I am a Fruit of the Vine...

Isaiah 63:9 - " In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of His presence saved them."

One thing that I know for sure is the God is with me on this journey. My Father loves me enough to know what is right for me and to be present as I correct my path and return to healthy habits. He guides me to do what is right for me, His child. God lives within me in the Holy Spirit, in essence, I am a tabernacle for Him. How do I dare polute a tabernacle with cheetos, brownies, sodas, and other junk food?

I am a fruit of His vine, and as such need to nourish myself in that way. I could say "That's it! I will cut out all junk food, sweets etc. from now on..." I think I may last until noon, lol! My first challenge is to do what is right for my body, and not focus on eliminating what I am doing that is wrong. In prayer, the Lord has led me to my first goal. Pray for me, as I pray for you during the forty weeks we are together.

This first week's goal: forty servings of fruits/vegetables. That number sounds like alot, but the US Department of Agriculture's recommendations suggest that we have two and a half cups of vegetables and two cups of fruit everyday. This equals five to seven servings, depending on whether the produce is cooked or not. So, forty servings a day is about what we should be eating. When setting a goal, logging increments of progress motivating, and improves the likelihood that we will stick to the plan. I will log in daily with the total number of servings.


Check out the USDA Pyrimid...Challenge: Print it and post on your refrigerator!
http://www.mypyramid.gov/downloads/MiniPoster.pdf

Beginning with the end in mind....

For some time this phrase has been running through my head. I'm not sure where I heard it. So when I decided to take on this life challenge, I googled the phrase; it is from Steven Covey's book "The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People." Now, that seems appropriate!



So, I am beginning today with the end in mind. By the end of the forty week challenge,



I want to:

1. Feel comfortable in my own skin


2. Have abounding energy


3. Reduce my physical pain


4. Resurrect the healthy lifestyle that I once had, prior to graduate school

I hope to:

• Feel/know/live with the Holy Spirit throughout the process


• Lose weight without dieting


• Return the vibrant momma/wife that my family once had

Now that I have the end in mind, I get to plan on how to get there! Something (or someone, Lord) is telling me that it has to do with the number "40." That is where I am starting. I know that I want to lose about 40 pounds and I know that I want to do it slowly and make lifestyle habits that stick.

Target to lose:40 pounds Target date: 40 weeks

I now have the beginning and the end, so I guess I had better go create the middle :)