Journey To A Healthier Me - Update

It's been a while since I have posted an update relating to my Journey To A Healthier Me.

First, my weight loss journey. This has been a struggle for four weeks with the scale not moving. I will not give up but I certainly would appreciate you prayers and encouragement. I know this is just a temporary set back.

Now my other health issues.

My fibromyalgia, arthritis, and neuropathy have been quite painful lately. Now that I have been approved for SSI disability, my health insurance has changed; I have a new primary care doctor who is very understanding and willing to help me to become a Healthier Me. Thank you Lord for answered prayers. Pray as the two of us work together to better control my pain. It will take some time. Last night was the first night in several days that I have been able to sleep (still getting up every couple of hours to pee as usual). I appreciate those who have prayed for me through my prayer request on Facebook. Keep praying!

Pray that the doctor can get an approval for me to go to water therapy near us. This would require out of network approval, but this rehabilitation center is the ONLY one that provides water therapy in our whole county!

He gives power to the weak
and strength to the powerless.
Even youths will become weak and tired,
and young men will fall in exhaustion.
But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength.
They will soar high on wings like eagles.
They will run and not grow weary.
They will walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40:29-31 (NLT)

Praise the Lord for HIS strength!

Journey To A Healthier Me - Update

It's been two weeks since I last posted. Time sure flies. These past couple of weeks I have been busy...for me that is. The past few months I had been planning a family reunion to be held this past Saturday, but an unexpected guest choose to crash the party - Hurricane Irene! I was really upset that we had to cancel, but we had to make sure everyone was safe. We did get lots of heavy rain and wind in our area, other areas in our state as well as much of the northeast got hit pretty hard. My thoughts and prayers go out to those who were affected by the hurricane. One "mixed" praise in all this - where we were to have the reunion/picnic (which is on our church property), had three trees come down. Praise the Lord no one was present at the time.

A Little Encouragement Can Go A Long Way

"Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back-to-back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken."  Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

I love this picture!  I cannot tell you how many times I have had to stand on the scale at the doctor’s office and wanted to either run or cry!  For the first time in a long time, yesterday I was excited to stand on the scale at my doctor’s office.   The nurse even said, “Wow, I usually have to push and prod people to stand on the scale.”  I replied, “Just wait until you see why I am jumping on the scale!”

Update: Good News and Bad News

Good news first:

My journey to a Healthier Me is coming along….slowly…but each pound lost is one step closer to my goal of a Healthier Me. 

Here we go – drum roll please…….. I am down 40 lbs. since I began on June 6^th.    For those of you who have been following my Healthier Me Journey I truly appreciate your continued support and prayers.  I have a long way to go, but I know with God all things are possible!  

When one thinks about all the things that are against me in my journey it truly is God who is moving mountains!  I have doctors who say I cannot lose all the weight without weight loss surgery because of all my health issues and because of my health issues I am to do non-weight bearing exercises.  But with all that is against me I am now averaging 2 lbs a week weight loss.   Lord, “In Your strength I CAN crush an army; with my God I can scale ANY wall.”  Psalm 18:29

6 Weeks Weight Loss Update

It's going slower, but that is fine, at least the scales are going down and not up! My six weeks total weight loss is.... 35 lbs! The first two weeks it was 25 lbs. So the last four weeks it was 10 lbs. At first I was upset, but then I thought hey, the doctors didn't even think I could loose anything because I cannot do any weight bearing exercises (including walking) due to my bad knee. So 2 1/2 lbs a week is great! Just what we're suppose to loose!

I begin Physical Therapy today. They will show me exercises I can do without bearing weight and most of all stretches. My fibromyalgia is really bad. I will also have water therapy in the pool. I love that! I wish I could live in water! So pray about the therapy. We have to find the right balance that will help me and yet not hinder my fibromyalgia, arthritis, knees etc...

It still is not a difficult diet. I enjoy the variety of foods you get with Nutrisystem. I even have a difficult time getting in all the food I am to eat!

I really appreciate all your prayers. I know I can do all through through Christ who give me strength. Philippians 4:13.

Two Week Weight Loss Update

I have been on Nutrisystem for two weeks now.  So far I am doing great on the program.  For me this program words so far.  As I mentioned before I do not feel hungry or deprived on this program. 

Since Monday, June 20th I have lost..... drum roll please...... 25 lbs! 

I have to tell you something funny.  As many of you know, I don't hold back on what I share so here we go.  Before I started the program I had bought new undies and clothes because the summer clothes from last year were too small.  Well yesterday as I was putting on my "big girl panties" from before the weight loss I noticed that the waist band no longer is around my waist - it goes all the way up to under my bra!  Ha -ha!   I started laughing and I called Jim in to see and he said I look like one of those old men that wear their pants up high to their boobs!  Real sexy huh?  I then went into my closet to the section "too small" and I can wear some of last years clothes!!!  When I came into the living room Jim said," wow, I have not seen you wear that since last year!"  He is my biggest cheerleader.  He's a keeper. 

Keep praying for me to become a Healthier Me! 

Four Week Weight Loss Update

I cannot believe it has been four weeks since I have started on my quest for a Healthier Me.  The first two weeks I had lost 25 lbs.  The next two weeks I have lost 4 1/2 lbs.  I was a little disappointed this morning when I weighed myself.  My weight loss goal was reach 30 lbs lost.  I know, I know - I must praise the Lord for each pound lost.  Especially since my doctors would be pleased with 2 lbs a month since I am mostly sedentary due to my bad knee. I am to stay off the knee/leg as much as possible and do exercises for the top half of the body.  When the doctors feel I have lost enough  weight I will most likely have knee replacement surgery.

Anyway... my weight loss for 4 weeks is 29 1/2 lbs!  Please continue to pray for me as I continue on my journey of a Healthier Me.  I continue to enjoy being on the Nutrisystem weight loss plan.  I do not feel deprived or hungry.  On Saturday I had mom and Heather and family over for an early 4th of July picnic.  I was able to eat most of the food.  The biggest challenge I thought I would have was not eating mom's chocolate chip cake.  I did very well - while they ate cake I ate Nutrisystem's ice cream sandwich.  I could have had a choice of other great tasting desserts from Nutrisystem but I chose ice cream.  Today, July 4th Jim and I will go over to my cousin David's home for a picnic.  I will take a hot dog for him to grill  and I am bringing a veggie tray and fruit.  We'll have a good time of fellowship together as we continue to plan our family reunion picnic on August 27th. 

As we all celebrate the fourth of July with family picnics and fireworks, may we not forget to take time out of our special day to thank the Lord our God for allowing us to live in the greatest country in the world.  May we never forget that the freedoms that we have came at a cost - the shed blood of those who gave their all...their lives so we can continue to have the freedoms we still have in America.  And may we also be thankful for the One who shed His blood so that we can have eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. 

God Bless America and God Bless You.

I Can Do It!

All right - I have not fallen off the face of the map or gone over a cliff.  I'm still here and I am back!  I took a break from blogging for a while.

 I was getting quite discouraged with my life. What I mean is that I was giving into my poor health and thinking that this was how I am going to be for the rest of my life so I might as well give up and give into my situation.  Not a good thing to do I might say!

So, at end of May, after a good "scolding" from the Lord, I picked myself up and brushed off the cobwebs from my defeated heart and decided it is time to really change my life for the better!  I decided I needed to BEeLieve I CAN!

"I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength."  Philippians4:13

It is not in MY strength that I can do all things - but Christ's!

I have a lot of things that need changing - improvement - but I CAN!

I had gained all my weight I had lost a couple of years ago and then some.  I became the heaviest I had EVER been!  Part of the weight gain was the food I was eating - part was my medicines and doctors mistakes.  Yes, my doctor last year misread my thyroid test results and instead of increasing my thyroid medication he decrease it quite a bit.  So mid May I started taking the right dosage of thyroid medication and a drug to help lower my sugar.  I also started looking into diet plans.  I have been on "tons" of them over the years.  One in particular has caught my eye over the years but I kept saying no because of the cost.  Well after further examination of the diet plan along with much prayer along with discussing it with my hubby, I choose to try this diet.  We looked over our budget and found that we were spending almost this much in going out to eat each month!  So with much peace and contentment I took the big step of faith and joined Nutrisystem.  I started the plan on June 6th and as of today - June 15th I have lost - drum roll please - 16.8 lbs!  Yes people - that is not a typo!  This is the first diet plan that does not feel like a diet or that I am depriving myself of anything!  Now I realize that when you weigh as much as I do, one will loose quit a bit in the first month due to the change of eating habits.  I know that eventually the weight loss will slow down - but I love the plan.  I is working for me and that is what is important. 

As I loose I know I will be able to walk more and exercise.  I also know that the weight loss will not repair the damage I have already done to my knees and eventually I will need to have surgery on them. I know that some of my health issues will not go away entirely - unless God intervenes - but with the weight off I will be able to manage my health better.

I have a LONG way to go with my weight loss.  It may take a few years to get it all off, but then again it took years to put it on! 

I have an "army" of health and other issues - BUT..... as the verse at the top of my blog says -

"In Your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall." Psalm 18:29

I greatly appreciate all of your prayers and encouragement.

My Quest For A Healthier Me

I don’t know if it’s because I’m getting older, but doesn’t it feel like the days and years pass by awfully quick?  I was just getting used to writing 2010 and now we have to write 2011!  I remember when I was a child and even a teenager I thought the days and years went by too slow.  Jim and I were talking the other day about when we were younger we thought people our ages were old.  I was teasing Jim that he is pushing 60 and he said he no longer thinks that is old anymore.   Isn’t it funny how as we get older we don’t think we are that old, but then we talk with someone in a younger generation and they will say, “You’re that old?”   Mark Twain once said, “Age is an issue of mind over matter.  If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.”   I have an Amish kitchen wall hanging that says, “Vee Get Too Soon Oldt, und Too Late Schmardt!”  Isn’t that so true?  Although, I am waiting to get “schmardt!” 

This year I am continuing my pursuit on becoming a “healthier me”.  I need your continued prayers - not only prayers regarding my chronic health issues, but included in that I need to lose weight so I will become healthier.  The doctors say it is a “catch 22”, my age, chronic health and obesity work against each other.  Between the health issues, medications, and now the breakdown of my knees, they all make it extremely difficult to lose weight.  Difficult – but not impossible!  “But Jesus looked at them and said, “With men it is impossible, but not with God; for with God all things are possible.” Mark 10:27 (NKJV). 

I continue to believe that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”  Philippians 4:13 (NKJV).   As the bible verse says on my blog, “In your strength I can crush an army;  with my God I can scale any wall.”  Psalm 18:29 (NLT).  There is an army of health issues and years of negative thinking that is trying to destroy me, but I must keep on believing that with my God I can crush these armies that are trying to destroy me and scale any wall of doubt and destruction that the enemy throws at me. 

We serve an awesome God who knows exactly what we need and when we need it; I know that He will bring along mighty prayer warriors who will not only pray for me, but will also encourage me as I continue on my quest for “A Healthier Me”. 

God bless you and your family in 2011.  I know He has might plans for us all.