His Weigh Wednesdays

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,

15 Comments

  1. I was wondering how do I join this group? A friend and I have been working on loosing weight for a couple of years. She has had to go glutten free because of health issues and I need to just change my eatting habits. We have encouraged each other but we still need more help.

    Thanks,
    Anita

  2. Karen–

    I am most encouraged by you knowing what your niche is and sticking with it…and being willing to pass this on to someone you can see the ‘passion’ in. That is so cool and so God!

    I have checked in every single Wednesday for your latest weigh-in Wed blog entry. I always look forward to hearing what you have to say. I hope you will still share on Lindsey’s blog sometimes. You do have a lot to offer. However, I weight the same (give or take a few pounds) as I did the first time I read your blog. I just haven’t been able to really take the jump and commit to this thing. I will need to pray about it, but the participant part on Lindsey’s blog sounds like a good idea for me. I have been keeping up with her blog too since you introduced her. She is wonderful!

    I’ll keep checking in here too. I enjoy what you have to say on all topics.

    Nancy

  3. Thanks Karen for the time and energy that you have put into sharing your weight loss journey with us. I have really appreciated having somewhere to go to talk about my journey too, from a spiritual viewpoint, and having other people who actually understand that it IS a spiritual issue as well as physical, emotional and mental. Thanks for providing a safe place to do that.
    I love your comment about finding your ‘unique niche’. I will try and work on that too.
    I lost 1.5kg today.

  4. I had a total melt down with my weight issue on April 8th. I have tried to commit it to the Lord since that day. I have lost 23 lbs since that time. I have had some ups and downs since that time but I have a total different view of my weight loss struggles. I have a long way to go to my weight goal but I am taking it slow and trusting the Lord each day.

  5. Karen,
    I have been visiting Lindsey’s blog since the first. I really enjoy what she has to say. I think this is great how God is working in all of this. When I would read her blog- I would wonder what God was going to do with this girl. I can feel her passion for Him in her writing. I will be on board.
    Can’t wait to see what God does in your new venture.

  6. First, Judy L., what changed your reason for weight loss to get the sugar desire to go away?

    Karen, you have been loving and supportive and a co-owner of the weight loss battle, Thank you for all the effort an prayers on our part. I am truly blessed.
    I am struggling to find the right way, the “Sons” way in this process. Today’s Proverb31 devotional talked about the myrtles, I think you have moved your myrtles and are getting more in the “Sonshine” God Bless you! I look forward to watching you blog to see where you go and what God does with you. Thanks again!

  7. I have received immense encouragement from Weight Loss Wednesdays and do occasionally comment. Not sure if it was coincidence but at about the same time I started reading this blog, I had a shift in my reason for weight loss and feel that the indescribable and uncontrollable desire for sugar has gone away. I am much more focused on treating my body as a temple of the Lord and working on caring for my body so that I can grow old gracefully and healthily. I like to think that the prayers and support of you other ladies is what has made the difference. I am looking forward to all the great changes in store as Weight Loss Wednesdays transitions to His Way Wednesdays.

  8. Weight Loss Wednesdays has helped me to shed a solid eight pounds since I joined. I have three to five pounds to go to get to a goal weight. WLW has been a fantastic accountability partner for me. Anonymous, but NOT, if you know what I mean. I really had very little interest in being partners with people who are too close to me. I didn’t want it to become a competition instead of pure encouragement, which is what I feel on this blog (and expect that aspect will remain with Lindsey’s new His Weigh program).
    I think what I have gotten out of this the most, though, is the understanding of how much God loves me AND how interested He is in every aspect of my life – including what I put in my mouth and why I am doing it. Or what comes out of my mouth (and head) like the self-talk; which can be positive or negative.
    As a nurse, I’ve always felt I had a handle on the compassion issue, but it has been interesting to me to learn that I have enjoyed reading the posts of others and praying for them in their struggles and taking time to occasionally add my own words of encouragement (though not sure if the ones they are intended for ever ready them).
    Karen – thank you for all you do each day. You are such an encouragement to me, and have been for a number of years now as I have heard you speak at Hearts at Home Michigan and She Speaks two summers ago. All the Proverbs 31 women are wonderful, but since I share a home state with you, I feel a special connection. :)

  9. I’m a little leary, but willing to give it a try. I started reading Lindsey’s blog when you first talked about it and I wasn’t on the same page as her at all. I’ll see what happens.

  10. I am excited for the changes. I love the name “His Weigh Wednesdays”. As I said before, I lead a weight loss group, but am not able to share the spiritual aspect. I am so looking forward to being a part of this new group. I also love books and the new “Made to Crave” sounds very appealing.

    As the previous poster stated “Thanks, Karen, for being obedient to the Lord to begin this, and obedient to know when to pass it on.”

  11. Karen,

    It is amazing to see how the Lord has put all of this together! I jumped over to Lindsey’s blog and read a bit of what she has written…and I know that I will enjoy being a part of “His Weigh Wednesdays”!

    I have been an occasional commenter but mostly a snooper, always being encouraged by what I read.

    Thanks, Karen, for being obedient to the Lord to begin this, and obedient to know when to pass it on.

  12. I’ve been visiting with Lindsey online for a little bit now and reading her blog. I feel like she is in my head when I’m reading her words! She is an excellent communicator and I’m excited to hear more from her! I will most certainly join the “His Weigh Wednesdays”!!! Thanks Karen and Lindsey!

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