bottle here. I had to throw my last bottle out as it went rancid on us; and we couldn't find any expiry date on it. The only one I could find with a date was about $11 something. I have some canola oil here right now, but I will try to remember to pick some up on my next shopping day at least for salads; and I will still use the canola which is much better priced for cooking.

I am going by sizes becuz I get too upset if the scale doesn't go down; I have always lost weight this way. It works for me; so I'm stickin' to it. My main goal is to get to a size 18, then we'll see from there. I am getting closer all the time, the only problem is the vast size variations in the clothing these days. I try one size and it's too tight, but the next size up is too big. It has to be becuz the manufacturers in China and Bangladesh are using their size measurements, not North Americans.

That's what my DAD says ... "They are makin' everything for the little people!" I don't like my clothes too tight either; I prefer them loose and comfortable as well. I am all for supporting these people as they need the jobs, but it makes clothes and shoe & boot fitting much more difficult.

Last winter, I had a heck of a time finding winter boots that fit. I used to be a size 7; then it went up to size 8; and now I had to get a size 9, and they just fit -- no woolies can fit into them.

Jenny! With so many diets around, a person just can turn circles and don't know which one, I just took a whole week to look over all I could. No matter what there was 3 places I would always go back to and that was Here, the old outlook ministry exchanges and weigh down. So I have just kinda combined what I like of each one into what I am comfortable with.

I drink Tart Cherry which is high 5.99 a bottle and the olive oil ranges from 8.99 to 25.00 here. I get the 8.99 and I feel if it keeps my cholesterol down , that is better than medicine. I drink Tart Cherry to relieve my akes and pains been on it one week so has hubby and I have to say, I feel like I can start to ride my bike! My husband says he feels like a new man! I was down and out as all of you know but I heard Dr. Oz say it was good for you. So I went to HEB and there was a couple,in there 80's that they said they had been drinking by their doctors orders for arthritis for over a year now. They said it really helped them so I figured if it helped them I would try it, sure glad I did. It is really nice in a wine glass for it sorta taste like wine. 1 cup in the morning and 1 cup at night. They said do not put any sugar in it though. Drink it where it can get right in your system like 30 minutes before you eat. We also which was so hard for me was to give up diet sugar, it was giving us cramps in our legs so bad we could not even hardly stand it. That was really hard for me and I still have slip ups on that. The way we found out a friend told us to stop drinking it for two days and see how we feel. Gosh that was hard to do but worth it.

Rosebud! I wear mens shoe 7.5 but if I get a womans shoe it is 9.5!

BOOTSIE ~ what is TART CHERRY? Do you mean SHERRY? OR, a tart cherry fruit or juice? Have never heard of this before ...

Good day! I lose quickest on South Beach, but find it hard to stick with. I've also had success w/ what amounts to calorie cycling, although I didn't realize that's what it was at the time. I did the Setting Captives Free study a few years back and followed one of their eating plans and it was basically eating different amounts of calories daily. They also suggested the same kind of plan as Weigh Down.

The last time I felt really in control of my eating, I had finally come to the point of really releasing it to the Lord, admitting that I was turning to food instead of God in many, many instances and then I spent a lot of time in Bible study, prayer & worship. I still followed the calorie cycling plan at that time, but my focus wasn't on the food, it was on the Lord. I felt so much freedom! But after a few weeks I seemed to lose focus and I just lost it, ended up back where I started. I haven't seemed to be able to get back to that place of freedom since then.

So, that's where I am today.

What do you all do for exercise? And why are you drinking the tart cherry juice?

Have a great day!

Jenny my husband and I drink the Tart Cherry for akes and pains, he drinks two cups per day and I drink 1/2 cup per day. I think a-lot of his is arthritis, mine was just from Humpty Dumpty (me) taking a great fall! It so strange ,in one of my diet combinations they were talking how different foods affect our bodies. I know I am more active after being on it for 1 week with just a half a cup per day but I did start out with 2 cups per day. I am off my pain medicine and lifting feed and loading it again in trucks. I couldn't pick up a pencil a week ago without about to die, I prayed a-lot, asking our Father to make me, me again and the Lord has. I must stop now and say, THANK YOU FATHER! When that couple told me that their doctor had them on it for a year for arthritis , I bought some. I sure am glad he placed them there at the same time I was there.

Went garage sale hopping with my friend Lanelle and we found alot of neat stuff one was an antique Bee Smoker for a dollar! I asked my husband if he knew what it was and he said Sure do its a bee Smoker have not seen one of them in ages! A horse swing, made out of a tire, for my grandchildren if they ever come to see me before they get to big for it. Lots of other goodies for a dollar!

Jenny what made you loose focus last time or you on guard for it this time? It is good to make mistakes or mess up sometimes because we learn from it and we are much smarter next time. I had lost my sister but instead of being grateful she was my sister and not somebody else's sister,and that we had been with each other for 54 years, I was angry with God and I told him so. I now know that was wrong but my anger took over my life and I didn't much cared if I ate or not because I had lost all my weight to bring others to know him, not for myself .Even though I had started at first loosing weight for me I had committed to loosing weight to bring others to him. After I lost her I could of cared less I was so angry!

Now I know to cherish my family, and to over look what I don't agree with, for they may not be here tomorrow. Grateful they are my family and that I live in America. I am grateful for the time I spend with my friends. I love to make special memories, for God may take his children home but he leaves the precious memories made , they do not die. So now I am on guard there. If something like that happens ,yes my heart will break but I will be so grateful for the precious time God gave me with that person in my life.

In exercise I walk a-lot and just cleaning my house is great exercise for I like to move my bode while cleaning to music.

BOOTSIE ~ you say that for exercise you walk and clean house -- what about this ... How much do those things weigh? Anywhere from 25-50 lbs each, I'd say ... we used to farm and I recall trying to move them around when I was young; too heavy for me and I know that my brothers sure didn't like hauling them around much.

You do enuff work at your hardware and feed store, plus cleaning your home and looking after your animals ... I'm surprised you would need to do anymore than all that really. You are already a work-horse -- and I mean that in the kindest way ...


JENNYGIRL ~ well, maybe you can indeed take the basics of South Beach and make it a bit more flexible to your own liking. Pick a calorie cap and see what happens. You could start with 2100 and see if you lose any weight on that; if not, then move it down 100 calories at a time until you do. They say to take your weight and multiply that by 10; but I find that doesn't work for larger folks -- plus my last doctor and I both believed that my metabolism was a bit slow from years of yo-yo-ing.

I am trying the one based on the size I am aiming for, ie 200 x 10 (which is size 18 for me). That is my maintenance cap; and I started out at 2100, then went down to 2000, and so on. I tried 1500-1700 for a while, but may go back to 1600-1800 for the winter, as that worked for me last winter -- I lost about 15 lbs on that amount.

Just make a few changes and get started: 1) cut out junk food 2) cut out fast foods (make your own healthier versions like baked) 3) cut down simple white carbs like flour & sugar & goodies. This would be a good start; then just eat a good healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner -- with a few healthy snacks that you love. You will have to experiment some as you go.

As for the spiritual part, I like doing my daily devotional each morning. As soon as I get up, I make a coffee and go sit in my rocking chair and do my morning prayers, praises, and devotional, which includes reading. It only takes about 1 minute to read it, and 1 minute to look at the bible scripture; in all, it only takes about 5 minutes -- not very long really.

I think one of the most common errors is that we get too strict with ourselves -- and I believe that may be one of the top reasons why we regained in the past. I still allow myself some of my favorite things, in moderation. I have found things to sub for the high fat, high sugary ones so I don't feel deprived. I have NSA chocolate pudding that tastes just as good as the other kind (maybe even better).

I don't look at this as a temporary diet; this is a life-long healthy journey for me now. I am taking my time and learning in the process. I have lost this weight slowly becuz I don't want to gain it back. There is no going back this time. I now know that the other times, I thought it was a permanent fix and it was not!

I was thinking today, that we need to find and/or create an eating plan that is healthy, but enjoyable -- and one that will allow us to still make healthy choices (for the most part), no matter what is going on in our lives! For I think that if we do that at least 90% of the time, we will lose weight and we will not regain what we've lost.

We also need to find activities to do that we love; like I love gardening for instance. It doesn't feel like exercise but it is. Today, I found a new aerobic exercise that gave me a really good workout but I loved it. I bought myself a very light-weight battery weed whacker. I spent a couple hours doing that on and off (a bit in the am and some in the pm) and got my heart beat up good. Things like that.

We have to get away from this "I must lose weight and do it now" mentality -- like we're in some kind of frenzy or something. Experience tells us that doesn't work for most people and our bodies fight that. Sometimes, I think that we blame ourselves too much for what is really just a biological defense mechanism.

Your body doesn't want to be starved; so you have to fool it. Eat lots of low-cal healthy stuff and some good fats, lean meats, piles of veggies and salads, some fruit & dairy; and some healthy complex carbs -- a good balanced plan really. I think our bodies will like that in the long run.

Well, that's enuff rambling for tonight ...

What made me lose focus before...good question! I had finally come to the place of saying I had made food my idol and confessed this before God. I let go of wanting to lose weight for all the superficial reasons I've had, and focused on trusting the hunger signals God has given me and eating as He led (within a certain structure that did give me some help along the way) And I really tried to focus on filling my soul with Him and His Word, instead of stuffing myself with food. I felt an amazing sense of freedom, but after a few weeks I started thinking again about those superficial reasons I had for weight loss, and also started just desiring to eat more than I needed...it began a spiral and I ended up where I was before I started. For some reason I just haven't been able to get back to that place, but today I'm feeling like that's where I need to start again. Maybe God has let me go my own way these past months so that I'll learn (again) that I can't do this my way, which would truly be a selfish way for my own reasons! (not that this is everyone else's situation during weight loss, mind you, just where I am with this)

Hope you have a blessed day!

You know, the more I read, the more I am convinced that some people are overweight simply becuz -- THEY DON'T LOVE THEMSELVES!!!

Self-hatred, self-loathing, self-flagulation, self-abasement, self-criticism, self-denial, and extreme selflessness all contribute to using food as a weapon against oneself instead of as fuel to nourish and heal the body. If you truly love yourself and your body, you will want to take good care of it. You need to know that GOD LOVES YOU, so that you can too ...

I was just reading a book where the eminent Dr. Weil, M.D. said this about those who want to lose weight ... "AS LONG AS YOU DO NOT ACCEPT AND LOVE YOUR BODY (and yourself), IT WILL RESIST YOUR DESIRE TO HAVE IT BE DIFFERENT. Practice liking your body as it is, because that is the only mind-set from which you can change it."

He also recommends breathing exercises and other activities for emotional eating; and limiting the damage by choosing healthier low-cal foods. In this case, he believes some people use food as a drug to soothe their anxieties and discomforts; and encourages them to find healthier ways, including counseling, if needs be.

Out in BC, we have a very successful ED therapist (I will try to find her name) who believes that people with eating disorders, and esp those with severe Anorexia, actually hate themselves -- and what they need more than anything to heal is ... oodles and oodles of LOVE ... so she loves them back to health again!


JENNY ~ One of my issues is that I cannot trust the hunger signals that GOD put in my body; becuz my body tries to fool me and sends them whether I have eaten enuff or not. So when I know that I have had more than enuff to eat, I ignore those false signals or find ways to dissuade them. Sometimes, the flesh lies to us, just like YKW lies to us too. YKW doesn't want us to love ourselves or to succeed either. He is the great liar and tempter ... so we have to ignore him too! We can claim victory through our beautiful Savior, JESUS, who loves us perfectly and endlessly ...

I hope you find your way back to where you want to be; and I'm praying for you too ...