Going well...

Hello again Lovelies!
I just want to share a little something that's been helping me on my weight loss journey lately. A few weeks back, I was sick, under pressure at work, and generally eating just about whatever I liked! As a result, in the past month, I only lost 1kg, instead of the 2 or 3 that I had hoped for. I was fast slipping back into the scary eating patterns and resignation I had had before. But then something within me said NO. I don't want to undo all my hard work. I don't want to gain the weight I've lost. I believe God was causing some righteous indignation to bubble up in my spirit, and whispering to me "Don't give up... you CAN do it!"

So last Monday, after having bought takeaway TWICE during the day, I decided that I didn't want to continue this silliness any more! So I made a reward chart for good behaviour, just like I do for the girls and their chores. Every day, I reward myself $3 on the chart if I have not given in to temptation that day. When someone offers me something and I have a small serve, that's OK, I'm being polite and moderate at the same time. But if temptation is telling me to take a bigger slice, or another piece, that's when I have to decide what to do. My issue is not so much what I put into my mouth, but the amount of power I allow temptation/the flesh, to have in my life!
I also reward an additional $3 for exercise done with the proper amount of effort! Whenever I can, I will put away my weekly earnings to accrue for my new wardrobe that I will undoubtedly be needing in a few months!!! So last week, I earned a grand total of $24- enough for a cute new shirt perhaps! But not yet. So far, even though I'm just writing some money on a wall chart, I'm finding that I'm motivated to make sure I get to write up my $3 or $6 for the day! I am noticing some improvement in my body shape, and I don't want to lose it again. I might only have been losing a little bit at a time, but the fact is, I am losing it, so if I just continue in that, I will eventually reach my goal- if I don't give up!
Our Sunday message this week was about selecting scripture from the Bible to use as weapons when we feel the attack of the devil on our lives, just like David selected some stones to kill Goliath. Well, here's one of my weapons for this situation: Galatians 6:9- Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!
Have a great week, everybody, and don't give up!!!

Blessings,

New Insights!

Hiya, everyone!
It's pretty late tonight, but I just wanted to pop in and say hi to y'all.
Last week I really struggled with my thoughts, and was tempted to eat lots of naughty foods. I must admit, I gave in a couple of times, too. But I'm learning to encourage myself, and continue with the discipline of healthy eating. Where previously I would feel a strong sense of defeat, and be easily persuaded to give into temptations, now I find I can get back up, and keep on heading towards my goal- praise God!!!
Today at the gym I had my weigh and measure. It's been 2 months since I started there, and I've lost a total of 24.5cm (almost 10 inches!!) off various body parts, and about 3kg in weight! I'm so glad I haven't given up when I've struggled... I'm still on the road to victory!


My darling husband and I are about to start facilitating a fantastic marriage enrichment course called Making Marriage Better. (Click here to learn more about that!) We're really excited about it, and looking forward to ministering to many others through the course! But to facilitate (lead) the course, we first have to do the facilitator's course- naturally! My DH has already done it, and has been facilitating mens courses since last Feb., but I am in the midst of my training now.

The reason for all this chatter is to tell you about the wonderful insight I learned on Saturday, while watching the training videos. It was something I'd heard before, but on Saturday, the penny really dropped! I believe it's something that will really help me, and it may also be of help to you, so here goes...
The trainer, Helen Meyer, was discussing four areas of recovery: areas of a person's life which may need work in order for healing to take place. These areas are: spiritual area, cognitive area (thought life), behavioural area, and feelings or emotions.
Very often, pastors, counsellors, facilitators, etc. lean towards one particular area, and therefore they may try to help a person using only a narrow approach. (I hope you're following me!!) An example of this may be using cognitive techniques, but failing to address the spiritual roots of the issue, or conversely, using prayer and deliverance ministry, but not acknowledging the need to process emotions! "OK, OK," you say, "just get on with it and tell me the new insight you had!!"

Well, it was this: I realised that I too have a bent towards a particular area- namely the Behavioural one, and that my difficulties in conquering some of my lifelong issues (such as lateness and unhealthy living) may be due in part, to my lack of focus on the other areas of recovery! To explain what I mean a bit more, I'll detail what behavioural work consists of.

Behavioural work is:

• Taking responsibility for your behaviour
• Structuring your life for behavioural change
• Making it easy to do the right thing
• Making it hard to do the wrong thing!
• Putting off/putting on - taking action
• Support and accountability in a group or with a friend.

Wow, I hear bells ringing!! That is me to a T! Any of you who have been reading my blog for a while will agree, that's what I'm all about.. it's in just about every post I write! Sooooo, of course, the Holy Spirit was giving me a bit of a nudge, saying "What about the other 3 areas... perhaps it's time you looked at some of them a bit more seriously."

A challenge for all of us, perhaps, to move out of our comfort zone and explore a wholistic approach to our own change! How very strange for me, being confronted with this new truth! Even now, I'm trying to avoid a behavioural approach, such as putting in place a structure so I can address spiritual issues etc. Hee hee, isn't that funny!
So I will avoid it. I won't strategise, I'll just carry my course book around a bit, refer to it now and then, and wait for the Holy Spirit to speak some more. That was fairly loose, wasn't it??!?

I'm sure you want to know what the other three areas entail too. I've abridged them, because of course, they're under copywright, but at least you'll have the general idea!

Spiritual work includes:

• Conversion, Baptism in the Holy Spirit
• Forgiveness, Inner healing
• Deliverance, Spiritual warfare, and devotional life.

Cognitive work includes:

• Renewing the mind, Bible study and replacing negative self talk with Biblical truth
• Challenging faulty beliefs and lies
• Learning new truths about yourself (eg Who I am in Christ!)

Feelings work includes:

• Learning how to identify and express feelings
• Allowing yourself to experience feelings (eg suppressed feelings!)
• Expressing feelings responsibly

How do you work through things in your life? Do you focus on one of these areas in particular? I hope this new insight has been helpful for you! I'm off to bed now, but will continue to think and pray about these things in the days ahead. I'd love to hear your comments about this!

Have a great week everyone!



Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

Staying on track, in a yummy way!

Hi everyone, just a quick post today, to let you all know I'm doing well with my new diet and exercise changes! I wasn't keen on having salad "again!" for lunch today, but I'm glad now, as it was delicious, and I've stayed on track with my eating because I chose to just do it anyway! Also, for Bible Study tonight, I felt like being Suzie Homemaker, and actually baking something for a change, so I Googled 'healthy recipes', and found a nice sounding easy recipe for honey biscuits that sound healthy and delicious! If they prove to be a winner, I'll post the recipe here for you all. No doubt I'll modify it a bit, being one of those cooks who likes to splash in all sorts of interesting ingredients, but the original can be found at Spark Recipes: http://recipes.sparkpeople.com/home.asp?gclid=CPTws6aBgpMCFQWiggodDkqLGA
Happy cooking, and have a great week!

Don't go it alone!

The shocking truth...

OK everyone, in the interests of being open and accountable, I am just coming straight out with it...
Today I had to re-set my weight loss ticker- the little measuring stick at the bottom of my blog that tells how much weight I've lost, and my progress towards my goal weight. The truth is, between November and February, I thought I'd lost about 4kg, but it turns out it had been only temporarily mislaid. It is now back with me, filling my jeans in all the wrong places.

What can I say, after all my valiant words, my poignant posts! I, like so many others, have stayed on the rollercoaster of my feelings during this period... "I can do this, I am fearfully and wonderfully made" with carrot sticks one minute, then "I'll never be able to get the victory" with icecream and chocolates, the next.

I feel like a bit of a goose right now, but I'm going to say it anyway... this time I really do believe I am going to have the victory- over my weight, my health, and the wrong thoughts and mindsets that have sabotaged all my previous good work!

It's been said before, that the definition of insanity is to be doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting a different result. Previously I have fought the weight and health battle on only one (or 1.5) fronts at a time- sometimes I've focussed on my eating in Weight Watchers, but let myself down in the exercise department. Other times, I've worked out regularly at a gym, and then eaten whatever I wanted. Needless to say, the little results I did have were quickly swept away in the tide of unhealthy habits!

So this time, I'm doing things differently.
Last week, my darling hubby and I got together and decided that it's time to get radical, to win this war! So this time, I'm going out on all fronts: I've joined the local Contours gym, where I'll be doing energetic workouts three times a week, and I've committed to 5 visits over the next 6 months with a dietitian, to help me get my eating under control. In addition, I'm spending time with loving friends, and working on my thoughts and beliefs through books, programs, blogs, and the Word!

Initially, I wondered whether going to a dietitian would be helpful, thinking "Ï know what I should be eating, and I've just gotta get my thoughts under control with God's help!" But today I went for my 1st visit, and I am so glad I made that move! Do you know, even as a nurse, I had made several regular food choices that I thought were good for me, but actually weren't! I now feel like I will win over this problem- that I'm not in it on my own, but that I have supports and structures that will help me get there.

Friends, I've described my struggle in ugly detail for two reasons: Firstly, I really want to make a fresh start, as I feel I've been given one, and I want you all to know that it's fresh and new.
Secondly, if you are where I've been for the past months, I encourage you to come out on all fronts too. If you try to lop off one of your legs, something you've been relying on for many years, you won't only need a crutch, you'll need physio, dressings, adaptations to your home, etc. You'll need supports in place to help you with the transition. So try to leave every base covered- get some help with your eating, help with your fitness, find some friends who support you in your battle. I'm doing it, and I think I'll be overjoyed at the result!
I'm looking forward to being free! See you at the top of the mountain.
Lots of love,

Quit giving up!

Hi everyone, I know.. it's Thursday, not Wednesday, but I was so encouraged by Darlene's story on Live Well this week, that I just had to add the gorgeous pear logo... (is that pear getting slimmer, by the way??)
Darlene was telling the story of a couple who planted daffodils, just a few at a time, over many years, until eventually they had a vast hillside garden- one of the largest and most breathtaking daffodil gardens in the world.- It's amazing what can be achieved with consistent effort!
We were talking about this a bit at our home Bible study last night. It seems so many of us have become used to getting things NOW- not having to work and wait, and work and wait some more, until eventually we see the fruit of our efforts. Perhaps we blame society, the 'instant' generation, or whatever, but when it comes down to the nitty-gritty, all we can do is stop making excuses, and start changing ourselves.
It's time to accept that improving our health, our bodies, our mindsets is going to take WORK and PATIENCE, and a whole lot of it, too! We've all heard the cliche before- "It won't happen overnight, but it will happen!" Yeah... thanks. Well I've found that it hasn't happened. Why? The only reason that holds any water is: Because I keep giving up too early! Well it's time to get my fingernails dirty, to get a sore, bent ole back from planting so many dang flowers! Who knows, maybe if that little couple had given up every time they felt a twinge in their backs, they wouldn't even have filled a garden the size of a sandpit!

You know, sometimes I feel like just a bag of hot air (albeit an entertaining one!!), because I make all these commitments to myself, pontificate on what I should and shouldn't do, and I sound so convincing, too. But then in not more than 48 hours, I am at the bottom end of the see-saw, thinking "I can't do this", or "Who am I kidding- I'm never going to win over this thing!"

But my ever-wise and altogether gorgeous hubby reminds me that it's at these times that the Nike principle applies... don't get bogged down in your feelings and self-doubts.... Just Do It! Just put those runners on and get some exercise; just make the right food choice... again.

Don't give up. Haven't you spent too long already on the endless hamster wheel of trying and failing- I know I have.
So don't try anymore- Just do!

Don't give up, my friends. It may take a while, but in time you will reap a great reward. Remember this promise from God's word- "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked. A man reaps what he sows.... Therefore let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up!
- Gal. 6:7 & 9.
God bless, everyone, and keep moving forward!


Christian Glitter by www.christianglitter.com

The new game plan...

Hello again everyone! Well, it's time I spilled the beans about my new game plan to lose 25kg this year, and adopt a permanent healthy lifestyle in the process!
Last week, after a whole lot of reading and feeding my spirit, I came up with the following commitment to myself. I've pasted it here without further editing, so this will be a very long post, but here you have it... this is what sits on my study wall and also resides in my handbag, for me to consult whenever I feel weak or tempted!

To lose 25kg by the end of 2008, and maintain a permanent healthy lifestyle, I commit to:

Ø Continuing to drink 4-5 bottles of water per day.

Ø Consistently choosing healthy options for my meals and snacks.

Ø Restricting and keeping a careful watch over the amounts of unhealthy foods I consume each week.* (Right now, a set limit of 10 UF per week.)

Ø Being consistent with exercising a minimum of 4 times per week.

Ø Putting in due effort when I exercise, and increasing the intensity or duration as my body adjusts.

Ø Ensuring I have adequate sleep on most nights.

Ø Maintaining good nutrition.

Ø Having regular dental and medical checkups.

Ø Addressing stress and worry whenever I am being affected by them.

And when I am feeling weak, tempted, or unable to continue these positive behaviours, I commit to:

Ø Going to God as my Source.

Ø Seeking the support & counsel of godly friends and leaders.

Ø Reading Joyce’s books on this issue, reading other articles and listening to messages to bolster my faith and strengthen me to continue on!

Ø Diverting from temptation and abstaining from negative behaviours until I have gone to these supports.

Statement:

I will not comfort eat, I will seek comfort from God my source, and support from my Resources. (people, books, messages, etc.)

So there you go, that's my game plan for weight loss and a healthy lifestyle in 2008. I've kept most of my commitment this week, although I allowed a bit of slackness on the food choices at times, simply because it was my birthday week. Never mind; tally ho, people... onward we go into a new non-birthday week, and we're going to do our darndest to make sure that we live well! Thanks for your comments and support everyone... I'm believing for great change and personal improvement this year!
God bless!




P.S. I am an


Click here to view my personality report! (Reasonably accurate...)
My personalDNA Report

Standing up again...

Hello everyone! I'm happy to be back, not from holidays, but from the emotional rollercoaster ride that I've been on for the past few weeks. Nothing has gone horribly wrong during this time, but I guess I have been having a few challenges, and sometimes responding to them the wrong way.

The biggest difficulty by far has been with my thought life. In starting a new business, in trying to lose weight and adopt a permanently healthy lifestyle, and also in starting a "Search for Life" course at my church 3 weeks ago, I've found my dormant WRONG self-beliefs have been rising up like killer weeds, trying to defeat all my attempts at change, and strangle all my hopes and dreams. (If any of you have watched the animated movie "Joseph, King of Dreams", I'm thinking of the scrawny, ugly grains of wheat in Pharaoh's dream, that devour all the good grains!)

Well, today I've thoroughly neglected the house, and all of my "must do" duties, but I have fed my battered spirit, and I believe again that with God's help, I can be consistent, change my mindset, and win in all those challenging areas of my life!

But one thing I do need to do is have a plan. In "Develop a Game Plan", in Christian Women Online this month, Darlene Schacht challenged us to be specific in identifying our goals, figuring out what they will cost us, and committing to consistency in these behaviours. The really funny thing is that I went to a business building seminar last night, and I heard the exact same thing in very succinct terms- "Decide what you want, decide the price, and pay the price."

So that's the plan: I'm going to spend some time reading, praying and thinking, and develop a strategy to stick to so that I can achieve permanent change and victory in my life.
Dr Frank Smoot, of Weight Loss God's Way says "The good news is that you CAN be free! But there a few things you will need to do to get there. First, you will have to take a proactive role in the process. " Things just don't change by accident, at least not for the better. I need to be purposeful in what I do and the behaviours I choose to take on!
Reading from several godly sources today, one key theme has stood out: that I need to transform my mind by renewing it with the Word of God. My mind has definitely been the number one problem here, so I will definitely be incorporating that as a daily strategy for success. I was so encouraged in this by Darlene's blog entry from last week: Get Set to Soar, Feb 6th 2008. She wrote:
"“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” – Philippians 4:8, NIV. These are the things that will help us rise above our strongholds. These are the thoughts that will bring us closer to the person God created us to be."
I encourage you to read the whole article at http://www.christianwomenonline.net/live_well_wednesdays.html .
I'm sure you'd love to know the plans and strategies that I come up with, but that's going to take a little while, so tune in maybe Thursday for an update. :o)
Perhaps you also need to do a reassessment of where you're going, and how you're planning to get there. If you've been as haphazard as me, then why not decide to use this same time frame to ask God, read, and re-focus too?
It's time to move forward in victory.

Until next week,
Keep on smiling!
:o) Juliet.

Small steps...

Hello again everyone, I hope you're having a smashing week (as they would say in an Enid Blyton story- did any of you read these??)

I just read this little tip on the Live Well site:

Take some steps today, if only a few, and tomorrow you’ll be that much closer to your goal.

(Wish the nice green text box it was in had come along for the ride too, but it wasn't to be!)
But what a good reminder for me!! I feel like all I am taking is small steps these days with my journey to being slim and healthy (my ankle is still hassling, so I'm not doing any major exercise), but guess what, it has paid off anyway!! I have gone down on the scales by about .6kg (about 1.3lbs)- not much, but something, so I'm on my way!!

Things are starting to get hectic again (doesn't take long, does it!), so I have been asking God to guide me in my choices, and help me be more fruitful in what I do. To that end, I'm keeping this short and sweet today, because I've got a few tasks needing my attention. :o)

Keep up the efforts everyone, and remember, every little step forward counts, but so do the backward ones, so keep asking God to guide you, and when He does... LISTEN!

God bless, and keep moving forward!
- Juliet.

Pounding the pavement...

Hi y'all! OK so I'm not from Texas, but neither are most of you, so go ahead and say it with your best Texan drawl... "Hi y'all!" There, it felt good, didn't it!

This week I was determined to be able to log on and tell you all (y'all) about some exciting new activity I had undertaken to boost my weight loss! Well I've got good news and bad news... the bad news is that it's not really a new activity- no new brainwaves turning into reality before your very eyes. It is however re-formulated, re-focused, and planned and written down, so I am excited! (That's the good news!)
I looked at ballroom dancing (love to dance, but hubby not so keen, so can't make it a priority each week). Looked at tennis (OK I am totally unco when it comes to tennis, but thought I would still get a good cardio workout with it). But tennis lessons, gym, etc all got the thumbs down due to, shall we say, 'higher financial priorities?'

Eventually I realised that rather than adding something new to my weekly exercise regime, I have to just knuckle down and do more of what I'm currently doing- putting in more effort and purpose into my regular morning walks. So I sat down with my right hand man ('gorgeous hubby' in earth speak (by the way, did I mention that he his wonderfully good at schedules, and used to be a personal trainer!)), and planned a morning schedule which would enable me to increase the duration of my walks, fit in some crunches, stretches, etc, and still get everything done in order to have the children to school and me to work on time! So brownie points for me, I started this program 2 days ago. I rested today because I had a slight strain to my ankle, but will be back on the pavement at 6.15 again tomorrow... Hello world! Looking forward to seeing those numbers change on the scales again (in the downward direction, of course!!)
Happy hiking everyone!
:o) Juliet.

Live well Wednesday... OK Thursday!

Still trying to get the hang of this thing, I waited until today to check out how Live Well Wednesday works, as we are ahead of the U.S. in times by half a day or so. I have been reading some of the blogs written by other ladies who subscribe to Live Well Wednesdays, and been getting blessed by some of their stories, but gotta tell ya, this gig is hard... I left myself with a challenge last time to do something different so I can expect better results with my weight loss, and I'm ashamed to admit that apart from walking a little bit further, I haven't really come up with anything outstandingly different! Still it's early days yet, it's only been 3 days since that post, and I'm still giving thought to it, as well as continuing to resist too many goodies. :o)

I was blessed by Darlene's topic in Live Well today- moderation. Even though Christmas is past, we ended up with such a stash of chockies, that we still have about 5 boxes- 3 on the go, and 2 still unopened. Any Melbournites up for some free chocolate???? I am exercising restraint and averaging about 2 wrapped chocolates per day, while eating otherwise generally healthy foods. That, folks, is definitely moderation!! But I am a bit concerned that these chockies might be sitting in the pantry tempting me until the next lot begins to roll in at Easter!

Still, having looked at how I am eating now, I really shouldn't feel so bad about myself. I think if we have made a mistake or been excessive the week before, it can still influence our current behaviour. Until writing this now, I have been feeling low about my lack of self-control, and lack of change. But I realise that I'm actually thinking about last week's failings... I have improved this week but just not recognised it. I know I'm rambling a bit, but this is good! I'm realising right now that my behaviour has been good, and that means I have something positive I can continue. Do you know that until that realisation, I was in the "I'm not improving, so why bother?" mode. I was bothering- I was saying no to temptation, but my heart wasn't in it- I was thinking failing thoughts, and I would have given in soon.


No! I am doing well!
My weight has stuck around at the same level for about the past month. Although it's great that I haven't really gained anything over the Christmas period, I feel I really need to do more to begin to reduce it! So I'm looking at adding some more intense activity into my week somewhere: to give my plateau a kick in the pants! And I'm giving myself a week to figure out what I can add in. So if I get on here next week and don't report some new activity I've taken on, then I'm the one who gets a kick in the pants!! It's time to see some results on the scales again, people!

On a more serious side (again), I have been challenged by Tamra Nashman's "Overcoming Temptation-by-Chocolate" (how appropriate!), (see www.christianwomenonline.net/TamraNashman.html#TamraJanuary), and some preliminary reading of Dr Frank Smoot's Weight Loss God's Way program. Both of these are suggesting that there is a deeper root to our core weight loss issues, and that we will never be fully free from weight and body image issues until we are released spiritually from these deeper roots. I think they may definitely be on to something there, and will delve further into this.
So until next time,

and believe that as Joyce Meyer says, "I'm OK, and I'm on my way!"
Keep speaking kindly to yourself!
:o) Juliet.

Well hello there!

Hello and happy 2008 to all! So begins my first ever web log, with a salutation ("hello", for those who haven't seen Charlotte's Web), and a determination- to not be the same in 2008!
In May last year, I was challenged by this idea at Adore, our church's annual womens' conference. Pastor Jane Evans spoke these words at the final meeting: "But what a shame, what a complete tragedy it would be, if we were to come to Adore '08, the same as we were in Adore '07." This statement struck a chord within me, and I was determined to change, to win my battles rather than to continue accepting defeat.
This picture is a reminder to me, to all of us, to keep running toward the goal, keep fighting, persist, don't give time to the voices in your head that say that you can't, you won't win. Norman Vincent Peale's mother told him "You can if you think you can!" And as he grasped this belief, he turned from a defeated, droopy young man into a world changer! We can if we think we can!

So what, you ask, are these battles I am facing? Well, same as many, the first one is to lose weight and adopt a permanent healthy lifestyle, both physically and spiritually. I mentioned this first because of the obvious references to this on the rest of the page- my weight loss ticker, and the Live Well motivation box. Also, I want to overcome old fears which hinder me from achieving financial freedom. I promote a great product and an amazing company and payment plan, yet still my own thoughts and self doubts get in the way and make it hard for me to have confidence when I talk to people about them. Woa, being rather open here on the world-wide-web, but I'm sure there are 1000's out there who can relate to this too. :o)
So in 2008, I want to to win some battles, and strangely, I'm inviting you along for the ride! I'm looking forward to an amazing '08, and believing I will indeed be a different person by the end of it, and even by the Adore conference in May. To facilitate my (our?) transformation, at the end of each post, I will add an inspirational quote, a scripture, or a self-evaluation question to help us on our way. So for today:
"The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same thing you have always done, but expecting a different result." What behaviour will I change this week to help me achieve my desired result?
Keep on kickin' goals! :o) Juliet.