Christian Encouragers ~ March
 

:angel: Welcome Friends :angel:
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You've found a great place to come and vent, share or ask for prayer support. This is a great group who will be very encouraging, caring and loving....anyone is welcome to join!

A Servant's Prayer --

Jesus, My Jesus....How marvelous are your ways....
Far more splendid than my mind can envision.
What an honor to be chosen by you.
A lowly child I am, but empowered by the Holy Spirit to fulfill the great hope to which you have called me.
I give myself totally to you, Lord.
Take my imperfect heart and make it perfect.
Peel away the hardness.
Close the doors I have opened to the temptations of this world.
Gently remove the roots of painful memories, sins, doubts and fears.
Discard anything that separates me from you.
Lord, fill the emptiness with the light of your love that I might be a beacon calling the lost back to you.

To love as you love.....
To serve as you serve.....
To forgive as you forgive.....
Always mindful of my nothingness while doing great and marvelous things in your name and for your glory.
This I pray, Jesus, in YOUR name ...
Amen.


:angel:

WELCOME ~ to the new MARCH Christian Encourager's Chat Thread; glad that you could join us over here ... have a great March, and stay warm ... ;)


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(Thought I'd move today's post over here from the old thread too)


We have a blizzard ***** storm on the rage here right now; started just before dinner, but the winds started around noon -- that was a sign of things to come. Everybody is home and keeping safe & warm tonight. Had a good day; resting my knee well.

Had a 6" bunwich & soup for lunch; chicken & roasted veggies for dinner; a good day on plan. Yesterday wasn't so good, so I had a very light dinner to make up for that and it worked out well for me. Back on target after that and for today as well. Yeah! :D

It's time for some TEA! Have a Wonderful Wednesday everyone; hello to all our MIA's -- hope you and yours are well; take good care ... Rosebud :flow2:

Good Morning everyone.....Welcome Meghan......Today is the second day of week 2 on the South Beach Diet and I weighed myself this morning and I have put 2 pounds back on. I have been following this eating plan to a T, with the exception of the 6 lemon cookies on day 3 of week one. Not very encouraging to say the least. But I will continue on..........

I do have to say that I am very proud of myself tho...Yesterday we had food day here at work to celebrate birthday's. ALOT of wonderful smelling food!!! One of the girls brought in Krispy Kreme Donuts, which by the way it my weakness, I could eat a whole box by myself, but I didn't even eat one. They all had to go downstairs for training and I was up here by myself for over an hour and I did not leave my desk and walk over there. Not that I didn't think about it mind you, I kept asking myself, "Who would know?" Then I thought, I would know, the Lord would know and those two people are the two most important people and I would let both of them down if I went over there. So everytime I thought about it, I would pray. I made it thru the day!!!!

Now, if I could just get up the strength and energy to exercsie I think I would be doing alot better. It's not that I don't like to exercise, I love to, I just like sitting aroung more. And I really need to change my attitude on that.

Today I am having:
(B) 2 mini quiches with canadian bacon
(S) Celery with Laughing Cow Cheese
(L) Green Salad w/ 3 Bean salad on it...Sugar Free Jello
(S) String cheese
(D) Baked Chicken with Steamed Broccoli and Sauteed Cabbage
And to drink all day...WATER, WATER, WATER and more WATER

Welcome Meghan and good luck !

:welcome3: MEGHAN ~ looks like you have a little baby with you in your Avatar; glad you found us over here. Does your church have a special health program going on there?

I was just sharing in another thread here on this forum (the 16 y/o Angel one) about a daily devotional I read recently that talked about CHOOSING A MORE EXCELLENT WAY ... (Romans 2:18 & Philip 1:10: "approve the things that are more excellent"), so I am asking myself this question now ...

Is this THE MOST EXCELLENT CHOICE for optimum health?

If I had asked myself that the other day at the store, I would have passed up on the bag of salty, crunchy, carby munchies, I think; it was a smaller bag of baked crisps, but later on, I realized that they had too many calories for a snack and too much salt -- so lesson learned, and on we go from here ... :D


MARISSA ~ I agree -- good for you for making the MORE EXCELLENT CHOICE to avoid all those donuts a la creme; all that sugar is not good for us. The problem isn't having one, but can we stop at one? Sometimes, I do allow myself one of something (about once a month), but I have to choose carefully since it is only one serving of something. ;)

That's the lesson about choices that I am learning; to choose ONE SERVING of something. I was able to rectify the situation this time by eating a very small, light dinner and skipped my evening snack that day too. Next time, I hope to make the MORE EXCELLENT CHOICE and say PASS ... :lol:

Well, that storm passed through and we have had lovely :sunny: all day long. I put the leftover chicken in my crockpot with some veggies & small new potatoes, so we are having a kind of stew for dinner tonight; boy, it smells good in here. :)

Have a wonderful day friends ... Rosebud :flow2:

Hi Ladies....home for the week-end...I will catch up

:wave: HI GARY ~ have a restful weekend ...

We had lots of :sunny: this week; very spoiled. Today was fairly mild for March at about 0 C or 32 F. We had some ***** during the night; but not too much. Just stayed home this week and let DH do all the errands; my knee seems to be getting better with each passing day.

I just finished another book called "TISHA" (which was a nickname for "teacher") about a brave young teacher who went to teach up in Alaska in 1927. A true story about all the adventures she encountered there; it was a very intriguing story -- loved it.

We had baked fish and chips (I had a few sweet potato fries) with coleslaw and sliced tomatoes tonight; it was a quick & easy thing to have on a Friday night. Did well for the rest of this week eating and living healthy.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend ... Rosebud :flow2:

Hello Everyone. Well I have survived another day on this diet. I have to say that ever since I have started it I have not had one problem with my acid reflux.

I just got home for the best concerts....Winter Jam. I really enjoyed it. If it comes anywhere near any of you, you should really go. It was so AWESOME!!!!

HI GALS ~ :hug:

Well I am having a nice day home :carrot: Angie and I were not able to walk to Starbucks this morning as she had to sub at the yoga studio but we still got in a nice 3 mile walk in the neighborhood with the mutts. A glorious morning! we are having wonderful weather here :) In fact we are going to church tonight so we can take the dogs to the beach tomorrow for a 4 mile walk then breakfast at the beach cafe...if the rain expected tomorrow afternoon holds out :crossed:

Being out of town sure makes for a short week-end though...got home just in time to shower then go do :love: date night :love: at a new neighborhood bar and grill that opened up...loved it! I think it will become our new "burger" joint when we go out for burgers :) Then a weeks worth of drywall laundry, vacuum, loading up gear for next week.....goes fast. I was able to take a short nap while Angie did some sewing after bell choir practice at church and :yoga: yoga at the studio.

We will do some shopping at the produce market after church tonight then maybe a Costco run tomorrow after the beach...maybe I will be home in time for a little NASCAR and basketball ;)

So good to see MARISSA and MEGHAN joining us :welcome3:

Well I will try and check in tomorrow before I head back to 90210 for the week :hug:

Hi Gals ~

Well Angie and I did get to the beach this morning for our walk with the mutts then tried a new beach cafe that was really great! A vegan type place...with dairy and meat options...a little pricey but we knew that going in. We sat outside of course since we had the dogs...the waitresses just loved them of course! Got our 4 miles in and a healthy breakfast!

Went to Costco where we ran into my sister and niece just coming from church, they said we were lucky to have gone to church Saturday night since the morning service was Lutheran Schools Week stuff...a lot of children singing and presenting...always a fun time but it can be long! Then my son called and said the same thing!...lol...Hard for Lutherans to sit for 1.5 hours! Angie and I were out in 59 min. on Saturday night!!! So blessed to be there....also re-saw the sermon on Facebook this afternoon.

Have a great week ladies...I will be gone for the entire week more than likely...but you never know...sometimes I just sneak on home...ha-ha..

Be good, Gary

Hey everyone! I just got through with Dog & Cat day at our store. Rabies drive ect.... Today went to Johnson City to our Aunt in the nursing home and she is not doing good at all. It might of been our last talk she is in bad shape. Still leading with the ministry and everyone is doing good so proud of them. We need rain again seems like for the past 6 years we have been dry and things are getting bad around here Nursing Homes just closing no warning. Seems like they could of known what was fixing to happen. Gas is almost 4.00 around here 3.50 for regular. Prices are getting so high it is unreal, feed has almost gone up 3.00 a bag some more. Sounds like we are all going to have to tighten our belts this year.

Hi all! Sorry for the longer-than-usual absence. The last time that I was online was last Thursday. I'd just come home from work early after fainting while getting my annual lupus blood draw -- 14 vials, taken one at a time with much wiggling of the catheter and loud exclamations of confusion by the facility's phlebotomists who'd never seen such a test panel before. I made it home, checked my e-mail, then headed for the bathroom. There were a bunch of water company guys down at the end of the road, poking around in a manhole.

A few minutes later, I felt a hot wind on my sensitive areas, and stood up a split second before a fiery explosion blew the commode right off its moorings! I was knocked into the wall, broke the towel rack with my back, got chemical and flame burns on my face, and received a mild concussion.

I eventually roused myself enough to call my husband, who found me down at the bottom of the road, wearing a bag of frozen veggies on my head and screeching at the water company executive who had just arrived on the scene.

We were told that we would be reimbursed for the ER and a night's stay at a motel, and that employees would repair our bathroom and the pipes leading to our fixtures on the next morning. Neither of which actually happened. After spending all day Friday walking down to the Exxon station to use the facilities, I finally drove to the hardware store, bought a new wax seal for the commode, borrowed my friend's plumbing snake, and made enough repairs to hold us for the weekend. We still haven't seen the promised repairmen, and the supervisor isn't returning our calls about the financial issues.

Anyways, it was business as usual at church and chaplaincies on Sunday; I look like a lobster, and I walk funny (I have reinjured an old vertebral fracture from my girly football days), but I'm still getting 'er done. We survived The Great Sewer Explosion of 2011 -- and we weren't the only ones who came home that night to a bathroom in ruins. I'm seriously thinking about making T-shirts for all the neighbors.

And I am probably taking things to an unnecessary extreme -- but I made a point of staying on the WW program and my church's partial fasting regimen (21 days without desserts and meats) during the event and its aftermath, even while the water and cooking gas had been shut off at our end of the road.

I hadn't lost a lot of weight in the week before -- I think that my body had adjusted to the diet and the fasting. But neither did I have to get back on the "horse" after my most excellent adventures. It's easier to stay in the saddle than to mount up again after falling off the horse.

Good Grief Charlie Brown! Auntie I thought I was the only one things unusual happened too but you take the cake . It is a wonder you wasn't killed! So glad kept you safe but you do need to get yourself to a doctor if you have not already!

AUNTY ~ that sure was an adventure; but most excellent, I'm not sure. We are very glad you are OK. I agree that you should get yourself checked out to be on the safe side. Sending up prayers that you will heal up quickly with no lasting scars or damage. :hug:

HEY BOOTSIE ~ nice to hear from you again; glad all is going well with the animals and your counselling. Our gas has been going up too; we are at $6.45 a gallon right now (today is $1.29 a liter/5 liters in an US gallon). Our feed is much higher here, but then most everything is in Canada. ;)

GARY ~ glad you had some fun down time this weekend even if it was busy one; have a great workweek ...


We have been blessed with lovely :sunny: for a few days now; the temps are a bit colder at night and you can feel it, but it is supposed to warm up as the week goes on. My left knee is feeling better each day -- am starting to use the canes for a little while each day to do some walking around here, then go back to the crutches for the evening to rest them.

Doing some reading & puzzles at night to pass the time; we had a nice leaner prime rib roast with lots of veggies yesterday and today. Hope you all have a wonderful week with not too many unexpected adventures .... Rosebud :flow2:

Rosebud 6.45 a gallon why these old Texans would just have a hootin fit if gas gets that high! No one could afford a job unless they could walk to it! You live in the snow and you pay such high prices just to live, I honestly don't see how you do it!
My husband loves puzzles crosswords that is, never me I like to whittle and work with my animals. I think I am going to buy some more stuff up ,just in case we really get into bad times. So glad your knee is somewhat better but we want to hear it is all better soon praying for you Rosebud.

AuntLoopy. if that doesn't beat all getting blown off the commode !!!!! Keep on those people for every cent of reimbursement.

Hi again everyone! I just wanted to reassure you that the DH got me to the emergency room immediately, frozen peas and all. I've got some skin damage (whether it's a burn or a reaction to all the poo-gas, I don't know), I re-injured my previously-broken vertebra that I've had since my girly-football days, and I had a mild concussion which has resolved.

If they don't reimburse us for the expenses, I may pay that concussion forward! :devil:

Mornign all! I'm new here (well, I was on here a yr or so ago). I'm Patty, live in NC w/ my husband and 20 yr old son. I go to school f/t work p/t. My daughter and sil live in TN and they are expecting our first grandchild!!!
anyway, look forward to meeting you all.

Aunt Loopie. I hope you are doing ok after all that ordeal. Wow! I would def. keep on them for reimbursment.

I have a bit of headache this morning due to some weather changes and maybe that hotdag I ate last night. Think I'm going to try to steer clear of nitrates for awhile. Seems they are in alot of processed meats.
I'm off to school. Waiting on a phone call as to when I need to go in for my stress test, then I'll head into work after school.

Ya'll have a blessed day.

Welcome back Patty !

Well, my goodness, a person's off here for a few days and things just go crazy!

Aunty, I sure hope you're feeling better-your sense of humor is good, that's for sure! I'd definitely be after whoever was in charge of the street/manhole work to get reimbursement, but don't let them have their employees do the repairs, because they're going to do things the cheapest, fastest way possible and may not be qualified to do the repairs. Just because someone works for the water company or the city or utility doesn't mean they know anything at all about fixing the problem you have-just look at what happened when they were working on what they were supposedly trained to do!! You might want to have your insurance company look at the damage and get estimates from independent contractors. And, get all your neighbors who were affected together so the company who caused the problems knows you're all banding together to get this situation taken care of.

Hope you all have a nice evening! We're expecting snow/ice again and I seem to have a flu bug, so we're just going to veg for the evening. Take care!

Hi Ronni and all! Well, I went ahead and finished tightening up the plumbing today, and my water meter is running at the same rate as previously, so I'm guessing that there are no leaks outside the house underneath the yard. We Dutchies are pretty good at repairing things.

**boggles at the thought of paying somebody to fix things**

Anyways, the flu seems to be everywhere. The butcher shop was closed today because nobody was healthy enough to come in and cut the meat! It's a nasty flu; it's been killing nursing home patients all over the area. Which means that unless it's the same one for which we got flu shots in October, I'll have it soon myself. Hate the flu; it makes me just want to lie on the couch and eat Captain Crunch straight out of the box. So take care of yourself, ya?

AUNTY ~ Yes, I understand what you mean about wanting to fix things yourself; my DH and I are the same becuz they charge so much here. We always fixed our own plumbing; and DH always tells people that's how we met -- he was helping to fix my plumbing ... ;)

I actually met him on his job; and he worked with my brother, so my brother started scheming how he could get us together. At first, I kept saying NO and NO again, as I wasn't sure what kinda person he was trying to set me up with; and I had long accepted that I wasn't meant to get married (there weren't a lot of good prospects in our small town, if you know what I mean). Of course, that is just when GOD decides to send a husband along, isn't it? He came all the way from out west; a French cowboy, no less! Whoda thunk, that was possible ... :lol:

HI RONNIE ~ Praying for all the folks out there with the flu; for you and those in the nursing homes; we know what that is like here too. I am praying that you have strong immune systems to battle those flus away!

BOOTSIE ~ you are so right about the high cost of living here; some Americans and Germans come here to fish & hunt; and they gasp at the prices of food and gas here. Our provincial gov has finally put our minimum wage up, but some feel it doesn't come close to where is should be. Greed is problem though, as the prices are jumping at ridiculous rates (ie the grocery prices go up every month, but our incomes don't). :dizzy:

HI PATTY ~ actually, I did remember you Patty; and we are glad that you came back again! :D


We've had milder temps here as this week goes along. My knee was a bit sore, but that could be the damp, milder weather; we have precip tonight as in *****. I just have to patient and let that knee heal; really all it needs is TIME ... thanks for all the prayers; I really appreciate them too!

Have a great Thursday everyone ... Rosebud :flow2:

:welcome: DESY ~ glad you found us over here; we are happy that you are joining our chat group. Sounds like you come from a mixed heritage too. What you say is so important for people to understand ...

You can pray and ask a lot of questions about religion; and you can talk about and debate the bible for your whole life over -- and still not KNOW GOD! WHY? Because you need to go to the source ... to the LORD himself, and the bible says to do that over and over and over again. As Billy Graham always says, "GOD LOVES YOU, and HE wants a relationship WITH YOU!"

When you meet Him on those terms (His), then HE will show you His LOVE & GRACE & POWER in your daily life. It is simply about asking Him to reveal Himself to you personally: that is why we ask Him to come into our heart and life, so that He can help us become all that HE wants us to be. The Word says that GOD wants us to love Him with all our hearts and souls. He knows we can think. He knows we can intellectualize til the cows come home; but what He really wants is ~ your HEART & SOUL!

Not too much to ask, is it? :lol: That is where His Holy Spirit likes to do his work first -- in your heart. Becuz that is the place where LOVE GROWS best ... in the garden of your heart & soul! :D


It was really mild here today; we actually reached 50 F here. That's almost unheard of in March. So we went up town to do a bit of shopping; maybe overdid it a bit, so I am resting my legs tonight while I pop in here. Time for my tea now; hope everyone has a FABULOUS FRIDAY tomorrow ... Rosebud :flow2:

I am so drained right now and yet am feeling so refreshed. I'm brand new on this site and just wanted to quickly check things out before dropping into slumber. I look forward to getting to know you all better. 1 John 5:14-15 is my life plan... seeking His will and praying for others. I am Kathy, a child of the King!

Morning all! I'm sitting here listening to the drip drip of rain. I think it is finally going out of here today. We had a bit of snow last night, not much, thankfully.
I am still hanging on here, reading posts, etc. Get to go the grocery store this weekend so plan on getting some good stuff to eat, prepare and plan for the week ahead.

One thing I'm having trouble with is my coffee intake vs. water intake. I go with my travel mug of coffee. I'm trying to break that and drink more water or even green tea. I'm going to buy some more green tea this weekend.

well, Ya'll have a blessed day!

i would love to join the group...

New groupie :)
 

Hi, I am recovering from major colon surgery I endured on Feb 9th :) and I've lost some weight. I have been working on weight loss for about 2 yrs but have had ups and down with the weight loss. In total I've lost about 50lbs.

Being overweight has always been a place of protection for me in many ways. With the biggest protection keeping men away from me. But since I've now lost 50lbs. men are starting to give me attention and this is TERRIFYING me!!! I'm supposed to be taking things slow due to the surgery but I'm finding myself eating more than I should and it's affecting my stomach and my emotions hugely. I feel like I'm in a war and I don't know how to win it.

Please pray for me. I know God has the wisdom for me to get past all this but I honestly feel very alone in what I'm dealing with. Thanks!

Hi all and a special welcome to our newcomers! :D This is a great community of amazing people.

Today I was finally able to verbalize what makes me crazy about my Weight Watchers meeting. It's the fact that nobody seems to take it all seriously.

Perhaps it's just because I'm a cheap Pennsylvania Dutchie who hates spending $10 on a diet club. Or I'm just stubborn and pig-headed when I decide to do something.

But this week, the leader asked a question (apparently expecting to get a different answer): How many of you have lost weight every week since you came to WW?

I was the only person who raised her hand. And I was annoyed when she looked at me sternly, then turned away and said, "See, everyone has good weeks and bad weeks."

She went on to talk about indulgences and giving oneself a break, etc. And how we can always hop right back on the wagon if we fall off it.

This hasn't been my experience, not with dieting nor with life in general. We have a saying that it's easier to stay on a horse than to catch it and get back on. I spent today baking stuff for our church's regional conference dinners that don't fit into the WW plan. No problem, because the stuff is not gonna sprout wings and fly into my mouth. If I decide not to eat it, that's all there is to it.

There have been times in WW when I've been up all night, unable to sleep because I felt so hungry. I've spent days without water and cooking gas. I've been doing double shifts at work. But whether to overeat or not is still a decision, ya know? It's not like the old joke about the two Dutchie moonshiners. Every day, you could find them outside next to their still. First one of them would hold a shotgun to the other guy's head, and he'd take a drink. Then they'd switch. They'd keep it up till they were both drunk. (And that's how bad Dutchie moonshine is, folks!)

Am I alone in feeling that we ought to be able (especially as believers with the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit) to keep this thing under control? Truth is that I'd never bothered dieting till now. I'd always heard that it was difficult, and I come from a culture where women are allowed to get larger as they grow older. We LIKE eating! So when it became obvious that the DH and I needed to rein in our gluttony for health reasons, we just went to WW and learned how to eat healthy, and neither one of us has looked back.

So why all the angst at my WW meeting? Why isn't everyone just simply FOLLOWING THE DIRECTIONS? I mean, I looked at other diet plans before we committed to WW, and it is by far the most flexible plan out there. We don't even use the weekly allowance points because if we plan ahead (and we always do), we just don't need them. It's nice to know they're available, but so far we've never been in such a big emergency that we couldn't stop to pack a couple days of food before fleeing to the hills.

I am just not getting it. I mean, we write down each day's food plan on the night before. If something goes wrong (for instance, being stuck at work, or having something go bad in the refrigerator), we just stop and recalculate.

I'm not bragging. I'm just saying that it seems obvious that, if you want to lose weight and you're spending good money to join a diet club, why would you *NOT* follow the diet????

*sigh*

:welcome: WEIGHT-DOWN ~ glad you have joined our Christian Chat Thread; prayers going up for good health in every area. For some people, losing weight is not their biggest problem but KEEPING IT OFF afterwards as old emotions spring up on them. Have you read my EMOTIONAL HEALING thread? Something there may help you a bit. Weight can be a shield for some people from some kinds of fears; but you can be healed of that in time. Often our fears are exaggerated; while they may start out from a very real cause, they can take on a life of their own after awhile and just stick around. It is good that you already recognize this in yourself; that is the first step to healing. Pray to JESUS about your fear of men; telling Him exactly what you fear and why. Then ask for healing of that in your mind, heart, body, and soul with GOD's PERFECT LOVE! (Perfect Love casts out fear; I John 4:18). It will take a bit of time, but this can heal ... :hug:

EDIT TO ADD ~ try to see attention from men as a compliment. Sometimes, UNwanted attention can be a bit unnerving, but ask for advice how to handle those few who get out of line.

:welcome2: KATHY ~ Yes, we can have confidence that when we ask GOD anything according to HIS will -- that He hears us and will help us (I John 5:14-15). Sometimes He says YES, sometimes He says NO, sometimes He says WAIT, and sometimes He says TRUST ... :)

:welcome3: BLISS ~ come on back and tell us a bit about yourself ... ;)

DESY ~ You sought Him with all your heart & soul; and He was faithful to answer you too ... :D

PATTY ~ I cut my coffee down to just 2 in the AM; and I have tea or water the rest of the day; I also like to have a chocolate Ovaltine or Mocha coffee now & then. In the summer when it's hot, I may have the odd diet soda too.

AUNTY ~ Congratulations on your wonderful successes so far. You have such determination, that I have no doubt that they will continue for you too -- what an encouragement you are for others who are starting a new health journey here.

As you know, everyone is different and everyone walks their own path. This is your first effort at losing weight on a diet; and some people find the first time or even 2nd or 3rd isn't that difficult, esp if you have found a plan you like and you have a lot of willpower (I know that I had tons of willpower over my life so I lost piles of weight over & over). You are just starting your journey and weight-loss is faster in the beginning. Later on, it may slow down, or it may not, but the former is more common.

I had so much will-power that I lost hundreds of lbs over my lifetime; the biggest problem for me was KEEPING IT OFF! Life would happen -- injuries, illness, job losses, stress, and emotional upheavals would all work together and over time, I gained weight back. Not becuz I was just a glutton who liked to eat copious amounts of food, becuz I didn't -- but that I ate too much of the wrong kinds of foods for my body and lifestyle. MOSTLY, I NEEDED HEALING ...

From my knowledge and experience, I have noted that people that have dieted many times (esp yo-yoers); have lots more weight to lose (over 75 lbs); have suffered a lot of change & stress & hurt; have pain & physcial problems; and are older -- sometimes have a more difficult time with sustained weight-loss. Mind you, this is not engraved in stone, just common. Often, they will need to tweak their plans, change plans (cycle them), increase & change their exercise regimes, and persevere through some plateaus & stalls to reach their end goals.

The facts are that most people who diet gain some weight back eventually (95% or more); but I think we can learn ways to prevent that with knowledge & persistence. We need to develop healing strategies that help us to succeed -- physically, emotionally, and spiritually. I believe we all can succeed to some degree, BUT WE MUST BE EVER MINDFUL!!!

Let's work together; pray together; and support each other, so that we all can grow and see our dreams for restored good health come true ... :D

Aunt Loopie, I'm so proud of you right now... not in some kind of prideful way proud, just that you are claiming the strength that is given to all of us in Christ. Sometimes I just give in to temptation too soon (with food) and that just won't work! Your words are a real encouragement to me. Thank you for being so transparent and candid!

I tried a couple of "all but freebie" recipes today and am blown away! Kale Chips and Mock Baked Apple Slices... The apples are all but a freebie 'cause they were made with peeled and sliced zucchini rather than apples. I used Walden Farms Apple Butter, 1/2 lemon squeezed (the juice I mean), salt and allspice. Baked it at 350 for 30 minutes and then topped with cinnamon. GASP! I can't believe how good it is!

Walden Farms products are 0 Cal, 0 Carb, 0 Fat. They use Splenda or some other calorie free sweetener. I'm not sure how they make it so good but OH MY! A number of health food stores and perhaps Whole Foods carry then, but here in the mountains of Pennsylvania there ain't no such animal... so I order online.

HI GALS :wave:

Well I am home from 90210 for the week-end :carrot: I will probably be staying up there all next week but I just never know, it is a large project but we have some smaller ones going on too and I can't always just send guys....my boss wants me to go and supervise....but sometimes they are closer to home :)

I had an awesome week with 3 guys sharing their thoughts on our sharing Christ. I posted it here ~ http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/fait...irit-work.html

:carrot: My daughter just stopped by...I will be back...yay she is home from Italy :carrot:

Please continue to pray for our friends in Japan who are going through a horrible ordeal. It is painful to watch this devastation but think of the people having to experience it.

I'm back :)

My daughter stopped by, I didn't know she was coming. She came up to see her mother in law as she has breast cancer and has recently gone through surgery. I knew I was going to see her tomorrow. She stayed for dinner as my son in law was at a tennis tournament.

After church tomorrow Angie and I are going to my daughter/sil's mom and sisters church for a craft show. They wanted Angie to bring her yoga materials and purses she has been making.

Well ladies it is so nice to see so many new faces...I will try and catch up better tomorrow but for now my prayers and :welcome3:

Be good ~ Gary

:?:OH MY... so sick today. We missed church but can go during the week and went on Wednesday. Migraine and I'm actually wondering if it has anything to do with Splenda. Anyone else having trouble with bad headaches the day after a Splenda/splendid meal?:dizzy:

Mornign all.
Had a bad headache yesterday, still not feeling too good this morning. Sinus I think. change in the weather.

MaryCat I cannot drink/eat anything w/artificial sugar in it. It does give me headache. So that may be what has caused your migraine.

I have classes today. Not feelign up to it but I missed then one dy last wk so need to go.

Still trying to be more aware of what I eat. Small steps. I'll get there eventualy.

Ya'll have a blessed day.

Patty, thank you so much! It is such an amazing encouragement to know that I'm not walking a path alone! I am going to try to make some minor changes to test this. I have the chocolate shake (not pre-mix) for night snack and that could be part of the nightly mild headache. I had this amazingly delicious Mock Baked Apples using zucchini and WF Apple Butter. Yum it was so good but for 6 zukes used 1/2 jar. I'm thinking that was the culprit. I want to believe it's not true because this was soooo good but... the headache and accompanying nausea weren't worth it. Sigh. Au Naturale have to be my theme. Smile. Thanks again. Kathy:smug:

Hi Kathy!

When I switched from sugar to Splenda, it was in the context of Propel vitamin-enhanced water. I have lupus, and tend to get dehydrated easily (now that I've reached the age for hot flashes, too!) I liked Propel because it was sweetened with cane sugar, and not high fructose corn syrup.

I didn't notice the change on the label. But suddenly I started getting headaches. Eventually I figured it out. Nonetheless, I decided to see if I could adapt to it, because I like the flavors of Propel, which encourages me to drink water instead of Gatorade (thereby saving a few hundred calories a day).

It took about a month of slowly adding it to my food regimen, but fortunately (or NOT fortunately, if it turns out to be bad for ya), now I don't have any reaction *AND* I can't tell it from sugar.

I had my first diet soda in many years, at church yesterday. And my goodness, it was delicious! Not fake tasting like Equal or saccharin.