Angie's Journeys

This Blog is Moving!!

2011-08-04T07:13:00.000-05:00

Angie's Journeys is moving from Blogger to a new blog titled "Intentional Living" on WordPress. The new address is: http://angelabullock.wordpress.com.

All the content from this blog has been moved to that blog, so you shouldn't need to come back here to find something I posted in the past.

That being said, I am not going to take this blog down, just in case I decide I don't like WordPress and want to return here.

I hope you'll all join me over there and subscribe via email to the new blog as well!

I'm Scared!

2011-08-03T09:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, so here we are, a week after doing the Jillian Michaels DVD for the first time... and I still haven't done it again!

However, I HAVE been exercising regularly, just not that DVD. I want to give everyone my take on this and I would really value your feedback. I don't want to create an excuse to NOT do something that could be highly effective, so please let me know what you think.

After doing it last Wednesday evening, I was SO SORE on Thursday and Friday and that I simply could not fathom doing it again. I didn't exercise at all on Thursday (I actually had a hard time going up and down the stairs) and on Friday, when I was still sore, decided that I needed to exercise to get some blood pumping through my muscles, but that doing the exact same thing could possibly be a recipe for injury.

So, I did some Wii Fit Plus Aerobics exercises instead. I did that again on Sunday night. Monday night I went to my Zumba class (I LOVE LOVE LOVE Zumba - I would do it every day if I could!!) and then last night I again did some Wii Fit.

Now, Wii Fit is not nearly as effective or intense of a workout as either Zumba or the DVD, clearly. However, I DO actually sweat and raise the heartbeat, so it IS exercise.

So, here's where I'm looking for feedback: I want to do the DVD again tonight, because I know that I will never get the benefits and adapt if I don't do it. However, I am afraid that I'll be so sore again that I won't be able to exercise again for a couple days. Is it better to do SOMETHING every day, or should I just jump in and do this, even if it means taking off Thursday and doing something different again on Friday?

I mean, it will get better, right?

On a different note, I'm starting to see the scale move again (despite having a yummy burger and fries last Thursday night for dinner and celebrating a friend's birthday with a complete day of yummy food on Saturday), so I'm really pumped to keep exercising! I'm REALLY enjoying the Zumba classes and will absolutely be looking into more of those when these free classes at my church are up (only 3 more weeks... ).

I have about 8.5 lbs to go to get back to my original SlimGenics goal and then another 10 to hit my NEW goal. I really hope that doing it at a slower, more moderate pace with exercise will help tone me up considerably over just dieting alone. That being said, I feel that the Jillian Michaels DVD will be the most effective is this arena!

Ouch!

2011-07-28T06:42:00.000-05:00

So, yesterday I made this completely offhand comment in my post about doing Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred last night. You might have even missed it, as I didn't give it much air time.

I should have. Oh. My. Gosh.

If anyone wants to know JUST how out of shape they are (and no, I'm not talking to those of you who ARE in shape!), just do this 20-minute workout. Seriously.

There are 3 levels, and I clearly started on Level 1 (Jillian suggests this, no matter who you are). She takes you through three circuits each of 3 minutes of strength training, 2 minutes of cardio and 1 minute of abs for about a 20-minute workout. Sounds easy, right?

I actually could NOT do the entire workout. I made it through, but I had to stop and rest several times!!

But, there is a silver-lining in this: I now know JUST how out of shape I truly am. Being thin does NOT = in shape. I have a lot of work to do in this area and I'm thinking Journey #2 (exercise) may just take as long as Journey #1 (weight-loss)!

Pray for me!! I will need prayers and strength to get through this even more than the weight-loss phase. There wasn't physical pain that made it hard to get up the stairs when all I was doing was dieting. THIS is going to take God's strength, not my own, to see through!!

Journey #2: EXERCISE!!!

2011-07-27T10:16:00.000-05:00

Well, hello everyone! I know it's been a really long time since my last post, but I did move across the country...

So, where are we today? Well, I took about 5-6 weeks completely off plan (yes, definitely longer than I expected). The first 2 weeks were while we were still in Minnesota. We had lots of parties and celebrations that made it difficult, and then once we packed up most of the kitchen I was like, "forget it". It was stressful enough preparing for the big move without having to worry about food.

Then, once we got here, we took about 3 weeks to settle in, unpack and enjoy all the new cuisine around us. Probably didn't need to stay off plan that long, of course, but it is what it is. I definitely had to confess to God that I felt a slip and pull back towards gluttony, but he's forgiven me, so I'm going to forgive myself!

When I did that and decided the food party was over, I stepped on the scale. Up 21 lbs!!

Now, before I panicked too much, I figured at least some of that was water weight, and I was right. I put myself on one of SlimGenic's 4-day plateau-breakers and immediately shed 10 lbs!

So, with only 11 lbs to go, I decided to NOT go back to the extremely strict SlimGenics plan, but to do more of the balance phase and to incorporate some regular exercise and see what happened. I actually didn't start exercising much right away; I needed to work into it. For the first 5 or so days after stopping the plateau-breaker, I lost (and gained) NOTHING. My weight stayed EXACTLY the same. I wasn't too upset, because I was actually enjoying my food (still eating healthy and in moderation) and I didn't feel deprived.

Then, this past Monday night, I went to my 2nd Zumba class (my first was right when I started the breaker) and the next morning, .4 lbs were gone. This morning, another .6. So, another pound gone with only 10 to go. However, I did adjust my goal weight down another 10 lbs from my original SlimGenics goal, so I really have about 20 to go now (I also adjusted my weight loss ticker to show my total weight loss, not just my SlimGenics weight loss).

Tonight I am going to do Jillian Michael's 30-day Shred DVD and I am going to try and do some kind of aerobic exercise at least 3-4 times a week (every other day). I really want to be able to enjoy some additional foods and not feel so restricted all the time, so hopefully this will do it. Plus, I really need to tone up - I lost the weight and look great in clothes that cover me up, but not so much in a bathing suit.

So here we go!! Living in the Austin area certainly will be helpful, because people around here live far more active lifestyles than in Minnesota. We don't want to be the fat and lazy people in Austin, and we won't be!

After Pic!

2011-06-07T19:26:00.000-05:00

I've had a few people ask for an "after" pic, so I had Mike snap a pic of me this morning before I walked out the door to work.

People keep asking me if I feel like a totally new person and really, the answer is no. I just feel like ME again!

GOAL!!!

2011-06-03T13:10:00.000-05:00

Well, today actually started off pretty icky, as I had a dentist appointment at 9:00 am this morning for some fillings (my weight was not the only thing I neglected over the last 10 years... ) and when I got home I was feeling pretty rotten. It was this weird combination of complete numbness (which is annoying) and yet still some pretty significant throbbing where the numbness was slowly wearing off.

So after sitting around for awhile wishing I could eat (dentist said not to because I could easily bite my lip), hubby said that while I was gone, the floating SlimGenics Manager (who was my center's manager when I signed up) called and said that he was at my center today and would love to see me. I figured, well, I can't talk well, but I also can't eat, so I might as well go weigh-in and say hi.

I weighed in yesterday and was .75 lbs away, so I wasn't expected much today, but I was stunned to be down an entire pound from yesterday, putting me .25 lbs BELOW my goal weight!

I started Week 1 of Balance on Tuesday and it's been awesome. I feel like I'm eating so much more normally (even though it's not really that big of a change), but so much healthier than I used to. I really feel like I can do this for the long haul!

Thank you SlimGenics, for giving me the tools to get here and the tools to STAY HERE!!

One Weekend of Weight Loss To Go!

2011-05-28T07:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I can hardly believe it, but here I am: it's my final weekend in the weight loss phase!

My weigh-in yesterday yielded a 2-lb loss for the week, which I'm pretty happy with, but it left me a mere 1.25 lbs away from my goal weight! Total official SlimGenics loss is 98.25 lbs!

Of course, do you think I'm just dancing in the streets that I made it that close to goal 2 weeks early? (Well, maybe a little!) But really, I'm just trying to figure out what I can do this weekend to shed that last 1.25 lbs so I'll be at goal when I weigh in on Tuesday morning!! At least with Memorial Day being Monday, I get an extra day! I know I should be happy with being only a pound away (and I am), but to be SO CLOSE... I just want to hit goal!

Of course, I got on the scale this morning and it didn't budge from yesterday's weight...

So Monday morning I will be starting the Balance Phase. I went shopping yesterday to pick up some extra foods that will be allowed and I think it's actually quite hilarious that I'm as excited as I am to be able to eat peas and corn again! And of course, the swiss cheese isn't going to be horrible either!

I hope everyone has a great Memorial Day weekend and enjoys the extra day off work!

Not Going Down Without a Fight!!!

2011-05-19T18:31:00.000-05:00

Last week = rock star week! 3 lbs! This week? Not so much...

To be fair, I kind of expected this. That kind of week this late in the game? It was unlikely to be repeated this week!

So, today I started yet another plateau-breaker! I gotta give my SlimGenics center credit - they are throwing everything at me they can to help me be successful and get to goal before the end of my weight loss phase, which is after next week. This breaker has me eating FIVE of their thermo-snacks a day!

I weighed in on Monday and started out the week down .5 lbs. I weighed in yesterday and hadn't budged at all. Tomorrow will be my last chance to lose anything significant for the week.

Today was Day 1 on the breaker, so it may be a little late to salvage this week, but even if it carries forward into another rock star week next week I'll be happy!!

I'll check back over the weekend and let everyone know the results of my week and how this particular breaker is treating me.

Part of me wants to ask for prayer that I can see this through and get to goal before starting balance and another part of me thinks that's greedy. But God has brought me this far, I REALLY want to see Him do something amazing and shed these last 4 lbs from me in a little over a week. Only He can do that and I believe I'm on this journey to finish it!

Either way, I know I'll lose it, but can you blame me for wanting to finish strong and know that I accomplished exactly what I had set out to do 2 weeks early?

Getting Soooooooo Close!!

2011-05-15T08:34:00.001-05:00

I now have only 2 weight loss weeks left (well, I actually have 14 left that I either paid for or earned) and as of my weigh-in on Saturday, I have only 4.75 lbs to go! I lost 3 lbs on the week (yay!) for a total loss of 94.75 lbs!

Of course, as has almost always been the case when I've been close to milestones, I ended my week .25 lbs away from another one! But hey, getting under that 5-pound-to-go mark is also a milestone and I hit that this week!

So hopefully I'll hit 95 lbs when I weigh in on Monday, and then the next milestone up will be GOAL!!!

While sometimes it feels like I've been dieting FOREVER, it hasn't even been 9 months since I started SlimGenics! I would say that I have most definitely experienced a "results not typical" amount of weight loss by giving it to God and doing the work to strictly adhere to the SG plan. He must have known that I would need to finish a little early since we would be leaving Minnesota this summer! (Imagine that! )

I need to lose just under 2.5 lbs each of my last 2 weeks in order to hit goal before starting balance. I had said that I would be happy just getting within 5 lbs (I am stopping the weight loss phase 2 weeks earlier than the original weight loss weeks I purchased; I've earned an additional 10 along the way), and since I'm already there, I'm obviously extremely pleased with how this has gone. I know I have a shot at hitting goal before balance, but I'm honestly not counting on it. I know I had a great 3-lb week this week, but I've had many more 1.75 lb type of weeks lately.

Either way, just 2 weeks to go and we'll be onto the next phase of the diet! Please pray that I have the motivation to end strong as I transition into Balance!

Gaining More Than Losing

2011-05-07T09:58:00.000-05:00

I remember that day that I first walked into SlimGenics. Lots of hope that I would lose a lot of weight. I also remember one of the things I filled out was a list of things I hoped to gain. Things like self-confidence, energy, etc. I am now staring the end of my weight-loss phase in the face and I started reflecting on this.

This week I lost 1.75 lbs, putting me at a total of 91.75 official lbs lost. Left to lose? 7.75 lbs. (I actually want to lose about 15 more, but 7.75 lbs puts me at my original SlimGenics goal.)

That's a lot of loss, wouldn't you say? But I truly have gained so much more and today it is so obvious! Here's why...

My 10-year wedding anniversary was this past Thursday. I am so blessed in this area as I'm married to a wonderfully Christ-centered man who has loved and supported me all the way through this and back again. I thank Jesus for him every single day.

So tonight, we have reservations at a fabulous italian restaurant where I intend to eat whatever I want to celebrate. I've known it, SlimGenics knows it. I am also going out to eat with family tomorrow for Mother's Day. So, with those two events in mind, I told SlimGenics that I was just going to go off-plan for the entire weekend. I even wrote "OFF PLAN" on my journal ahead of time for both Saturday and Sunday.

Then this morning happened, showing me just how much I've truly gained in the area of healthy eating habits. I stayed on-plan!!

All week, I was making a mental list of the foods I might enjoy this weekend, but when the day finally arrived, I didn't want to do it! I DO intend to enjoy my meal tonight and my meal tomorrow, but that DOESN'T mean I need to throw the whole weekend away! WHOA! THAT is different thinking for me and proof of just how much I have truly learned and gained along the way.

I don't want to backslide after coming this far! I don't want to feel terrible and sluggish tonight because I ate bad food all day. So I had my normal breakfast and I just enjoyed my first SlimGenics Thermo-Snack of the day as I was starting this post.

And... it will make the meal tonight all the sweeter and more special, don't you think?

Taking Back My Winter Pound!

2011-04-29T13:13:00.001-05:00

For those of you who have been following my blog for awhile, you might remember in the fall when I finally caved and put on jeans and went to weigh in. I had to make the leap at some point, because I wasn't going to wear capri pants all winter long and I really don't feel like changing every time I weigh in. So, I bit the bullet, put on the jeans and weighed in, knowing that I would "lose" about a pound of weight loss, since the jeans weighed about 1 lb more than cotton capris. I continued to weigh in wearing jeans all winter long... until TODAY!

Today I took my pound back! I weighed in wearing cotton summer pants today (not capris, but they still weigh a lot less than jeans, I'm sure) and I think it couldn't have come at a better time. I ended up down 2 lbs for the week, putting me at 90 POUNDS even!!

I am now less than 10 lbs away from my original SlimGenics goal. I do plan to lose more (shooting for about 10-15 MORE than that original goal), but I am going to stick with this goal for now, since I have only 4 weeks left before they put me on Balance for my last 4 weeks in Minnesota. Once we get to Texas and get settled, I am going to go back to the weight loss phase until I hit my new goal and then I will do maintenance (though I assume I'll have to do Balance again first).

I'm counting on you guys to keep me accountable during that time. I know full well how easy it would be to NOT go back to the weight loss phase once we get down there, but I NEED to. I know I've come a long way, but I'm NOT done yet!

So, even though it may have taken a change of clothes to do it, I ended up with a 2 lb week!

Have a great weekend everyone and if you're in Minnesota, enjoy this rare, beautiful day in the 60's. We're smack dab in the middle of our moving garage sale and we're thankful to have at least one of three days give us a little sunshine!

Running Out of Time...

2011-04-27T12:28:00.000-05:00

So, yeah. Running out of time. This is how I feel. I had the one great week during the plateau-breaker, but just hardly anything since then.

I'm getting a little frustrated because the counselors there can't seem to agree on what I should do. I'm trying very hard to follow their directives, but I feel like they change every time I'm there, making it very difficult.

I had one manager (who floats, but used to be my center's manager) tell me that when I had 15 lbs left to lose, they were going to switch me to Plan 1. But I hit that mark in the middle of the recent plateau-breaker and he was gone afterwards. They wanted me to go back on my normal Plan 2 after the breaker, so I did (last week) and only lost 1 lb.

So then last Wednesday a counselor told me to try the alternating removal of one fruit and one starch each day. I did that and was down 1 lb on Friday, giving me that whopping 1 lb loss on the week.

Then I went in on Monday and was UP .25 lbs. I did NOT expect it (I usually do) because I was down about .8 lbs over the weekend on my scale at home, so it really bummed me out. That day's counselor told me to STOP the alternating removal and that she instead wanted me to ADD a 3rd thermo-snack in and to also exchange my starches for a 4th snack 3x a week. I didn't do it on Monday or yesterday, so today I'll be doing it for the first time.

I weighed in today and I was down 1 lb since Monday, putting my loss so far for the week at .75 lbs. Today's counselor told me to instead remove the VHP meal replacements next week completely and see if that helped.

4 counselors; 4 different directives.

I really think I should just go on Plan 1. I know it's harder, but I only have 4 weeks left until I need to start Balance and I think it's safe to say I'm NOT going to lose 10 lbs in 4 weeks at the rate I've been going. No matter who I get when I go in on Friday, I think I'm going to just ask why in the world they're so hesitant to put me on that plan!?

Don't get me wrong; I'm happy that I'm still losing and I don't expect these pounds to come off as easy as they did in the beginning. However, I paid a lot of money for this plan and I am already not going to get my money's worth since I'm moving soon. I feel like they could at least get on the same page and be consistent in how to attack these last 10 lbs so I can get as close as possible to my goal before they put me on Balance for the last 4 weeks I'm here.

Ok, enough whining. Time to enjoy my chocolate VHP meal replacement for lunch. Have a great day everyone!

Post Plateau-Breaker Blues

2011-04-20T17:10:00.001-05:00

It happens every time, without fail.

When I do a plateau-breaker, they tell me that you're not supposed to lose a lot DURING the plateau-breaker, but they're designed to get you going like gang-busters AFTER the breaker is over.

Not for me.

I lose like a rock star the week of, and then... nothing.

As I already posted, I lost 3.75 lbs last week - the week OF the breaker. Weighed in Monday and was UP .5 lbs. Now, they said this is fairly common because of water retention from all the increased sodium (I figured as much) from the unlimited skin-on, meat-on-the-bone protein allowed for the two days prior.

But today when I weighed in, I was only down that 1/2 lb, putting me right back to where I was on Saturday, meaning I've lost NOTHING so far this week. I did ACV 3 times on Saturday, cut the sodium back a bit on Sunday and did ACV again Monday and AGAIN last night.

So, we're trying something new. I am going to alternate removing one starch and one fruit every other day. So today, I'm removing a starch, tomorrow a fruit, then a starch, etc.

One of the counselors had told me that when I had 15 lbs to go, they were going to switch me to Plan 1, but I am at 12.5 lbs to go and they don't want to do that until nothing else works.

I'm open to seeing how this goes, since I would have to permanently remove one starch if I moved to Plan 1 and this way I only have to do it every other day.

I'm definitely running out of time to get to balance 4 weeks before we leave for Texas, so I will do whatever it takes to get to goal - I have 5 weeks (after this week) left to get to goal. I'm going to give it my best and keep praying that God will help get me there!

Blowing Right By Milestones...

2011-04-16T13:35:00.000-05:00

SlimGenics definitely knows best, as my plateau-breaker has given me a rock star kind of week and I really haven't had one in a long time!!

3.75 lbs on the week, which blew me right past my 85 lb milestone and landed me at 87 lbs!!

This weekend I am doing a 2-day "fresh start" before going back on my normal plan on Monday, which means that I get to eat unlimited protein, including skin and meat on the bone!! Woohoo!

So for lunch today I enjoyed KFC's grilled chicken. Loaded with sodium, but soooooo good and so much better than a boneless, skinless chicken breast.

Admittedly, even though it's technically on-plan and should be 100% guilt-free, I still feel a small amount of guilt for the sheer amount of sodium it contained. I know that I'll be taking in more sodium than usual this weekend, especially with beef being unlimited, but I'm still afraid I'm going to pay for it when I weigh in on Monday.

Something tells me tomorrow will include a lot of Apple Cider Vinegar.

The best part about my weekend, though, has been the return of family who has been in Nevada for the winter since last fall. They hadn't seen me in about 50 lbs and it was really fun to see their reaction to how I look now compared to when they left.

Even makes up (a little bit) for the SNOW that was on the ground this morning.

Even if the weather outside is frightful, I'm still thanking God for all the blessings He continues to shower me and my family with (if a little snow in April is my biggest complaint, I'm doing pretty good!!) and for continuing to give me the strength to push forward on this journey. I know He's going to use me for something great and now I'm going to be ready for it - physically AND mentally!

Blogs That Are Not My Own #2

2011-04-11T09:03:00.000-05:00

I'm starting off the week on a killer 7-Day Plateau Breaker, so some spiritual reminders couldn't come at a better time for me.

This is the other blog that I didn't write that I want to share with you. I received it as a daily devotional last week and the author is Lysa TerKeurst, author of the fabulous book "Made to Crave". I'll let the entry, Shocked by My Own Advice, speak for itself. I hope you enjoy it and take as much away from it as I did!

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate
and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and
many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow
the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 (NIV)

The choice is mine. If I want to be a sold out somebody for God, I have to break away from the everybody crowd.

Today’s key verses are not easy for a girl who wanted nothing more growing up than to fit in. Don’t cause waves. Don’t stand out. Don’t stand up. Don’t rock the boat of norm in anyway. Just go with the flow in the same direction as everyone else.

But somewhere along my Christian journey, going with the flow started to bother me.

Verses like the one above in Matthew 7 and Romans 12:2, “Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,” started to mess with my status quo existence.

Conformed or transformed? The choice is mine. If I want to be a sold out somebody for God, I have to break away from the everybody crowd.

This is a message I shared with my son one day when he came to me scared. He admitted things had gone a little too far with his girlfriend and wanted help processing what to do. They hadn’t crossed every line but enough that he knew they were headed in a dangerous direction.

We sat on the back deck and processed the situation together. We read a list of empowering Scripture verses seeking to filter every part of this situation through God’s truth. In the end, he and his girlfriend came to the realization they needed to break up. It’s really hard to put things in reverse after certain lines have been crossed.

I walked back into the house after that conversation with two things running through my brain. I was thrilled my son came to me to talk about such a sensitive issue. What an honor to breathe Truth into his physical struggle.

But, I was also feeling a little panicked at the realities of parenting older teenagers. And that feeling led me straight to the pantry, convinced I needed some chocolate. I deserved some chips! As I loaded my arms full of treats, I was suddenly struck by a gut wrenching question. How can I expect my son to apply Truth to his area of physical struggle but refuse to apply it to my area of physical struggle?

Ouch. I was shocked by my own advice.

If I wanted to model what it looks like to live out truth in my physical struggles, I would have to break up with unhealthy choices. God made me to consume food, but food was never supposed to consume me.

Making healthy choices with my food would have to be part of my breaking away. I would have to distance myself from my distraction if I wanted to become truly transformed.

What’s your distraction? What’s the one way you can start to break away from the everybody crowd?

The everybody crowd says, “if it feels good it is good.” The everybody crowd says, “don’t deny yourself… that’s so old school.” The everybody crowd says, “everybody’s living it up – so should you.”

Conformed or transformed? The choice is ours. If we want to be a sold out somebody for God, we have to break away from the everybody crowd.

Dear Lord, I want and need to live apart from the everybody crowd. Free me of my distractions. Remove my insecurities. Help me to follow You with my whole heart. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Please visit Lysa's site with the links above; she has far more valuable resources and insight in this area than I do (she is a professional writer, after all )

She did a follow-up blog, I'm More Than the Sum Total of my Taste Buds, that provides the list of verses she used with her son. This is just a sampling of the additional resources you will find at her site that can hopefully help along your weight loss journey, as it has helped with mine. I've found her to be invaluable, because she's been there!

Have a great week everyone and please pray for me that I hang in there with this plateau breaker. as this one is going to be a killer!

Blogs That Are Not My Own #1

2011-04-10T11:11:00.006-05:00

...but so good that I have to share them with you!!

First a quick update on my week: I lost 2 lbs this week for a total of 83.25. I am happy to have a much better week than the week before (only .5 lbs), but SlimGenics is still having me start a 7-day plateau breaker on Monday to assist things and keep them moving. I'm guessing that I will be starting Plan 1 after the breaker, as I'm only 1.25 lbs away from when they said they were going to switch me. I only have 16.25 lbs to go before I reach my original goal, but as I've said, I'm seriously considering adding 10 more lbs to that goal. We shall see. Now, onto the first of 2 blog posts that I did not write, but feel speak to what I believe and feel very well!

The first is a blog post written by my fabulous husband that so eloquently speaks to the issue of gluttony in a way I could never elucidate myself. I do not believe simply linking to it does it justice, so I'm going to simply re-post it in its entirety below. Enjoy:

We entertained a nice couple last night. Two very good people who sought our counsel in regards to Angie’s recent weight loss. During the conversation, Angie illustrated her views on gluttony and while I was very well aware of them, and the sound, God honoring logic behind them, I don’t know that it had ever clicked so well in my mind as it did last night.

The early church identified seven deadly sins: Lust, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, Pride and… yes, Gluttony.

Gluttony, as defined by Merriam-Webster is excess in eating or drinking, greedy or excessive indulgence.

I think we can also expand that definition to encompass anything from cooking to video games to scrap booking or sports; anything that takes more of our time than is necessary and/or healthy. Overindulgence is to do anything to an excessive degree. Anything.

It’s pretty obvious God doesn’t want us overindulging, especially in light of passages such as:

James 5:5 You have lived on earth in luxury and self‑indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter.

By indulging in overeating we:

Devote a significant portion of our attention to food. Attention that could be better spent in the Word, or doing His will.

Devote a larger than necessary portion of our time and resources to food; time and resources better spent on Godly things.

Harm our bodies, and decrease our body’s ability to perform as God designed it to. By harming our bodies, we drag down our spirit and emotional lives, for the spirit is anchored to the flesh, and if the flesh is already weak, how much weaker does it become when subjected to overindulgence?

By dragging down our spirit and emotions, we become less effective for God, missing the opportunities to do things for Him at our full potential. God puts others in our path that we might shine His love on them, but how much are we shortchanging those people if we’re not at 100% because we overindulge in food?

Our weakened body, mind and spirit become easy prey for those engaging in spiritual warfare. If God designed us to be spiritual prize fighters, yet we turn our bodies and spirits into those of couch potatoes, how easy is it for a fit enemy to defeat us?

Like everything sin related it’s a slippery slope that begins with baby missteps. No one wakes up one morning deciding to get physically, emotionally a spiritually unfit, instead we think, “It won’t hurt to grab some fast food for breakfast” Or “I’ve had a tough week, I deserve some comfort food” Or “We all have to eat, right?” or “one more chip won’t hurt anything…”

From there, it moves from “just this once” to “Well, I’ve done it before…” to “That’s what I do…” and pretty soon, our bodies, minds and souls are in worse shape than we care to admit or even realize. We’re soldiers in the army of the Lord trying to fight a war with broken down, poorly maintained equipment while telling ourselves we deserve this, selling ourselves on the notion that overindulging in food is a reward. A reward our society sells us daily. And we buy that sales pitch willingly.

I understand overindulgence more than most, I would guess. As a child, I was forced to endure hunger and often a lack of the creature comforts many of my peers took for granted. What this led to was a desire to escape my perception that my life was so much less than those around me by diving into a beer bottle. From there, I swam deeper into the waters of alcoholism and did so as if my ability to drink anyone I knew under the table was a badge of honor: Sure I didn’t have a nice car or awesome home life, but I could down a fifth of Vodka and still beat a sobriety test. Pretty soon, I didn’t drink for fun, or drink to blow off steam, I drank because it’s just what I did. I was a drinker; no longer a guy who drank, but a drinker… then a drunk.

After my awesome wife came into my life and I put that aside, I simply traded one overindulgence for another and turned into an eater; a full blown foodaholic.

From society’s point of view, I’d overcome this terrible vice of alcohol and straightened my life out.

From God’s point of view, I’d merely replaced one deadly sin with another.

Thankfully, I’ve overcome that too. Well, let me rephrase that, God has overcome that in my life. Without Him, nothing is done that has been done.

So, my question to you is: Are you moderating your indulgence? Or, are you worshipping at the altar of a false idol and rationalizing it as a reward for yourself, a deserved pleasure, as “just what you do,” “something I enjoy” another “where’s the harm in that” endeavor?

Maybe you spend too much time focused on food. Too much energy invested in a hobby. Too much time taken away from God and given to an indulgence that might be legal in man’s world, but by the very nature of your relationship with it, is illegal in the Kingdom.

If you don’t think this applies to you in any way, that’s awesome. You rock. But, before you decide it does, pray that God would show you whether your thinking on this matter is correct. If He shows you otherwise, turn it over to Him and watch as He transforms you into the son or daughter He had in mind when He knit you in your mother’s womb.

Philippians 3:20-21 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

He then added an additional piece of very relevant scripture that he received in a daily devotional email as a comment:

Romans 14:17 For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

I hope you enjoyed my hubby's blog post as much as I did and I thank him for writing it. I am blessed beyond measure to have him as my husband. I love you baby.

Preparing for Plan 1

2011-04-02T14:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I guess the good news is that I lost weight this week. The bad? I ALMOST didn't.

This was my slowest week of loss yet; I only lost . 5 lbs on the whole week!! But, it's better than gaining .5 lbs, right?

So in talking to SlimGenics yesterday, they decided that they are going to switch me to Plan 1 in another 3.25 lbs, so I'm on that plan for the final 15 lbs. I will get an additional snack each day, but 1 less starch and 2 less veggies!!

Now, let's just hope it doesn't take another month for those 3.25 lbs - it's really starting to fight back now (which is to be expected since I'm now attacking weight that has been there for 10 years) and I'm going to have to keep fighting.

I have a feeling these last 20 or so pounds are going to be harder to lose than the first 80 were, but I know it's going to be worth it, in the end!!

All for Him!

2011-03-27T13:24:00.001-05:00

If you've been here since the beginning of my journey, you know that I believe that God wants me to be a better steward of the body he's given me for my time here on this earth. I have not done a very good job of honoring that body.

Until now.

I am not there yet; however, I am close. And I know that this was possible (80 lbs in 7 months!) only by the grace of God. It took changes in my spiritual thinking to truly gain the wisdom that I needed to make real changes in my eating habits. And you know what? God noticed. He has been with me every step of the journey and now He wants to use me and my weight loss to motivate and inspire others that they can do it too!

A couple weeks ago the senior pastor of my church and employer (Eagle Brook Church) approached me and two other women at the office to interview us about our successful weight loss journeys. All 3 of us are currently on SlimGenics and enjoying success. It was an amazing opportunity to sit down and watch my pastor furiously take notes as we talked in preparation for an upcoming message on doing things you can't do.

That message was this weekend. I sat in the worship center with family and friends at my side for 2 separate services and I cried both times as he told my story and showed before and after pictures for all 14,000ish people attending this weekend to see.

God is amazing and I want to publicly thank and acknowledge all He's done in my life for me and through me and I pray that there will be others out there who might be inspired and start a similar journey of their own.

If anyone is interested in watching the message delivered by Bob Merritt this weekend, here is the link. He starts talking about the 3 of us just before 18 minutes in, but I highly suggest watching the entire message to hear it in the context he prepared it.

Thank you so much to everyone who has been here supporting me and praying for me! I know I'm not there yet, but I'm confident that I will be there and I will be there soon. In the meantime, I'm praying for all of you as well.

Preferred Rates!!

2011-03-26T12:21:00.001-05:00

So I haven't had health insurance at all since I left my full-time job when my son was born, because I've been too heavy to qualify for individual insurance.

Well, we've recently started working with an AWESOME financial planner through Thrivent Financial (they are a fabulous Christian non-profit organization = financial planning services are FREE!!) and they found us a great PPO health insurance plan for the whole family that costs only about $45/mo more than we have been paying for just Mike & Zach! Sweet!!

I know I'm definitely not too heavy to qualify anymore, but here's what I DIDN'T know: my weight is now low enough that I actually even qualify for PREFERRED rates!!

Now, I'm only in by about 1.5 lbs, but I don't care! That's enough!! And I'm not done with this journey, but it still feels great to know that I'm healthy enough for even the greedy insurance industry!

Oh, and just another little thing. I hit my 80-lb milestone today too! 80.75 lbs total; 2.25 lbs on the week!

I May Never Have Apple Cider Vinegar Again...

2011-03-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

...after I'm done with this diet!!

Last week I had another good week - lost 2.75 lbs putting me at 78.5 total. Yay!

Then... it just stopped. I weighed exactly the same thing on Tuesday as I did last Friday. So, today is Day 1 of a 2-day breaker that has me using Apple Cider Vinegar 3 times/day. I don't have to do shots or anything (I have to use it with food), but still - I'm SO OVER ACV!! Just the smell of it reminds me of the times I HAVE done shots of it. Haha!!

Add in the raw parsley I have to put in my salad twice a day (gross!!) and I can't wait for tomorrow to be over and this breaker behind me! I haven't really disliked one, until this one.

Thank the good Lord that it's only 2 days. I can do this!!

Despite Pizza, Another Good Week & Milestone Down!

2011-03-12T13:49:00.000-06:00

I didn't expect this week to be one of my better ones, considering the cheese bread and pizza dinner I had on Monday night, but luckily I was surprised!

Just had my final weigh-in of the week at my SlimGenics center and my total loss for the week is 2.5 lbs, putting me past a HUGE milestone with a total loss of 75.75 lbs!! WOOHOO!

I think the key really is not letting one bad choice turn into 2, 5, 10, etc... I've gone off plan enough times during this journey to see that as long as I get right back on and don't let it become endless bad choices on top of bad choices, I don't have to pay too much on the scale and it actually comes off quickly after getting back on track and acts like a little quick start.

I am so thankful for this program - I have less than 25 lbs to go and that feels incredible!

Skipping Meals Leads to Bad Choices!

2011-03-08T21:37:00.000-06:00

Sooooo... today's weigh in showed a GAIN of .75 lbs. Was this a surprise to me? Not even one little bit!

Yesterday, we spent the ENTIRE DAY at a car dealership. And I mean entire day. We got there at 9:15 am and left with our new car around 4:30 pm. Ugh. I brought one snack with me, figuring we would be there all morning. Little did I know that my 10:00 am snack would be the last time I ate before dinner!!

So, exhausted mentally and starving physically, we took the easy route and went to Carbone's Pizza for dinner. Started by splitting a dinner salad with blue cheese dressing and a 1/2 order of cheese bread. Then ate the pizza. YUMMY!

Here's the kicker - if I had last night to do over, I would do it again! We had fun with Zach shoving pizza in his mouth and the dinner was fantastic (albeit we were way too full when we left and I don't like THAT feeling - I would eat less pizza if I did it over) and it was totally worth the .75 lbs on the scale.

I fully believe that we need nights like that from time to time and it's unrealistic to go months on end without them. Of course, I just had a week off plan while on vacation less than a month ago, but we don't have to mention that, do we? ;-)

Either way, I got back on plan this morning and, of course, did my 2 tbsp shot of Apple Cider Vinegar with breakfast. I laughed with Mike saying that there would indeed come a day when I wouldn't need to drink that awful stuff just because I had pizza the night before.

I can't wait for that day and I have to stick to the plan to bring it here sooner rather than later! :-)

Oh, and on a side note, sat with my favorite SlimGenics counselor today and she told me that tomorrow was her last day. Happy for her and her new job, but sad that she won't be there anymore. She rocked!

Another One Bites the Dust!!

2011-02-26T11:34:00.000-06:00

Another milestone, that is! :-)

Just got back from my final weigh-in for the week at SlimGenics and I was down another 1.25 lbs from Thursday, putting my total weight loss at 71 pounds!! WOOHOO!

Another thing that feels REALLY good is having a "2" in front of the number of my remaining weight loss. Having 28.5 lbs to go isn't much less than 30, but it sure feels nice to have 20-something lbs to go and not 30-something lbs to go!! :-D

So now the prayer is that the vacation eating really did jump start the loss and it keeps going!

Vacation Weight? What Vacation Weight?

2011-02-24T12:49:00.001-06:00

Did I say that I gained weight on vacation? Really? Cause it's been less than a week since I've been back and IT'S ALL GONE!! ;-)

Went to my SlimGenics center today for my second weigh-in since returning and the 1.25 lbs that I had gained was gone, PLUS another .25 lbs!! My goal of hitting 70 lbs this week is very real now, because today showed me at 69.75 lbs!! I only need to lose .25 lbs by Saturday to hit my 70 lb milestone. Woohoo!

I know I've already said it, but it's so worth repeating. I REALLY feel confident, for the first time, that I'll be able to maintain this weight loss. I mean, let's be real. I knew I could lose weight; I've done it before (though I've never had so much to lose, but still). It was the KEEPING IT OFF that drove me to spend the money with SlimGenics. Clearly it has been money well spent.

I don't want to spend the rest of my life yo-yo dieting. I'm DONE with feeling overweight and unhealthy. I'm done with getting upset when something I want to wear isn't flattering or just doesn't fit at all!

I don't want my 2-yr old son to be frustrated because I don't have the energy to play with him. I don't want him to realize his mommy is really fat! I don't want to be too tired to play at the park with him and not just watch him play!

And now, I don't think I have to!! If I can go on vacation and eat the way I did last week and show a 9 POUND gain on the scale, only to erase it in less than a week, I am confident I'll be able to nip any small gains that will creep up from eating normally and do it quickly. Now that I have the tools to do it, I just know I'll have to stay on top of it and I won't ever again have to diet for 6 months, a year, whatever! Buckle down for a week, get rid of it, go back to life!! :-)

So yeah, I'm happy today. :-)

Finally! Official Vacation Report!

2011-02-22T12:02:00.000-06:00

So I finally got to SlimGenics today for my first weigh-in in almost 2 weeks!

The verdict? Up only 1.25 lbs! Woo-hoo!

I am more than happy with that after a week of eating off plan. And it wasn't just that I ate meals off-plan, but it was all the snacking (chips, pistachio nuts, etc.) that made it truly "vacation eating" and not just off-plan eating.

I have far more confidence now that I'll be able to maintain once I hit my goal. If I find myself backsliding a little, I now have the tools to quickly eradicate it and go on with life!

So that puts me back to an official loss of 68.25 lbs. Think I can still hit 70 lbs this week? That's my goal! :-)