DON'T GIVE UP!

What is the main reason a person's weight loss journey fails?  They simply give up!  Giving up is easy, it means nothing is required.  If anything else, I hope this is an encouragement to you.  Sometimes a little encouragement is all the motivation we need, but sometimes we need a good kick in the pants, or as my dad would say "a 2 by 4 between the ears."

Let me explain...  Growing up I heard my dad used an illustration in his sermons about a stubborn old mule they had when he was a kid.  They used the mule for different jobs around the farm, because they did not have a tractor.  One of the jobs was plowing the garden spot.  Sometimes the mule would cooperate without any encouragement, but most of the time it had to be "encouraged" to cooperate.  When all else failed to get the mule's attention, my dad found that a smart smack with a 2 by 4 between the mule's ears would do the trick and get the mule to cooperate.  It was all a matter of getting its attention to accomplish the task at hand.

The same is true with us.   We can be just as stubborn as my dad's old mule, and sometimes we need, what people have labeled as, a "wake-up" call.  These can come in many different forms depending on the situation.  Sometimes all we need is a little "encouragement" to get us motivated.  Once we're motivated, there is nothing that is too impossible to be accomplished.  There is positive motivation and negative motivation, and it is very important to tell the difference between the two.  One will build a person up, the other will tear down.  One will cause happiness and joy, while the other sadness and sorrow.

Recently I had one of those "2 by 4" moments.  This one particular day my wife and I went to the gym to work out, I really wasn't in a good mood and my intention that day was to do as little as possible, but to get by for the day and say that I had done my "work out."  Our usual routine upon arriving to the gym is to head for the treadmills, but I needed to use the restroom, so I went that direction while my wife went to the treadmill.  Upon completing my business, I headed back across the gym to the treadmills when something caught my eye.  Our gym has personal trainers for those who wish their services.  I noticed one of the trainers helping a lady, who didn't look older than me, out of a wheel chair.  I also observed the lady had what looked like to me as multiple sclerosis.  I'm not sure if that is truly what she has, but that was what I guessed.  With the trainer's assistance, she made her way to one of the elliptical machines and began her workout.  By the time I reached the treadmill where my wife was, I was in tears.  I told her about the lady I had seen.  Boy, did I ever feel that "2 by 4!"  That got me motivated that day to stop whining around and get to work, and I did!

Sometimes we need these little "motivations" to get us going.  I want to encourage you today, don't give up because something seems hard or you're not seeing results as quickly as you'd like.  If you are faithful to your workout, you will see results!

Until next time, be blessed!
Remember to DREAM!

Our Confession...Part 2

"I Will Prosper and Be in Health As My Soul Prospers"

In thinking about "Our Confession" which we speak over ourselves at each DREAM meeting, and praying about what to write this morning, I find myself looking at other areas of my life.  The second part of Our Confession is "I will prosper and be in health as my soul prospers."  This is taken from 3 John 1:2 which says, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."

Now, I know that God's view of "prosperity" is different from our view.  I looked up the word "prosper."  Dictionary.com defines prosper as... "to be successful and fortunate, especially in financial respects; thrive; flourish."  We've all heard the "prosperity message" so I will not be getting into that, but I want to look at the last two words of the definition..."thrive" and "flourish."

I looked up "thrive",  it means to be "fortunate or successful."  I like that.  I also looked up "flourish", it has several meanings, some of which excited me a little bit.  Here are the meanings: "to be in a vigorous state. thrive. to be in it's or one's prime; to be at the height of fame, excellence and influence.  to be successful; prosper. to grow luxuriantly, or thrive in growth, as a plant."

2 Peter 3:18 tells us we are to "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ."  Accepting Christ is the beginning of our spiritual journey, not the end.  When a person, especially one who has never been in church, accepts Christ, there must be training so they can "grow" in their faith.  The thing that excites me is that Jesus said that He came to give us a "more abundant life." (John 10:10)  One of the definitions for "abundant" is "richly supplied."

As we teach our kids in Super Church here at Abundant Grace, once you accept Christ, its time to grow.  There are three way in which we grow.  1) Reading your Bible.  2) Praying.  3) By attending church.  How else are we going to learn God's will for our lives, and His purpose and plans for us, if we're not in communication with Him, thus the Bible reading and prayer.  We also learn from other Christians in a church setting.  Our faith can be and should be strengthened by the testimony of others.  Proverbs 27:17 tells us, "as iron sharpens iron, So a man sharpens the countenance of his friend."  Our Pastor is in prayer and study most of the week to bring us the message straight from God's heart, there is teaching that helps us understand the scriptures better.  This is all a part of "growing in grace and knowledge."

There are so many avenues we could take at this point, but then this would turn into a book instead of a blog...lol.

So what is the "bottom line?"  The bottom line is, God wants us to flourish, to grow luxuriantly, he has given us the tools for our souls to prosper.  As our knowledge grows, so does our understanding.  As our understanding grows, so does our wisdom.  With wisdom comes the ability to make wise choices, about every area of our life.  But it all comes from growing.  I remember a slogan from when I was a child, "The more you know, the more you grow."  It still rings true today.

What does that mean for our weight loss journey and our confession?  Good question.  The same "theology" can be applied to our weight loss as our spiritual life.  Learn what you can about healthy living.  Long term weight loss is not accomplished by a "diet program."  Yes, you will have some success while you are following the "program" but what happens when you stop?  You got it, the weight begins to creep back on.  This is because your "understanding" about weight loss has not been fruitful.  Many programs use pre-packaged food, which number one, does not teach portion control.  So when you stop eating the packaged food, the weight comes back on because there is no understanding of the actual size of the portion.

Learn what the proper portion size is for the food you eat.  Remember we are to "Eat to Live, not Live to Eat."  If you do that, you are well on your way to a healthier you.  Being healthy is a lifestyle.  Being a Christian is a lifestyle.  Once you became a Christian your "lifestyle" changed.  To become healthy our eating "lifestyle" must change.

So from here on out our number one thing to change is the word "diet."  When someone asks you how your "diet" is progressing, be sure to correct them and tell them you're not on a diet, but it is a lifestyle change to make you a more healthy person.

Say to yourself today... "I Will Prosper (be successful, grow luxuriantly) and Be in Health As My Soul Prospers."

Remember to DREAM!

Our Confession

While I was thinking and praying about what to write on our blog, it occurred to me that we should talk about the Confession we speak over ourselves at every DREAM Meeting.  So over the next few blogs we will do just that.  We'll look at the scripture for each item of our confession.

Here is Our Confession as we speak it over ourselves each week:

"I have a DREAM for my Life"

"I will prosper and be in health as my soul prospers"

"I am fearfully and wonderfully made"

"I know my body is the Temple of God and is bought with a price"

"I will glorify God with my body by being healthy"

"I will allow the fruit of the spirit, especially self-control, to work in my life"

"I will not use food to be my Comforter, but depend on the Holy Spirit"

"I know I can accomplish anything, because I am more than a conqueror"

"I can do all things through Christ, who gives me strength"

"Amen"

Each day the Holy Spirit will bring back portions of this confession to my mind, especially when it looks like I'm going to stray from the "path."  I know that has happened to others in our DREAM group as well.  This is a good thing.  The more you put God's word inside you, the more it will come out when the need arises.

Years ago I had an object lesson with the kids in my children's church, where I talked about what we put into our minds and hearts.  If we put "garbage" into our minds, like the wrong types of television shows, music, etc., in our times of testing or "trials" we're going to have "stinkin' thinkin'" as I called it to the kids.  Whatever we put inside us will eventually come out.  If we are putting the Word of God inside us, then that's what is going to come out when we are tested and tried.

I am reminded of a story my Dad, who was a Pastor and Evangelist, used to tell about two men.  Both men attended church, both men loved God.  One day while both men were in the front of the church another person came by and began to throw eggs at the church and the men, both of whom just happened to be struck by the flying eggs.  One man began to cuss and curse as he was being hit by the eggs.  The other began to praise God.  Puzzled, the first man asked the second why he had praised God instead of cursing.  The man simply replied, "If you have cursing on the inside of you, that's what is going to come out.  But if you have praising on the inside of you, that's what is going to come out."

That is exactly true with everything in life.  Yes, I know the parallel to health and weight loss with this story.  If we put good, healthy food into our bodies, we will be good and healthy.  You know, "You are what you eat."  It is also true with how we view ourselves.  If we look at ourselves, concerned what others may think of us, we will not be living up to the potential God has for us.  There are only two opinions that matter, and if you get right down to it, only one... God's opinion and ours.  God's opinion of us is the most important.

This is the reason when I was praying about Our Confession, I asked God to give me specific scriptures to help us see us through His eyes.  If you attend our DREAM meeting and have a copy of Our Confession, down at the bottom of the page is the list of the scriptures used for the confession.

The first line, "I have a DREAM for my life", we've already covered in previous blogs.  Starting tomorrow we'll begin to look at each line of Our Confession and hopefully we'll be able to see ourselves more as God sees us.

If you would like more information about our DREAM Weight-Loss Group, please feel free to leave a comment below or email us directly at dreamweightloss@gmail.com.

Until tomorrow, my friends, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

DREAM Meeting Moved!

Just a quick note to let everyone know that our DREAM meeting has changed locations.  We are now meeting in the "Ladies Discipleship Class" room in the front of the AGCC Chapel.  Weigh in will still be from 6 to 6:25 and the meeting starting at 6:30 pm.

If you have any questions post it and we'll get back to you as quickly as possible.

Back to daily blogging tomorrow!
Enjoy!
Remember to DREAM!

Happy Wednesday!

Hello there!

Wow, I didn't realize it had been so long since the last posting.  Life gets crazy sometimes, as July usually is for us around here.  But, we are back on track and will be posting again.

Just want to be of encouragement to you today.  Losing weight is tough, I know that full well.  I also know that if we allow God to help us on our weight loss journey it can be easier.  You see, Jesus told us to "cast all our cares" on Him, some things we can't do alone, we need help.  From our previous posts we've looked at losing weight from a spiritual perspective or for some a "mental" perspective.  Most personal trainers will tell you that losing weight is 80% mental, if you think you can do something, then you can.  If you think you can't do something, you're right there too.  These "mental" aspects of weight loss that play tricks with your mind cause us to be anxious, fearful, timid, and will eventually cause us to give up because "it's just too hard."

I've heard from a lot of people that didn't show up at a weight loss meeting because they knew they had not been good and were afraid of what the scale was going to say.  You know what I have to say about that...be responsible for your weight loss.  If you gain, and you know you haven't been good, own up to it, face the scale and then go on.  Many people are defeated so easily by one little set-back with a scale.  You have to remember, the scale is only a tool to measure your progress, nothing of which to be afraid or even anxious about.

What I've seen happen is a cycle...you're not eating or exercising the way you should, you feel guilty about that, you don't want to be embarrassed when the scale tells on you, so you go into hiding.  The fear or anxiety isn't really about the scale, it's about how you think you will be perceived by others.  If you belong to a weight loss support group those folks aren't there to judge you, if they do, they're in the wrong place.  In our DREAM Group we don't judge when someone gains, hey, we've all done it at one point or another.  DREAM is there to help encourage you when you gain to get back out there and get back on track.

God does the same thing with us, that's why He's given us support through His Word that tells us to "cast" our cares, worries, fears, anxieties, stresses, whatever on Him because He is able to take care of us.  The Bible also says, "If God is for us, who can be against us?"  And, hey, with God on our side, we can't loose.  We might mess up from time to time, but God is always there to help us each time we do and get us back on the right track.

So, now that you've had your "Pep-talk" for the day, be encouraged.  We're in this weight loss journey together!

Happy Wednesday and until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Respect

Respect

By Phil Parham

“Self-respect is a question of recognizing that
anything worth having has a price.”
-Joan Didion

In college, my friends and I would frequently go to a karaoke lounge.  Without fail, we’d see a group of girls on stage belting out “Respect” by Aretha Franklin, and it was always fun to sing along in the crowd.

Thinking about that song made me wonder how much I respected myself over the years.  I want to say yes, of course I respected myself.  I married a wonderful woman, I have beautiful children, and I’m proud to have a successful career.  But I didn’t have respect for my body.  I didn’t take care of it.  I didn’t feed it well.  I didn’t give it enough water I eventually became obese, damaged my joints, and put myself at risk for diabetes and heart disease.  Sometimes it’s still difficult for me to admit that I had such little respect for my body.

Your thoughts and actions toward yourself and your body are important.  When you start to respect your body, the world starts changing for you.  Have you ever heard someone say, “Just take care of yourself and everything will fall into place”?  I never believed that because I always had to do a million things to make everything fall into place.  How could I find time to take care of myself?  But after doing just that and getting fit and healthy, a whole new world opened up to me, and everything really did start falling into place—the right place.  Loving and respecting yourself will start to bring a whole new perspective on life.  You will begin to attract people and opportunities you never thought were possible before.

Recently, Amy and I were eating dinner at a Lebanese restaurant after a busy day.  We looked at each other and smiled.  I told her how neat it was that we could take some time away for ourselves to enjoy each other’s company over a delicious, exotic meal.  A year ago, we never even knew this place existed.  We would have never thought to look for healthy international cuisine.  It’s a simple example, but one of the many changes in our lives.

I had to first make the commitment to change.  I had to respect and see the value in my body.  Only then did life truly change for the better.  Yours can too.  Respect yourself.

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Today, reflect on your body and how you take care of yourself.  How did you respect and value yourself a year ago?  How do you respect yourself today?  Has it changed?  You can’t make permanent lifestyle changes unless you respect yourself.

Tip of the Day

Choose whole fruits over fruit juices.  Fruit juice is full of concentrated sugars, and drinking too much juice can cause your blood sugar levels to spike.  If you’re going to have juice, mix it half-and-half with water.  This is how we give juice to our kids, too.  They quickly got used to the difference, and now, when they drink 100% juice, they think it’s too sweet.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Taken from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser”.

Going Through the Process

Going Through the Process

“Your life is the sum result of all the choices you make, both consciously and unconsciously.  If you can control the process of choosing, you can take control of all aspects of your life.  You can find the freedom that comes from being in charge of yourself.”
- Robert F. Bennett

By Amy Parham

Every time I ask Rhett, our autistic son, to do something, he has a process that he has to go through to be able to do what I ask.  For example, if we tell him to do his homework, he yells at the top of his lungs, “I don’t want to do my homework!”  After he yells, he calmly walks over to his book bag and gets out his homework to work on it.  He does the same thing when I tell him to take a bath, take out the trash, or any other request we make of him.  It’s almost as if he has to loudly announce his opposition before he agrees to do what we asked him to do.

Many of us do the same thing when we’re told we need to do something.  Our doctor says we need to lose weight, and we find ourselves at the Burger King drive-thru immediately after the appointment.  We know we need to exercise, but instead we lie on the sofa.  We might even get to the parking lot of a gym, but we leave before we actually get through the front door.  We all know what we need to do to be healthy, but we dig in our heels as long as we can before we finally admit we have no choice but to get healthy.

Right now in your weight loss journey, maybe you’ve hit a plateau.  Maybe you’re bored with your workouts.  Maybe you’re sick of eating healthy food.  Don’t give up.  Be empowered and stop fighting the urge that tells you to quit.  Here are some tips to embrace the “challenge” and continue on your way.

1)      Accept the fact that the road to health is seldom an easy one.  The things in life that are most valuable require the most sacrifice.  Just because things get hard doesn’t mean that’s a sign to quit.  These are the times to prove just how strong you are.

2)      Tell yourself that eating healthy and exercising is your idea.  Convince yourself it’s your choice, not something someone else is telling you to do.

3)      Remind yourself this is a process and not an event.  Take one day at a time and celebrate every small success because they will eventually add up to big victories.

4)      List the things that will be different in your life when you get healthy.  Smaller sizes in clothes, more energy, playing sports you’ve never played before, feeling confident—these are all good ones to write down.

Empower yourself with these tips and keep going.  You’ll reach your goal before you know it!

Mini-Challenge of the Day

What two things that you know you should be doing that you’ve been tempted not to do?  Write them down.  Why do you think you are rebelling against the things that will bring you closer to your goal?  Take time to think about your process for achieving health and fitness and embrace it fully.

Tip of the Day

If you don’t feel like exercising one day, use the twenty minute rule.  Just tell yourself you’ll work out for twenty minutes.  It’s a short time frame but long enough to see benefits.  Chances are, you’ll end up having a forty-five minute session because you feel so good.  Use this tool to negotiate your way to the gym and at least start your workout.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

This was taken from “The 90-Day Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on “The Biggest Loser.”

Happy Birthday America!

Have a Save and Happy Independence Day!

Time Management

Time Management

“Time is what we want most, but what we use worst.”
-William Penn

^“So be careful how you live. Don’t live like fools, but like those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity in these evil days. Don’t act thoughtlessly, but understand what the Lord wants you to do.”
-Ephesians 5:15-17

By Amy Parham

How many times have you said to yourself, “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I don’t have time to cook all my meals” or “I just don’t have time…period.”  I hear these statements all the time.  I even used to say these things myself.  But everyone has the same twenty-four hours in a day.  I have twenty-four hours in a day.  You have twenty-four hours in a day.  The president of the United States has twenty-four hours in a day.  No one has more time than anyone else.  The amount of time we have isn’t the issue; it’s how we use our time.

We spend so much time on things that aren’t producing any positive results in our lives.  I used to send hours every night watching television.  My life revolved around the nightly TV schedule and what I was going to eat while watching.  I wasted hours of my life that could have been spent productively.  I could have been exercising during that time or getting the right amount of sleep or reading books on health.

Think about your own life.  How are you spending the twenty-four hours each day God has given you?  I read that the average American watches four hours of TV a day.  Four hours is a lot of time that could be used to do things that are life-giving or life-changing, not just sitting in front of a screen being entertained.  Maybe you spend your time doing other things that aren’t productive, such as surfing the web, shopping, reading tabloid magazines, or chatting on the phone.  Be honest with yourself about how much time you spend doing things that only waste time.

Have you ever had a friend call you up at the last minute and invite you to come to their vacation home for the weekend?  Isn’t it amazing how quickly we can rearrange our schedules, get the dog taken care of, pack a suitcase for every member of the family, straighten up the house, gas up the car, and hit the road because it’s an invitation to do something fun?

Well, guess what?  I have a ticket to a new life waiting for you.  You just have to rearrange your schedule a little and make a few changes.  How badly do you want to make the change?  How badly do you want to be in better shape?  How badly do you want better health?  Make time by eliminating the things you know you don’t need to be doing.  Use your day wisely.

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Keep track of your time today.  From the minute you wake up to the time you go to bed, write down everything you do and how long it takes.  At the end of the day, review what you have written down and see where you can make some changes.  Notice where you are wasting time and make a commitment to stop doing those things.

Tip of the Day

Take containers of flavored yogurt and put them in the freezer.  Frozen yogurt is a delicious and healthy substitute for ice cream.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Remember to DREAM!

Taken from “The 90-Fitness Challenge” by Phil and Amy Parham, former contestants on television’s “The Biggest Loser.”

It Takes Work

It Takes Work

“I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”
-Philippians 4:13

I’m not going to lie to you.  Making your health a priority takes planning and focus.  We’ve already talked about the importance of eating every three to four hours.  As you start training, your metabolism picks up, and you will know when it is time to eat again because you will be hungry three hours after your last meal.  Did you know that many people who struggle with weight don’t often feel hungry?  This is a talltale sign that their metabolism is not working properly.

It can be challenging to find healthy tasty food when you’re on the go.  This is why you need to prepare meals and snacks ahead of time and take them wherever you go.  This will prevent you from being caught without food when hunger strikes.

Cook food ahead of time and store individual portions in the freezer for a quick meal when hunger strikes.  Depending on the meal, we may fix a little extra brown rice or even pasta, portion them out and put them in the freezer for a later time.  Snacks are easy.  We put almonds, granola, and other snack items in individually baggies so they are easy to grab when we’re on the run.

While preparing food takes a while to prepare, it is an important step in eating success.  During the busy workweek, you will always have food ready to eat three or four times a day.  There will be no need for excuses to stop at some fast-food joint on the way home.  You will also save money by buying food in bulk.  By spending a little time preparing, your body will be thinner and your wallet fatter.

Mini-Challenge of the Day

Pick a day to cook your meals for the next few days, you don’t have to do all of them.  Prepare a meal plan using our suggestions or meals from a healthy cookbook.  Ask a friend to help.

Tip of the Day

Feel like overeating?  An acronym to remember is HALT.  Being too Hungry, Angry, Lonely or Tired are conditions that make us more vulnerable to the temptations to binge.  Instead of eating impulsively, do a check – Do you need some rest?  Do you need to call a friend? Did something tick you off today?  Did you skip a meal?  These four conditions are strong triggers that will tempt us to overeat, so pay attention to yourself.

Until tomorrow, be blessed!

Rember to DREAM!