Flower, thanks for your thoughtful response. I appreciate your insight on the TLT lessons. I can see that Christ is certainly working through you!

1. My youngest Son Daniel, spent his whole 2 week pay check on buying me a good used car! I am so blessed to have such a kind and generous Son and lovely daughter in law Rebecca! The car has many wonderful benefits that I have not had or enjoyed for years and years~
AIR CONDITIONING!
I don't think I have owned anything that had that luxury since I stepped off the semi-truck in 2001! What a blessing it is! All new tires, great maintenance records! It has working cruise control and nice electric seats and everything! It is about the color of this font. He told me, "Mom I just want to know that you can go to Church or your Doctors appointments when you want to and need to, I want to know that you are happy and can go when you want to." Oh how my Son has blessed my heart today!!! I will never forget this kindness and sacrifice he has made for us.
I pray God will Bless them well for their sacrifice!
2. On the way to drive them home, I went and got weighed and now I weigh 412 so I started at 501 and I have lost a total of 89 pounds! GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST!
Of course being on the 40 days for 40 years fast has accelerated things I am sure. But losing weight was not our motive for the fast, losing weight is a benefit from the sacrifice and discipline. Today is day 19 and we are praying for our nation! For our Children and family.
Truly I am blessed and happy in Jesus!
Just think, 13 more pounds and I will be started on working on the next 100 pounds to lose for the Glory of God! I stared out having 351 pounds to lose to reach the goal of 150, now it is only 262! I find it much, much easier of a task to do it for His Glory then for my own. He and He alone is God and He and He alone is worthy of ALL the GLORY! ALL the HONOR! and ALL the PRAISE!!!
I love Him so! I love you too!
Love in Christ, Gwyn
I love you all and thank you for your prayers!
God Bless You All! In Jesus Name! AMEN

Gwyn, your weight loss is absolutely incredible! Wow! You must feel fantastic.

Yay you!

Your doctor must be so impressed. You truly are on the right path, and the beauty and glory of Christ just shines through your posts. Awesome!!!!!! God really blesses us when we honor him. You've worked hard and stayed the course, and it's really paying off.

And contratulations on your car! It's virtually impossible to do anything without transportation. I'll bet it feels like you've been given wings! What a lovely son you have.

How's everyone else doing? I had a better day yesterday, but no exercise (again). This has been such a hectic week; church meetings every single night directly after work. I've been getting in my prayer time, TLT lesson and bible reading (before work) though, and I feel wonderful about that. It makes all the difference in the world.

Well, 6:03 AM and the coffee's kicked in , so I'd better get to it. Have a fabulous Friday, everybody!

Oh! Gwyn! How awesome - hump -- makes me think of my lesson today -- about how Christ raised us and we now can be fruitful - I think losing weight is a fruit - heck, it takes patience, self-control, -love to stay on track with HIM! So thrilled for you!

Everyone else -- thanks for being here -- it's so nice to come here after my lesson and just know that your HERE! I always try and remember to say a pray for us all on this forum!

Have a great weekend - I'm going to a retreat - leaving my baby for the first time. She'll be with Daddy, but I still worry. The three of us have never been apart for this long before! I hope I can sleep while I'm there. She's 19 months and we still have use the monitor. I'm not sure I can sleep without hearing her sleep!

My Dear FlowerWarrior,
I have a script for you, I felt the Lord led me to give it to you.
Proverbs 3:23-25
23 Then you will go on your way in safety,
and your foot will not stumble;

24 when you lie down, you will not be afraid;
when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet. 25 Have no fear of sudden disaster
or of the ruin that overtakes the wicked
I love you and Thank you for your encouragment!
TO GOD BE THE GLORY! GREAT THINGS HE HAS DONE!
Love in Christ Gwyn

Thank you DanaK.
Your encouragment is such a blessing!
You keep on keeping on in the Name of Jesus!
God will bless you for staying the course too.
I love you and thanks again.
Love in Christ, Gwyn

Gwyn-So glad and happy for you about your weightloss! You go girl! You are such a light to others in darkness. The light of Christ truly does shine through you. It is so wonderful your son was able to do this for you-your heart must be bursting with pride for him!

I have a had an interesting week. I did start back at the beginning of the Lord's table after some good advice from my fellow 3FC members. I finished day five today. I have felt right from the beginning something different this time and I hope this stays with me. Earlier in the week I hurt my neck putting a backpack on (so I could ride my bike to work) and then the next day had a high fever and had to leave work early and stay home yesterday when the fever finally broke. Anyway long story short I kept with TLT lessons and eventhough I have not been nauseated or anything (just the fever) I have been able to eat small amounts and not binge or start into the food I need to stay away from. In fact I just gave my daughter a dish of ice cream and I didn't even have a spoonful-I got a piece of fruit.

So thank you all for your prayers and kind words-for whatever reason things are looking up this time! Sunday will be my first weigh day for TLT and I am sure I will see results where non existed before! I'll keep you posted! Have a great weekend everyone.

Blessings on your day.
Tracy

Gwyn --

Thank you so much for the verse -- I'm here at retreat and never dreamed that I be able to access the internet -- but here I am!!! They have a little shop open tonight until 11 -- and I'm dying for the pizza hut pizza they serve!! I really want it -- but sat down here instead. Everyone tonight is snacking -- it's like a planned thing -- everyone eats on Friday night!!!

I had a horrible dream this morning about something happening to my baby and even sitting listening to the wonderful speaker this evening I was worried that something would happen to her -- so that verse is definetly what I needed!! Thank you!

Good morning friends-what a great day. Just had to put a quick post. Just finished day 7. What a week it's been. I actually lost 5 pounds this week-yay me!!!! Thanks everyone for the support and encouragement to continue. Thanks especially to Charbar who started the thread-we miss you!

Have a great Father's Day everyone! Gotta run-mydaughter and I are serving her dad breakfast in bed!
Love and prayers to all!
Tracy

Tracy, great job on the 5-lb loss! How awesome for you.

Flower, I hope your retreat was refreshing and fruitful.

Hello Gwyn, Angela, Janet, Amy, and anyone else still with us.

I've actually gained 1.5 lbs this week, but I'm okay with that. I've just finished day 14 of TLT, and the last few days have been especially helpful for me. For anyone who's been "lurking" and curious about the Lord's Table - and who's read my recent posts - it does go beyond the recurring message of "eliminate overeating and feast on the Lord". That certainly is the theme of the study, but it's now discussing godly behavior, self-centeredness, repentence, etc. - all issues that speak directly to my heart and that are getting to the nitty-gritty of things. That's the question I was posing. Sorry that I wasn't clear!

May we all have continued success on our journeys!

Thanks for the kind words Dana and don't let the fact you've gained a little get you down lots of things affect our ups and downs. I pray I can keep the frame of mind I'm in. This week I basically cut down to 1/2 cup of decaf and cut out all sugar and sugar snacks and was trying to exercise everyday-until I hurt my neck. Oh well this too will pass and maybe it's God's way of saying take it slow and it will work better. Take care everyone! It is such a beautiful day here today! I just finished giving my 10 year old daughter a pedicure outside which she loved so now I've got some housework to catch up on and that will be my exercise for today running up and down the stairs.

Blessings to you all!

Hello My Sisters!
Today I want to tell you about my "Bowl full of Chili" experience.
It was way back in 1981 shortly after I was Born Again. I knew the Lord had been dealing with me about my over eating. About always running to food for emotional comfort instead of Him.
I felt His heart strongly! I knew that I knew I was hurting Him, by choosing food for comfort, over Him.
One late night long after my husband and baby were asleep. I went to the kitchen to fill a large and I mean large, like super size bowl full of chili to chow down on. But I kept sensing that Jesus wanted me to come to Him instead and let Him fill the emptiness I felt inside. As I was filling the bowl full of Chili, I felt Him pleading with me to stop and come to Him. I actually became angry with Him and said, If that is you God then take it out of my hands and turn it over on the floor! GUESS WHAT????
That is exactly what happened! It was just as if a set of invisible hands lifted the Big Bowl of Chili out of my hands turned it over in mid air and let it drop to the ground. There was the whole bowl of chili on the floor!
What a mess!!!! Then I was really mad!!! I cleaned up the mess and (stupidly got another bowl of chili and in anger ate the whole thing! Plus more! What did I learn from that lesson so long ago??? Nothing then, but volumes now!!!! God wants me to come to Him for all my needs, with all my pain, with all my feelings, with all my sin, He has everything that I ever needed.
Well that act of willful defiance and stubbornness caused me to go through many, many years of bondage to Gluttony! All the way up to 501 pounds!!!!!!!! It was a shameful thing that I did, but God has used it to teach me to trust Him and Obey Him at all times. To bad it took 26 long years for me to let it sink into to my thick skull! I can be so stubborn!!! My Aunt's used to call me the "Red Bull!" because of my hard headedness! This is sad but true! Yet, God has turned that hard headedness to Him and so now I am still hard headed, but to do good and not evil! Stubborn now after the things of God and not my own selfish will and ways! To walk after His ways and in the paths that He has chosen for me. Not my own! I tell you, if I were left to my own devices and never repented, I believe I would be DEAD! I was BENT ON DESTROYING THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT! I was sick in my heart and sick in my mind! HIS MERCY!, I THANK GOD FOR HIS LOVE, I THANK GOD FOR HIS STUBBORN LOVE FOR ME!!!!!
Yet I know some friends who are just a "little fat" who still are in those same stinking chains and shackles that dominated me for so many years. Anything that I put before God is an idol and must be cut down, dumped over and wasted! Just like that bowl of Chili.
Well I am still doing good. I am going on with God and not looking back! I am still in shock that I have lost 89 pounds. I am praying that God will shrink my skin as I lose so that I will not have to look at having surgery to remove all the tons of loose skin. He said, Ask and Believe and it shall be done. So I am asking and believing and He will get all the GLORY ALL THE HONOR AND ALL THE PRAISE!
Well have a wonderful and blessed Day!
Love in Christ, Your friend Gwyn

Thanks for the chili story -- I can do that so often -- I'll here the little prompts to not eat something and just do it anyway -- and then hate myself for it later!!

Dana -- Ya know after I posted to you -- I remembered that the first days or week or two of TLT really do stay on the same theme -- I didn't think to mention it until after I posted. . . .you're right - it does get better.

Didn't get to my TLT lesson this morning and should probably be doing it now -- just don't feel like it. My baby should be getting up from her nap and I don't want to start it. Tomorrow's my weigh-in day. I always do Tuesdays -- 'cause TLT only asks every seven lessons and I'm always off on my lessons a little. I just end up sending my mentor a "scale-day" email. I hope it's not up -- this is the lowest weight I've been and every time I get low -- I bump back up -- it sucks -- to put it bluntly. You get tired of the scale not moving!!! I tempted to try something else!

Have you guys noticed that "my alli?" In fact, I'm going to check out the website now -- as long as my baby is still sleeping!

Here's a quote from their site --

"The active ingredient in alli attaches to some of the natural enzymes in the digestive system, preventing them from breaking down about a quarter of the fat you eat. Undigested fat cannot be absorbed and passes through the body naturally. The excess fat is not harmful. In fact, you may recognize it in the toilet as something that looks like the oil on top of a pizza. "

UMM - ok -- maybe not a good idea! I don't TLT would advise me to do it either!

Well Flower Warrior,
I hear a lot of frustration and even a hint of anger?
Please be patient and wait on the Lord. If you are diligent and obedient to the Lord and submit to him in and through the Lord's Table you will be successful! Please don't get discouraged and jump ship and swim back to Egypt!!! There is nothing there except the task master who gladly awaits your arrival with a whip in one hand, chains and shackles in the other and a whole trough of foods, diet plans, potions, pills, even surgeries!
But with out the true heart changes you may lose weight but you know it is true, when you wake up from the daze and brain washing of the evil one, you will find yourself right back from whence you came. I know this is true for a 100% FACT! I have done it over and over and over all through my life! Go on a diet lose 100 pounds or more, get mad because things are not progressing the way I like or think they should and WHAM!
I get hit with discontentment , discouragement and defeat and " Hey how did this happen?????" "How did I regain all that weight so fast????"
You my sister are a Child of THE MOST HIGH GOD! That makes you a princess in His kingdom!
So since it is He who gives you strength and He who says when you are weak I am strong! Then Sister when the times get rough...the tough get going!
Sister, don't listen to the devil, he will give you a million and one excuses why you can't do the daily course lesson! And His favorite is to put a spirit of heaviness on you, so you "DON"T FEEL LIKE IT!"
If you act and live by your feelings, then he got's ya!
We must, must, must live by faith! FAITH THAT JESUS CHRIST WILL GIVE US WHAT WE NEED IN THE TIMES THAT WE NEED IT! That does not always mean he will give us what we want, when we want it.
So stay the course! Keep going in the Mighty Name of Jesus! Amen!
Love in Christ, your friend and sister, Gwyn

Ah- thanks Gwyn- you always hit the spot! Just what I needed -- so thankful God has brought me here -- you are so right about the spirit of heaviness - it was with me all day and even in the middle of the night I awoke and told my husband about it!

My lesson was great today - (Day 30) - about contentment. I pray that we all find true contentment in HIM, THIS day! Lord pour out a fresh annointing on all of those who read this. . . . . .forgive me for being discontent with you - for I have seen you in your sanctuary and gazed upon your power and glory (ps 63) Lord, I know you are able - teach me to find your power and glory in my life everyday, that I would be content with you and let you "satisfy me more than the richest of foods!" I pray this for all of you and hope that you will pray it for me too!!

Have a good day!