Five Weight-Loss Resources for the Fat Girl

Last year, I tried to get back to my pre-pregnancy shape. More of a stick figure. Less of a pear. I went on a 15-day rapid weight-loss plan and had some success. I managed to lose eight pounds and keep them off for a few months. However, the fat girl returned this holiday season. I promised myself I would enjoy the Christmas cookies, chocolate bars, and Gingerbread Lattes with no remorse. By December 31st, I had regained those eight pounds and added five more. Ouch! {Remorse.}

It's January. The new year rang in, and so did the determination to lose the weight and turn my muffin-topped pear into a six-pack. (Well, at least I'd like to fit back into my new jeans again.)

5 Weight-Loss Resources for Fat Girls Like Me

1. The Bible - There are several scriptures that provide hope, confidence, and determination. Here's one of my favorites:

I can do all things (God calls me to do) through Christ who strengthens me. 

     ~ Philippians 4:13

2. 100 Pound Loser: How I Ate What I Wanted, Had Four Babies, & Still Took Control of My Weight - And You Can Too! by Jessica Heights

I just found this book through a post on another blog. I immediately downloaded it from amazon. And, I cannot wait to read it, since the author has a really great sense of humor. Her title says it all, doesn't it?

{Click on the book covers to be linked to the storefront attached.}

3. The Birchcreek Secret to Total Health by Ron and Julie Odato

Meet Ron and Julie Odato. Friends of mine who happen to have a book. They also happen to run a successful weight-loss retreat and have seen miracles happen in people's lives as those people have taken control of their dietary habits. It's their 15-day plan I participated in last year that helped me lose the eight pounds.

I recommend their book.

4. Reshaping it All: Motivation for Physical and Spiritual Fitness by Candace Cameron Bure

Many may recognize Candace as Full House kid, DJ Tanner. What I love about her book is that she not only focuses on the physical, but she understands the importance of the spiritual, as well. I cannot do anything in my own willpower. Eventually, I will fail. In Jesus, I can find success. Her book focuses on that aspect of our health, as well.



5. REFIT Cardio Dance Fitness Videos 
 I LOVE these videos. They're available on YouTube, and I'm subscribed. I can work out any time I want to, in the privacy of my own home. Most of the music the girls use is Christian. The music that isn't is clean. It's upbeat fun! I love that their routines are easy to follow, since they use repetition in their dance moves within each song. I can piecemeal them together, or I can use an entire 8-song routine, depending on my schedule for the day. And trust me when I say that you will be feeling it -- all over. They work more than one area every routine they do. Here's a sample for your viewing pleasure:

PS - Don't forget to shake your booty!

Creative Resolutions to Consider in the New Year

As I said yesterday, many of us are considering our New Year's Resolutions. What do we want to accomplish in 2012? What would we like to see God do in our lives in 2012? What would we like to do with our lives for God in 2012? These are all questions we consider as we watch the crystal ball drop down the pole, counting off the last 60 seconds of the year before.

As I've poured through blog posts and facebook status updates, I've noticed several creative ways to answer these questions. Since I'm a creative type, I've participated in a few of these myself. As I list them below, I'll share my own answers...

1. A word for 2012 - This is when you ask God to give you one word for the new year. I've done this in the past. Sometimes I get the word at the beginning of the year. Sometimes I get the word during our annual women's conference. This year, I received it just before the new year. As I read the Word one morning last week, God spoke to my heart. Reproduction. Multiplication. My spirit jumped with such a pregnant word. These words imply birth. Newness. Life. More than one life. What will God multiply in my life this year? Will He pour me out into others, allowing a spiritual birth to take place? Will He bring others into my life, multiplying the blessed abundance of friends and Christian family I already have? Will He cause Together Ministries to take off, reproducing or multiplying stronger families? These words hold so much, and my spirit is one full of expectancy this year.


2. A photo for 2012 - Mary DeMuth blogged about this one. I found it refreshing, as I'd never heard of finding a photo to represent the next year of your life. Running along with my word for 2012, I found the following photo:

Photo Courtesy of Johnny Berg

As I thought about reproduction and multiplication, I considered what type of photograph could represent that. A pregnant mother's belly shot? A field of new growth neatly lined in cultivated rows? A bunch of baby bunnies? And then, I thought of it. Baby kitties. Who doesn't love a litter of cute baby kitties? Next to rabbits, I figured cats multiply rather quickly and in large amounts. When searching for a photo, the curiosity of the guy on the left caught my eye. Here is a pillow platter of cute kittens with one who can't wait to see what's in store for him. Just like me. I can't wait to see what God multiplies and reproduces in my life this year!

3. A scripture verse for 2012 - I haven't found this one yet, but I remember the one God gave me last year. "Much food is in the fallow ground of the poor, And for lack of justice there is waste." Proverbs 13:23 God put something special and useful in all of us. It's a lack of justice that causes the waste we see in the lives of others. Think of the foster kids you know who don't have that "forever family." Think of the kids who harass others all day at school because they know no other way to act. Think of the adults who come into church broken and shattered, reeking of alcohol or dressed inappropriately. No one else would look their way. Think of the unlovables who gripe and complain all day about everything. These are the poor. And there is an abundance in each of them, if only someone would say hello, offer a kind word, smile their way. After all, Jesus came to heal them, not those who have no need of a physician.


4. Make a vision board for 2012 - Props to fellow mom Laurie Wallin for sharing this idea. Watch her YouTube video to find out more about the meaning of a vision board. I look forward to making one of my own and to making one with my children and Daddy for the family.


Do you have a word or a photo for the new year? How about a verse? Would you like to make a vision board for yourself or your family? What would you put on it? Feel free to leave your answers in the comments below. I'd love to hear what God is showing He has for you in this new year!

 

Change and 2012

It's a new year! 2012 has blown in with a cool breeze here in South Carolina. As the temperature changes to a winter-like chill, I keep pondering the word "change."

I've seen that word frequently this week. Change. Some of us like change, while others...not so much.

As often as I've seen the word change, I've seen the word resolution. People across the world are considering their resolutions for the changes they'd like to see made in their lives this year. Which brought me to considering the following:

Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever." In other words, He doesn't change. His Word has been the same since the Holy Spirit hovered over the depths of the earth. It's been the same since Eve convinced Adam to partake of the apple with her. It's been the same since Mary heard from an angel that she would be pregnant with God's child. And God's Word remained the same as His Son hung on a cross at Calvary, dying so that we could change.

And that's the key. So often, we want God to change. We want Him to ignore the fact that we've gone around the mountain of overspending, overeating, smoking another pack of cigarettes, having one more drink, watching one more pornographic movie, holding one more grudge, or whatever else our vice is one more time. We want Him to turn His head as we partake in one more sin, knowing He wants us to change but denying Him the power to help us. Instead, we wish He'd change His foundational truths and allow us to have our way. We feel entitled to our way. Why should we change? He created us, knowing we'd be born with this innate desire to do things we know are against His will. So why change?

I spoke with my pastor earlier today, and he shared with me that he preached about the man at the Pool of Bethesda this past Sunday. (I was laid up with a migraine and upset stomach, so I missed church.) He mentioned how the man had to want to be healed and how that healing didn't come the traditional way. The man wouldn't step into the pool's water as it was stirred. Instead, his healing would come another way. A different way. Through the Great Physician Himself.

So often we get hung up on the idea that our healing, that changes in our lives, can only come one way. Yet God has many ways of working out the changes needed in our lives. Jesus told the woman at the well her life story, but when the accusers stood with stones before Mary Magdalene, He simply drew in the sand. While Jesus took one outside the city, another had to press into the crowded streets. What He does to make the changes occur in my life may be entirely different than what He does to make the changes in yours. Because we're each a unique individual, and He knows exactly what we need.

Photo Courtesy of Caltiva

The question is, will we honestly allow Jesus to put us through the Refiner's Fire, enduring the process in order to see the change brought to completion? Will we endure the heat, the chiseling, and the forging? Will we trust Him to give us the strength we need to see the procedure through? Or, will we do as we usually do and give up at the first sign of a flame? Will we go around that mountain again, expecting God to change, unwilling to change ourselves?

Will we see our 2012 resolutions through? Will the pain of remaining the same be more painful than that of changing?

What changes would you like to have God's help with in your life in 2012?   

Putting Off the New Year

Photo Copyright 2010 Alycia W. Morales

The holiday season is upon us. We're busy buying presents, wrapping presents, mailing presents. We're swamped with writing Christmas cards, Christmas lists, and New Year's resolutions. We're baking, blogging, and breathless.

This morning, as I read Psalm 90, I began thinking about 2012 and what I hope it holds. Verses like, "The days of our lives are seventy years; And if by reason of strength they are eighty years, Yet their boast is only labor and sorrow; For it is soon cut off, and we fly away," caused me to pause and reflect on what I've done this past year. Did I only labor? Were my days filled with sorrow?

"So teach us to number our days, That we may gain a heart of wisdom." What can I do in 2012 that reflects numbering my days? Will I simply labor on, hoping I've made a difference in the kingdom of God here on earth? Or will I truly make that difference this year?

And then, the still small voice whispered to my heart. "Mary chose the better part."

See, I'm like Martha right now. I'm concerned with the many things of this holiday season. I am concerned with the many things 2012 will bring. I'm focused on doing, doing, doing.

Mary chose the better part.

In the busyness of the holiday season, we should number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. We should remember to stop and rest at Jesus' feet as we celebrate His glorious birth. We should choose the good part, which will never be taken away from us. The gifts will break or be thrown away or given away. The baked goods will be eaten. The Christmas cards will be tossed or stored. But Jesus will always be alive in our hearts. His word will never fail us. His bread will always sustain us. His water will always quench our thirst. Stop and sit at His feet. Read the word with your children. Remind yourself and others why we celebrate this season.

The new year and all it holds will wait. Put off your resolutions until January 1st. Pray for God to reveal His plan for you as you sit at Jesus' feet. Rest this season. And enjoy all God holds in store for you today.

~ Facing 2011 ~

Photo Copyright 2011 Alycia Morales

Nerf Guns are a huge hit with my boys this Christmas. Dad is even excited by their new toys and leads daily Nerf Gun fights, taking the boys by surprise.

As I square off with 2011, there are a few things I'd like to take by surprise, as well. However, I can do nothing without God. 

 

As I read the Word this morning, I found myself mulling over the words of Proverbs 3:5-6 again. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths." 

  

I remembered I need God first in my life. I need Him before I make any decisions. I need Him before I face the day. I need Him to direct my steps, my paths, and my journey. Without God, I have and am nothing. 

So, as I face 2011, I will be putting God's will first. I will seek Him daily in prayer and through reading His word. I will listen for His guidance in all things important and otherwise...family, church, writing, finances, and the daily to-do-list. And in doing so, I have great expectations for what 2011 will bring. 

What is your top priority in this new year? Please feel free to share with us! Leave your comment below... 

~ Monday Musings ~

2010/2011

What's on my mind this morning is the coming new year. At the end of each year, I like to ponder what has been great, what has been not-so-great, and what could be better improved. I think about these things in the context of my relationship with God, my marriage, my parenting, my work, and our finances. 

What I've discovered in my relationship with God is that I face God-induced challenges in my life, whether I have a mentor watching me from a distance or not. My pastor's wife in NY would constantly challenge me to grow in the things of God, provide wisdom and counsel as needed, and hit me over the head with a proverbial baseball bat when necessary. I've never found another mentor her equal. As I've found myself missing her mentoring these past few months, I've heard God's still small voice whispering that He has plenty of challenges for me. And, He has the wisdom and knowledge I need to meet those challenges. As long as I continue to walk with Him, I am not alone. (And when I need to, I can lean on Him.) 

My marriage gets better and better as the years go by. We've faced step-family relations, the death of a parent, serious injuries our children have suffered, knee surgeries, a (slight) change in career, having to move to continue to have income, and everything else life tends to throw our way. What could possibly improve? 

We can continue to learn and grow together, giving one another the benefit of the doubt and the patience to work through things as they come up. We can encourage one another. We can forgive one another. We can move on together. Our big celebration this year is the birth of our ministry. Together Ministries is well on its way to being an official ministry before the end of 2010. We look forward to what God has in store for 2011, both in our own marriage and in the marriages of others.

I can always improve in the area of parenting. I am noticing generational issues becoming prevalent in my own parenting. My parents worked past normal business hours, as Dad was in real estate and had showings or needed to be on the road acquiring new properties to sell. Mom was an elementary school teacher, which meant she brought her work home with her. I now see myself working past normal business hours, trying to get more done. Research. Write another paragraph. Find that guideline I needed for the submission I want to make tomorrow. Check facebook again to see if someone responded to my inquiry via messages. Tweet one more line. Did she answer my email yet? 

And my son stands by, saying, "Mom, you're always on the computer. I want you to spend time with me." It is my goal (which I've already started working on) to pay more focused attention to my children in the evenings, talking with them and making eye contact, playing that quick game of War or Go Fish, taking one along to the store while I run to pick up another gallon of milk... I know I'm changing the world one moment at a time as I spend that time focused on them. The research can wait until tomorrow.

Work is going very well for me. I know I'm where I need to be in my career path. I enjoy writing and reading and researching. I enjoy meeting with others who share my passion for the written word. I am blessed to have a job that I love and can do from home, allowing me the ability to be here for my family. 

I've considered both of my blogs as 2010 dwindles to an end. What do I want to share with my readers in the new year? Who would I like to invite to share with them, guest blogging? How much time do I have to dedicate to my blogs, since my freelancing is picking up? These are some of the questions I've been considering. Three things will change:

1. I am pleased to announce that I'm lining up guest bloggers for 2011. I'm inviting the experts in. Not only will I continue to pour out my experiences and expertise, but I will now offer you more. 

2. I will, however, be cutting back how often I post each week. Five days is becoming a lot for me, considering everything else I need to do. So, I'll be cutting back my posts to three days a week (which ones, I don't know yet). The guest bloggers will make a fourth day - possibly every week but definitely every other week. 

3. Rather than posting according to the day of the week (Monday Musings, Tuesday Tips, etc.), I'm thinking I'll post according to weekly topic (First Week - Marriage, Second Week - Parenting, etc.). What do you think of this idea? 

As for our finances? I'm hoping that my freelance writing work will soon begin adding to our annual income. While I work on that, I continue to trust God to meet our every need. After all, His word promises that His children will not be seen begging bread. "I have been young, and now am old; Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, Nor his descendants begging bread." (Psalm 37:24-26)

What are you musing this Monday morning?

Looking at the New Year

Well, 2009 has come and gone, and now I am facing 2010. I've gotten off to a fairly slow start, simply because life throws things at me faster than I can catch them. The new year started off for me with sick kiddos and a few days of babysitting for friends who needed some help. Hence, this late posting of my New Year thoughts and those things that I would like to accomplish in the months ahead.

I'm not one to readily make resolutions of the things that I want to do in the new year. The few times that I have tried to do this, I found myself falling short of them by May, let alone December. Why set unattainable goals that I feel I need to accomplish and set myself up for disappointment and frustration? Nope.

I took a different approach this year. I prayed first and sought the Lord for His will in my life, and I told Him I desire fruitfulness above all else. Whatever I put my heart, mind, and hands to do, I want to see fruit. I don't want it to be "just another year." I want it to be a year of accomplishments, successes in the Lord, and fruitfulness.

So, here are the few things that I know I will be doing this year:

1. Prioritizing my to-do list. There are some things that I really don't need to be doing, and there are some things that I do need to be doing. Whatever I am doing, I want to be doing what God has called me to do, not what I think I need to be doing.
"Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established." ~ Prov. 16:3

2. Managing my time. I fell short of this in the past year. I could have gotten a lot more accomplished if I had set up a schedule for myself and followed it. It has become an important goal for me this year.

3. Managing the finances of our household. This will be done with my husband, obviously. I want to see the fruit of our labors spent wisely. I want to be a good steward of what the Lord has provided. I want to be debt free as soon as possible. Dave Ramsey and Financial Peace University will be airing in our home as often as possible!
"...And the borrower is servant to the lender..." ~ Prov. 22:7b

4. Volunteering. I have a desperate need to get out of myself. I work at home, so home is where I am most of the time. After awhile, isolation starts to set in, and I find myself scratching at the walls (almost). It is time to get out and do something. I want to do something for someone else. I will be volunteering in the classrooms that my children attend. I will be volunteering at the local horse rescue. I will be volunteering elsewhere, as God leads.

5. Developing my writing career. This is where I will be focusing my work attention this year. I will be working on my own writing, including blogging, writing for magazines, and writing a book. I want to take the talents that God has given me and put them to good use. It is a total step of faith for me, and I'm sure that there will be moments when I feel like I have no clue where I am going. But, I am trusting God and His directive.

And there you have it! My focus for 2010. My ultimate hope in looking at these is that God will be glorified in all I do, my family will benefit from Mom getting things lined up and in order, and that I will bear good fruit.