Lean in '13. Preparing for the Daniel Fast.

I'm committing to the Daniel Fast. My husband is joining me on this 21 day fast. In a nut shell it's a strict vegan diet. But different from a diet, a fast is to refrain from food. We're denying ourselves certain foods for the purpose of seeking God as Daniel did in the Bible. We will follow his example.
Yes, we are hoping to cleanse our bodies, but we are also seeking God for spiritual renewal and direction in our lives.

We've chosen the date of Monday January 21st to begin this journey. It's the kick-off of my Biggest Loser Contest and also with the 22nd being our wedding anniversary, we thought it appropriate to give this to each other as another way to experience the "oneness" we continuously desire.

I won't lie to you.  It's very hard to give up my own control and my self centeredness and deny myself anything.  I've been talking about relying on God for a long time.  Well, it's time to get my foot and food out of my mouth and practice what I preach.

I'm praying this 21 days of seeking God will get my focus on Him and off of pleasing myself. As His child it is His will that I should bring Him glory.  I have failed hopelessly.  But wait, there is Hope.

Christ conquered death, God created the whole universe, He most certainly can take on anything I want to give Him. Alas, therein lies the key. I must want to give Him my selfishness, addictions, and sinful desires.  I must want to give Him my focus, goals, spiritual desires. and for His glory and not my own.

So to prepare for Monday, we're gathering our scriptural devotions and other reading/writing material. Seeking spritual and physical counsel with church friends and professionals. and we've been tapering down some of the items on the "Fast from" list. I've already gathered a few recipes and will be looking for more.

To celebrate our anniversary, instead of going out to the movies, we'll go shopping together for all the fruits and vegatables.

New Year! New committment. LEAN IN '13!

Well it's been a year since my last post. I've been up and down. I started a new job right as I was starting this blog and that took over my focus.
I managed to maintain with regular exercise but I didn't transform at all because I haven't allowed God to transform my addictive behaviors towards food.

I haven't given up yet.  Last night I joined a team for the BIGGEST LOSER contest at my gym. It begins January 21 and runs through the 16th of March.  I'm committing to going to the gym 3 times per week.  I'm researching the Daniel Fast.

My failure at weight loss this year has gotten me in a bit of a spiritual funk. I'm thinking that the Daniel Fast will draw me closer to God while giving me a new perspective on food. I haven't committed to it yet though.

It's time to dig down deep and take off the mask.

I'll be posting a "before" picture on January 21st and then the first progress picture on March 16th.

LEAN IN '13!

This picture was taken on September 23, 2010. I'll use it as my "before" picture.
History: I've been overweight since I can remember. After Rebekah was born in 1989, I did Nutrisystem and lost 60 pounds. I kept it off for over a year until I got pregnant with Holly. I gained 50 pounds with that pregnancy and never took it off. My weight was been up and down but I did regular exercise over the next several years. When I was pregnant with Joshua, I gained another 50 pounds. It's pretty much been uphill since then.
My mother died in 2006 and I've gained over 20 pounds.

August 2009 I talked to my doctor about weight loss. I was fed up with my size and my aches and pains. She said I was a good candidate for gastric bypass surgery or lap band.
I immediately started the process. I did all the preliminary blood work, xrays, ultrasounds, ekg, etc. and weekly classes and group discussions at the hospital. Then came the psych evaluation. That's when I hit the wall. I had issues. So I started psychotherapy right away.

March 2010, my husband Ron started to loose sensation in his hands and legs and began to wobble and fall. In April he had spinal surgery on C4, 5, & 6. Of course my focus changed to him. And I used all of my vacation and sick time to take care of him. He was out of work for four months.

November 2010 a close friend of mine died four days after having gastric bypass surgery. I had been thinking it wasn't for me, then after Sandy passed away, I was convinced.

2011 was all about getting out of the financial hole. The whole year was pretty much a blur. Lots of changes in the house, work, chorus, church, family. Every aspect of my life was in a huge state of flux. Thank God for his faithfulness or I would have just folded.

November 2011, my husband has been transformed and is a new creature in Christ. I have a new lease on life. I feel like we've started to really live. I feel like I can take on the world. In response to God's love, I want to present my body to God as a living sacrifice, holy and blameless. I have the Holy Spirit indwelling and my body is to be a temple.

Well now it's time to give this temple a makeover. This blog will be a place for me to journal my journey. I've been looking for an accountability partner for years. I've discovered that I have to be accountable to myself and God and stop depending on others for my success.