My Goals - A Work In Progress

OK so this blog spot is a work in progress but so is my weight loss! I have decided to take a few pictures of me Pre-Weight Watchers, and post them either here or on my Blog to Lose website: http://www.blogtolose.com/profile/ColeneWhitehead

Kirby also wants us to put a few pictures on his Myspace site: www.myspace.com/kirby2883
So, I plan on doing that maybe tomorrow. But I do have a couple notes jotted down in my journal so I figured I’d go ahead and add them here just to share with anyone who may want to compare their goals and weight loss with me.

My goals are EXTREMELY rational and slow. I am taking it a step at a time. I just don’t want to set myself up for something unrealistic and then be all sad and disappointed if I don’t meet them. I have been guilty of doing that a couple of times before in my life! And I can tell you that it is NOT good for the moral! So I've done the research and I think that this is a good time line for me. If I meet these goals ahead of schedule, then FANTASTIC! That would be a great reward for me! So, here is my weight loss timeline below:

Commitment Goals
* Attend weekly meetings regardless
* Track points every day
* Blog twice weekly (absolute minimum)
* Post pictures of my before pics and a new picture at every 25 lb accomplishment until I reach goal
* Positive self-talk every day

Personal Goals
* Slowly and responsibly strengthen my back by attending a gym and a physical therapy swimming class
* Take a quilting class
* Learn to sew pocket books and purses
* Walking for 30 minutes every day
* Become a WW leader and possibly start a WW meeting at New Light Harvest Chapel
* 15 lbs weight loss by End of January 2009
* 20 lbs weight loss by February 8th, 2009. That is the anniversary of the first year of NLHC!
* 40 lbs weight loss by my birthday, May 11th, 2009
* 50 lbs weight loss by my husband's birthday in June 2009
* Goal weight of 140-145 lbs

December 2010 Weight Loss Rewards
* Every 10 lbs = a professional manicure or a pedicure
* Every 25 lbs of weight lost = a mini shopping spree! I will buy a new outfit or a pair of shoes!
* For the first 50 lbs lost = purchase of new Coach purse
* 100 lbs = purchase a hot tub!
* Goal of weighing in at 145 = glorious vacation trip to Yosemite National Park, Montana and Seattle Washington

OK, so now my goals are down for the world to see! Although they are not written in stone and may change. Hey, I am a lady and that happens to be my prerogative! And I can check back here and compare my progress at any time. I can also come here to record my weight loss on the website!
Send up a few prayers that I'll stay on track and acheive success!
May God Bless,
Colene W.

Dedication and Self Control is the Key!

At my age, 53, you begin noticing some strange things beginning to happen to the shape of your body - it suddenly begins to resemble your aging parents body! Some times as I pass a mirror I catch myself doing a double take - just to make sure that the reflection is actually me! (LOL) When I was younger, if my body was not pleasing to my sight, I'd just get out my Jane Fonda workout tape and get to stepping! And in a week or two I'd whip myself back into shape! But now, with the problems that I've had with my physical health since 2001, I find it very hard to walk as much or as far as I did in the days of old.
Getting fit and losing weight at my age can take some dedication and some self-control over your eating and exercise habits. There are certain things that you should be eating, and certain things that you should not be eating. And I am learning that as a rule of thumb, you should "eat from the earth". By this I mean that if it does not grow in or on the ground and comes pre-packaged, you can likely do without it. Grains, vegetables, water, meat & fish are eating from the earth. Package crackers, cookies, non-perishables, chips, most sauces...basically anything prepackaged you and I can do without! Secondly, there are also certain exercises that I can no longer perform; but with commitment and steadfast determination I can accomplish a work out routine over the coarse of a day. Where there's a will, there's a way! I just have to build up to a set goal a few minutes at a time, all during the day! Not putting too much stress on my back and knees. I started walking around the perimeter of my two acre yard. Then I graduated to walking for 15 minutes down my street twice a day also. Easy does it at first! And when I actually walked that first full mile, I cried with tears of pure joy! I am gaining more control over my body and I'm getting my life back! I KNOW I CAN DO THIS!

Peonut Butter Lovers - BEWARE!

A couple of weeks ago I turned on the local news and heard about another food recall because of salmonella contamination. And since then, each day when I turn on the news I hear more and more about products containing peanut butter that are being recalled. This week I hear that some peanut butter products are being taken off grocery store shelves because of this latest salmonella outbreak! And although at first it seemed to be only a minor outbreak, it has become more serious with each passing day! As I understand, at this point, there have been six deaths associated with this outbreak and at least 486 people have become ill. As of today, over 125 products are affected from more than 70 companies. The first cases were reported September 3, but most cases occurred between October 1 and December 31. About 18 percent of the victims were hospitalized as a result of their illness, and patients' ages have ranged from 2 months to 98 years.

Ohio-based King Nut Companies issued a total recall of peanut butter that it distributes after the company acknowledged in a statement that salmonella had been found in an open 5-pound tub of King Nut peanut butter in a Minnesota nursing home. Salmonella Typhimurium seems to be the culprit! King Nut stated that peanut butter sold under its label was manufactured by Peanut Corporation of America. They gave no other details on the manufacturer, but Peanut Corporation of America's Web site lists its headquarters as Lynchburg, Virginia, and says it has processing operations in Virginia, Georgia and Texas.

Also on the news this week I heard that the outbreak is suspected to have originated in or be linked to the Georgia plant! I am not sure how true this is. But I am glad that King Nut Companies have issued this news release and have taken action to get the outbreak under control. Interestingly enough, this recall comes after two years ago when ConAgra issued a recall on Peter Pan brand peanut butter (linked to around 625 salmonella cases in 47 states). Remember that?

So far most of the products have been sold to businesses such as cafeterias, hospitals, nursing homes and other such institutions where children and the sick and elderly are that may already have a weaker immune system and will be more susceptible to this strain of salmonella. But if you are a peanut butter lover as I am, I am sure that you may want to know exactly what products are being recalled because of suspicion of containing salmonella. The links below will take you directly to the FDA site.
FDA has created a searchable list of products and brands associated with the expanded PCA recall. This list is available on the FDA website at:

http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/peanutbutterrecall/index.cfm

FDA has updated their Web site with information regarding the outbreak. FDA Web site:

http://www.fda.gov/oc/opacom/hottopics/salmonellatyph.html

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I Forgot!

I am so sorry! I absolutely forgot that you need the web address of Weight Commander! Here it is:

http://www.weightcommander.com

I want you to know that I am NOT trying to sell you anything. I just sincerely would like to help you accomplish your goal of losing down to what ever weight loss goal you have set for yourself so that you can feel great about yourself and be healthier!

Weight commander is a very simple system to record your daily weight loss for you online with no bells or whistles. Just have fun with it!

God Bless!
Colene W.

It is Easy to Lose Weight!

It's Easy To Lose Weight And Keep It Off (but you have to do what I tell you) You must get serious and STAY serious about losing weight and keeping it off! As I have mentioned in an earlier blog, there are several programs and different software that will help you record your weight loss, calorie intake and log your daily exercise routine but most of them require some form of payment. But I want to mention again "Weight Commander." You can get started with it for FREE! Really! Of course you may want to help keep the site going by making a donation! But try it anyway, you may find it helpful.
Here are a few of Weight Commander's diet Rules To Follow:

• Rule 1) Lose Weight Slowly. It took a while to gain a lot of weight. It will take a while to lose it. There is no rush. Weight reduction accomplished with a long, gradual diet has a much better chance of being permanent. I know what I am talking about - don't try to lose weight quickly.
• Rule 2) Keep it a Secret. Don't tell anyone you are going on a diet. People will respect you for your self discipline once you've lost weight - let them figure it out on their own. You don't need the added pressure of announcing your diet in advance, and it's fun to think about who will say what and when. We don't need discouragement (don't even open a door for it!); we need encouragement!
• Rule 3) Eat Less - Exercise More.If you want to weigh less you are going to Eat Less and Exercise More. That may sound silly but there is no other way you are going to lose weight. And remember, exercise does not have to be exercise. Bowling is exercise. Going to a museum is exercise. Window shopping at a mall is exercise. Do the things you enjoy doing - and do a lot of them.
• Rule 4) Weigh Yourself Often.- as close to every day as you can. This allows Weight Commander to monitor what you are doing and disciplines you into following your daily progress. You will help yourself a lot by entering your weight whenever you can.

Now, this next rule is one that I highly recommend! Start this one first thing in the morning! If you've just got to have a pity party go ahead have it tonight, but promise yourself to begin this one rule tomorrow morning if not sooner!

• Rule 5) Start Enjoying Yourself Now! You do not have to wait until the end of your diet when you're a new person - you already are a new person! In many ways dieting is more fun than maintaining your weight afterwards. You should enjoy each day, starting today.

DON'T FOLLOW THAT FAD DIET!

I know it is so tempting to hop on the band wagon and go with the crowd! We are in a society that seems to be programmed to follow the leader! You can find thousands of diets promoted by dieting gurus or celebrities or talk show hosts in the media, on the market and online! Every day I receive new email with news of some ultimate weight loss product that will out perform any other product on the market, and I receive new ones almost weekly. Very few of these diets are based on concrete scientific findings, and even fewer will provide long term success!

The present ongoing online fad has been promoted by none other than OPRAH……Queen of the mass media…ALL HAIL QUEEN Ooooohhh…prahhh! Seems that the world believes her every word and will follow this reigning talk show queen into ANY THING! (I don’t understand what power this woman has upon her vast kingdom of misled fans! But it seems that if Oprah speaks they listen! Hey, I thought that was E.F. Hutton’s job! :} But this is a subject for a later blog!) This fad that claims to be hailed by Oprah and one of her many doctors, Dr. Oz, is the Acai Berry combined with a product for colon cleansing. Oprah and Dr. Oz's Dynamic Duo - Acai Berry and Colon Cleanse became phenomenal as it revealed the fact that this super food can really help in cleansing our colon thus preventing various diseases from occurring especially colon cancer! Now the internet is riddled with adds about this product and “testimony” after “testimony” complete with before and after pictorial shots of healthier and happier clients. But please beware! Stay away from any diet that promises a quick fix!

Stay away from adds that state something like “ Lose weight from your thighs in just seven days,” “Gently FLUSH POUNDS of waste and toxins from your body,” “Lose 25lbs overnight!” and “Brad and Angelina Jolie’s weight loss secret!” (Hummm, I didn’t know that Brad and Angelina even needed to lose weight!) Most of these adds are promoting the Acai berry, a berry that may have some beneficial properties for humans like anti-aging, cancer prevention since some scientific testing boasts of the Acai berry’s antioxidant qualities. The berry may also boost energy, and promote mood improvement but it is with weight loss that the acai berry fraud takes place. Yes, I was almost snowed in by a few companies that sell Acai berry products that are nothing more than MLM groups that are hoping to make multi millions from people just like you and me. These unscrupulous marketers are hyping acai berry diets and cleansing products that aren't worth the packaging they come in. I have found Acai berry drink products that are equivalent in antioxidants and such in my local grocery store at a much lower cost!

Media hype plays a major role in roping in gullible simpletons like you and me to place our hard-earned dollars into acai berry promotion or joint cultivation schemes. But actually it was the media that gave me the “heads up” about this problem! As I was sitting in front of my TV watching the news I was surprised to hear about this latest internet scam! According to the news report, the acai berry fraud involed websites using the Oprah show for promotional purposes. These websites promise the unlearned weight loss prospect a “free” supply of acai berry for nothing but shipping and handling charges. Then if you take the bait, you will soon find that the terms and conditions are laid down in the scammer’s contract where details in small print authorize higher debits from you credit card! Please, please! Don’t forget that old saying, "NOTHING in this life comes free!" The Acai berry does have it’s plus side. It may promote well being and health for humans and it may be an asset to your weight loss program, but what we want is to lose weight, not money!

Let’s use the good minds that the LORD gave us to take care of our well being and health!
Stay away from the following:

• Any diet that promises a quick fix! With as many diets as OPRAH has been on in her life you’d think she would know this one!
• Diets that promote magic foods or a specific and complicated combination of food groups - following a sound diet should not be complicated or require you to purchase expensive specialty items. Remember to keep it simple!
• A diet that implies food can change your body chemistry - food can’t change your body’s chemistry. Your chemistry was determined at birth, so any diet that says otherwise should be avoided.
• Diets that severely restrict or eliminate food groups or nutrients - the sole purpose of food is to fuel our bodies. To do this, we need to consume food from the main food groups. Remember the food pyramid? I keep a copy of it on my kitchen fridge! Any diet that totally eliminates a food group is dangerous and could result in health problems. Think about it! You may lose pounds but you could also be losing muscle mass or brain cells!
• A diet with very rigid rules - always remember, a diet should not rule your life and possess your mind! You should not become obsessive or compulsive about any diet! You should still be able to enjoy yourself, and eat the foods you like in moderation. Any diet that doesn’t fit into your lifestyle or allow you to eat with others will be very difficult to follow; after all, eating healthy and looking your best shouldn’t alienate you from the people you care about.
• A diet that makes claims based on a single study or testimonial - do your research before following any diet. If the diet sounds questionable or just sounds too good to be true, it likely won’t help with weight loss. Find out who is backing the diet and what their ulterior motives might be - for example, they may be promoting their line of supplements, rather than providing weight loss help.

So when you see that new add for that ULTIMATE WEIGHT LOSS PRODUCT…be aware! Check it out before you jump into signing up!
Now, I know that if you have ever tried to diet before, my following suggestions may sound redundant….but they really do help you lose weight even on your own and they won‘t cost you anything! Hey, these tips really are FREE! So make these suggestions a part of your weight loss plan for life:

• Always try to drink 8 glasses of water every day (not including tea, coffee or other beverages)
• Eat only when hungry and just until you are full. Then push back and stop eating!
• Eat slowly in a relaxed environment, especially sitting down to eat with your family. Remember, it takes about 20 minutes for your stomach to message the brain that you are full.
• Choose foods that require a lot of chewing. Your mother was right! Slow down and CHEW your food! You will find that you’ll be satisfied with eating much less.
• A warm beverage with a meal helps to make you feel full and satisfied. Just be careful about what warm beverage you are enjoying. I am saying this to all of you hot cocoa, late’ and coffee drinkers!
• Fool your mind and stomach by serving food on a smaller plate or a plate that is divided into portion sizes.
• Give yourself a snack or reward yourself with something low calorie but special! My weakness is ice-cream so I reward myself weekly with a healthy low fat fruit smoothie - - Yummy!
• Keep your kitchen stocked with healthy foods and ready to eat snacks
• Remember that small steps add up to help you achieve ANY goal
  

Don’t forget that dieting with physical activity leads to quick weight loss rewards! Good food and eating right combined with regular exercise can help you successfully meet your weight loss goals. Building muscle mass will help the body burn calories and get rid of weight loss flab like those bat wings that we often get under our arms! I hate it when that happens! Proper and wise weight loss along with proper exercise always has great benefits for your body.

So please be careful with your body and don’t fall prey to those unscrupulous doctors, weight loss or exercise gurus and Multi Level Marketing scams out there that are so persuasive! Remember the tale about the tortoise and the hare? Slow and steady wins the race!
Hope you have a fantastic week! Please take a few minutes and leave me a comment and let me hear about your weight loss experiences! I'd love to be in touch with you!

May God richly bless you!

Colene W.

Pressing on! Real Life...Simple but Priceless!

YOU MEAN THIS IS ONLY January 9, 2009?? GEEZ! It already seems that I’ve been blogging about this diet forever and I’ve only lost 12 pounds! Is there anyone out there that has the same problem with dieting and exercise getting boring? Usually in the past when I have put myself on an exercise and weight loss program, I could plug away for months and keep myself encouraged! I would get a few compliments and my outlook would suddenly become brighter! My load would become lighter...uh, know what I mean?

Well, I guess that at the age of 53, this is just my reality! The Sunday before New Years, I asked for a show of hands from anyone in our church to see how many of our fellow New Light Harvesters had decided to make and keep their resolutions or had they actually made resolutions at all. I smile now as I think about it. They all squinted their eyes, wrinkled their noses and shook their heads as if I had opened a smelly can of sardines! No one raised their hands! It seems that no one and I mean no one likes feeling obligated to make or keep New Years resolutions anymore! Well, what do you know about that? :D

NO, NO! I completely understand this lack of optimism! I understand because I have also made out list after list of “Resolutions to Make My Life Better” and usually after about three months when the “day to day” routine sets back in, I usually drift right off course and soon forget all about my resolutions. Then someone will always notice that I have put back on a pound or two and will ask, “Didn’t you make a New Years Resolution to lose weight this year?” Then the guilt kicks in! Why am I so weak? Why do I fall back into a lifestyle that is so bad for me so easily, when I know that it affects my health and well being in such an adverse way?
Well, to comfort myself and all of you, let me reassure you that THIS IS NORMAL! This is life! It is not all fun and games! This is not a virtual reality game. This is REAL LIFE! We are doing what we normally do in our life walk. Some days are good, and some days are bad. We get depressed, joyful, sick, well, and so on. What an emotional roller coaster ride this life is! Sometimes we get news and it totally breaks us, whereas on other days we get news that makes us feel like a million bucks! We gain, we lose, and we stay the same. Day to day livin’ that’s what it’s all about baby!!! How in this world can we stick to a mundane diet and a boring routine of jotting down every morsel and calorie each and every day? How do we stick through the thick and thin of this healthier lifestyle?
My answer to this is simple. Once again, I go to the Bible, God’s word for inspiration!

Hab 3:18
Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will JOY in the God of my salvation.

Zep 3:17
The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty; he will save, he will rejoice over thee with JOY; he will rest in his love, he will JOY over thee with singing.

James 1:2-3
My brethren, count it all JOY when ye fall into divers temptations;
Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.


So, I will take JOY in the routine of life; COUNTING IT ALL AS JOY and I will NOT fall into temptation because I know that I am being tried in my faith. If I overcome these feelings of boredom and temptation, I will gain patience! Patience IS an admirable quality. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had others ask me, “Where do you get all that patience?” Well, it must be the byproduct of all those years of YO-YO dieting! (HA! HA!)

But seriously, I will appreciate and try to enjoy the smaller things that our weight loss journey has to offer us. Maybe you and I can just sit down on a bench when taking our walk and just check out the beauty that surrounds us for a moment. You know we don’t have to be entertained ALL the time! So many people think that if you’re bored something is seriously wrong! The first thing they want to say is, “You must be depressed!” Don’t believe that for a minute! There can be JOY and PEACE found in ALL THE DAY TO DAY boring routines of life.
This is how I stick to it. I just keep walking and walking and walking. I make a list of what I want to accomplish during my week and I keep PRESSING ON! And as always…P.U.S.H! Pray Until Something Happens!

Sure, as I said before, I get frustrated and bored and agitated at the monotony sometimes. Still, I have learned to really enjoy so many small things now. A great way to appreciate the fact that you are on the journey is to write down 10 things each day that you are grateful for. Get out your journal and pen, now! Write them down. Try to think of things that your efforts have accomplished and write those down. Remember, they don’t have to be big things. Just think, you woke up with a song in your heart, you got out of bed without pain in your back, you took a shower, you noticed a glow to your skin that was not there before, you were able to put on that old pair of jeans that used to be too tight, you tried a new breakfast dish, you listened to your new CD by the Booth Brothers, your son called just to say, “I love you, Mom.” …………………..Simple but priceless!

Journaling in January and Renewing My Mind

Wouldn't it be exciting if there was some health trick or special formula that would help you to double your weight loss efforts? One that was easy to do, had no side effects and didn’t cost you and arm, a leg and your first born? Well, there is something that you and I can do that is better than all the health tricks and special formulas according to one of the largest and longest running weight-loss trials ever conducted.

You ask what this new weight-loss miracle is. Well I can tell you that it is so very simple and many weight loss programs like Weight Watchers and others have already tried to encourage it in their programs!
The miracle is just this -- keeping a food diary or journal -- recording what you eat throughout the day can double a person's weight loss efforts, according to a study conducted by Kaiser Permanente's Center for Health Research.

This study, published in the August issue of the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, found that keeping a daily record can keep your diet on track. Weight Watchers has enforced this good habit for years; but today we have a method much better than filling out forms and weight loss logs using pen and paper! Today we have our computer key boards!

According to Kaiser Permanente lead author Jack Hollis Ph.D. in a press release, “The more food records people kept, the more weight they lost," and he also stated, “Those who kept daily food records lost twice as much weight as those who kept no records. It seems that the simple act of writing down what you eat encourages people to consume fewer calories."

You know, I have known this is really an effective dieting trick for quite some time, but I never even think about how much I am eating or how many calories I am taking in when I am in the midst of shoveling down a country buffet or indulging in my favorite Chinese cuisine. Lord, please forgive me! I am guilty of living an unhealthy life of abandon! When I am in the middle of a buffet line, I have sinned to my tummy’s content and I am sure that I am not the only person who has gotten caught up in this buffet feeding frenzy! So, let me encourage you to renew your mind! Stay out of buffets! Record your daily food intake. Keep up with the calories that you consume. Follow a balanced heart – healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and keep a daily record of it!

According to the study in the American Journal of Preventative Medicine the average weight loss over 6 months was roughly 13 pounds, with more than two-thirds of the nearly 1,700 participants losing at least 9 pounds. Those who participated in this study were asked to follow the heart-healthy DASH diet, which is rich in fruits and vegetables, and they attended weekly support group sessions and exercised for at least 30 minutes a day, as well as kept track of what they ate daily. Participants of this study who used their daily food journals doubled their weight loss results!

Here is another fact of this study….more than two-thirds of Americans are overweight …with the African American community being particularly susceptible to problems linked to obesity, like heart disease and diabetes. But this study was one of the few trials to have a large percentage (nearly half) of the participants who were of African American decent.

If we all just lost 9 pounds, like the majority of people in this study did, our nation would see vast decreases in hypertension, high cholesterol, diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Losing as little as 5 pounds can reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure by 20 percent!

If it's as simple as tracking what you eat to lose weight, then fire up that computer. Download one of the available Diet Journaling Programs and practice this new behavior! If you eat anything, type it in! One thing I have learned as a Christian and a pastor’s wife is that we need to be held accountable for our actions. Food diaries increase accountability and demonstrate where excess calories are coming from, according to the study participants. Keeping this food diary doesn't have to be a formal thing but taking account of what we eat helps us to become aware of our daily eating habits and it helps us to be able to change our unhealthy behavior.

I want to encourage you to do as I am doing and use the tools that are now conveniently available to us. The study has proved that people can lose more weight if they have and use the right tools and have support. So please use the weight management programs and diet classes in conjunction to journaling your food intake daily. There are several programs out there but please let me suggest a few to you. Below is a short list of these programs:

1. http://www.dietpower.com/ - DOWNLOAD RIGHT NOW AND START MINDING YOUR DIET COACH within as little as 2 minutes! Plans meals, favors foods that you like, analyzes recipes, counts and tracks calories, monitor 33 valued nutrients and has helped people who have 200 + pounds to lose!
2. http://www.mypyramidtracker.gov/ - After providing a day's worth of dietary information, you will receive an overall evaluation by comparing the amounts of food you ate to current nutritional guidance. To give you a better understanding of your diet over time, you can track what you eat up to a year.
3. http://www.weightbydate.com/ - this is the WHOLE PACKAGE folks! It includes everything you need for recording health, diet, fitness, low carb foods, huge food database. Highly Recommended. Daily journaling of all food, exercise, weight, and other measurements; the close to perfect program!
4. http://www.fitday.com/ - Can you say…FREE? Yes, it’s completely FREE!
· Track your Foods, Exercises, Weight and Goals
· View your Calories, Nutrition, Weight Loss and more!
5. http://www.betbyte.com/kdiet.htm - This powerful program analyzes recipes, builds meals, tracks your progress (weight, ketosis, measurements, blood pressure, blood glucose, cholesterol, exercise and medications) and even stores pictures in the photo album. Make a slide show!
I hope that this information will help you get your diet off to a great start this January! I am looking forward to a lighter healthier YOU & ME this year and for years to come! Here is our favorite promise from God’s word to His people to help encourage you:
1 Corinthians 1:7
“Now you have every grace and blessing; every spiritual gift and power for doing His will are yours during this time of waiting for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Isn’t THAT a beautiful promise of God? Just think of that! We have every single grace and blessing (if you claim them and walk in them) and even more than that, EVERY spiritual gift and power for doing His will. Stop and think of what ability that this gives us! Not just a little power is given to us but every spiritual gift and power are yours! God has never asked us to do anything that He has not already made provision for! All of us who believe can walk in this power which He has so freely given to us! Just think of it, God didn’t devise a plan where we had to be brilliant; He simply said that all we have to do is believe! Now listen to what this next scripture says:

1 Corinthians 10:13

“But remember this – the wrong desires that come into your life aren’t anything new and different. Many others have faced exactly the same problems before you. And no temptation is irresistible. You can trust God to keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can’t stand up against it, for he has promised this and will do what he says. He will show you how to escape temptation’s power so that you can bear up patiently against it.”

Isn’t that wonderful? It says right here in God’s holy word that we are not alone. Our temptations, of food, drink, sex, and so on are no different than anyone else’s temptations! Others face the same problems that we do! So relax! And just “Tarry Still” this is a word that came to me last week as I was praying. So I looked us the word “TARRY” in the Webster’s Dictionary and here is what the definition was – ‘to linger with expectation” – and “still meant “Nevertheless.” Praise the Lord! As we continue on our journey to the land of health and wellness we will be faced with temptation, but God has equipped us with EVERY GRACE and EVERY SPIRITUAL GIFT and POWER from on high to accomplish our goals as long as we are in His will. So do not be deceived! We can overcome our temptations of over eating or eating food that is not healthy for our bodies! Just STAND upon His promises! Tarry still! Linger with expectation, nevertheless – and we will overcome by accepting health in our bodies! Then we can offer our bodies as a holy sacrifice to service for our Lord and Savior!

Keep that Food Diary! And Be Blessed and Healthy!

HAPPY NEW YEAR FAT FIGHTERS!!

I hope that everyone had a happy and blessed start to the NEW YEAR! I can tell you that 2009 has started out on the wrong foot for most of the people I know. Some members of our church has had some strange events in their life so far! One member reported that her fathers store was robbed, another member had a terrible wreak in her van just last night (Praise God, she came out of it without a scratch) and half the church wound up in the local Emergency Room! Two members were attacked by a stray pit bull dog and had to get rabies shots! I am glad that it was only a "half moon!" Only the Lord knows what a "full moon" would have brought in! Ha! Ha!
But greater is He who is in me than He that is in the world! I can count it as joy and still praise His wonderful name because I can see how the Lord kept them safe through it all!

Nevertheless, Colene and I are still journeying on this year to improve our health! We are dedicating our bodies and minds and soul to the Lord God Almighty! This month we are checking our diets to remove all the fats that we can from the foods that we eat! Because fat has the highest concentration of calories. We will cut down on fat intake, and saturated fats in particular like heavy cream, butter, sour cream, and cream cheese. Hew Boy! Now removing cream cheese from my diet is gonna be tough! I do love bagels and cream cheese!

Be Blessed,
Rev. Kirby