Prepping to Lose Weight

I am in the process of planning to get great nutrition and lose weight.

You know the saying, "Failing to plan is planning to fail."

With this in mind, I am creating a daily schedule for Monday through Friday. I will workout every weekday and have the weekends completely free for family time, fun activities and relaxing in my beloved hammock.

My plan has every hour of the day mapped out. I have to stick to the schedule to get everything in and still have 4 hours of family time every day.

Wish me luck! If all goes well, I'll be sharing before/after photos at the end of August.

Houston! We have lift off!!

Healthy Eating

In the past, healthy eating has been a chore. Lately, I've learned to count calories and log everything. And it works! I have two amazing apps that help me: Cardio Trainer and MyFitnessPal.

But, the best tool isn't so much self-control. It is planning ahead! If you plan ahead what you are going to eat, the sugar bug won't be as tempting, because you have already decided what to eat. Make the decisions based on what you have consumed for the day. No more sudden decisions to run out for ice cream (unless your sitting there after you've planned and logged everything and realize you have a few hundred calories to spare).

Eating healthy really isn't as hard as we make it. Today for lunch, I am eating 320 calories and my plate is full. I am having two WASA crackers (45 cal ea.), 6 slices of ham (50 cal)and two servings of Sharp cheddar cheese (180 cal).

Food or Holy Spirit

Right now when people look at me and I hear their thoughts:

I know you have been walking a lot and I want to tell you that you look like you are losing weight, but I don't see it yet. So, I'm just going to keep smiling and staring.

And this makes me smile. I know that I am setting myself up for success. My goal is to lose one pound per week. It will take a long time to get to my goal and I'm ok with that. I am on a journey to depend on God as the fulfillment of my hunger. I have a conviction that I have satisfied the cries of my heart by feeding my stomach. I have depended on food to satisfy instead of leaning on the Holy Spirit.

Strategies for Nancy

During my 21-day fast, I mentioned one of the things I was seeking God about was the marriage of John and Nancy - two people I do not know, but feel God's presence in the situation and I know that He wants victory for them. It has been a long time since I started praying for John and Nancy and I need to reFOCUS on what God has spoken regarding the strategy for them.

• The very first thing that God spoke to me is that John wants to come home, but he has inquired a huge deal of debt. I told my sister-in-law that God spoke this to me, but asked her to please not tell Nancy because I did not want to discourage Nancy and I wasn't sure that God had been super clear on this. My sis-in-law confirmed this as the truth. John and Nancy had no debt together - house is paid for and they owned a business together. John bought a house and a boat for the other lady and has loans on all of it. How awesome the Father is to reveal the way. MISSION FOR PRAYER: Break the yokes of bondage - both debt and personal so that John can return to his first love (Nancy)
• God spoke to me through the music video below regarding John and how He is going to break through all the demons in John's life

• One night, I was lying in bed praying for John and Nancy and I asked God to speak freedom over John with me. I asked God to say it with his voice...the same voice that split heaven and earth and that brought all that we see into existence. Our country's national anthem started playing in my mind, "The Star Spangled Banner". Here is what I learned of the song as a child. The writer was in a boat in the harbor losing hope, but as he looked out the small window of the ship, he saw the flag flying. It gave him hope. What God spoke to me is that John feels like a prisoner, but he isn't. He's sitting in a prison cell where the door is not locked. He is waiting until morning and can come out. I transferred this revelation to my sis-in-law who transferred it to Nancy. One of them read the wikipedia article about the song. Lo and behold, Francis Scott Key was not a prisoner in the ship after all. He had gone to rescue someone who was a prisoner. How awesome!? MISSION FOR PRAYER: Ask the Lord to bring morning soon, so that John and Nancy can leave John's 'prison cell' in safety and in the light.

Update from 21-Day Fast

The 21-day fast came and went. Really, it was a breeze! My sacrifice was to drink water alone. My diet remained the same, but I sacrificed coffee, milk, sweet tea, lemonade and all the sugary soft drinks. I did a 21-day program from YouVersion.com and I read a 21-day version of "Made to Crave" in conjuction with my fast. God spoke to me so much and changed my heart in many areas over the 21-days.

Almost every area of prayer can be stamped complete. I am still praying for Nancy and still waiting for my co-worker to come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, but every other area is done!

Thank you, Lord, for working so many miracles in 21 days. You alone are King of kings and Lord of Lords!

Why Fast?

Over the past few days, I've been searching my heart. What are my motives for fasting? Is it a hunger strike? Nope. What good would possibly come out of that?

My purpose is simply that there are some things that can only be overcome by prayer and fasting. Considering how busy my life has been lately, it seems like this is the perfect time to take a break and reflect on God and open the door to change. My purpose for fasting is to let some of the chains of my life to be broken. I felt like God wanted me to fast and it really hasn't been too difficult. My sacrifice is giving up all drinks, except water.

I read this verse and it spoke to me. This is my motive for fasting:

Is this not the fast which I choose,

To loosen the bonds of wickedness,

To undo the bands of the yoke,

And to let the oppressed go free

and break every yoke?

Isaiah 58:6

My Alter

The definition of fasting is to give something up and overcome the needs of your body.

I am sacrificing all soft drinks, coffee, lemonade and tea for the 21-day fast. This is the sacrifice that I am laying on the alter before the Lord. Almost two years ago, I gave up drinking Mountain Dew. I was an addict. I started drinking more coffee and replaced Mountain Dew with Sprite. While I made the sacrifice of Mountain Dew, I sort-of just switched to something else that is not any more healthy. My desire is for 21-days, I will drink water. This is a sacrifice that will cost.

To be honest, it isn't difficult for me to drink water instead of coffee or Sprite. The hard thing was when I woke up this morning and naturally wanted a glass of milk. Uh-oh. I had to deny myself for the first time. I am attempting to also make healthier food choices during the fast, but the primary sacrifice is to DRINK ONLY WATER!