Discussion Board

Hello Friends,

Thought I'd stop in to say HI and start the June thread. I pray that you are all doing well and rejoicing in God's daily blessings (Ps.68:19)

Love the Lorax - welcome back. I loved hearing about your vacation, and that was such a neat story about what happened at Universal Studios. Your kids got to see "give and it shall be given unto you" in action that day!

How are you feeling Jubilee?

How are you, KC? I'm curious as to how many pounds you have lost thus far? (If you don't mind me asking )

I'm off to church right now, but I just wanted to let you ALL know that I'm thinking about you and praying for you.

Blessings,
luvoatmeal

Hi All,
Jubilee, I'm glad you beat that illness. Where would we be without your uplifing scriptures. I went by the Thrift store yesterday. I felt the urge to stop because I was looking for a stationery bike. I had to go to the bathroom and didn't want to. But I did anyway. There was a Weslow bike. I wanted it for Jose as much as for me and Alex. I thought it would be great for after dinner. So far we have all been using it. What a blessing.

The weight is coming off so rapidly. I swear I can feel it disappearing off me. I am eating very much like a Mary's Mini I guess.

Steel cut oats
beans and brown rice
strawberries and apple.

Some times I eat cherries or an apricot. Wonderful fruit is coming in so abundantly. It's strange. I never liked fruit before this program. So many changes have been made. I am astonished that I love my plan. Sometimes when I'm cooking the meat and I'm hungry it looks tempting. But it passes. I've never been a meat eater anyways. This morning was a 'thankyou breakfast for all school volunteers. I tried not to go but ended up there anyways. I sat down and had a piece of bread and a cup of coffee. Everything else was egg based or sausages. It looked good but I just went and sat down with my coffee and talked. This is GOD. NOT ME.

I don't want to bore you all. If I've already told you, I'm sorry. But when I came home from Oklahoma from my grandmas i was fat. My mom and new step dad put me on WW and weighed me every morning. No loss was good enough. I was tempted with a horse, got the horse and for 2 years jerked out of bed and weighed. Sooooooo, you can see the scale is not my friend. That's why I am going by clothes and the mirror. I will weigh in probably 6 more month when I'm sure I can deal with whatever it says. I need to keep my eyes on God and this program. The scale becomes my god and I get all screwed up. (God love my parents) I suppose they were doing all they new to do. kc

Hi All,
Hey where is everyone. I guess you are all 'doing life' like I have been. Isn't it great to eat to where you are healthy and can enjoy life? Well, I keep going on to the 'May'' thread and then having to come here. It's already the 7th and I can't believe it's June.
I think leaving home is the hardest thing when doing any eating plan. I am a very routine person. I open the fridge and see my salad and think, Oh, it's time for salad. I'm such a ding dong.

We all went 'fishing'' yesterday. Had a long walk and thanks to the glory of God, my knee did not hurt. I am getting stronger and stronger and lighter and lighter. Glory!
I have a new attitude with this way of eating. all my life I have been all or nothing. If I blew it, well I was a failure. I WANT to eat like this. but if I have a bite of something. I will. I think tasting something is perfectly okay if that is what you decide. I generally know for myself that if I taste a sugar item, I am lost. And I am then in torture. Because then it talks to me. I hate that. So I ignore it like it is a demon and don't give it any power.
I sound kinda wacky, huh. Well, for the first time I am very happy and getting healthy and keeping up with 'their' 36 year old father and two kids. Pretty good. Be blessed. ,kc

Hi Everyone!

KC - If you are wacky, then I want to be just like you. Way to go on your continued success! You are an inspiration!! Sugar can have a pull on me too - and I'm finding that even if I have just a little, I'm very sensitive to it and get a headache afterwards.

I've made out a one week plan (I've gotta have a plan) and today was my first day. I did good - by the grace of God. Here's the plan. Everyday I'll eat the exact same thing - boring - but I'm needing A LOT of structure to reign in all the mindless eating I have done this past year.

Breakfast - one apple, 1/2 cup oats with 1/2 cup blueberries.

Lunch - large salad with romaine, spinach, kale, mushrooms, peppers, baby carrots, broccoli, and either peas or corn. One more piece of fruit after the salad.

Dinner - another salad like above, and 1/3 cup steel cut oats with 1/3 cup pumpkin stirred in and 1 TBS. flaxseed sprinkled on top.

I may substitue a potato for the fruit at lunch - but today I had an orange. It's hot so that orange really hit the spot and was very refreshing.

At the end of this week I'll evaluate things and tweak them if I don't see the scale start going in the right direction

Hope everyone is doing well and I send my best to all of you and I am praying for you all.

Like KC I am having a hard time believing a week of June is already gone! I posted on the May thread and kept wondering why nobody was answering me!

LuvO I don't think I could eat the same menu every day, but I hope it works for you. I have been thinking I really need to get back to keeping a food journal. I did that the first few months I started eating vegan, and it really helped me. I think it made me much more conscious of everything I put in my mouth, and sometimes I would say "no" to something just so I wouldn't have to write it down! It also helped me keep a better balance between fruits, veggies, starchy veggies, beans, etc.

May God give us all the strength to make wise choices and resist temptation!

You and me both - I didn't eat the best on vacation - truly hard to do when options are sometimes very limited. Now, I'm back home, but still having trouble keeping myself limited to approved foods. Once I fall off the SAD foods just call to me, and it takes a big effort to stop them (ahem... the dreaded Coke a Cola.....) I think writing it down again would be good, reminding me of the verses about a single candle's light driving away darkness. I need the honestly/light that writing down my food intake provides until I get back on track consistently.

Hi Texgal and Love the Lorax,

The reason I'm doing things this way is that I too used to journal what I ate everyday. But it didn't seem to stop me from eating too much or not the right things. I would write it all down, total up the calories, and go on with the next day without really improving. The fact that this time I wrote down and posted on my refrig. what I'm going to eat each day kind of sets it in stone for me. It's just the way my mind seems to work at this point. Being rigid rather than flexible is going to be the way for me to go for a while. Yesterday went really well - I felt a little hungry at times, but just stuck with it, and felt good about how the day went when I went to bed last night.

Today I'm meeting a friend of mine at Soup Plantation for lunch. I'm just having a salad and water with no soup or bread of any type. This will work great because I can fill myself up on salad wihich I love and stick with my plan.

My goal is to develop this as a new midset and make it a habit, and I know that if I see the scale move that will sure help my motivation too! I do over all feel better physically (I'm eliminating gluten too), and mentally I'm just happier with myself and feel like I'm more disciplined.

I've also set goals for other things I want to accomplish each day, and met those goals yesterday also.

I guess wer'e all different and have to find what will work best for us in our situations. I really do enjoy reading what you all are doing and appreciate this forum where we can all share ideas and encouragement.

Blessings to you all and have a great day!!

Hi to all,
You know I love when you all tell me what you're eating. It gives me ideas andlets me know I don't it right too.

Today I went on a long bike ride and then I kinda had a ''day''. I had to go shopping and I went past the freebie and ate a sample of pizza bread. Well, that did it. At check out, I decided to order a slice of pizza. I sat down, at least, and ripped off all the cheese and ate the bread and sauce. Drank a diet soda too. Which I swore off.

Anyhow, then I ran to the Party store for skewers and bought two Hersey's kisses. Then I made party tray for Jacob's class and ate a tiny bit of some almond butter and jelly on white bread. I must be hormonal but at least I limited myself and choose to stick to Vegan. Just needed a day off beans.
Anyhow that was today and tomorrow is another day by the grace of God. So I think I'm doing pretty good for 3 months of being a vegan. Today was just today. Well, gotta go. Bless all of you.
And P.S. I used to be on Fitness Pal and still do once in a blue moon. But I don't feel like they understand how unhealthy their food iis. And all they do is complain about not being able to lose weight or stop eating the stuff. I'm really glad I have Christian Vegan friends. You're support is so wonderful. be blessed, kc

Are you like Martha or Mary?

'38Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. 39She had a sister named Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to what he was saying. 40But Martha was distracted by her many tasks; so she came to him and asked, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to do all the work by myself? Tell her then to help me.” 41But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; 42there is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part, which will not be taken away from her.”' (Luke 10, NRSV)

Do you think that your battles with food are distracting you from the "one thing" you need?

Question: How do you keep the proper focus? What causes you to lose this focus?

Dear Father, today help us to focus our minds and hearts on You! Help us to be full of faith, hope and love and not to be distracted by less important matters. Make us strong and more like Jesus. We thank you for Him and ask this in His wonderful, powerful name. Amen.

Thank you Pinkrose! I needed that gentle rebuke from God's Word. I do indeed tend to be a Martha more than a Mary. Thank you for starting my day out with something to meditate on and focus on.

KC - You're right. Today is a new day! You are doing good and have been a great blessing to this forum. God Bless you sweetie and have a great day!!

Blessings to all!

I am eating lunch now ... a salad of mixed greens topped with black bean and corn salsa and a little low-fat dressing along with some rice chips and black bean dip. Yummy. I made the dip for a meeting last night ... it was the last session of the women's Bible study on the book of Esther. What a great study! I still don't know what my destiny is "for such a time as this" but I trust that God does and that He will reveal it to me when it's time for me to know! My healthy snack was a big hit at the party we had after the study!

It's kind of funny ... we think most people prefer the unhealthy foods, but last night my black bean dip, another gal's hummus, and a bowl of fresh strawberries were the most popular foods, and the cookies and cheese were barely touched. Maybe people are waking up .... We can hope!

Good Sunday morning to you from the Middle Kingdom!

You may think it is strange for one to quote his own post and then reply to it...and it is. The reason I am doing this is that nobody replied to my questions. I suspect, however, that battles related to food distract many of us from what should be our priorities.

True or false?

I also have some ideas about how to win the battles! If food (selection, shopping, preparing, cooking, presenting, serving eating etc.) is a very big part of your life, only you can decide to make it less important. I know that many here are interested in recipes and making food more appealing/attractive. In the long run, does this interest serve you well?

I do not post the details of what I eat here and have no intention of doing so...because it is sooooo boring. I eat a big bowl of veggies and pasta for breakfast and vegetables and rice for dinner. Once or twice/day (depending on my level of hunger or anticipated need for energy) I also usually eat a few pieces of fruit. This works well for me. Some of you may keep it simpler than this. If you do, I think you are on the right track and are probably achieving your goals. Keep it simple!!!See viewtopic.php?f=22&t=15014.

If you are always focusing your attention (and a lot of your time) on food, how is this helping you to put the kingdom first? How is this helping you to succeed in your pursuit of health and fitness? Remember Martha and Mary.

'25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? 28And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, 29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. 30But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ 32For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.' (Matthew 6, NRSV)

Dear Father, give us wisdom. Help us to put your kingdom and righteousness first. I ask this in the name of our King, Jesus. Amen.

Hello to All!

Pinkrose - I would say true, food and all that goes with it has distracted me from more important things. Specifically - I find myself thinking ALOT about this 10 lbs. I need to lose, rather than having all my thoughts brought under the Holy Spirit's control. This is something that the Lord has brought to my attention recently, and your post is just a confirmation that I need to take the focus off of me and onto HIM. As far as food preparation or cooking goes - we do things pretty simple around here and have our favorites that we repeat over and over, so no, in that sense I'm not having any issues.
Anyway, thank you for your input on this forum. You have been a great blessing.

Hi to Jubilee, KC, Love the Lorax, Texgal, dlb (haven't heard from you lately!) Mrs. Doodlepunk (you too!) and the others that have posted here.

I have been thinking about this a lot since your post, Pinkrose. I want to be sure that my response is taken in the way it is intended - as a friendly discussion, not as an argument in any way. I think you are correct that anything - whether it be food, or TV, or reading forums on the Internet, or exercise, or any other interest - can become too much a focus of our lives and take time away from time we should be spending with God, in prayer or Bible study or service to Him. But on the other hand, I don't agree that spending time planning and preparing meals is wasted time that causes us to neglect our relationship with Him.

When I go to the farmer's market or the grocery store and look at all the different vegetables, I give praise and thanks to God for all the many things He has created for our nourishment. Many days the time my husband and I spend preparing meals together is some of our best time together and something we enjoy. Many people use cooking as a way of expressing their God-given creativity. Preparing a special meal for family or friends is - I think - a way to share God's bounty and a way to show our love and care for them.

If you live on your own and are cooking only for yourself, keeping everything as simple as possible may be great for you and give you more time to spend on more spiritual pursuits. However, if you are trying to convert friends or family members to a healthier way of eating, serving them the same menu day after day may not be the best way to go about it. Personally one of the things I have really enjoyed since changing to a healthier way of eating is trying new vegetables, new recipes, and new tastes that I had mostly ignored when eating a SAD diet. I think exploring these things can glorify God, and not take away from our relationship with Him or other parts of our spiritual life.

If someone's food focus is totally on their appearance, how their clothes fit, etc, you may be right that it has taken over the wrong place in their lives, and simplifying might be a good thing. But if the focus is being good stewards of our bodies and of the bounty God has provided, and preparing meals in thankfulness to Him for His provision and as a way to bless our families and friends with delicious and healthy food, I cannot agree that it is necessarily misplaced or in any way takes us away from worshipping Him.

Hello Friends,

I love this discussion. I have to say pink rose, that you are talking my language. Tex Gal, I also get where you are coming from.

The last 4 or so days have been awful. I have been running around with my head half off trying to serve all needs. I ended up in tears, binging on french bread and butter and then crying more cause I felt so awful.

Life is a lesson that is always changing. Like a preacher on TV said, We have a garden in our life. It has beautiful flowers (loving hearts, caring deeds, God given talents,) But we have some weeds that need plucking out.
I think God says okay, you've done well getting rid of that weed, now work on this one. Or maybe you plucked that weed but it's friend shoots up.

For me, eating without thought gets me into such trouble. I've had tons of grad parties. yesterday I went to the big cahona. I took quinoa and veggies. It was delicious. I then, by eight pm was sticking tortilla chips in mymouth. it was either that or that awesome cake with frosting. I tasted the frosting on the cake on the way home. One finger. I wanted it but didn't. Praise God!
It was so hot that I really didn't want the SAD food anyways and neither did anyone else. Tons of food left over. A shame.
But anyhow, I can say that alot of my problem this week is that I am looking in the mirror and I like what I see with clothes on. But OFF! Oh, dear Lord. I am so ugly. Wrinkles and sagging. Years of obesity have done me in and I can't stand seeing myself. I HAVE TO REFOCUS ON WHY I AM DOING THIS. LOVE MY GRANDKIDS, WANT HEALTH, WANT TO BIKE RIDE AND DO LIFE. PLEASE PRAY FOR MY HEALTH OF BODY AND MIND. God Bless each of you. I need you so much. kc