Journey to a New Me Update

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Mary

I’m not sure what day I’m on in my journey to a new me because I’m not very good at updating my blog (as you probably guessed if you’ve been following it at all). Anyway, I’ve struggling.

What I’ve been struggling with is basically knowing what is healthy and what is not. There’s so much conflicting information out there, it’s nuts!

My daughter has been doing a lot of research and she is pretty much doing gluten and dairy free. She’s lost several pounds just in the couple of months she’s been doing this. So, I’m trying to stick to that sort of thing.

I’ve also been working on not eating after 6pm and if I do, then it’s an apple or banana. In addition, I’ve also been trying to eat more fruits and veggies over bread and dairy. I haven’t had a bowl of cereal in a couple of weeks!!! I miss cereal!!! LOL. If I do eat bread, I try to stick to whole grain and only have one or 2 slices a day.

I did work out today at the gym for an hour. I did 20 minutes on the treadmill…walked 1.2 miles in 20 minutes, then did some weight machines and floor exercises. I think my thighs are going to kill me tomorrow.

I’ve weighed myself and have lost a few pounds. I weighed myself a few days ago and was down to 233.4, which is great! I’m trying not to be super scale conscious though, so I probably won’t weigh myself again for a while.

My jeans are looser too :) which is a nice non-scale victory!

I guess that’s about it for now. Just wanted to check in and let you know how things are going.

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Days 3 & 4 to the New Me

Posted on March 27, 2013 by Mary

I was super busy yesterday, so I didn’t get a chance to do the update. And right this moment I can’t remember everything I ate. LOL. I’ll do my best though.

3/26/13

Breakfast:

  • 2 eggs and cheese
  • 2 cups black coffee

Lunch:

  • 1/2 Jimmy John’s Bootlegger Club sandwich on whole grain bread
  • 1 small bag jalapeno chips
  • diet lipton citrus and green tea

Dinner:

  • 1 slice of meat pizza
  • celery stick with cream cheese
  • diet lipton citrus and green tea

Snacks:

  • 1 small apple
  • 1/2 small banana
  • 3 mini york peppermint patties

I think that’s it???

3/27/13

Breakfast: I had an Avon appointment in Cheboygan this morning, so I ate on the road.

  • 1 breakfast burrito from McDonald’s
  • hashbrowns
  • large black coffee

Lunch:

  • finished the other 1/2 of my JJ sandwich
  • raw almonds with sea salt

Dinner:

  • Homemade chicken pot pie with little crust
  • apple, green leafy lettuce mix, walnut salad with cinnamon dressing
  • water

That’s it so far. I might have a small snack here in a bit. Maybe some cheese and almonds.

I weighed myself yesterday and the scale said 235. I doubt if I lost a true 3lbs, but I will weigh myself again in a couple of days. I’ve been fluctuating between 234 and 235 for  a while. The 238 could have been due to some water weight from traveling prior that week when I decided to do this.

 

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Day 2 to the New Me

Posted on March 25, 2013 by Mary

If you’re wondering why I am counting today as Day 2 instead of yesterday, it’s because on Sunday’s I have a celebration day (or as some may call it, a cheat day). And I also want to clarify that I misspoke when I said I was going low-carb. The kind of eating lifestyle I’m actually following would more accurately be labeled as wheat free.

I’m basically going to be following an almost gluten free diet as well. I’m just beginning this and learning along the way, so forgive me if my terms aren’t exactly correct.

I know I need to cut out the wheat and probably the gluten too. My oldest daughter has been following a non-dairy, gluten free diet due to ulcerative colitis and she is loving the results. In addition to the healthier digestive system, her skin is also clearing up and she is losing some weight. I don’t have any intestinal problems (that are apparent, that is) or any skin problems, but I definitely want to be healthier and I do believe a healthy gut is important to overall health.

With all that being said, here is my update for today. :)

3/25/2013

Breakfast:

  • 2 cups black coffee

Lunch:

  • Orange chicken salad from Applebee’s (lunch size)
  • French onion soup from Applebee’s (lunch size)
  • Water with lemon

Dinner:

  • Cabbage rolls filled with veggies
  • Au gratin potatoes with green chilies
  • Chicken casserole with veggies

Snacks:

  • 1 glass Sangria
  • 1 small apple

I feel pretty good about my food choices today, except for not eating breakfast. I need to get better at that. I get in such a hurry in the morning sometimes I don’t take time to eat.

Mom made dinner and everything was veggie-licious! At lunch I had small portions and though I could have ordered another helping of the salad and soup, I didn’t because I was no longer hungry but wasn’t stuffed.

I’m trying to learn not to eat until I’m stuffed, but instead stop as soon the hunger subsides. Doing this often leads to feeling hungry sooner, so that’s when I’m trying to reach for an apple, orange, or some nuts to tide me over until my next meal.

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First Day Toward the New Me

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Mary

As I stated in my previous post, I am going to start posting what I eat each day and the exercise I get in. I’m shooting for at least one half hour every day and I’m going low carb. I decided low carb is the best for me because I carry most of my weight in my belly.

Day 1: March 23, 2013

Breakfast: (I ate breakfast before I decided to start this new journey)

  • 2 eggs fried in butter
  • 2 pieces whole grain toast with butter
  • 2 cups black coffee

Lunch:

  • 2 celery sticks with peanut butter
  • 2 oz cheddar cheese
  • 16 almonds

Snacks:

  • 1/4 Cantaloupe
  • Slice of Cheese
  • 1/2 banana

Dinner:

  • Bean concoction
  • 2 low carb tortillas with cheese

How I felt? I was good most of the day, but it got passed dinner time and I was starving so I had the melon and cheese. Dinner was still running late, so I had 1/2 banana. Overall not bad choices. There was one point where I almost caved and had some Fritos….but I didn’t. I really didn’t want to fail my first day!!!!

Today’s Weight: 238
Goal Weight: 138

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Menopause + Hypothyroidism=Weight Gain

Posted on March 23, 2013 by Mary

Me oh my, another blog post in less than a week’s time?! Yep, that’s right. Don’t know what’s gotten into me, other than I just want to write and get my thoughts out there. So what’s on my mind today? Well you probably guessed from the title, but yes, it’s my weight. I know I’ve complained about my weight in the past, probably more than you want to hear about, and certainly more than I want to think about. But, I am literally the heaviest I’ve EVER been. My size 18s are even getting tight!

As you guessed from the title, I am menopausal. I really like the no period part, but I hate the weight gain part. To top it off I have hypothyroidism. So the two issues combined make it really easy to gain weight and really difficult to lose weight. Of course it doesn’t help that I don’t exercise regularly and I don’t eat as healthy as I should.

Soooo, what’s the point of this post you’re probably thinking? I’m going to start TODAY eating a low carb diet and making sure I get in AT LEAST one half hour of exercise every day. The low carb part could prove to be a little difficult because my husband and daughter have given up meat for lent. I think, though, if we all stick with eating lots of veggies, both things can be accomplished. The fun part will be figuring out creative dishes with all those veggies. But, it will be fun. I know it won’t be easy at the get-go because I really like bread and tortillas, but I really need to lose weight. Not only for the way I look and the way my clothes fit, but for my health.

I will be 50 in less than 2 years….yes I said it, 50! I would love to be in the best health I’ve ever been at 50!!! So that is my goal! I weighed myself yesterday and I was a whopping 238 lbs. My goal is to lose 100 lbs by September 22, 2014. Will you help me and encourage me? I would love to take my entire family, kids and grandkids, on a cool Caribbean vacation for my 50th and I would love to feel confident in a bathing suit!

So from this day forward, I will need all the support and encouragement I can get. Please no programs or diets posted. I know what I need to do and I just need to be held accountable to eat low carb and to exercise every day.  I think I will post here each day what I ate and the exercise I got in.

I will start a new post for today.

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Fulfilling the Call to Youth Ministry

Posted on March 21, 2013 by Mary

I know it’s been way too long since I’ve posted here. I just haven’t felt like I’ve had much to say that I don’t put on Facebook these days. However, now that Jeff and I are now the youth leaders at our church I feel like getting back to blogging….at least tonight, anyway. LOL.

Let me give you a little background or update if you will, on how it came about that we are now the youth leaders for our church.

In December 2012, we finally got into our new church home. For the prior 2 1/2 years, we were meeting for church at the Eagle’s Hall. The family that hosted our youth group in their home moved out of state so we stopped holding youth group services because we didn’t have an appropriate place to meet. When we got into our new building, parents of teens as well as our Pastors and board members, were anxious to get youth group going again. Being that Jeff and I had the most experience in youth ministry, we were the most obvious choice. However, I was hesitant to dive right in. Not because I didn’t want to work with the youth again, but because I don’t feel qualified. I’ve never really been the leader of a ministry before and am concerned I might say or do the wrong thing that might be detrimental to their spiritual walk or make them leave the church. Of course God had other things in mind for Jeff and me.

Being obedient, we answered the call and had our first youth group service on December 18, 2012. We had about 21 kids I believe, most of them who regularly attend the church on Sunday mornings. We played some games like dodge ball and hide and seek. (Our new building is GREAT for hide and seek and flash light tag!) We have an overflow room which is mostly open so the kids have a great place to play dodge ball and other games. Then we gathered in the “Living Room” which is an area with a couple of couches and ottomans and a TV screen where we can watch videos and such. Jeff’s message was on The Advent Conspiracy and he spoke about how Christmas isn’t celebrated the way it was originally meant to be with all the focus now on gift giving and commercialism. We didn’t do any praise and worship because we are working on organizing a youth band.

Since then, we’ve now grown to about  25 to 30 kids each service, with a total of 40 coming through our doors. We hold our services in the main sanctuary now, and have started conducting Praise & Worship with computerized music. We have one of our youth workers working with some of the students organizing a worship band and some are learning the sound board and media. So, we are growing and our services are becoming more and more organized.

Some Thursday evenings Jeff has to work, so we have to have one of the other youth leaders give the message and we’ve been encouraging the students to give their testimony. Tonight was one of the nights that Jeff had to work, so a couple who help out with the youth every week had a message for the kids. It was great. Even though they aren’t experienced at speaking either, they did great and their message really touched the hearts of many of the students.

Since our youth ministry is quite young, we don’t have a lot of volunteers to do things like run sound and media, so it can be quite awkward interesting logistically. The weeks Jeff is there, I usually give the announcements and open the service with prayer. Since Jeff runs sound, he has to turn the sound down after praise and worship, then run downstairs to give his message. The weeks Jeff isn’t there, like tonight, it’s even more interesting. Actually, tonight went pretty well, logistically anyway. I typed up an order of service ahead of time which helped a lot…helped me a lot, I should say. I’m the type of person that likes/needs to be super prepared otherwise I worry and think about everything until it happens. So the order of service helped to keep things on track…for the most part. I think I will continue to do an order of service each week, including the announcements and song selection. I think in the future I need to give it to all of the leaders so they know when it’s time to round the kids into the sanctuary, etc. LOL.

I said all that to say, tonight was the first night that I actually felt like a youth minister, even though I didn’t actually do any ministering, other than talk with a few of the kids before and after service because I was running the media during service. I think the reason I’m starting to actually feel like a youth minister is because I finally realized that I am called to youth ministry. Yes, I’ve been helping with the youth ever since I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior in 1997, but I never imagined I was being groomed to be in charge of a youth ministry. I am really enjoying it and am looking forward to seeing more and more students growing in their relationship with Christ and leading their generation to the Lord.

Youth pastors and leaders, please feel free to share your experiences when you first started out and give any advice you may have.

 

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Praying in Faith, not Out of Fear

Posted on January 13, 2013 by Mary

Once again, it’s been a really long time since I’ve blogged last, on this site anyway. I’ve been doing really well with my Avon business and am now an Executive Unit Leader. I’ve also been really busy in my role as administrative assistant at Life Church. But, lately God has been laying little messages on my heart, so I thought this would be a good place to share them, for now. Jeff and I also started leading youth group at our church so I’m sure I’ll have the opportunity to share these messages with the youth someday.

One of the messages God has been laying on my heart a lot lately is that of “Faith”. I think for most of us faith is probably one of the toughest areas to ‘walk out’. This is probably due to the fact that faith requires us to believe in things we can’t see. (See Heb. 11:1)

My journey towards walking in faith is really just beginning and I believe it will not be complete until I meet Jesus in heaven. I’m certainly no expert on the subject, nor am I a theologian, but I want to share my personal experience with you in hopes that you might be encouraged in your faith.

Praying in Faith instead of Fear

The main area God’s been working on me is in the area of prayer. Prayer is one of the most important things we can do because it is our communication line directly to God. You can’t be in a relationship without communication with the one whom you’re in a relationship with. If you struggle with praying, start thinking of prayer as just a conversation with someone you want to get to know better. It’s simply talking to God. Start out by thanking him for giving you one more day to live or for your family, or a roof over your head.

Perhaps you are talking to God through prayer, but you feel like He doesn’t hear you or always says “no”. That’s where I was for a while. I was praying but I felt like God wasn’t hearing me or answering my prayers. Then one day, I read or heard (I don’t remember where or who right now) someone (probably Joyce Meyer or Joel Osteen) say something along the lines of ‘pray in faith, not out of fear’. Those words hit home with me because I realized that was exactly what I was doing…I was praying out of fear….fear of not being able to pay my bills…fear of not building my Avon business….fear of not being a good wife….fear of not being a good mother and Nana….etc.

When I realized I was praying out of fear and not in faith, I started practicing praying in faith instead.

Here’s what praying in faith sounds like, compared to praying out of fear.

Praying for finances: Out of fear, praying for finances might sound something like this: Oh God, help me pay my bills. Praying in faith, however, is a statement of faith: Dear God, I thank you for your provision. Your word tells me you are my provider and I stand on your word and I know you are going to provide all my needs. Thank you, Heavenly Father. In Jesus name.

Do you see the difference? Now I know there are those fearful times, when it seems like all is wrong in the world and all you can do is cry out to God for help. Trust and know that He is there and He does help in times of need! There is absolutely nothing wrong with crying out to God for help. Please don’t think my above statement is indicating that you shouldn’t cry out to God at all.

Every time I pray in faith, God does answer….it might not be right away, and it might not be the answer I want. But, I have gotten immediate answers when money is tight, when I am working on moving to the next level in my business, when I need help with a family member, and when I believe God for healing. Those are just a few examples, and I hope you will be encouraged and start praying in faith and believing God WILL hear your prayer and answer according to His will.

 

 

 

 

 

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