Thank you sooo much for the response to my sister-in-love Thais’ interview Monday about her new book on cancer survival. Over 100 comments!  She was thrilled!!! So thrilled she decided to have two winners. Yippeee!!! They are:

Nita Sullivan; time stamp 11:35 am on 2-21

Bobbie G; time stamp 12:15 pm on 2-21

Nita & Bobbie— send your home address to me at karen@proverbs31.org right away!

And gals….you can still visit Thais’ site for another chance to win her book. Just click here!

__________________________________________

Habits.

There are healthy ones: flossing your teeth daily; looking both ways before crossing the street; taking your vitamins.

And there are not so healthy ones too.

Sorry to say, but my week brought habits of the latter kind.

Bad, bad habits.

Most of you know I have been sick; really sick. The kind of sick where I laid on the couch feverish & achy for days.

Once those symptoms left, I felt better for a few days. Enough so that I went to North Carolina for 48 hours. (Transported safely via the prayers of many of you!)

When I got home, I started having lung trouble. The “feels-like-someone-is-squeezing-the-life-and-breath-outta-me” kind of lung trouble.

I coughed like there’s no tomorrow.

So I was hauled off by the hubster to ER where they diagnosed me with bronchitis, gave me an inhaler and wonderful drugs.

Those who know me well know I am usually anti-drugs, but I was sick y’all!! (Oops—my P31 southern side is showing!)

The weird thing is, through all of this sickness, I have had no appetite.

That was great for the first week-and-a-half. I hardly ate.

Then, doc told me to eat to regain my strength. The trouble was, nothing sounded good.

So, I went from salty to sweet to savory, all the while trying to get something to taste good.

Nothing did.

I kept eating.

Then I noticed I was beginning to eat out of habit alone. Seriously! My taste-buds were gone and I had no cravings for anything, I just ate out of habit.

It was breakfast so I thought….“Hmmmm… I made the boys homemade oatmeal-whole wheat-buttermilk waffles, I’ll have one. With real maple syrup, please. No, make that two!”

It was afternoon. Maybe something sweet will do. Nope. Now I’ll try something salty.

Trouble was–there were no food choices that were both healthy & salty around–only teenage-boy snacks like chips and such.

I ate some, even though I really couldn’t taste them.

For the love of Pete–I even tried sour gummie worms!!

Again…no taste.

Once I began to feel better, I started cooking & baking again: peanut-butter apple crisp for my boys one night; strawberry-cream cheese pretzel dessert for our son’s birthday another.

Usually I can resist these treats. I opt for some berries and Greek yogurt instead or a little dark chocolate and a cup of something hot & calorie-free.

But this last week I just kept tasting & eating— both hoping to get my taste-buds to respond and (mainly) out of habit.

A very unhealthy habit.

How about the rest of you?

Are there any foods you are tempted to eat simply out of habit?

Do they taunt you at work?

Cry out to you at your church’s coffee hour?

Beckon you at breakfast?

Lure you at lunch?

Search you out at suppertime?

Beseech you at bedtime?

What are some food you eat simply because they are there, whether you find yourself at home or on the road?

Let us know.

Also, how was YOUR week! We want to know so we can pray for you.

So comment away.

I am vowing to do better. After this post, I will step on the scale (though I REALLY don’t want to) Next week I will tell you if I gained or lost.

We are in this together!

Habit-busting Blessings,

Congrats to the two winners from the Valentines Day Giveaway. If you are one of them, get your home address to me at karen@proverbs31.org so I can mail you your prize!

Oh, how I wish I could pick you all. What great stories and ideas you shared! But alas, I only have two prizes so…..the winners are:

Single gals winner: Jeannette; time stamp Feb 14th at 2:31 pm

Married women’s winner: Amy Sabol; time stamp Feb 14th at 9:40 am

_____________________________________________

Okay girlfriends….I cannot start out this post without thanking all of you who prayed for me last week when I had the flu and thought I’d NEVER make it to Charlotte to be on the Made to Crave webcast and see our daughter for two days.

It was rough. Sucking a cough drop throughout my plane rides and also my entire segment on the show. I nearly had a coughing fit right during Lysa’s opening devotion. I was already sitting on the set with Tonia and sipping water that I had hidden behind the couch.

Thankfully, I only coughed a little and prayed her mic didn’t pick it up!

While in NC, I was able to hang with our daughter (who just finished cosmetology school) for the first day when she gave me a French manicure.

I stayed with Holly (who was on the show with me & is Kenz’s other mother) had lunch with LeAnn (also on the show) and my dear friend Marybeth and hung out with the FABULOUS women at the Proverbs 31 office (they even let me answer the phone!).

I got to have breakfast with Lysa & her daughter Hope when we went to see Kenz at her second job at Chic Fil-A (she also works for Lysa) and all in all—I had a WONDERFUL time just being me (not mom).

After the show, I hung with Kenz & Holly’s family watching a little reality TV and checking comments from many of you on my Facebook page and Twitter profile.

I nearly fainted when Mandisa Tweeted about me. TWICE!!!

She loves all things related to Made to Crave and I totally love me some Mandisa. Cried like a baby when she left American Idol.

Anyhow….

The boys were fine when I was away. Normally, I am a “cook ahead and leave them great food” kind of gal.

I was so sick til right up until I went that I left them peanut butter Captain Crunch & the Main Street pizza phone number!

My return was not uneventful. I must have gotten a hold of a bad chicken breast at lunch and had myself a little…. ahem…stomach issue…right before I got on the plane.

Just let me say THANK YOU JESUS for both my stash of Amodium AD in my purse and for friends I can send quick “pray 4 me” text messages that include TMI words like “diarrhea” !!!!!

Although I LOVED beautiful Charlotte & the warm weather, I was glad to touch back down on the snowy Michigan tundra.

So….now it is Wednesday.

Weight Loss Wednesday gals….

Please leave a comment at the end of this post letting us know a little about you and how your week went. Feel free to hop back on the offer encouragement to others and check back in over the course of the week for new comments. Let’s encourage each other on the way DOWN the scale!!!

Now….let’s talk voices.

And choices.

Who are you listening to?

This was an important question that I have to ask myself often on the way down the scale.

For years I listened to the negative, echoing, and cutting comments from a handful of people from my past.

Like the cousin who, when I was about eight, once glanced around my grandma’s spare bedroom where we were playing and announced, “Someone in this room is fat.”

I was sitting on the floor with her and two other skin and bones relatives. I looked around at the four of us in our pastel summer shorts and determined that, since my legs were the thickest of the bunch, it must be me.

Then there was the cheerleading uniform fitting where the coach grabbed all of the skirts out of the storage bin from the year before and after peering at all of the tags on the insides, tossed the biggest one—size 10, my way and said, “Here. We’d better start with this one for you.”

I still recall the fat jokes by my brother. The mooing emitting from the mouths of some boys as I walked by the loooong wooden bench in my high school corridor. The well-meaning, but critical relatives who made back-handed or cleverly cloaked remarks about my size.

They made some bad choices. However, I made the worst choice of all.

I listened to every one of them.

Their words went straight to my heart. They stung my soul.

And I chose to replay them over and over again in my mind.

Ultimately, I chose to believe them and let their careless and sometimes cruel words defeat me.

When I finally let God have His way and rescue me from the life of slow suicide that I was living due to the horrible mistreatment of my body, I began to listen to the words of life instead.

Things clearly in the Bible. Like God has a plan for me. It is full of hope for my future. It is for my good, not my ruin. It will be a delight, not a disaster. (Jeremiah 29:11-14)

But there were also many warnings in His word.

Warnings that my body is the very temple of the Holy Spirit. I should take care of it, not kill it. I am not my own. I was bought at a great price. Therefore, I must honor God with my body. (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)

That I must note well what is before me when I eat and “put a knife to my throat” if I have a gluttonous appetite. (Psalm 23:1-3)

And the most haunting passage of all to me which I knew, if I didn’t change, would be my fate:

….And you mourn at last, When your flesh and your body are consumed, And say: “How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction! I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me! I was on the verge of total ruin, In the midst of the assembly and congregation.” Proverbs 5:11-14

I had to let God’s Words, His perfect, flawless and TRUE words, become louder than the words of the world and the naysayers. There was just one slight problem.

The world shouts.

God whispers.

I had to get to the place where I was focused and intent on listening to His still, small voice over the negative cheers and jeers of the world.

I simply must share with you this little story that my leader at Weight Watchers read to us one day.

While scripture was where I got my strength to make my life changes, I have to tell you ladies, that next to the Bible, this little story was my greatest motivation.

I first discovered it right before a holiday gathering where there would be lots of food and lots of mental torment from a few “food pushers” and “naysayers” in my life.

The former tried to sabotage my eating by forcing foods on me or pouting when I didn’t eat large helpings of what they brought. Or they’d slather the veggies in butter before I could dish any out because they knew I was trying to watch what I ate.

The latter group of people just made their off-handed, cleverly disguised, but cutting comments that chipped away at my resolve and tempted me to just throw in the towel, give up and stay fat forever.

Then, I heard this wonderful story.

There once was a bunch of tiny frogs who arranged a climbing competition. The goal was to reach the top of a very high tower.

A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race and cheer on the contestants. The race began. No one in the crowd really believed the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower.

Heard throughout the race were statements such as, “Oh, way too difficult,” “They will never make it to the top,” “Not a chance they will succeed,” and “The tower is too high.”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one—except for those who, in a fresh tempo, were climbing higher and higher. The crowd continued to yell, “It is too difficult! No one will make it!”

More tiny frogs got tired and gave up. But ONE continued to climb higher and higher. This one refused to give up.

At the end of the race, all had given up climbing the tower except for the one tiny frog who, after a big effort, was the only one who reached the top!

All of the other tiny frogs wanted to know how this one frog managed to do it. They asked him how he had found the strength to succeed and reach the goal, despite the horrible odds and the cruel taunts and jeers of the crowd.

It was simple. You see, it turns out that the one determined, focused, and disciplined frog …….was utterly and completely……….DEAF!!!!

My prayer for you is that you will turn a deaf ear to the discouraging words in your life whether they are from your present, your past, or even from your own self-talk as you think in your mind, “I can’t do this!!!!”

Yes, sweet one, you can. But only through Christ.

Are you ready to begin? He’s always been there waiting for you to get serious.

You can start right now.

No….not AFTER you go eat a bunch of junk from the fridge or cupboard.

No, not after your lunch out today when you order the most fattening thing on the menu and polish it off with a huge dessert.

Not after, on your way home, you swing by a drive thru to grab a huge cheeseburger and some jumbo french fries and quickly consume them in secret.

No, not first thing tomorrow morning.

Nope, not next Monday after you pig out all week.

Not even when you turn the calendar to March 1^st.

I said now.

Believing You WILL Do It,

Hi sweet friends.

How I wish I could tell you that I’m all better.

I am not.

I still have a horrible case of the flu. High fever, chills, aches, coughing crud.

My 16 year old took me to the doctor this afternoon. He put me on tamaflu.

Now it appears I am having a reaction to the medication.

Uggghhhh!

Prayers are appreciated as I’m scheduled to fly to Charlotte, NC Sunday to appear on the final Made To Crave webcast.

The same webcast that hosted the beautiful & talented Mandisa last night.

As I sat shivering on my couch, sipping hot tea and watching her appearance, I nearly fell over when she began to talk about the section in Made to Crave where Lysa reprinted a post from this blog.

Seriously. I was a bawling mess.

So, since I feel totally crappy and am waiting for the doctor to call back to tell me what to do next, I figured I’d rerun the post that Mandisa said she could so relate to.

Please forgive me for being lazy.

I just want to sleep.

So, I’ll have to settle for a little rerun.

Hopefully, I’ll be back Friday. I’ll have a Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotion running and a giveaway to boot!

Meanwhile, here is the post Mandisa mentioned. See you Friday!

________________________________________________

I was very hopeful as I hopped on the scale this morning. I kept track of my food, exercised 5 days at the gym for 30-45 minutes and my jeans were zipping up much easier than expected. So I whipped the scale out of its locked down location (I’ll post someday about my need to do this since hopping on the scale more than once a week proves often to be detrimental to me)

It said I lost …. 1.8 pounds.

A measly 1.8 pounds!

What!?!

I was sure it would say at least 2 or maybe even 3.

I felt gypped.

And I felt like running to the kitchen to make a frozen waffle or two, slather it with real butter, spread it with some Peter Pan and douse it with a load of pure maple syrup to drown my sorrows.

Then I stopped and remembered what I felt the Lord wanted me to say to you this week.

Define your week by obedience, not by a number on the scale.

The scale does help measure our progress, but it can’t tell us everything.

It can’t tell us if the problem was too much salt of late that is making us retain a pound or two of water that might not otherwise show up.

It can’t tell us if we actually lost a pound of fat but gained more muscle from weight training that wouldn’t show up as a total loss on the scale.

And, (in my case this week) it can’t tell us what time of the month it is and then give us automatic credit for the extra two pounds or so that glorious few days brings to us.

So I had to stop.

I had to ask myself the following questions:

• Did I overeat this week on any day?  No.
• Did I move more and exercise regularly? Yes.
• Do I feel lighter than I did at this time last Wednesday? Yes
• Did I eat in secret our out of anger or frustration? No.
• Did I feel that, at any time, I ran to food instead of to God? Nope.
• BEFORE I HOPPED ON THE SCALE….did I think I’d had a successful, God-pleasing week? Yep!

So, why oh why do I get so tied up in a stupid number!!!!!! And why did I almost let it trip me up and send me to the kitchen for a 750 calorie binge? (Don’t worry. I had a yogurt and tea instead.)

Sweet bloggy friends, we need to define ourselves by our obedience, not a number on the scale.

Okay?

Pinky promise?

Good.

Now, how did you do this week? Leave your thoughts and how many pounds you lost (or perhaps gained) if you’d like, but you certainly don’t have to.

I am more interested to see what changed for you? Your thought patterns? Habits? Feelings of hope?

Hop on and leave a comment. Hop on again to encourage someone else who left a comment.

We are all in this thing together.

And we WILL get the weight off, even if it is 1.8 pounds at a time!

Blessings,

Lots to do on this snowy Wednesday…..

First, let me welcome those of you who’ve popped over from the fabulous Facebook group Moms Together. One of the organizers of that group is my dear friend & fellow Proverbs 31 speaker and writer Susie Eller.

If you’d like to hop over and join, just click on the link above. Today we are chatting about organization for moms and I’m offering an organizational giveaway with one of my books and lots of extra goodies. We’d love to have you stop by and join us!

Next, before we get to today’s Weight Loss Wednesday post, I wanted to post a few pictures from my world. Suffice it to say, we’ve a got a lot of snow. Not as much as predicted (2o inches) but about half that.

Meanwhile, let’s talk about being snowed.

Not snowed in, just snowed.

Snowed in our efforts to make healthy changes.

Haven’t you ever heard it declared “Boy has she got him snowed!!”?

Meaning tricked.

Fooled.

Deceived.

Has the enemy got you snowed?

Think you’ll never be able to drop the weight you need to?

Fooled into believing you are a hopeless failure, doomed to be fat forever?

Deceived into thinking that you might as well give up before this thing even starts?

Oh sweet one, believe me. I have been there. And I am STILL there.

This has been a bumpy week. As soon as a decided, “ENOUGH!” and vowed to eat sensibly and exercise every day that I could, it was like I took a hungry pill.

I was so stinkin’ hungry all week!!!

So, for the first half, I failed at my healthy eating efforts. Well, I actually did great for most of the day and then slightly lost it at night.

Then, the past three days, I ignored my hunger, hit my knees instead of the pantry and made a priority to exercise.

So, my result when I hopped on the scale was a loss of .8 pounds.

Not even one full pound…..

But I’ll take it.

You see, I was certain it was going to go up so I’m thankful for any downward trend!

Now, how about you?

How was your week? (You don’t need to tell us if the scale went up or down. Unless you want to!)

And what ways has Satan gotten you snowed in this whole healthy lifestyle issue?

Praying for you all!

Welcome to Weight Loss Wednesdays.  We are a cyber group of sisters who desire to support each other in the journey down the scale as we grow closer to God.

Many of you who are new have emailed asking just how our circle of friends works. It is rather simple.

Just join us every Wednesday for ideas and encouragement (and the sometimes -needed kick in the pants!). Then leave a comment. We want to know both your thoughts on the post (if you have any) and how your week went with eating and all things health-related.

To make is simple, sign up to receive my posts via email by entering your information in the box over to the right just above the word ‘subscribe’.

And , if you haven’t already, don’t forget to join many of us Monday nights at 8:00 pm EST for Lysa TerKeurst’s Made To Crave webcasts over at www.madetocrave.org. They are chock-full of both information and motivation!

_________________________________________________

Well, since we are beginning over in a sense and have many new gals joining us, let’s begin here:

Why are you here?

Have you tried for years to lose weight and get healthy, to no avail?

Have you lost weight in the past only to turn back to your old ways and regain it all again, and then some?

Are you a yo-yo dieter and SEVERAL times you have gone up and down the scale but can’t seem to make it stick when you are at your lowest weight?

Do you have health conditions that are causing you concern?

To use food in a way God never meant for it to be used? You make it your friend, your comforter, your distraction, your tranquilizer to numb you from emotional pain?

Do you feel left out of life? Can’t play with your young kids, participate in activities with your husband or shop at the regular-sized section of the clothing store?

Do you feel you are a poor witness for Jesus with the signs “lazy”, “glutton” And “undisciplined” on your back?

Why are you here?

I’m here for a combination of a few of those statements. If you’ve not seen my story, you can click on the “Watch Karen” link at the top right in the navigation bar. There is a link for my 700 Club appearance from 2007.

However, I must be honest and tell you I no longer look like my “after” pictures shown there. Now, I don’t look anything like my before picture either. But, over a year ago,  I did gain back around a third of the over 100 pounds I’d lost.

Now, I could blame it on many happenings in my life:

My husband got laid off for 9 months and I began to stress and obsess about finances.

Our daughter was a senior in high school whose college plans would now be affected by the lack of money.

I was feeling the weight of a special needs son entering high school.

I was  homeschooling, carpooling (my kids go to classes two days a week) and trying to get my next book published, a book several publishers said they’d take on, if only the economy weren’t so bad and I weren’t a “medium-sized author” (meaning not a runaway best-seller but not an unknown either.)

However, none of those issues was really the issue.

The issue was that I made one crucial bad choice– I ran to food instead of to God.

So, now here I am needing to AGAIN lose about 30 pounds to get back to a healthy place.

And I’m thankful—really I am–to have you to join me in the journey.

So today, will you simply leave a comment telling us:

~Why you’re here.

~Your goal (not so much a number on the scale or on the label on your pants, but an attitude of the heart or a place you want to get to in your spiritual life)

~And will you also tell us where you live & how you found out about Weight Loss Wednesdays?

Then, please feel free to hop on often between Wednesdays and encourage each other, pray for each other and even give a quick cry out for help, if needed.

I’ll get each of the comments as a message on my phone and I promise to lift you all up in prayer.

You see, I treasure each one of you and look forward to what God has in store.

Seriously. I do.

Thanks for partnering in the journey.

We are in this together.

Down-the-Scale Blessings,

Here’s a shout out to the winner of Jessa Anderson’s cds. Rebecca Ann; timestamp January 17 at 4:27 pm Send your home address to me at karen@proverbs31.org right away!

___________________________________________

Welcome (& for many of you welcome back!) to Weight Loss Wednesday.

I’ve decided to begin regular posts on all things weight loss again here once a week. For a few reasons.

The success of our Proverbs 31 president Lysa TerKeurst’s book Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God Not Food.

I have a deep connection with that book.

For a few reasons.

Lysa and I have commiserated over the years about weight together as friends.

We’ve both been up and down the scales a few times.

I saw her up-close and personal as she both discovered and lived the principles in this book.

Oh, and I’m in the book.

Now, that might sound all exciting to be featured in a New Your Times bestselling book.

However, in it I share about one of my biggest failures in life and I bare my soul for the world.

Oh well! I’ve been baring my soul here for you all for a few years now, so what’s a few more thousand people?!?!

Which brings me to another reason I’m bringing Weight Loss Wednesdays back.

I need it.

Baring the soul is good.

And, I’ll bet many of you need it too. Don’t you?

Well, let’s get this party started! The first thing I did was invite a special guest to kick it off!

An energetic speaker and writer, my friend Arlene Pellicane has been featured on The Hour of Power, The 700 Club, and Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.  Her book,  31 Days to a Younger You:  No surgery.  No diets.  No kidding just released from Harvest House publishers.  Arlene is also scheduled to appear as a guest on the TLC show Home Made Simple in early 2011.

Before becoming a stay-at-home mom, Arlene worked as the Associate Producer for Turning Point Television with Dr. David Jeremiah.  She has also been an on-air features producer for The 700 Club.  Arlene earned her BA from Biola University and her Masters in Journalism from Regent University.

Arlene knows the ups and downs of pregnancy (she was pregnant five times in six years in her thirties).  She created a website called Losing Weight After Baby to encourage moms.  There you’ll find her audiobook Losing Weight After Baby: 31 Days to a New You, plus videos, articles, and eBooks.  Arlene miscarried a baby at 26 weeks and is able to relate to moms who have suffered a similar loss.

Arlene loves speaking to women at retreats, moms groups, seminars, and special events.  She lives in San Diego with her husband James and three children, Ethan, Noelle, and Lucy.

Now, for our little cyber chat:

Arlene, tell us a bit about what prompted you to write this new book.

I love to be a cheerleader to others.  I was meeting so many women who were discouraged about their looks, health, relationships, job etc.  I wanted to write a book to say “The best isn’t behind you.  There’s more livin’ to do!”

Why do you feel women today don’t take time to better themselves physically, emotionally, mentally & spiritually.

It’s hard to change our behaviors which become our habits.

For instance, if we’re not used to exercising, it’s really hard to take out the tennis shoes and hit the gym or do a workout DVD.  It’s easier to say “I’m too busy taking care of everyone else.”

Many women don’t give themselves permission to set aside time for themselves whether it’s reading a novel, joining a volleyball team, or attending a spiritual retreat.  Truth is, we need to take time to care for ourselves so we can care for others with renewed love, strength, and creativity.

How do you creatively build time into your busy schedule for yourself?

Hmm, that’s a good one!  Every year I attend a women’s retreat and also a personal growth conference with my husband.  These rituals give me something to look forward to each year.

Just recently a friend and I have decided to do a monthly coffee date because we’re finding if we don’t schedule it in, it never happens.  So I suppose it doesn’t sound very creative, but I put fun times in the calendar.  And then I sneak moments in – like if my girls are napping and my husband is home, I’ll say “Can I run to Ross?”

What is your greatest desire for women who read this wonderful book?

I want women to finish my book and feel hopeful about their future.  Maybe for the first time in a long time, a woman will think “I believe I can lose weight” or “I’m going to go for that job I’ve been dreaming about for years.”

I want my readers to experience life change as God works in their lives.  And I want my readers to feel YOUNG, after all we are KIDS of the King!

You are offering a giveaway to one of our readers. Tell us about it.

I’d love to give one of your readers a copy of my book 31 Days to a Younger You:  No Surgery, No Diets, No Kidding!

Thanks so much Arlene! And thanks for dropping by Weight Loss Wednesdays!

You are so welcome! Thanks for the opportunity!

Okay everyone. To be entered in the drawing leave a comment in the comment box below.

~You may tell us why you’d like Arlene’s book for you or a friend.

~You may tell us why you need Weight Loss Wednesdays.

~You may tell us your weight loss and or fitness goals and hopes.

~Or, you may just say, “I’m in!”

Oh….this feels good to be back in this struggle together!

Girlfriends….we are going down!!!

The scale, that is!

Back-at-it Blessings,

Note: If you are a Weight Loss Wednesday gal, please click here to locate our cyber accountability group now called His Weigh Wednesdays and lead by Lindsey Feldpausch. New comers always welcome! And read below for more encouragement in this area.

__________________________________________________________

What defines you?

Is it the behavior–good or not so good– of your children?

Is it your relationship with your husband, whether rocky or smooth?

Is it your job performance? Your last annual review?

Perhaps it is what you see in the mirror, pesky chin hairs and all.

For many of us,  it is the number on the bathroom scale.

Those of you who read and rest here regularly know I often link to the Proverbs 31 Encouragement for Today devotions when I have one running. Well, today I don’t have one running. However my P31 sister and close friend Shari Braendel does.

It is on being defined by a different measuring stick and I want so much for you to drink in its’ message. So, I am linking over to her devo today. Read it. Click on her link at the end for more insight into the topic (and a cool giveaway too!)

I’ll see you back here on Friday! We’ve got more to talk about when it comes to managing our time.

Oh, and speaking of time management, the winner of the “To Do” list giveaway from Monday’s post is : Flamingo Mama. Email me your home address at karen@proverbs31.org. Congrats!!!

Okay, to find out what should define you, click now.

Ever feel like giving up?

Throwing in the towel?

Calling it quits?

Chuckin’ all plans of eating healthy, smashing the digital bathroom scale with a  very large hammer then heading to a remote island to eat chocolate, potato chips and deep dish pizza for the rest of your life? (with little care for how said eating plan will affect your bathing suit body. After all, it is a deserted island, right?!)

Good. Then I am not alone.

And I am sure I am not alone in the next confession either.

My eating issues have plum sapped the strength right out of me.

Dealing with food issues and a scale that dances up and down the digital dial and the depressing thoughts that invade my mind when my weight is up (and the worry that captivates my mind when it is down and I fear I will “lose it”  and see it start to spike up again) well, they are a huge distraction in my life.

If I let them be.

Yes, I said “let them be”.

You see, we women who struggle with weight….well we buy too much. Oh, I’m not talking about fattening snacks and bigger sized clothes, although we do buy those things too.

I am talking about buying lies; lies like:

“You will NEVER lose this unwanted weight”

“You are physically lazy and totally undisciplined”

“You are undesirable”

“You are an embarrassment to yourself and your loved ones”

“You are ‘less than’ because there is more of you than _________ “( you fill in the blank: Your sister-in-law? Your slim and successful friend? A size zero co-worker? The Hollywood elite that stare at you when you are in the grocery line? The high school friend who stares at you on Facebook still lookin’ attractive and trim while you slap up a cute profile pic of your kids or your new puppy or some random flower so the old gang won’t see what you look like today ?)

Why do we listen to these lies; and not just listen to them, but internalize them? Make them part of who we are to the core?

While I’m not sure we can keep such thoughts from popping in our brain, we could stop them before they advance to the next level of destruction.

You see, what happens is this: Those lies go from an itty-bitty thought, to bothering. You know, we dwell and ponder and stew about the thought. Maybe it is true? We’ll never lose this weight, be desirable or disciplined and trim.

Yep, that is “bothering”. And it is distracting.

But sometimes our ‘bothering’ turns to ‘branding’.

Branding isn’t just distracting, but destructive.

Branding is a term used in marketing; marketing of products, services and people. It is defined as:

“The process involved in creating a unique name and image for a product, service or person by regular advertising campaigns with a consistent theme.”

Basically, when people see, hear and experience over and over again an advertisement, they begin to form in their mind a “brand” of a product or person.

They pigeon-hole it. They stereotype it (in a good way) and it becomes memorable to them.

If I say “Nike”. You think of sweaty, physically fit, ‘never-give-up-but-just-do-it’ athletes, right?

Nike has done a bang-up job branding themselves.

However, the kind of branding I’m talking about here with us is a bad sort of branding. It is when we let those little thoughts grow and fester and bother us.

Next, we dwell on them over and over again in our mind. We internalize them. We let them become part of who we think we are.

Yep, we brand ourselves.

Then, we are stuck.

Or so we think we are.

I am here to tell you, you don’t need to stay stuck.

I don’t need to stay stuck.

We can “unstick” ourselves. How?

By changing our thought patterns.

And I’m telling you straight up sisters, it aint’ easy! Take it from a “lost over 100 pounds, went on national TV in my skinny pants and watched the preacher man hold up my fat pants while I served as an example to overweight, emotionally beat-up, “I-can-never-do-this” women that ‘Yes! You can do this!’ ” diet drop out.

Yep, last year I let over a third of what I’d lost creep back on again. Why?

I started buying the lies.

And it progressed like clock work from buying to bothering to branding.

Bummer.

However, I also know this reality: I don’t have to stay stuck.

It is up to me to make the first move. Then, God is waiting, as He always has been, to empower me to make the next step, and the next, and the next.

Because ladies, well….I hate to mention it, but I must. I wonder if all of our negative thoughts turned nasty eating, are more than a bother. What if they are also sin? (Stick with me now…)

Did God say we are hopeless causes, undesirable and basically, that we should throw in the towel and “let ourselves go”?

Nope.

He says He loves us, has a fantabulous plan for our lives (no, that word is not in the Bible, but it describes the kind of life He offers) and that He has made us fearfully and wonderfully.

So, if we disagree with God….well, could that be right?

And constantly beating ourselves up emotionally and branding ourselves with negative thoughts until we buy the lies hook, line and sinker, well….does that please God?

Nope.

Instead, we need to sow truth in our souls; truth that pleases God’s spirit. And NOT become weary while doing so.

“The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Galatians 6:8-9

“No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.” Hebrews 12:11

So, are you with me? Wanna agree together to fill our minds with God’s truths about us? If we flood our very souls with the delightful truths of God rather than the destructive, negative self-talk whispered to us by Satan, we WILL reap a harvest.

If, we do not give up.

Are you in?

_____________________________________________________________

NOTE: Be sure to hope over to Lindsey Feldpausch’s blog Redefining Health. As I announced last week, she will be beginning His Weigh Wednesdays, a cyber accountability group with three levels of participation, including some online participants whose progress will be publicly shared. Check it out! She is beginning today to take submissions if you’d like to be considered. For the rest of us (Yes, I’ll be there each week!) we will be encouraged to put God first in our eating and get to the core of why, in a world filled with “diet” head knowledge, our hearts still trip us up.

Also, many of you have asked me privately if I will still be discussing weight loss here on my blog now that the accountability group is shifting over. Oh yes I will! And, to keep in our routine, if I do post on the topic, it will be on a Wednesday. Also, our P31 president Lysa Terkeurst is releasing her new book Made to Crave in December and I’ll be hosting an interview and giveaway here centered on this fabulous tool for women!

SECOND NON-RELATED NOTE: Tune in this Friday when I’ll be a guest on She Cooks with LeAnn Rice and offering a kitchen giveaway on her blog. Her blog will link back to my blog where a second “back-to-school” organizational giveaway will be happening. Two giveaways in one day!! Whoo-hoo!!! See you then!!

THIRD NON-RELATED NOTE: Next week I will be letting you in on some new changes coming here on my blog. Nothing big. Just some things I’ll want you to be up to speed on to save you time and give you some opportunities to connect.

Have a fantabulous day!

I am so excited, my fingers on the keyboard can hardly keep up with my brain!

Wonderful changes are coming for our Weight Loss Wednesday group. I firmly believe they are needed, will be immensely helpful, and are actually what God had planned all along. Let me explain.

Last fall, we began our little cyber-group of sisters here trying to encourage each other to eat less and move more. We started with around 75 gals. More joined along the way.

As I’ve keep a list of email, we now number over 1,000. However, on any given week, the same group of “regulars” usually check in. This number can vary from 971 to 15!!!

The numbers never really mattered much to me. Each week as I posted, I always felt God use the words on the screen to encourage at least one other gal who would leave a comment and to help keep my own mind focused.

We also saw results. Since beginning last October, many of you have emailed me saying how much weight you have dropped and kept off. I myself shed around 30 pounds.

Enter my creative, Jesus-loving, have-struggled-with-weight-my-whole-life friend Lindsey Feldpausch.

Three years ago, I heard through her mother-in-law, my close friend Eileen, that she had a dream to write a book. Always grateful for the help I received nearly twenty years ago from an author and speaker who later became my mentor, sweet Elise Arndt, I decided to get together with Lindsey, give her a copy of our Proverbs 31 compilation book edited by Marybeth Whalen on getting started as an author called For the Write Reason and help her in any way I could.

Fast forward to 2010.

Lindsey has a passion for God-centered weight loss. She lives it; she breathes it; she can’t stop talking about it.

So I encouraged her to start a blog about it; forced her to get a Facebook page; and I hopped on both of those to cheer her on. However, as I did, something happened.

She cheered me on.

Seriously.

Ladies, this gal has a passion for Jesus and an uncanny way of transferring it to all those around her. She has a fresh take on weight loss I have seen no where else. She even has a completed manuscript for a book on this topic that God laid on her heart.

She and I got to spend precious time together at our Proverbs 31 She Speaks writers, speakers and womens ministry conference a few weeks ago. As I left, she tucked a copy of the manuscript in my eager hands. I planned to read it sometime before school started.

Instead, the God of the universe obviously wanted me to read it that day for my suppose-to-be-home-in-4-hours trip experienced delays, aircraft changes, mechanical problems and even a ramdom knob falling of the flight panel just as we were to leave. This more than doubled my travel time giving me more than enough time to read the entire manuscript.

I could NOT put it down. In the airport, on the plane, in the bathroom.

Honest!

And as I sat on the tarmac in Detroit finally ready for my last 18 minute flight, I bawled like a baby at the end. I’m talking snot-running-down-my-face-shoulder-heaving bawling.

So…..it has become clear to me that the reason God wanted me to start Weight Loss Wednesdays, was not so I could keep it going, but so I could pass the torch (uh…er, maybe the fork!) to Lindsey.

Sisters….you are gonna be encouraged; inspired. This “why is this such a lifelong battle for me?” question will come into focus. She has fabulous ideas and some clever and creative features she is going to implement. (Including my favorite– watching the progress of a few of the participants in a sort of “reality tv” kind of way)

It is gonna be called His Weigh Wednesdays. And I hope to see you ALL there. I’ll be the one sitting on the sideline with a big smile and an eager heart as I too am cheered on.

So, in order to make this transition as seamless as possible, I will still post next week and remind everyone of the change. And over at Redefining Health, Lindsey will give more particulars and ask for volunteers for the progress dealio thing (sorry, the name of it escapes me now!)

And, she is making sure there is a place for everyone: those who want to be the ‘guinea pigs’ whose progress we can watch; those who will be regular commenters and a vital part of the group each week; and the snoopers–those who poke around and watch, but who never leave a comment. Snoopers are TOTALLY welcome!

So September 1st Weight Loss Wednesdays shuts down and His Weigh Wednesdays begins!

You’ll still have a place to go for encouragement; a group to check-in with; connection to experience.

Lindsey will be enabled to live her passion.

I will be enabled to tackle some topics I feel God nudging me to take on.

Oh, I’m sure I’ll still post occasionally about weight loss. I’ll still feature some guests on that topic. (In fact, our P31 president and my dear ‘sistah’ Lysa TerKeurst is releasing a book in December entitled Made to Crave. It deals with satisfying our deepest desires with God, not food and tackles the whole ‘craving’ piece of the weight loss pie— plus so much more. You are gonna love it and you can bet I’ll be chatting it up big time on that one!)

You see, I have come to realize I must take the advice I gave my “Building Your Platform” group at She Speaks; find your unique niche; what you were made to talk and write about. Then, stick with it.

I’ve been at this speaking and writing thing for over two decades (with a 5 year hiatus when God called me to a season of focussing solely  on my hubby and babies) and I am still finding my footing. However I know, although I am passionate about God-centered weight loss, it is not to be the main thrust of my ministry.

So, I hope you will be excited with me! I still want you to hop on this week and next and let me know how you are doing. It has been my IMMENSE pleasure to pray for you by name.

I will continue to do so.

Please hop on and tell me your thoughts. How was your week? What has WLW meant to you? How has God used it? What else would you like to see in an online accountability group on this topic?

Change is coming, and as my kids say, “its all good”!

Sweet Blessings,

Monday Note: We’ve decided to leave this post up until midnight tonight due to a glitch with gals getting the She Cooks post sent to their email box a day later than we’d originally planned. So, now you have until midnight tonight PST to leave a comment. Winner of the $25 Starbucks card will be announced in Tuesday’s post.

Okay, now we’re up and running (If you have no idea what I’m referring to, scroll down to the post below)

Today I’m featuring an interview with my dear friend and co-worker for Jesus, LeAnn Rice. You may recognize her from Proverbs 31 Ministries. You may know her from her blog She Cooks. We on the P31 team simply know her as “Queen”

You can meet her now and hear about her weight loss journey. Be sure to read til the end. There is a fabulous giveaway you’ll want to try for!

And stay tuned to Weight Loss Wednesdays. There are big plans and some changes on the horizon you’ll want to know about!

Now, here’s my friend LeAnn Rice:

I am a single-mom, raising 16-year-old Nick since the death of my husband 13 years ago. I serve as the Executive Director of Proverbs 31 Ministries, where I get to spend my days surrounded by the most Godly women I have ever known. Truly… I am blessed to have each and every one of them in my life.

In between work, church, and running Nick to tennis matches and piano lessons, I cook! Seriously. I know this is “Weight Loss Wednesday” but my hobby is creating new recipes and trying them out on willing victims. I love cooking shows and food magazines. In fact, my treadmill is set up in front of my television so that I can watch Food Network while I walk! Yup… sounds strange but it’s the truth.

I have battled with my weight for most of my life, resulting in much frustration, low self-image, and bouts of depression. Through the love and hope I now have in Jesus Christ, I have finally discovered that my identity is not defined by the number on my scale. It’s amazing what that Truth will do for your self-esteem! I belong to Someone bigger… Someone who loves me beyond measure… Someone who created me just as I am. I still struggle when I look in the mirror but, nowadays, I try to see myself as God sees me. I look at my image with His eyes instead of the eyes of the world. It’s a much better view!

What made you decide to begin your weight loss journey?

Several reasons… I have struggled with my weight my entire life but this time I found myself one pound away from seeing 200 on the scale! When I was pregnant with my son, Nick, I had gestational diabetes so I knew that I was at an increased risk of developing Type II Diabetes if I couldn’t get my weight under control. Also, I lost my husband to cancer so I’m the only parent Nick has. I want to be healthy for him and for me.

How much weight, and how many sizes, did you drop and how long did it take you?

So far I have lost 50 pounds and 4 sizes! I began on April 24, 2009. I have another 10-15 pounds to go in order to be “healthy” and to no longer be at an increased risk of developing diabetes.

Did you follow a specific program or plan that lead to your weight loss?

With encouragement from Lysa TerKeurst and Marybeth Whalen I went to see a naturopathic physician who specializes in weight loss. Her program did not work for me initially but blood tests showed that I had hypothyroidism. (That helped to explain my life-long struggle with weight, although I do have to take some of the blame as I did not make wise food choices.) Once we got my thyroid regulated the program began to work! I have since modified the program for my lifestyle. Basically, I do not eat any sugar or white carbs. My diet consists mostly of lean proteins, vegetables, fruits and whole grains. (And an occasional bite of dark chocolate!) I do not eat any prepared or packaged foods. I only eat food that I have prepared myself so that I know exactly what I am eating and can control the amount of fat and sugar in my food. It is amazing how much hidden sugar is in prepared foods.

As a single mom of a teenage son, is it hard to cook meals that please you both?

Since Nick was already difficult to please (food wise), it hasn’t been that different . Except for his love of pepperoni pizza, Nick pretty much eats what I eat… just more items on his plate and larger serving sizes. If I make grilled chicken or salmon with a vegetable for dinner, I add a baked potato, some pasta or a roll to his plate so that he gets enough to eat. If I fix ice cream with berries for his dessert, I just eat some of the berries. It really has been easier than I thought. I just have to think ahead when planning our meals and make a good list before going to the grocery store.

What part did your walk with Christ play in your journey down the scale?

HUGE part! First, He entrusted this body to me and it is my responsibility to take good care of it so that I can more effectively do His work. That really motivated me. Also, it has been my faith that has been the biggest help in this journey. There have been times when I would love to eat a bowl of pasta. But, I stop and think of it as I would any other temptation and redirect my thoughts to Jesus. He is bigger and more important than any temptation. I stop and think of Him praying to God in the garden and my desire for pasta just seems so insignificant and selfish.

Any final words of wisdom for our Weight Loss Wednesday gals?

Yes – lots of them!

First and foremost… do this for you because you are worth it. You are beautiful and special and uniquely created and you deserve to be the best you that you can be.

Don’t use the word “diet.” It’s an evil four-letter word that sets you up for failure. Instead, come up with a system that works for you and that you can live with. It should be an ongoing lifestyle change that is healthy without leaving you unsatisfied.

Make sure you have a great support system. Lysa continues to send me quick little encouraging emails telling me how proud she is of me. She’s been like a cheerleader through this entire lifestyle change. Marybeth always tells me how beautiful I am (although, she has always said that… no matter how I looked). And, the girls in the office have supported me by changing their meal choices along with me. Now that’s love!

Set small, achievable goals and celebrate each and every one of them. I celebrated every ten pounds. This has kept me motivated and it helps me when my goals don’t seem so overwhelming. Ten pounds seems doable. Fifty pounds… not so much. But, I have reached and celebrated a ten pound goal five times now!

Way to go LeAnn!

Okay, now for the giveaway. LeAnn is graciously giving away a $25 Starbucks card to one of you who leaves a comment on this post. You don’t have to be a regular WLW gal to comment.

Simply leave us a comment on anything LeAnn spoke of or just letting us know how eating and moving is going for you. I’ll leave the post up until Monday when the winner will be announced.

Sweet Blessings,