Made to Crave Monday

It's time for me to post again about this journey I am on with eating issues and all that jazz!

Things have been going pretty well.  I have not been as active as I would like to be (the motivation to exercise is still very lacking!), but I have seen some results so that gives me motivation to keep on keepin' on.  Don't get me wrong, these are VERY MINOR changes, but hey it's still a little something!

I have been reading the Made to Crave book and devotional and getting a lot out of it. 

Here are some of the things I have read recently that have really stuck with me:

From the devotional, Lysa writes: "The best thing we can do in these triggered moments (she is speaking of triggers that make you feel the need to eat/divulge in something unhealthy) is to pause.  Pause and ask ourselves, 'Do I want to eat this right now because I need nourishment or because I'm feeling empty emotionally or spiritually?'" p. 31  And if we are truly hungry, then I can make a healthy choice!

This is so true.  I am still trying to discover WHY I want to eat unhealthy things at times or what 'triggers' me to do so, but the only thing I can come up with so far is that I do it out of habit.  I just get the taste of it in my mind and it just sounds so good and my body craves it, but it may not be because I am hungry.  It may just be because I like the feeling it gives me.  You know that eating sweets releases dopamine in your brain and your body says "oh man, that tastes so good - I want some more!" That's why we like sweets.  Then, 30 minutes later you feel like totally gross.  So, I need to do what Lysa suggests and just pause.  Maybe that would save me some calories and yuck-o feelings later! :)  Thanks to Dr. Travis from 'The Doctors' tv show for teaching me how my brain reacts to sugar!

Here's one more thing that I found really great in the book: "And while I fully realize my temple may not be God's grandest dwelling, I want to lift up to the Lord whatever willingness I have each day and dedicate my exercise as a gift to Him and a gift to myself." p. 94.  Somebody may think, "wow, giving God my exercise is a gift - that's far fetched," but hey, we need to be good stewards of this body He's given us so we can work for Him and serve Him better!

Anyway, this blog is for me.  I need it to hold myself accountable and to keep myself moving in the right direction.  I am ready to start making more healthy choices and to start taking better care of myself.  It is time.  And after all, I am a Jesus girl who is NOT defined by the number on my scale!  :)

BB

New Purpose: Made to Crave

So this morning I had a revelation that was no doubt from the Author and Creator Himself.  I have decided to use this blog as an accountability of sorts for myself.

You see, I am tired of the way I look!  Others say, "Oh you look fine."  "You've had 2 babies," or "I don't think you look overweight."  But the fact is that I am overweight and no matter what you say (or what my sweet husband says) I won't feel good about the way I look until I like what I see in the mirror and feel the way I need to feel in my heart.

I bought a book a while back called Made to Crave by Lysa TerKeurst.  I started reading it, but found myself not relating to the book because I felt I had no issues with food.  But oh I was deceived and wrong.

Turns out I don't really have any thing that triggers me to wanting food except the fact that I feel the need to eat something sweet ALL the time.  After meals, when I want a snack, when I am stressed.... so yeah, there is a food issue.  To put it bluntly it sounds kind of like a sugar addiction!  Yeah!  I said it! LOL :)

So, last week I started on this physical and spiritual journey.  I felt energized, walked/exercised WAY more than often, and felt good about myself.  I even saw a little bit of victory in the weight loss department due to the fact that I was counting calories, trying to avoid junk, and exercising more.  THAT was last week.

Fastforward to this week: not so easy.  Turns out, last week I was totally depending on myself and the devil just let it ride and let me slip by.  This week, he has been on my back with vengance.  I have had little sleep (thanks to a nasty cold visiting Caroline) and my favorite visitor decides to greet me leaving me feeling tired, hormonal, and really loving the fact that I am a woman for a few days.  Sigh.... yes, this week is harder.  I guess I decided I need God MORE this week than I did last week.  He is the only one who can help me on this journey and to be successful.

The past few days, I have already found myself wanting to be complacent and just throw it all out the window, but no, this time it has to be different.  I want God to "Unsettle Me" like Lysa talks about in the Made to Crave devotional.  I want to be unsettled about my weight and spiritual issues and battles until they are resolved, and it ends up that I am closer to the One who gave me life.

So, that's what I needed to say.  I hope to update this blog more often so I can get all of my thoughts down to where I can see and read how I feel.  You see, I am not a good journal type of person.  I can type A LOT faster! Ha!  I can also quickly change what I type if I don't like what it says, AND I am a math teacher so English and writing are not my fortes.

To my faithful bloggie follower (You know who you are Katie!), pray for me as I try to go through this journey that I would depend on God for strength and would in the end have a healthier lifestyle and learn to crave God more than food (sugar)!

Brittany

Yeah, okay, I will update

I am just TERRIBLE at updating things it seems! I don't have many "followers" on here anyway, so I guess that's why! LOL!

I wish I had something incredibly interesting to blog about, but I do not. I am enjoying being a stay-at-home mama this year and really taking time to be a good mama and a better wife. I found that it is very hard to balance work, kids, and a husband!

I have been working on lots of different crafts since I've been at home and trying a lot of new recipes. I have been sewing on my sewing machine, making a ton of hairbows, and just venturing out into different craft territory! If I could find a way to make some money doing it, then I would. Unfortunately, I don't think I can do any of it quite good enough for that! :)

When and if I get motivated to start updating this blog some more, maybe I will upload some more pictures. Here are some of the bows I have worked on recently... They are called corkers.

The School Countdown is Nearly Over!

School is almost over for this year! I am excited about having some time off and being able to spend some time with Callie (and Andy too, I guess! LOL!). She grows a little bit every day, both physically and mentally, and I feel like I miss so much of her while being at school.

She's had a pretty good school year. She's been in the same room all year this year, and she's really gotten to know her teachers and little friends pretty well. She has also been potty-trained (thanks to Tammy and Vickie!) for a while now, and she's learned SO much this year! She is so smart. We are constantly amazed at what she says and does.

I have had a pretty good year too. I pretty much know what I am teaching next year, and it looks challenging, but I will do the best I can!

Here's a funny little story about Callie...

She and I were talking and she mentioned her leg hurt (she barely bumped it getting out of the tub!). I told her to ask God to heal her leg, and I told her what to say. She asked God to make her leg feel better, and then she started talking about Him. She said He was coming to her house and that He had a black car, with many seats. How funny it was to me that she said this. A few days later, she said the same thing.

Also, every time she sees a cross, she makes it a point to tell me that she sees it and reminds me that Jesus died on a cross. Then, she talks about the hammer and the nails. She says "I don't want Jesus to hammer me," and other times she'll say "God's not going to hammer me."

The first time she said that I just could have cried. I told her (even though she probably didn't understand it) that Jesus would not hammer nails into her hands, but He took the nails so she didn't have to. It tore me up inside knowing that He did that for me, and it was ME who put Him on that cross! I can't imagine the pain and agony He suffered, but I'm so thankful He did it for me. I'm so glad "God's not going to hammer me!" Thanks to Jesus! Jesus took those nails for me! Aren't you glad!?

There's nothing like it when a child can bring something like that to light. I just love Callie, and I'm so thankful that God has given her to us.

God in the Garden

This week I have been doing a lot of work outside in the yard. I enjoyed it for the first 2 days, but after this last day, I believe I've had my fill for a little while!

While I was hunkered down pulling up the weeds and grass growing around some of my plants and bushes outside, I starting thinking, and for a blonde, well, that can be dangerous. :)

Some of the weeds and grass were growing around my plants (hydrangeas mainly) and some even had blades of grass poking out of the middle of the plant. Some of those weeds and grass blades/roots were easily pulled from the ground, and others were very hard to pull out. For those hard-to-pull-out bunches of grass, I just pulled the blades off (mostly by accident) because the grass's rots were already well established.

I was angry at myself for letting these plants go and not paying them any attention until now. It was hard work bent over pulling those weeds and grass from the ground. It wore me out; I realized I might need some weed killer too because some of that grass wasn't coming out in my own strength.

My beautiful plants could have been overtaken by these weeds and withered away had I not paid them any attention. If they had not been overtaken, then their true beauty would have been camoflauged so much that maybe they would not have even bloomed or bore any fruit.

You who are saved already know what I am alluding too. I got to thinking about how those weeds and grass are like sin in our lives or just un-Godly habits that we allow to become a part of our every day life. If we let sins fester in our lives or pick up habits that keep us away from God and church and fulfilling our ultimate (and only) purpose as Christians, then we are going to have some hard work ahead of us to get back to where we need to be.

The devil loves to plant weeds in our lives. He loves to introduce us to things that seemingly look more appealing to us than what God has to offer. This is a trap! These sins and habits will eventually overtake us and hide our potential and true beauty we have in Christ if we let them. Sometimes, if the Holy Spirit convicts you about something and you actually heed to it, you will repent quickly. That's like those weeds that are easily removed from the ground of your heart.

But, if there are sins and/or un-Godly habits that are continual in your life, and you do nothing about them, those things become well-established in your life. If God finally makes you realize you need to stop doing these things, you may try to fix the problem yourself, but that's like pulling those blades of grass off the tops of those well-established root balls of grass. You can't do it in your own strength. You can try to remove it yourself, but you need help. That help is God. He can come along and extinguish those sins and help you overcome those bad habits. If we aren't careful, we can all get these types of weeds and grass growing in our lives and hearts! I know I have!

So, take some time to pray each day. We need to confess of our sins as soon as the Holy Spirit convicts us that we are doing something wrong or have done something wrong. We need to make sure we do not have any other gods before our true God and that all of our habits are only leading us closer to Him! Habits such as praying daily and reading your Bible daily are great habits to have. Not all habits are bad!

We need to call on God for His forgiveness and for His help of helping us overcome any bad habits we have started. His power is the best "weed killer" I know, and His mercy endures forever!

Next time, I'll write about mildew if I have time. The Lord's really been speaking to me through my hard work outdoor this week! :)

Still here

We are all doing well. Basketball season is over, Callie is growing like a weed, and we are ready for Spring Break and then the summer!

Not much to say other than I'm sorry I don't update my blog! :( I have so many other things that require my attention, so I've let my blog sit on the back burner for a long time!

Hope everyone is great!

September

Fall is in the air! School has been going pretty well. I haven't posted since I went back. Callie is adjusting little by little, but she's still not thrilled about being away from her mommy during the day. I'm not thrilled about being away from her either! She's already been sick one time, but that is to be expected. The change of seasons seems to bring on colds and other things.

I don't really have much to blog about today, but we are staying very busy with school. My load at school is pretty heavy this time. I am teaching all new classes this year, thanks to the Georgia Department or Education, and it's pretty hard on me and the kids, but eventually I am hoping that it will get better.

Time to wake up Callie from her nap. I hope you have a great day and a great September!!!