Hello out there! I just wanted to let you know that I'm not dead, but my interent was for about 10 days. So, here's a breif catch up. God is good. 'Nuff said.
But since I'm never good at letting a few words ays what a lot of words could..............I'm doing OK. My eating has stayed pretty good. I'm getting in more quiet times than I was. I'm still struggling with the exercise part - my walking days are allways great, but the rest of the days it seems to fall to the bottom of the list and I never get to it. Mainly, I can tell you that God is really working on me. He's providing for me. He's reminding me that I must be humble. He's also reminding me that amazing things are ahead. Thank you all for your prayers. I should get back in the groove of frequent posting now that my internet is functional again!
Monday, July 16, 2007
Friday, July 6, 2007
Treading Water
So, I'm not sinking, but I certainly don't feel like I'm making forward motion these days. This week has been as crazy as last. Swim lessons finished today so I can at least get hooked back up with my walking buddies next week and return to my "normal" structure. I think that will help some. I've been beating myself up a bit because I feel like I've been eating a lot of junk. The funny part is that what I'm now considering junk is still WAY healthier than my normal food was three months ago. Things like the yummy dessert my mom taught me how to make with sugar free fudge-pops, sf cool whip, and natural pb. Like I said, WAY healthier than cookies, but to me it now seems like junk food. I've been thinking about why the last two weeks have seemed so challenging to me and here's what I've come up with...............
I walk in circles. I think we all do actually. I think the particular circle I got caught in this time is this: I try hard to loose weight, I try programs & groups & systems, I realize I need God's help, He provides me with help, I start to do well, I think I don't need help anymore, I struggle, I regress, I try hard to lose weight.
I'm currently in the I struggle part - I think I've actually shifted my circle a bit because I've realized what is happening and am making every effort to not start over but instead go straight back to the Source of all help and all good things. I do think Satan has been captivating my thoughts lately and as scripture tells me I need to take those very thoughts captive once again. Those thoughts are for God and by letting Satan have a party in my brain I'm short-circuiting the whole system. I guess the good news is that I don't really feel like I'm having to push reset this time. Instead it's more like I've been on pause and all I have to do is push play and I can continue on the journey without having to go back to the beginning. So, how do I push play? I think I have to ask God to push it for me. Daily, on my knees, I need to ask God to be my remote control - the beautiful part is that He isn't so "remote"! My God is a very hands-on dude. Just ask my friend Kara - her example has inspired the last few weeks as she had stepped out on faith and let God truly lead her life in any direction He sees fit. I know she and her family will be blessed by her faith.
I guess that's it for now. That was probably too many mixed metaphors for one post, but that's just how my brain is working right now. If you think my thoughts are hard to read and follow, you should try living with them!
Pray for me sweet friends, I need God's strength and courage to propel me forward in more than one area of my life right now. I know all to well that if your tread water for too long you eventually get tired and start to drown. I want to swim ahead and reach the other side where I can live in joyful obedience to a Father I know has plans for me.
I walk in circles. I think we all do actually. I think the particular circle I got caught in this time is this: I try hard to loose weight, I try programs & groups & systems, I realize I need God's help, He provides me with help, I start to do well, I think I don't need help anymore, I struggle, I regress, I try hard to lose weight.
I'm currently in the I struggle part - I think I've actually shifted my circle a bit because I've realized what is happening and am making every effort to not start over but instead go straight back to the Source of all help and all good things. I do think Satan has been captivating my thoughts lately and as scripture tells me I need to take those very thoughts captive once again. Those thoughts are for God and by letting Satan have a party in my brain I'm short-circuiting the whole system. I guess the good news is that I don't really feel like I'm having to push reset this time. Instead it's more like I've been on pause and all I have to do is push play and I can continue on the journey without having to go back to the beginning. So, how do I push play? I think I have to ask God to push it for me. Daily, on my knees, I need to ask God to be my remote control - the beautiful part is that He isn't so "remote"! My God is a very hands-on dude. Just ask my friend Kara - her example has inspired the last few weeks as she had stepped out on faith and let God truly lead her life in any direction He sees fit. I know she and her family will be blessed by her faith.
I guess that's it for now. That was probably too many mixed metaphors for one post, but that's just how my brain is working right now. If you think my thoughts are hard to read and follow, you should try living with them!
Pray for me sweet friends, I need God's strength and courage to propel me forward in more than one area of my life right now. I know all to well that if your tread water for too long you eventually get tired and start to drown. I want to swim ahead and reach the other side where I can live in joyful obedience to a Father I know has plans for me.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Walking Backwards
That's kind of how I felt this week. My schedule was all out of sorts and I never found a groove. Paris had swim lessons every morning so my regular exercise routine for the week didn't happen...at all. We've been staying up late (read: sleeping late). I didn't get enough reading done (I have like a half a book to read before our book club meets on Monday!) I guess I did OK with food. I really felt the effects of the female monthly this week. I've always known the I crave some chocolate during the pms phase, but I really craved carbs all week. I ate oatmeal almost everyday and even had a piece of bread (whole grain & sugar free!) every day with one meal or another. Lots less fruits than I had been eating. It was just a weird week. I'm humbly asking for your prayers this next week as swim lessons continue and my daily routine will continue to be less than "normal". We are also having a BBQ with a few friends on the 4th. I "politely suggested" that everyone bring health conscious sides/desserts to go with the fake fried chicken I'm making (it's baked) and all the meat Easy will be grilling. More than anything I solicit your prayers that I can put my head back in the word on a a daily basis. Just because my kids are sleeping later doesn't mean I have to. Please pray that God nudge me from my bed each morning so I can start the day off at His feet instead of hitting mine in response to the coos and cries of my children.
Sunday, June 24, 2007
Weekend In Review
Well, I'm feeling convicted to post about my weekend. It was a busy one. I know I made a few choices that were less than great, but I also made some that were really good. So, here's the low-down:
Friday night was date night. This was our first date night since I've made than major nutritional changes in my diet. We went to Abuello's - our first time there. I was a little nervouse because I LOVE Mexican food - the tortillas, the cheese, the chips, the queso (that's cheese again!), the enchilada sauce, refried beans....and the list of less than healthy favorites goes on and on. So, we get seated and instead of queso, we ordered some guacamole and when we finished the guac I removed the chips from our reach. What really made me happy is that I had a hard time choosing between all the health-full options because the all sounded so good! I ended up ordering some grilled skewers (chicken & shrimp) and I substitued fresh broccoli for the mexican mashed potatoes that came with it. I got no dessert. The splurge for that meal would definitely be the chips at the beginning and the fruity adult beverage I had. (there's a story behind that - it was long overdue......if my future matches my past I won't have another drink like that for a few years!) All in all I felt I handled the evening well. Oh, and some calories got bruned. I'll leave it at that. :-) (I apologize, this is supposed to be my spiritual blog - I usually reserve comments like that for my other blog - oops.)
So then came Saturday - Paris' 5th b-day party. I think the day went fantastic! The kids had a blast and most importantly for me, I didn't eat a piece of cake or ice cream! I have to shout out for my friend Kara as well. She made the cake (which looked amazing as always!) and she didn't even take a nibble in the process - no cake crumbs, no icing. Way to go Kara! My hubby saved me late in the day. I was tired and was thinking things like, "Let's just go grab some burgers or something." Before I could say anything of the sort he suggested we bake the trout he caught on a fishing trip recently. We baked it and had it over whole grain brown & wild rice. Yum-O! I did have two pinches of cake that night, it tasted great, but was sweet enough that I didn't even want more. My how my body has changed it's preferences already!
And that brings us to today. Today is Paris' actual b-day. She's been planning all week to eat at Doubledave's. I was pleased when we walked in to see that DD's is now offering a healthier fare on "green trays" in their buffet. The crust is a honey wheat crust and they use chicken and veggies and much less cheese. Sadly, the went a bit overboard with the onions (which I don't even like on my pizza anyway) so I passed on the green tray and ate the real stuff. I didn't over eat though. My second transgression would be at dinner - I made pancakes for Paris and I ate some. I could really tell that the whole concept of "carb addiction" is real today. After eating those things I found myself really wanting a piece of her cake. Instead, we went out to the back porch and had some watermelon. We also went for a family walk this evening, so I worked in some exercise. Not my best day far as the food goes, but it was a fabulous family day. We even got to all go to worship service together. I usually work the nursery, but I took the day off today so we could all be together all day. It was wonderful.
OK, there you have it. I know I could have done a lot worse than I did, but I still own the fact that I made a few bad choices. As Easy reminded me, it's not a big deal that I "splurged," I just need to remember that this week I will probably have to face some of those cravings down again. I know with God's strength and y'all's encouragement I will get through any momentary cravng and keep this temple headed in the right direction.
Friday night was date night. This was our first date night since I've made than major nutritional changes in my diet. We went to Abuello's - our first time there. I was a little nervouse because I LOVE Mexican food - the tortillas, the cheese, the chips, the queso (that's cheese again!), the enchilada sauce, refried beans....and the list of less than healthy favorites goes on and on. So, we get seated and instead of queso, we ordered some guacamole and when we finished the guac I removed the chips from our reach. What really made me happy is that I had a hard time choosing between all the health-full options because the all sounded so good! I ended up ordering some grilled skewers (chicken & shrimp) and I substitued fresh broccoli for the mexican mashed potatoes that came with it. I got no dessert. The splurge for that meal would definitely be the chips at the beginning and the fruity adult beverage I had. (there's a story behind that - it was long overdue......if my future matches my past I won't have another drink like that for a few years!) All in all I felt I handled the evening well. Oh, and some calories got bruned. I'll leave it at that. :-) (I apologize, this is supposed to be my spiritual blog - I usually reserve comments like that for my other blog - oops.)
So then came Saturday - Paris' 5th b-day party. I think the day went fantastic! The kids had a blast and most importantly for me, I didn't eat a piece of cake or ice cream! I have to shout out for my friend Kara as well. She made the cake (which looked amazing as always!) and she didn't even take a nibble in the process - no cake crumbs, no icing. Way to go Kara! My hubby saved me late in the day. I was tired and was thinking things like, "Let's just go grab some burgers or something." Before I could say anything of the sort he suggested we bake the trout he caught on a fishing trip recently. We baked it and had it over whole grain brown & wild rice. Yum-O! I did have two pinches of cake that night, it tasted great, but was sweet enough that I didn't even want more. My how my body has changed it's preferences already!
And that brings us to today. Today is Paris' actual b-day. She's been planning all week to eat at Doubledave's. I was pleased when we walked in to see that DD's is now offering a healthier fare on "green trays" in their buffet. The crust is a honey wheat crust and they use chicken and veggies and much less cheese. Sadly, the went a bit overboard with the onions (which I don't even like on my pizza anyway) so I passed on the green tray and ate the real stuff. I didn't over eat though. My second transgression would be at dinner - I made pancakes for Paris and I ate some. I could really tell that the whole concept of "carb addiction" is real today. After eating those things I found myself really wanting a piece of her cake. Instead, we went out to the back porch and had some watermelon. We also went for a family walk this evening, so I worked in some exercise. Not my best day far as the food goes, but it was a fabulous family day. We even got to all go to worship service together. I usually work the nursery, but I took the day off today so we could all be together all day. It was wonderful.
OK, there you have it. I know I could have done a lot worse than I did, but I still own the fact that I made a few bad choices. As Easy reminded me, it's not a big deal that I "splurged," I just need to remember that this week I will probably have to face some of those cravings down again. I know with God's strength and y'all's encouragement I will get through any momentary cravng and keep this temple headed in the right direction.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Tough Week
That's what it's been. Tripp spiked a fever at VBS on Tuesday evening. He ran one all day Wednesday and has had a rash all over for two days now. Fever is gone though. That prevented me from keeping my "normal" schedule. I'm also PMS-ing which makes me very tired and very cranky. All that together makes it harder to make good choices with food! I've done well though. Wednesday night I actually had the frozen burritos in my hand when I stopped and thought about what I was doing. I put them up and stir-fryed a big bunch of veggies instead. The PMS really does make my sweet tooth scream. (and I mean SCREAM) I've been having a bowl of oatmeal sweetened with Splenda in the evenings. Today I did hit my stash - I keep some dark chocolate on hand for days like today when I'm barely hanging on to sanity and that tooth just won't shut up. I ate two little squares of the bar and put the rest back int the zip-top baggie.
Anywho........I have been reading in Beth Moore and also in the book on contenement for LBC. My quiet time this morning is what stuck with me today though. I'm in Luke 20-something. It was about the "end of days." The study guide I use prompted with a question on my personal feelings when thinking of the end of days. I thought for a minute and found that it doesn't really matter to me if it's now or not. Every day I just want to get up and do what God needs me to do that day. Some days that's all about being Mom, somtimes it's being there for a friend, sometimes it's speaking something out loud that I don't want to say but He's prompting me to anyway, sometimes it's all about being a wife, whatever the task - that's all I want to do each day. I want to follow His lead. If we are nearing the end of days I say "Woo Hoo!!! Let's go home!" If we're not, then so what - it doesn't really change what I want to do every day - simply follow His lead. I know that He will always be leading me to do things that will increase His kindgom and I'm begining to understand and beleieve that He actually has a job for me, Sarah Foster, to do.
Anywho........I have been reading in Beth Moore and also in the book on contenement for LBC. My quiet time this morning is what stuck with me today though. I'm in Luke 20-something. It was about the "end of days." The study guide I use prompted with a question on my personal feelings when thinking of the end of days. I thought for a minute and found that it doesn't really matter to me if it's now or not. Every day I just want to get up and do what God needs me to do that day. Some days that's all about being Mom, somtimes it's being there for a friend, sometimes it's speaking something out loud that I don't want to say but He's prompting me to anyway, sometimes it's all about being a wife, whatever the task - that's all I want to do each day. I want to follow His lead. If we are nearing the end of days I say "Woo Hoo!!! Let's go home!" If we're not, then so what - it doesn't really change what I want to do every day - simply follow His lead. I know that He will always be leading me to do things that will increase His kindgom and I'm begining to understand and beleieve that He actually has a job for me, Sarah Foster, to do.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Update
It's been crazy and busy and I was even without internet for a bit. We had water running in our internet cable that attaches to the big antenna on top of the house. Yes, I said water, running into an electrical system. Glad I caught it when I did and now it's all better.
Consumption: Has been going really well. I find that making good choices is easier every day. The weekend was challenging as I attended a potluck on Saturday, and had to eat at Whataburger that same night. I did pretty good though. I chose to have NO dessert at the potluck and NO bread. At dinner I ordered a grilled chicken salad, but I did bum some fries off a friend. They tasted good, but I didn't even finish all of them so I think I ate maybe a quarter of an order of medium fries.
Exercise: Last week was not so good as I was fighting off some sickness. I did walk on Friday and I walked again on yesterday. I just didn't do T-TH last week.
Clutter Control: barely keeping up
Spiritual Development: I'm back in Luke for morning quiet time. I didn't do that this morning. The whole house overslept. VBS kept us up late last night. I am reading in the Beth Moore book and am enjoying it quite a bit. I'm about to start the chapter on beleiving I am who God says I am. Knowing that is an area I really struggle with made me decide last night that it could wait for today. I had already read two chapters and thought I should wait until I was more awake to dive into that topic.
Oh - and the # on the scale is dropping!!! My clothes are beginning to fit a bit deffierently as well. Since starting this blog I have lost 10.5 pounds. Keep the prayers and support coming as I celebrate freedom from those pounds while knowing there's a good 30-40 more to go!
Consumption: Has been going really well. I find that making good choices is easier every day. The weekend was challenging as I attended a potluck on Saturday, and had to eat at Whataburger that same night. I did pretty good though. I chose to have NO dessert at the potluck and NO bread. At dinner I ordered a grilled chicken salad, but I did bum some fries off a friend. They tasted good, but I didn't even finish all of them so I think I ate maybe a quarter of an order of medium fries.
Exercise: Last week was not so good as I was fighting off some sickness. I did walk on Friday and I walked again on yesterday. I just didn't do T-TH last week.
Clutter Control: barely keeping up
Spiritual Development: I'm back in Luke for morning quiet time. I didn't do that this morning. The whole house overslept. VBS kept us up late last night. I am reading in the Beth Moore book and am enjoying it quite a bit. I'm about to start the chapter on beleiving I am who God says I am. Knowing that is an area I really struggle with made me decide last night that it could wait for today. I had already read two chapters and thought I should wait until I was more awake to dive into that topic.
Oh - and the # on the scale is dropping!!! My clothes are beginning to fit a bit deffierently as well. Since starting this blog I have lost 10.5 pounds. Keep the prayers and support coming as I celebrate freedom from those pounds while knowing there's a good 30-40 more to go!
Thursday, June 14, 2007
An Example
I thought I would provide an example of how I'm changing my food choices to be a healthier temple.
Old Sarah
Breakfast: 2 Waffles with I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter and Brown Sugar. Probably some Bacon on the side - 4 pieces.
Lunch: Tuna salad (made with canned tuna ,mayo, & relish) sammie on white sandwich bread with at least one slice of cheese. Side of chips of some sort.
Snack: 100 calorie pack of some sort of sugary proccesed food. Or a bowl of chips. Or a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.
Dinner: Bread of some sort, pasta dish of some kind - usually with beef and some sort of creamy or cheesy sauce or tomto sauce, maybe some salad or a side veggie that was turned into a casserole (meaning cheese, butter, or any manner of other ingredients was added)
Snack: see above snack and repeat
New Sarah
Breakfast: Meal replacement bar or shake OR an egg sramble with ham and veggies.
Snack: Whole fruit or light yogurt or handful of almonds
Lunch (this is what I had today): Salmon salad (made with salmon, light mayo, olives, relish, and slivered almonds) heaped a top one piece of whole grain bread
Snack: Whole fruit, veggie and dip (that I made from chickpeas and olives - not sure but I may have made hummus without knowing it), light yogurt, or turkey wrapped around a low-fat string cheese.
Dinner: Varies - we're still working our way through our most recent Big Cook and it was done before I made this shift. So, it's usually a small portion of whatever that entree is plus some veggies (whole raw, steamed, or sauted in EVOO) or salad.
Snack: Any of the above mentioned snacks.
Small changes with a big effect. I feel better. I have more energy. The number on the scale is smaller. My kids are making much better choices for their foods! It helps that the not so good options aren't in the house.
Old Sarah
Breakfast: 2 Waffles with I Can't Beleive It's Not Butter and Brown Sugar. Probably some Bacon on the side - 4 pieces.
Lunch: Tuna salad (made with canned tuna ,mayo, & relish) sammie on white sandwich bread with at least one slice of cheese. Side of chips of some sort.
Snack: 100 calorie pack of some sort of sugary proccesed food. Or a bowl of chips. Or a Skinny Cow ice cream sandwich.
Dinner: Bread of some sort, pasta dish of some kind - usually with beef and some sort of creamy or cheesy sauce or tomto sauce, maybe some salad or a side veggie that was turned into a casserole (meaning cheese, butter, or any manner of other ingredients was added)
Snack: see above snack and repeat
New Sarah
Breakfast: Meal replacement bar or shake OR an egg sramble with ham and veggies.
Snack: Whole fruit or light yogurt or handful of almonds
Lunch (this is what I had today): Salmon salad (made with salmon, light mayo, olives, relish, and slivered almonds) heaped a top one piece of whole grain bread
Snack: Whole fruit, veggie and dip (that I made from chickpeas and olives - not sure but I may have made hummus without knowing it), light yogurt, or turkey wrapped around a low-fat string cheese.
Dinner: Varies - we're still working our way through our most recent Big Cook and it was done before I made this shift. So, it's usually a small portion of whatever that entree is plus some veggies (whole raw, steamed, or sauted in EVOO) or salad.
Snack: Any of the above mentioned snacks.
Small changes with a big effect. I feel better. I have more energy. The number on the scale is smaller. My kids are making much better choices for their foods! It helps that the not so good options aren't in the house.
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