Today the book talked about how our morning habits affect how we feel the rest of the day. It talks about how some people don't eat breakfast, because they end up feeling hungry for the rest of the day. This is apparently your stomach secreting extra fluids because it's not used to food that early. However, it stops after a week or so and levels out. It also talks about if you're fatigued and famished when you get home from work that you should eat a snack between 3 and 4...something with protein like apples and cheese, turkey and veggies, etc. All of this prevents from making poor food choices and continually snacking in the evening.
After previous readings, I decided that I'm going to try to wake up earlier to I can eat breakfast before DDR. Meghan talked about how eating before she worked out made her feel better during her workout. So I'm gonna try my smoothie before I start today. Ooo...or I might eat an english muffin with a bit o'peanut butter. Had that yesterday and it was delish. I've already been making myself healthy snacks for the afternoons, so I'm already preventing the whole "hungry, unhealthy snacking" at the end of the day. Go me!
Romans 2 talks about God's righteous judgment and how we are not to judge. I think it's addressing the Jew's propensity to look at the Gentiles and say "you steal, lie, commit adultery, etc." when they did the same thing. The only thing that separates them is the fact that the Jews have the law. I liked this verse:
"Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences are bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them)." vs. 14-16
It indicates that those who respond to their consciences, even though they might not have the written law, are ultimately responding to God.
"A man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God." vs. 28-29
It really is a heart thing. We could be doing all the right things, but if our hearts are not in the right place, we're not doing the "God thing." I think this chapter is ultimately trying to first break down the "I'm better than you" attitude that Jews had for Gentiles, and secondly, trying to point out that we ALL sin. And we all have a conscience (or law) that says "this is right, this is wrong" and we betray that conscience all the time. If you break one law, you break the whole law. How daunting and scary. I was reading this and was like "wow, that's kinda heavy and I am a lawbreaker and...ugh." But there's some good news after this chapter. It doesn't end here. Which is a good thing or I'd be feeling terrible for the rest of the day haha.
Ok, time to eat my breakfast and then get on with my morning.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
tried again
Ok, I thought that weight difference between the Wii and my scale was way too much. So I got back on the Wii to do the body test again, and it was like, your weight has changed! Then it told me I was 236.6 (there is no .6 but it was right under 237 so I guesstimated). That seemed waaaaaaay more reasonable. I still lost weight WOO. I didn't want to cheat myself out of a real weight loss...ie I didn't want to think I weighed 231 lbs and then get back on their scale and show a weight gain. So, word of advice to all you Wii fit users, do the Body Test twice and have a real scale as a reference. It'll keep you more realistic. Anyway, I still lost 2 lbs! YAAAAAAY. Ok, time to work out and get started with my day :D
Weigh In...
I was really nervous to weigh myself today. I haven't pooped yet :) and I just didn't really feeeeeeeel smaller. I felt like I probably weighed the same or maybe gained :/ Well I weighed myself and.....I lost 2 lbs! 237.4. Yay me! That is going along perfectly with my goals. I wanted to weigh myself on the Wii to see if there was any difference, and it said that I weighed 231 lbs! That my starting weight was 243, and now it's 231. That makes me question which one is more accurate. So, I'm going to keep tally on both now :) I did weigh myself on the Wii after I had lost some weight...so...here's to hoping it's more accurate. Anyway, according to my scale I've lost 1.03% of my weight. So since the last weigh in, I've lost 3.93%. Way to go me!
Forgetting to Eat
Today that book talked about forgetting to eat. Either you day gets crazy, or you want to save up calories for a bigger meal, or whatever. Basically, it's bad to not eat. It causes our bodies to go into starvation mode.
"Our bodies know how to manage fuel sources very efficiently. When you undereat during the day, your body believes it may not get enough food, so it conserves what does come in. Even if Susan eats the same total number of calories as usual, her body will store a portion of that large evening mean, causing her to gain weight....if you routinely follow a one-meal-a-day plan, your body will train itself to get by on a small amount of food. Eventually it adapts so well to the low-calorie level that it refuses to lose weight."
I need to fuel my body efficiently and regularly in order to keep losing weight. I think the above reason is why people stop losing weight after adjusting their eating. Their body eventually gets used to it...so you really need to couple it with exercise. I'm going to try to get up and eat an apple in the morning before I work out. I've been wondering about how to fit in breakfast, and Meghan said something about how she always works out better with fuel, so I'm going to try to do that before I work out. Two birds with one stone! And if I decide to go to jaliscos or something like that, I won't not eat, I'll just eat a salad or something low calorie.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it it the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:16-17
The gospel, the good news, those words sometimes become meaningless when you have gone to church as long as I have. But I love how this says that the gospel is not, "work hard, follow these steps, and you'll get into heaven." It's from God AND it's by faith. Faith, this quality of being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not so. True faith is shown in our actions. If we believe, if we have faith, then we'll show signs of our belief. The good news is not the we do things first, but that we believe that God loved us, he died for us, that his sacrifice is freely given to all, so that we can live FULL, AMAZING, lives. Better than expected. That is good news. The gospel. It's beautiful and simple and so easy to miss.
As the chapter goes on, it talks about the wrath of God. I'm of the mindset that God is good. He would not to do bad things to us just for shits and giggles. He's not masochistic, and he wants the best. It says in this chapter repeatedly that "God gave them over..." to their desires, wickedness, etc. He didn't hold them back. As a result, people have suffered the natural consequences that come from sin or disease (I use this reference because the Bible seems to equate forgiveness with healing). The more that I think about it, I think about God like a parent. Which, I've realized this before, but it helps me understand how God can be good, but that in order to be good, he has to be just, and he has to discipline us so that we can learn.
So just like if I tell our kids to walk and not run and they do it over and over again, eventually I'm going to have to put them in time out. They have choices, and there's a consequence for bad choices that are made. The great thing about God, is that mercy triumph over judgment. He doles out mercy to his heart's content. So God can still be good, and still be wrathful. He can still be good and discipline us. We have to be careful of what we say is God's discipline though...ie Pat Robertson...because who are we to know God's thoughts or what's happening. I don't believe God caused the earthquake to happen. I believe he knew that it was going to happen, and as far as my knowledge goes I believe that he did not stop it. Isn't there a verse that says even the earth groans under sin? Is this just a natural result of our choices? Hm...that's kind of a heavy thing to think about. I do know that God can take the terribleness of this disaster, and make wonderful things come from it. So, I pray that your plans of goodness will come through in this God.
"Our bodies know how to manage fuel sources very efficiently. When you undereat during the day, your body believes it may not get enough food, so it conserves what does come in. Even if Susan eats the same total number of calories as usual, her body will store a portion of that large evening mean, causing her to gain weight....if you routinely follow a one-meal-a-day plan, your body will train itself to get by on a small amount of food. Eventually it adapts so well to the low-calorie level that it refuses to lose weight."
I need to fuel my body efficiently and regularly in order to keep losing weight. I think the above reason is why people stop losing weight after adjusting their eating. Their body eventually gets used to it...so you really need to couple it with exercise. I'm going to try to get up and eat an apple in the morning before I work out. I've been wondering about how to fit in breakfast, and Meghan said something about how she always works out better with fuel, so I'm going to try to do that before I work out. Two birds with one stone! And if I decide to go to jaliscos or something like that, I won't not eat, I'll just eat a salad or something low calorie.
"I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it it the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For in the gospel a righteousness from God is revealed, a righteousness that is by faith from first to last, just as it is written: The righteous will live by faith." Romans 1:16-17
The gospel, the good news, those words sometimes become meaningless when you have gone to church as long as I have. But I love how this says that the gospel is not, "work hard, follow these steps, and you'll get into heaven." It's from God AND it's by faith. Faith, this quality of being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not so. True faith is shown in our actions. If we believe, if we have faith, then we'll show signs of our belief. The good news is not the we do things first, but that we believe that God loved us, he died for us, that his sacrifice is freely given to all, so that we can live FULL, AMAZING, lives. Better than expected. That is good news. The gospel. It's beautiful and simple and so easy to miss.
As the chapter goes on, it talks about the wrath of God. I'm of the mindset that God is good. He would not to do bad things to us just for shits and giggles. He's not masochistic, and he wants the best. It says in this chapter repeatedly that "God gave them over..." to their desires, wickedness, etc. He didn't hold them back. As a result, people have suffered the natural consequences that come from sin or disease (I use this reference because the Bible seems to equate forgiveness with healing). The more that I think about it, I think about God like a parent. Which, I've realized this before, but it helps me understand how God can be good, but that in order to be good, he has to be just, and he has to discipline us so that we can learn.
So just like if I tell our kids to walk and not run and they do it over and over again, eventually I'm going to have to put them in time out. They have choices, and there's a consequence for bad choices that are made. The great thing about God, is that mercy triumph over judgment. He doles out mercy to his heart's content. So God can still be good, and still be wrathful. He can still be good and discipline us. We have to be careful of what we say is God's discipline though...ie Pat Robertson...because who are we to know God's thoughts or what's happening. I don't believe God caused the earthquake to happen. I believe he knew that it was going to happen, and as far as my knowledge goes I believe that he did not stop it. Isn't there a verse that says even the earth groans under sin? Is this just a natural result of our choices? Hm...that's kind of a heavy thing to think about. I do know that God can take the terribleness of this disaster, and make wonderful things come from it. So, I pray that your plans of goodness will come through in this God.
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Fuel or Filler
Today the book talked about whether we are fueling our bodies or filling our bodies. "Fuel keeps your body running, but filler often gets sent directly to your fat stores." It kinda hits on what I was talking about in my previous blog about eating less nutrient dense foods and more snacky foods. I really need to examine how much filler vs. fuel I'm putting in my body, and focus more on the fuels. "Low fat meats, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains" are all typically fuels. "Sweets, chips, and snack foods" fit into the filler category. Generally easy to grab, prepacked processed foods fall into this category.
I like that it says you can still have fillers, but that you should limit them. I really love this new chocolate indulgence mousse. It's made by Jello and it has a yummier flavor and more interesting texture compared to the pudding I've been getting. However, I want to eat the whole pack in one sitting. I can still eat this, but I need to learn how to savor it, instead of wolfing it down and scraping the sides manically haha. Also, sadly my Juicy Juice has 32 grams of carbs. That's all sugar. So I need to decide if that's something that I am going to keep, or if I have to modify it so that I'm not having a whole serving. Maybe I should just use half of a serving with my smoothie.
Anyway, part of the exercise is deciding these things. I think I'm on a good track :)
So, before I get started with my verses/daily Bible reading, I wanted to say that I've been having some really good prayer time lately. In fact, I've been having some of the most intimate, and amazing prayer times than I've ever had before. It's nothing special (as far as what I do physically), but it's been incredibly encouraging to me. I was praying today about my weight loss, and having life to the fullest, when it suddenly dawned on me that God wants this for me too. And you may say "duh" but I never thought that God really cared. I assumed he cared about my heart, and my thoughts, and my actions, and my character, but I guess I never thought he cared about my weight. I assumed that he chalked me wanting to be thinner up to vanity and that it wasn't that important.
How detrimental has that thought process been to my journey. If someone you supposedly love and trust doesn't support or care about something that you are working hard at, it's super discouraging. And more times than not, with that kind of "support" you just kind of give up. I realized today that God is apart of my support system that is being built up. That he wants the same things that I want as far as me being healthier. That he does care, and the he will help me and support me with this just as much as he will help me and support me with being more loving, kind, and wise. It's an amazing and wonderful feeling. God is good.
"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and firm, because the Lord's coming is near." James 5:7-8
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any one happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:12-16
I begrudgingly added the first verse section because what I got from it, I believe doesn't really have much to do with the context of the verse and what it is intended to say. The systematic theologian in me cries "wrong!" However, it did encourage me to "be patient and firm" in this time that I'm trying to lose weight and allow God to change many aspects of my life. I really liked how it talked about the seasons and how the farmer has to wait for the land to yield crops, for sunshine, and for rain. The farmer plows and sows into the field, and then has has to wait awhile to see actual results. The first few months or so are bleak, but then he sees a little sprout, then leaves, then an actual plant, until finally the full harvest is there, ready, and beautiful before his eyes. That, is what I need to envision as I loose weight. Not that I'm going to see the crop ready to harvest next week, but that I will see little things start to change and develop as the weeks go by, and to be patient and firm in my goals and my decisions. Yay :)
I really liked the second verse, first because prayer and confession have been kind of forefront in my mind lately, and second because we talked about this verse in small group and it's a nice little reminder. Pray. Pray when you're in trouble, pray (praise) when you're happy, pray when you're sick, pray with each other. Pray when you've sinned. Ask, so God can answer and you can receive. I love how healing and forgiveness are intertwined with this verse. God is SO faithful to help and to give to us, but we need to be humble and trust him. We need to communicate with him! We need to tell him how we're feeling and what we need. God IS a mind reader, but he's not controlling or intrusive. He doesn't use what he knows against us. He wants us to come to him freely, not because we are forced to or as a last result. Sigh. God is good.
I like that it says you can still have fillers, but that you should limit them. I really love this new chocolate indulgence mousse. It's made by Jello and it has a yummier flavor and more interesting texture compared to the pudding I've been getting. However, I want to eat the whole pack in one sitting. I can still eat this, but I need to learn how to savor it, instead of wolfing it down and scraping the sides manically haha. Also, sadly my Juicy Juice has 32 grams of carbs. That's all sugar. So I need to decide if that's something that I am going to keep, or if I have to modify it so that I'm not having a whole serving. Maybe I should just use half of a serving with my smoothie.
Anyway, part of the exercise is deciding these things. I think I'm on a good track :)
So, before I get started with my verses/daily Bible reading, I wanted to say that I've been having some really good prayer time lately. In fact, I've been having some of the most intimate, and amazing prayer times than I've ever had before. It's nothing special (as far as what I do physically), but it's been incredibly encouraging to me. I was praying today about my weight loss, and having life to the fullest, when it suddenly dawned on me that God wants this for me too. And you may say "duh" but I never thought that God really cared. I assumed he cared about my heart, and my thoughts, and my actions, and my character, but I guess I never thought he cared about my weight. I assumed that he chalked me wanting to be thinner up to vanity and that it wasn't that important.
How detrimental has that thought process been to my journey. If someone you supposedly love and trust doesn't support or care about something that you are working hard at, it's super discouraging. And more times than not, with that kind of "support" you just kind of give up. I realized today that God is apart of my support system that is being built up. That he wants the same things that I want as far as me being healthier. That he does care, and the he will help me and support me with this just as much as he will help me and support me with being more loving, kind, and wise. It's an amazing and wonderful feeling. God is good.
"Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains. You too, be patient and firm, because the Lord's coming is near." James 5:7-8
"Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is any one happy? Let him sing songs of praise. Is any one of you sick? He should call the elders of the church to pray over him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:12-16
I begrudgingly added the first verse section because what I got from it, I believe doesn't really have much to do with the context of the verse and what it is intended to say. The systematic theologian in me cries "wrong!" However, it did encourage me to "be patient and firm" in this time that I'm trying to lose weight and allow God to change many aspects of my life. I really liked how it talked about the seasons and how the farmer has to wait for the land to yield crops, for sunshine, and for rain. The farmer plows and sows into the field, and then has has to wait awhile to see actual results. The first few months or so are bleak, but then he sees a little sprout, then leaves, then an actual plant, until finally the full harvest is there, ready, and beautiful before his eyes. That, is what I need to envision as I loose weight. Not that I'm going to see the crop ready to harvest next week, but that I will see little things start to change and develop as the weeks go by, and to be patient and firm in my goals and my decisions. Yay :)
I really liked the second verse, first because prayer and confession have been kind of forefront in my mind lately, and second because we talked about this verse in small group and it's a nice little reminder. Pray. Pray when you're in trouble, pray (praise) when you're happy, pray when you're sick, pray with each other. Pray when you've sinned. Ask, so God can answer and you can receive. I love how healing and forgiveness are intertwined with this verse. God is SO faithful to help and to give to us, but we need to be humble and trust him. We need to communicate with him! We need to tell him how we're feeling and what we need. God IS a mind reader, but he's not controlling or intrusive. He doesn't use what he knows against us. He wants us to come to him freely, not because we are forced to or as a last result. Sigh. God is good.
Biggest Loser
I just wanted a day to "sleep in and lay in bed" so I chose today. I've been feeling a bit down lately as mentioned in the previous post, so I decided to watch some Project Runway, and then I ended up watching the Biggest Loser. Holy moly, what an emotional 1.5 hours that was! I pretty much cried during the beginning, and a bit in the middle and the end. I didn't know what was wrong with me. But after thinking about it a bit, I realized I did.
I've been feeling a lot of kinship with the people around me who have been constantly supporting me in losing weight and making better choices, especially with people at work and my mom. I can't tell you how freeing and terrifying it is to announce your weight to people. I felt ashamed and discouraged because I am a 24 year old accomplished woman, who weighed almost 250 pounds. Wtf? Everyone was shocked, because I didn't look like I weighed that much, but the shock was still there. The "wow, I can't believe that" kind of aspect. So when those people got on the scale in front of family members, friends, and their towns and exposed themselves in that way, I knew the terror and embarrassment, but also the freedom that comes with having your "dirty little secret" out of the closet.
To see parent with their kids, wives with their husbands, and brothers cry together over the state that they had let themselves get into was overwhelmingly sad. That father and daughter? Made me think of me and my dad and how much we love each other, and how he's been worried about my weight since I've been younger.
I don't really know how much weight I'm going to lose. I don't really know what my future holds. I do know, that I want this. I really want this. And I don't want to be in competition. I don't have this feeling of "I'm going to keep what I'm doing a secret so nobody else can do it with me" or "I'm doing this alone." It's not a competition. It's not a race. It's not a time to compare myself with other people and their progress or non progress. This, is the year of me. This is the year that I turn 25, and that I change who I've shown myself to be, and how I've treated myself all these years. When I turn a quarter of a century old, I'm going to be 50 pounds lighter AT LEAST. I'm going to do it, because I'm worth it.
I want to have life, and life to the fullest. I've always been steps ahead of my peers in a lot of areas of my life. But I don't want to measure myself up against them anymore. I don't want to say, "oh I'm farther along than that person in this, this and this area." I want to live my life to MY limit. I want to reach the heights that I can reach. I will do this. I am determined, I am blessed to have my own apartment, a great job, and a wonderful support group. I can do this, and I'm stoked to see how it goes.
I've been feeling a lot of kinship with the people around me who have been constantly supporting me in losing weight and making better choices, especially with people at work and my mom. I can't tell you how freeing and terrifying it is to announce your weight to people. I felt ashamed and discouraged because I am a 24 year old accomplished woman, who weighed almost 250 pounds. Wtf? Everyone was shocked, because I didn't look like I weighed that much, but the shock was still there. The "wow, I can't believe that" kind of aspect. So when those people got on the scale in front of family members, friends, and their towns and exposed themselves in that way, I knew the terror and embarrassment, but also the freedom that comes with having your "dirty little secret" out of the closet.
To see parent with their kids, wives with their husbands, and brothers cry together over the state that they had let themselves get into was overwhelmingly sad. That father and daughter? Made me think of me and my dad and how much we love each other, and how he's been worried about my weight since I've been younger.
I don't really know how much weight I'm going to lose. I don't really know what my future holds. I do know, that I want this. I really want this. And I don't want to be in competition. I don't have this feeling of "I'm going to keep what I'm doing a secret so nobody else can do it with me" or "I'm doing this alone." It's not a competition. It's not a race. It's not a time to compare myself with other people and their progress or non progress. This, is the year of me. This is the year that I turn 25, and that I change who I've shown myself to be, and how I've treated myself all these years. When I turn a quarter of a century old, I'm going to be 50 pounds lighter AT LEAST. I'm going to do it, because I'm worth it.
I want to have life, and life to the fullest. I've always been steps ahead of my peers in a lot of areas of my life. But I don't want to measure myself up against them anymore. I don't want to say, "oh I'm farther along than that person in this, this and this area." I want to live my life to MY limit. I want to reach the heights that I can reach. I will do this. I am determined, I am blessed to have my own apartment, a great job, and a wonderful support group. I can do this, and I'm stoked to see how it goes.
fiber on the brain
So I had a great night at Jason's yesterday. We played games, laughed, joked...it's interesting being the only girl in a group of guys. I had a blast and I'm really glad I went. Also, I'm proud of myself because I brought my own food and snacks, and ate healthily while I was there. I don't know if I went over/under my goals (haven't tracked them yet), but I do know I made a great choice by being prepared. So I'm proud of myself.
Well, for the past couple of days I'm been feeling "meh" because my weight has been hovering around or a little bit over 239 (which is what I got to when I lost 7lbs). It was really discouraging for me to see it not move down, especially since I've been making the same type of effort that I did the week before. When I examine what I've eaten though, I am discovering that I have been eating my "max" amount of fats, and the carbs that have been eating have been the less complex carbs (ie sugary stuff). So, I will stay weigh in tomorrow (dun dun dun), but next week I'm going to focus on eating a lot of fruits and veggies, and eating more whole fiber and complex carbs. I also want to focus on not eating a lot of processed foods and sugar. Oh, and make sure I eat a salad for a meal every day. That's one thing that I didn't do this week and it makes a definite difference.
I do want to say that I've been constipated (sorry guys), and feeling kinda full and heavy, and FINALLY today I pooed, and guess what? My weight went back down. So that's another indicator that I need to be better with my fiber consumption :D
Well, for the past couple of days I'm been feeling "meh" because my weight has been hovering around or a little bit over 239 (which is what I got to when I lost 7lbs). It was really discouraging for me to see it not move down, especially since I've been making the same type of effort that I did the week before. When I examine what I've eaten though, I am discovering that I have been eating my "max" amount of fats, and the carbs that have been eating have been the less complex carbs (ie sugary stuff). So, I will stay weigh in tomorrow (dun dun dun), but next week I'm going to focus on eating a lot of fruits and veggies, and eating more whole fiber and complex carbs. I also want to focus on not eating a lot of processed foods and sugar. Oh, and make sure I eat a salad for a meal every day. That's one thing that I didn't do this week and it makes a definite difference.
I do want to say that I've been constipated (sorry guys), and feeling kinda full and heavy, and FINALLY today I pooed, and guess what? My weight went back down. So that's another indicator that I need to be better with my fiber consumption :D
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