Fabulous Financials

Prayer Journal Message: Diet plans come and go.  Weight comes off; weight goes back on.  One thing will not change, and that is the loving kindness of the Lord.  When the frustration sets in, the Lord is there.  When we lose our patience, He will forgive.  The Lord is our closest ally and our strongest supporter.  We may decide that a particular diet plan isn’t for us or that we need to try something new, but we can never afford to turn away from God. God will help us with whatever plan we choose to follow.

Related Scripture: And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, this is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:21

Today’s Thought: Any attempt made to lose weight is incomplete without God.

Prayer Journal Message: The earliest days of a diet are the hardest.  There are times when it just seems impossible to resist the wonderful treats that appear everywhere.  But resist we must.  The reward comes to us when we realize that with each victory over an individual temptation, it becomes all the easier to resist in the future.  The largest part of the battle is to realize that we really can do it.  The Scriptures promise us that when we resist temptation (the devil), it will flee from us, and it will trouble us no more.  God never makes a promise that He won’t keep.  The battle’s been won.

Today’s Thought (per the journal): There is no temptation I cannot resist!

Related Scripture: Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. James 4:7

One of my Tweeps asked if I were going to reward myself at certain stages of my health & fitness/weight loss journey. At the time, I didn’t have an answer, but she got me thinking. Hmm…I am finally conquering the one thing I’ve always failed in life, so why didn’t I have plans to reward myself for the hard work? *shrug*  Now I know why.

It was because I hadn’t thought of anything meaningful that wouldn’t set me back.  To be honest, I’d love to have a piece of Kahlua Cocoa Coffee Cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory.  Shoot, I’d love to have one of those heavenly sensations right now!  But would that really motivate me to keep going?  Umm…NO!  It would send me straight to the land of sinful regrets!  In my opinion, rewards should be timely, relevant, and meaningful.  So after giving it more thought, I finally decided on when and how to reward myself.

Wanna hear it? Here it goes!

When I achieve 25% of my weight loss goal:

I’m going to buy a pair of jeans in the size I want to be when it’s all said and done. Ha! I can see myself now – trying on those jeans every month week just to see if I can fit them yet. LOL!

• Week 1: ooh, I can get one leg in.
• Week 3: Uh oh, there’s the other lower leg.
• Week 7: Hey there thighs!
• Week 10: I can pull them up if I lay down and suck everything in reeeeeeeeal tight!
• Week 15: And they’re on!  But fool, you can’t breathe! Take ‘em OFF!!  Hurry up before your brain pops! LOL!

If all goes well, I might attain this milestone at my next weigh-in.  If I do, watch out for the tomfoolery on Twitter. Ha!

When I achieve 50% of my weight loss goal:

I’m going to hire a personal trainer.  By then, I may reach the infamous plateau that I keep hearing about.  The trainer should be able to mix things up a bit and help me get out of the rut.

When I achieve 75% of my weight loss goal:

I’m going to register for my first 5K race.  When that time comes and I actually commit to running a race, I will know the end is near.  I will need that extra burst of energy and some adrenaline to put a fire under my butt.  Doing something that I’d never thought possible is exactly what I’ll need.  Gotta keep my eyes focused on that finish line – figuratively and literally!

When I achieve my final weight loss goal:

I’m going on a shopping spree for a whole new wardrobe.  Yea baby!!  Clothes. Shoes. Accessories. Oh my!  I hear the weight maintenance phase is much harder than the weight loss phase, so I’ll need something uber fabulous to keep the pep in my step.  I’m not sure what the budget will be. Depending on my finances at the time, I’m thinking $1,500 to $2,000.

When you achieve one of your goals (i.e. save $1,000 or lose 10 lbs), do you reward yourself?

If so, how?

Prayer Journal Message: Long distance runners train themselves to think of the finish line.  They visualize it just ahead.   They say this keeps them from wanting to give up somewhere along the way.  The reward of crossing the finish line is worth more than any pain or discomfort on the way. Dieters can learn from this.  Instead of dwelling on how hungry we are or how much we long for rich foods, we should continually think in terms of the rewards that await us at the end.  Christians follow Christ with hope of a heavenly reward.  Faith means we await something yet to come.  Dieting means we live in the hope of trimming down and looking fit.

Today’s Thought (per the journal): The reward of our diet is greater than the sacrifice!

Related Scripture: He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour. Proverbs 21:21.

Loved this entry with a few exceptions:

First, I don’t like the word “diet” because it’s too restricting, it’s only temporary, and impossible to maintain once you achieve your goal.  Therefore, you will only see me use the terms health (read: nutrition) and/or fitness.  As I read this journal, everywhere I see the word “diet,” I replace it with “healthy nutrition” in my mind because I intend to make a permanent lifestyle change.

Second, I marked through “how hungry we are” because, IMO, when your body says you’re hungry, you should eat.  The key is choosing the right food(s), portion control, and stopping when you’re satisfied – not belly aching full.

With those exceptions, the reward IS worth the sacrifice.

Some of you may remember when I returned to blogging, I mentioned that I read/write in a prayer journal to assist me with my health & fitness goals.  I wholeheartedly believe that when I include God in my pursuits, the burdens are removed from my path. That’s not to say the experience is without challenges, but I have witnessed Him remove the roadblocks out of my way and make me stronger.  Therefore, I attribute everything I’ve accomplished in life to God because I know I could not have done it without Him.  Health & Fitness is no different.

People often ask me how do I stay so focused, what keeps me motivated, etc.  So on Sundays, I want to share a message from my prayer journal that inspired me the most and helped me push through the challenges of the week. If this is not for you, when you see the blog title “Prayer Journal,” skip it.  This is for everyone who believes in the power of God.

Prayer Journal Message:  There are going to be days when we feel we just can’t do it. Everywhere we turn, there is another temptation, another chance to blow it.  Occasionally, we might even give in, but that is no reason to give up. Part of being human means we won’t succeed every time we try something. That’s okay. When we find ourselves in situations where we give in, that is when we need to call on God, asking for forgiveness, strength, and determination. God shall send forth His mercy and His truth, and we will be able to pick up from where we left off and do even better the next time.

Today’s Thought: Losing one battle doesn’t mean I’ve lost the war!

Related Scripture: He shall send from heaven, and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up. Selah. God shall send forth his mercy and his truth. Psalm 57:3

If you messed up in the past, we have a new week to try it again.

Let’s get it!