The Pastor at my Church, Joel Johnson, has started on passages in Daniel for the new year. I felt his interpretation of the scriptures was so applicable to this task I am undertaking...
Daniel 1:8-21
But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. 9 Now God had caused the official to show favor and sympathy to Daniel, 10 but the official told Daniel, “I am afraid of my lord the king, who has assigned your food and drink. Why should he see you looking worse than the other young men your age? The king would then have my head because of you.” 11 Daniel then said to the guard whom the chief official had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, 12 “Please test your servants for ten days: Give us nothing but vegetables to eat and water to drink. 13 Then compare our appearance with that of the young men who eat the royal food, and treat your servants in accordance with what you see.” 14 So he agreed to this and tested
them for ten days. 15 At the end of the ten days they looked healthier and better nourished than any of the young men who ate the royal food. 16 So the guard took away their choice food and the wine they were to drink and gave them vegetables instead. 17 To these four young men God gave knowledge and understanding of all kinds of literature and learning. And Daniel could understand visions and dreams of all kinds. 18 At the end of the time set by the king to bring them in, the chief official presented them to Nebuchadnezzar. 19 The king talked with them, and he found none equal to Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah; so they entered the king’s service. 20 In every matter of wisdom and understanding about which the king questioned them, he found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters in his whole kingdom.
21 And Daniel remained there until the first year of King Cyrus.
Each week Pastor Joel will provide questions to be used for further reflection:
1. Daniel 1:8 In what areas of your life are you tempted to compromise? What clear-cut decisions can you make to help you overcome this temptation?
4. When you see problems do you offer solutions or just complain? How might offering solutions actually test the reality of the gospel to non-Christians?
5. How are your ideas of success influenced by those around you? Have they hindered your joy in any way? What can you do to resist such influences from the world? How can you put your faith into practice when facing an insurmountable test?
I think this Daniel passage is applicable to my task of losing weight in so many ways. Some Pastor Joel has already asked. But the other nuggets that I see are:
1. Look what the Lord wanted for Daniel to eat. A healthy diet. There is a direct correlation between how you treat your body and your effectiveness for the cause of Christ. It takes energy and stamina to follow the Lord and be an effective witness. God has given me a healthy, strong body, and I need to take care of it.
2. Resist what the secular world offers as food. In the society we are in, the "King's food" is available to us 24/7. Choose what God gives us as food instead of what the world offers. There is a book called "Body By God" by Ben Lerner. I highly recommend it.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Monday Night Weigh In #2
Things went well last night.
The meeting was about managing your emotional eating. That was a GREAT talk for me. I think I eat for all the emotions that I have! Boredom, exhaustion, discontentedness, happiness, etc. etc.
I think that biggest habit, hurdle, I have to get over is wanting to eat in the afternoons. It's usually after a big morning and all the kids have finally gone down for a quiet time. I just want to do something fun, relax, and treat myself. Which usually means food in front of the computer. At the meeting last night the leader gave an example of a friend of her who had a similar habit. So she switched to popcorn for a snack (didn't try to get rid of it at first) and then after awhile eating the popcorn each snack time. She made herself wait for just a bit. So I thought I would try that this week. The 1st couple days, I'm going to eat popcorn, and then slowly try to push back my time. Say in 15 min increments. That was I'm not instantly sitting down, looking for a treat. We'll see how it goes!!!
So wk #2:
Weight Loss this week: -2 lbs (Yeah!!)
Total Weight Loss: -6.2 lbs
Pounds to reach goal: 50.8
The meeting was about managing your emotional eating. That was a GREAT talk for me. I think I eat for all the emotions that I have! Boredom, exhaustion, discontentedness, happiness, etc. etc.
I think that biggest habit, hurdle, I have to get over is wanting to eat in the afternoons. It's usually after a big morning and all the kids have finally gone down for a quiet time. I just want to do something fun, relax, and treat myself. Which usually means food in front of the computer. At the meeting last night the leader gave an example of a friend of her who had a similar habit. So she switched to popcorn for a snack (didn't try to get rid of it at first) and then after awhile eating the popcorn each snack time. She made herself wait for just a bit. So I thought I would try that this week. The 1st couple days, I'm going to eat popcorn, and then slowly try to push back my time. Say in 15 min increments. That was I'm not instantly sitting down, looking for a treat. We'll see how it goes!!!
So wk #2:
Weight Loss this week: -2 lbs (Yeah!!)
Total Weight Loss: -6.2 lbs
Pounds to reach goal: 50.8
Saturday, January 17, 2009
Pumpking Fluff
This recipe came from my parents. We are snack, sweets people. So we are always on the prowl for a good, point worthy, snack. 1 box Sugar Free, Fat Free Butterscotch pudding
1 can Libbys pure pumpkin (Not pumpkin pie)
Pumpkin Pie Spice
Whip topping
Mix the pudding and the pumpkin together (that's right, just dump them together and mix, nothing else to add) then for serving take about 1/4 to 1/3 C pumpkin mixture, sprinkle the pumpkin pie spices on top, and then finish with a couple tablespoons of whip topping. All for 2 pts. Can't beat that.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Chili with baked potato
This week I've been eating a baked potato with Chili on it for lunch. Just zap the potato and the Chili (seperately) and it's good food, fast. It's been really filling and the whole meal is 5-6 pts. 2 pts for the 5 oz. potato and 3 pts for the homemade Chili. I haven't been putting any cheese on it because of the baby. But that would be yummy to.
Wednesday, January 14, 2009
Tortilla Pizza
Tortilla Pizza
I make this for our lunches pretty regularly. I love recipes that my kids love, but that is pretty easy to make WW friendly.
For the kids I put on Turkey Pepperoni and for me it's red onion, artichokes, and some Canadian Bacon. Each Pizza ends up being about 4 to 5 pts. (This day I had two because I had the points and I was HUNGRY)
The recipe is pretty simple. Grab a tortilla ( I do like to spray the cookie sheet with PAM just so that the tortilla doesn't stick), add some sauce and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min. Easy and Quick, just what this mother of 4 needs.
I make this for our lunches pretty regularly. I love recipes that my kids love, but that is pretty easy to make WW friendly.
For the kids I put on Turkey Pepperoni and for me it's red onion, artichokes, and some Canadian Bacon. Each Pizza ends up being about 4 to 5 pts. (This day I had two because I had the points and I was HUNGRY)
The recipe is pretty simple. Grab a tortilla ( I do like to spray the cookie sheet with PAM just so that the tortilla doesn't stick), add some sauce and toppings. Bake at 400 degrees for 10 min. Easy and Quick, just what this mother of 4 needs.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
Monday Night Weigh In
Last night I braved the harsh cold and snow storm to get to my WW meeting. Am I dedicated or what?!!! I was only of about 10 people there. But I did it.
WW each week has a topic that all the leaders talk on. This week it was hunger and how to manage it. I've been thinking about that issue on my own this week because I've been realizing something about myself. When I get to famished, it takes A LOT of food to get me comfortable again. Where if I'm just slightly hungry, just a little food will keep me satisfied. So, for me, the key is to make sure I don't get REALLY hungry, because then I eat too much food and it all falls apart.
This WW leader asks us to have a goal for the week that isn't, "lose 'x' amount of weight" so my goal is going to be to choose filling foods. That way I'll hopefully be able to keep the hunger in check and I won't be looking for another snack minutes after I ate the 1st.
Weight Loss this week: 4.2 lbs (Yeah!!)
Total Weight Loss: 4.2 lbs
Pounds to reach goal: 52.8 (Ugh, I sure let pregnancy get to me!)
WW each week has a topic that all the leaders talk on. This week it was hunger and how to manage it. I've been thinking about that issue on my own this week because I've been realizing something about myself. When I get to famished, it takes A LOT of food to get me comfortable again. Where if I'm just slightly hungry, just a little food will keep me satisfied. So, for me, the key is to make sure I don't get REALLY hungry, because then I eat too much food and it all falls apart.
This WW leader asks us to have a goal for the week that isn't, "lose 'x' amount of weight" so my goal is going to be to choose filling foods. That way I'll hopefully be able to keep the hunger in check and I won't be looking for another snack minutes after I ate the 1st.
Weight Loss this week: 4.2 lbs (Yeah!!)
Total Weight Loss: 4.2 lbs
Pounds to reach goal: 52.8 (Ugh, I sure let pregnancy get to me!)
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Snacks
One of the 1st things I need to do when I return to eating appropriately, is make sure that I have some snacks around. Because I know I'm going to snack. I've tried MANY times to not snack, and it's impossible for me. So here are some items I've been snacking on this week! Yum! (I've had other snacks around to, but those are gone. I'll have to take pics of those at the beginning of the week, when they are still around. :) )
My new baby seems to have a problem with all things dairy and chocolate... so there goes the puddings that I usually eat. I have to say, though, these Jello's are a completely fine substitution. Especially with a little Fat Free Whip Topping on there. Yes, there are chemicals. I try to, therefore, keep these type of snacks to a minimum and make sure I'm eating things like....
THIS! I'm so excited, these three fruits baby boy can handle. Clementines and other citrus weren't working. But a banana and baby boy is fine. I've have been eating A LOT of banana's this week. Plus an apple with 1 T (2 pts) of peanut butter, Yum!
Not a more crunchy, filling snack can a person find. Plus, 1 pt for a whole bag, wow!! Now, I know, the chemical issue comes up again, but have you tried to eat dry, air popped popcorn. I've tried, I can't do it...
My Dad works at Quaker, so I have a special place for Quaker. These bars are 2 pts, which is kinda expensive for how small they are. But when I can't handle life with out chocolate for one more minute, the chocolate in these things satisfies my need, and it doesn't seem to bother the baby.
Quaker 90 Calorie Granola Bars - 2 pts
My new baby seems to have a problem with all things dairy and chocolate... so there goes the puddings that I usually eat. I have to say, though, these Jello's are a completely fine substitution. Especially with a little Fat Free Whip Topping on there. Yes, there are chemicals. I try to, therefore, keep these type of snacks to a minimum and make sure I'm eating things like....
Jello cups - 0 pts (but be careful, they still have calories, eating a ton will still make you a ton, it'll just take a lot more of them
THIS! I'm so excited, these three fruits baby boy can handle. Clementines and other citrus weren't working. But a banana and baby boy is fine. I've have been eating A LOT of banana's this week. Plus an apple with 1 T (2 pts) of peanut butter, Yum!Large fruits - 2 pts
Not a more crunchy, filling snack can a person find. Plus, 1 pt for a whole bag, wow!! Now, I know, the chemical issue comes up again, but have you tried to eat dry, air popped popcorn. I've tried, I can't do it...100 Cal Popcorn bad - 1 pt
My Dad works at Quaker, so I have a special place for Quaker. These bars are 2 pts, which is kinda expensive for how small they are. But when I can't handle life with out chocolate for one more minute, the chocolate in these things satisfies my need, and it doesn't seem to bother the baby.Quaker 90 Calorie Granola Bars - 2 pts
Goals...
So why blog about this struggle of mine. Well it's twofold. One - I would love a record of the foods I've been eating, the recipes that I love, and the workouts that I enjoy. Two - Accountability and camaraderie. I have no idea if I'll even tell anyone about this blog. But if I do. :) I know I will have friends to help me on my way.
I'm going to categorize this blog into the following categories:
Weekly meetings - I go to meetings each Monday. So after that I will post my weight loss/gain (hopefully not) for the week. This will be where I also post any great weight loss nuggets that ring true for me from the meeting. Those leaders have some "forehead hitting" words sometimes. And any purchases that I made at Weight Watchers that I think are helpful.
Recipes & Food Ideas - What is weight loss with out the recipes. Most will be simple, I am a mother of four now. But some will be just so yummy it's worth the extra time spent. Also I will post what I'm snacking on (snacks are big for me) and what my breakfast and lunches consist of. Those two meals are really what make or break my eating habits.
Encouragement - I am a Bible thumpin', salvation by faith, Jesus Freak. I think His word is completely applicable to my personal life right now. Even though weight loss isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible, ( I don't think so, I could be wrong) weight loss falls under the more general catagory of striving to be less wordly and more like Jesus, which the Bible has A LOT to say about. Don't know what I mean? Just keep following my blog. I will try my best to explain.
I'm going to categorize this blog into the following categories:
Weekly meetings - I go to meetings each Monday. So after that I will post my weight loss/gain (hopefully not) for the week. This will be where I also post any great weight loss nuggets that ring true for me from the meeting. Those leaders have some "forehead hitting" words sometimes. And any purchases that I made at Weight Watchers that I think are helpful.
Recipes & Food Ideas - What is weight loss with out the recipes. Most will be simple, I am a mother of four now. But some will be just so yummy it's worth the extra time spent. Also I will post what I'm snacking on (snacks are big for me) and what my breakfast and lunches consist of. Those two meals are really what make or break my eating habits.
Encouragement - I am a Bible thumpin', salvation by faith, Jesus Freak. I think His word is completely applicable to my personal life right now. Even though weight loss isn't specifically mentioned in the Bible, ( I don't think so, I could be wrong) weight loss falls under the more general catagory of striving to be less wordly and more like Jesus, which the Bible has A LOT to say about. Don't know what I mean? Just keep following my blog. I will try my best to explain.
In the Beginning... Again
My story is very familiar. I've yo-yo'd with my weight my whole life. I think the 1st diet I went on was when I was in 7th grade.
I had been sitting at the lunch table with a bunch of friends when they all start talking about how much they weigh. Their numbers were all in the '90's to 110 range. So I went home and weighed myself, 140's. And it wasn't like I was taller then anyone else. So I asked my brother if I looked heavy to him. He, very sweetly, with no malice, said, "well, yeah, I guess you do." And so it all began. By the time I hit highschool I was in those 110's. But I did that SO unhealthfully that the weight was destined to rise again.
Anyway, fast forward to two years ago. I had just given birth to my 3rd child and was the heaviest I've ever been.
My parents had just lost GOBS of weight on Weight Watchers and talked about how it was do-able for a lifetime. So with determination to once and for all be rid of this albatross, I signed up. And lost BIG. 75 lbs to be exact. I was running, bicycling, working out consistently. I finally had energy, which I have always had problems with. I felt GREAT.
But then I became pregnant with our 4th baby. This child was completely planned and wanted. But I stink at being pregnant. And the weight came rushing back on. At about the 6 mo. of pregnancy I consciously gave up trying to follow WW (Weight Watchers) because I didn't want failure to become such a pattern that I couldn't get out of it once the baby was born.
So it's now. My 4th baby, "C" is 5 weeks old and I went back to my first WW meeting last week! I'm excited to be on the road of "body recovery."
I had been sitting at the lunch table with a bunch of friends when they all start talking about how much they weigh. Their numbers were all in the '90's to 110 range. So I went home and weighed myself, 140's. And it wasn't like I was taller then anyone else. So I asked my brother if I looked heavy to him. He, very sweetly, with no malice, said, "well, yeah, I guess you do." And so it all began. By the time I hit highschool I was in those 110's. But I did that SO unhealthfully that the weight was destined to rise again.
Anyway, fast forward to two years ago. I had just given birth to my 3rd child and was the heaviest I've ever been.
My parents had just lost GOBS of weight on Weight Watchers and talked about how it was do-able for a lifetime. So with determination to once and for all be rid of this albatross, I signed up. And lost BIG. 75 lbs to be exact. I was running, bicycling, working out consistently. I finally had energy, which I have always had problems with. I felt GREAT.
But then I became pregnant with our 4th baby. This child was completely planned and wanted. But I stink at being pregnant. And the weight came rushing back on. At about the 6 mo. of pregnancy I consciously gave up trying to follow WW (Weight Watchers) because I didn't want failure to become such a pattern that I couldn't get out of it once the baby was born.So it's now. My 4th baby, "C" is 5 weeks old and I went back to my first WW meeting last week! I'm excited to be on the road of "body recovery."
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