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Always, always check with your doctor before beginning a new diet. Diet plans work best when combined with exercise. Always check with your doctor before you start an exercise program. I am not a certified nutritionist.
Having dispensed with my disclaimers, I want to share with you something I have been doing with surprisingly good results. In the past, when trying to lose weight, I would fast for two meals, usually breakfast and lunch, then eat a reasonable supper that included all the major food groups for balance in nutrition. It did help me lose the weight I wanted to lose, but it was not good for my stomach, which stayed hungry from the time I got up until I had supper. Drinking water in place of food was only minimally effective. Fasting has a place, but I believe it should be reserved for times of intense spiritual cleansing and petition. One day two weeks ago, I spied some snack boxes of raisins while I was buying groceries. I thought, "I could have one for breakfast with a lot of water (16-20 ounces), one for lunch with a lot of water, and then eat a balanced supper. It will save money and I might even lose some of this spare tire I've acquired over the last 4 years." I did NOT expect the small box of raisins to fill me up, but I was hoping to at least put enough in my stomach to keep it from hurting itself. No one needs an ulcer. Or cancer. But when I discovered I was satisfied with the small snack box and water, I looked it up online. Apparently, raisins raise the level of leptin in your system, helping to naturally curb the appetite. That doesn't mean I'm stuffed and wouldn't be able to eat a twinkie or a hot dog, but the hunger is simply not there. That's where willpower comes in. I simply have to remind myself to wait until supper, then i can have my twinkie--after I have my nutritiously balanced meal. I have already had the whole day's serving of fruit, so I focus on vegetables, protein (meat), and whole grains. The total amount of calories coming from the raisins is 260. They provide some Protein (2 grams), Dietary Fiber (4 grams), vitamin C (4% DV), Calcium (4% DV), Potassium (18% DV), and Iron (8% DV). They have no fat or cholesterol. They provide 25 grams of sugars per box, so if a person has diabetes, they would want to check with the doctor to see if that is the kind that will be absorbed into thier bloodstream too quickly. I know it is not as bad for someone with diabetes as syrup on their pancakes. That all hits the bloodstream at once because it is broken down so quickly. So far, I have lost 5 pounds in two weeks. I am not exercising yet, but I keep meaning to. Besides weight control, exercise is good for overall cardiovascular health. I am not recommending this diet to anyone. I simply wanted to share with you what I have been doing and how it is working for me. I tried just cutting back at meals, but I couldn't manage to control my appetite or calorie intake enough to lose the first pound. I am very excited about comortably losing 5 pounds in two weeks! This is your new blog post. Click here and start typing, or drag in elements from the top bar.
I recently had a friend share with me that she was not attending church because people at church had talked bad about her and her family. I was sad to hear that, and let her know that the purpose of the church gathering was to encourage and build each other up, not hurt one another. I told her I was sorry to hear it had happened, and that such things should never happen.
However, I went on to say that, unfortunately, people at work talk about us too, but we still show up. I hope she experiences the love of a church family that functions as the heart, hands, and feet of Jesus to her. Best Christmas gift ever--Jesus!!
What do we have to offer Jesus in 2012? How about our daily worship? I don't mean standing with hands raised, eyes closed, and singing worshipful songs, although that is certainly not a bad thing. Worship could also be called "worth-ship"; basically, it means to assign worth and value to someone or something. Daily worship translates into the daily choices we make, from the mundane to the monumental. Mundane choices include ones such as what we wear, how we spend a dollar, how we choose to treat people trying to get ahead of us in the grocery line, and how creative our vocabulary will be. Considering that God admonishes us to ..."not let any unwholesome talk..." come out of our mouths (from Ephesians 4:29), but only things that are helpful to others, do we consistently treat Him as worthy of our efforts in that area? . As we assign value to God with our daily, mundane choices, it becomes natural to worship Him with the monumental ones, such as deciding on a college/career, choosing a spouse, starting a family, or spending ten thousand dollars! Romans 12:1 and 2 implores us to give ourselves to the sacrifice of daily worship since it is only reasonable in light of all Jesus has done for us. This comes about by allowing God's Holy Spirit to transform our minds through His Word. If we were to immerse ourselves in as much Bible study as television viewing, do you think we would see a paradigm shift in our values and personal spiritual growth? With daily worship (or worth-ship), could we be living in the center of His perfect Will? Don't let this world's prevailing-but-failing philosophies mold you! The next time someone asks you, "Where do you worship?" you could say, "The checkout line," or, "at work," or "in traffic," and see what they say! For a child of God, every day is Thanksgiving! Make a list of things you are thankful for. You will run out of time. I am thankful for so many things, I can't put them all in this blog. To start us off, I will say that I am most thankful that God does not change. Beyond that, I am thankful that Jesus is my Savior, that my family loves Jesus and is healthy, that I can walk across the room without pain, that there are still people in the world that listen to God and help others in need. I COULD GO ON FOREVER! What are you thankful for?
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I will start us out by mentioning an inspiring idea I heard from Dr. Phil the other day. I was in the break room at work, and the T.V. was on. He said something to the effect that the difference between a dream and a goal was a timeline and a game plan. It sounds simple and obvious at first, but it really is profound because many of us miss this distinction, thinking we have some goals, when, actually, they are just dreams. Do you have a timeline and a game plan for your dreams? Is there something God has called you to do that you have yet to begin? True, we need to pray (always) and wait on God at times, but if we do that our whole life and never take action, we will have missed out on all the blessings God intended for us and for the ones to whom we would have ministered. What are some of your dreams? |
About Donna: Happy wife and
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