Welcome first timers and Hello regulars! We now start a new group geared to "saving money, calories and time in 2009!" This is the third quarter for some of you, and a first or second time at being in my quarterly group.
Each Wednesday you'll be able to join in a live call or listen it to at your convenience--it is designed to encourage you, as well as give you assignments. Our theme this quarter--for the next twelve weeks--will be based on a "timeless or trendy" phrase that will get you to focus each week on one of each of our areas: money, calories, and time, and the 4th week will be a "wrap up" tip, to incorporate our spiritual lives as well as our financial, physical, and mental goals.
We begin on Wednesday July 1--Week One's Timeless/Trendy Tip re: Money-- "When In Doubt, Don't."
I also want to encourage you to post comments--you will absolutely get more out of the group if you do so! Okay?
Here we go!
Hi Becky! I am excited to start this quarter, as last quarter was tough for me....there had been a lot of stress at home, especially. I did not participate much, although I did listen to the calls when I could and took some notes in my journal.
ReplyDeleteI have discovered that when I am stressed, I do not lean on God as I should. Rather, I try to do everything myself and end up sick, miserable and fatter and I accomplish less than I would have had I been doing it God's way. I hope this can be a lesson to me. I am anxious to shed a few pounds before our family vacation at the beginning of August and I need to get some major things done around the house while there is more time for them. I am not paid in the summer months since I work for a school district so saving money is at the top of the list as well! Bring it on! Ready to do it the RIGHT way! Love in Christ, Steph.
Dear Becky,
ReplyDeleteI am grateful for fresh starts! I echo Stephanie's comments that the last quarter was tough. I had way too many commitments, and until the school year ended I had no breathing room at all. In addition to a jam-packed school schedule and a part-time job, I enrolled in an online college course that was wonderful but extremely time-intensive. Taken all together, these commitments negatively affected me both physically and mentally. . . . I remember clearly one Saturday afternoon a couple of weeks before school ended when my body and mind told me, "Enough already!" Overcome by fatigue, I just had to stretch out for a short nap at 2:45 in the afternoon before venturing out to do yard work. The next thing I knew it was 7:30 Sunday morning, and my two little cats were meowing in my ears, as if to say, "Are you still alive?"
I've been reading a lot lately about the body producing cortisol when overly stressed, and I believe it! Even though I have worked part-time for a major weight-loss company for decades, I struggled with everything this spring, including my weight. I stopped journaling (which I have done for several years), did not go to the gym from January until school ended, found myself rushing through my morning devotions, made almost no time for simple things like phone calls to friends or visits to sick neighbors, and in general felt out of sorts. I even stopped participating in this online group, except for catching the recorded phone calls.
On a positive note, when school ended I vowed to get back to all the good habits I had been working on for so long. I prayed that God would help me say "no" to things I don't need--including offers to lead extra weight loss classes this summer! In just two weeks of sleeping enough, eating well, and spending some time just puttering around the house and clearing away the clutter (both literal and figurative), I feel incredibly better. I've been to the gym several times, lost the pounds I had "found" in the spring, and gathered up a whole car load of stuff for our church yard sale.
How glad I am that we serve the "God of second 3rd, 4th, 5th ...] chances," and I am praying that all of us will draw closer to him as we seek to discover his will for our lives.
Thanks for all you do for us, Becky. Looking forward to this afternoon's phone call!
God bless!
Wanda
I am really excited to begin this journey! I am basically a very organized person but for some reason I do not balance well in the areas of diet, exercise, and finances. I get so frustrated that I can't seem to get out of the rut of bad habits, especially since I have been a Christian for many years and have an ongoing and alive relationship with Jesus Christ.
ReplyDeleteI can't wait for the call this afternoon!
Blessiings,
Retta
I want to be a good steward of my time, money, and health, I thought this would be a great way to move forward with my goals to get on top of these areas of my life. I have appreciated reading about you and hope that I will figure out how to post comments. This is my 3rd attempt to post so I am making this short for now.
ReplyDeleteMay God enrich our time together.
Robbie
Hi everyone--your posts are coming through. You're doing great! Looking forward to our first call in a just a bit!
ReplyDeleteBe (stay) encouraged,
Becky
Hello Becky and Ladies! I am really excited about quarter 3. Something about getting restarted is refreshing. I have a fire in me and I'm excited to see where God leads me with it. Last quarter I actually avoided calling in live because I had so much anxiety about talking and about having to confess that I was not being proactive w/what we were learning. (Sorry Becky! :( I have recently went through some changes and God is being ever so faithful to encourage me and guide me to reach out. So I am promising right now that I will be calling in live! (I can't always, but will be making an effort to this time.)I love you all and am so blessed to be on this journey with you amazing women! Tara :)
ReplyDeleteHi! First timer here. My friend wants accountability in this program (and life) so she asked if she could sign me up. So, here I am... not sure what I've gotten myself into, but looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteSo great to be back with the group. I am from 1st session but did not do 2nd . Wow, there are a lot of us in the same boat. Becky, I hope that does not discourage you too much. I am anxious to get back on track. I finished by paper and graduated with my bachelors in May. ( I am 52 tomorrow !) I also work for the schools so I am off this summer and have been working out more. My son's wedding is next week. I did not lose any of the weight I wanted to but now I have to not worry about it. Thanks for your prayers as I get back in touch with Becky and the group. I will be praying for you too !
ReplyDeleteWow, how awesome to have such a big group.
ReplyDeleteEager to get going on the new quarter. Each one builds on the next one, at least as far as my life seems to go!
Jennygrace, great to see you are back and you made it through your schooling (Yeah God!). Thanks Becky for continuing to work so hard for us.
I have been struggling this whole year on getting back in shape! I homeschool 4 kids and help in our full time ministry to college athletes. The busier I am the worse I eat because I have no plan! I usually have to choose time with the Lord over exercise. I am excited about the phone calls and assignments- it is great to have accountability. We are traveling over the next month all over the country, so I hope to be consistently on the calls. I am going to reread The Burning Heart Contract (by Becky) for further accountability and encouragement to be disciplined in all areas of life! Thanks Becky!!
ReplyDeleteToday is a fresh start! A new month, a new quarter. Spend time with God daily...He's your best friend.
ReplyDeleteBecky
I too have been struggling but mine started in January. First I rationalized a few pounds and faced the hard facts in May I was in relapse. I gained 29 pounds in 5 months. I have stopped the gain and I am working a program. I have lost 9.5 of the twenty nine so I have a plan and I am following the plan. I went to a Overeaters Anonymous retreat in May and that was the jump start I needed. Now I have an accountability partner in exercise. I started a 12 step study on another site where I also post my progress weekly. I am abstinent and grateful for the loss that I have had in May and June. I even took a hip hop class and had alot of fun. We have some heavy burdens, a grown son with a family out of work, we may be losing our home of thirty years. The bank is not wanting to give us a remodification loan. The house is no longer worth what we owe. The first step in every area is submission. I truly want to honor God and give him the praise even if we lose our home. I am in awe of his majesty. His love. His forgiveness, His renewal, His mercy, His Provision. Becky, you are always in my prayers, God has blessed me through all that you do and say. I always know that we are connected everytime I read the daily Bible, your devotional, or use my many journals. I am more focused. Free in Christ, Obedient, Called, Unswearing in my faith, Saint who sometimes sin, Eager to walk daily with the Lord, Devoted.
ReplyDeleteDiana, I'm proud of you. And yes, we're on the same team!
ReplyDeleteLove you much,
Becky
Lord, lots of us are really struggling right now with lost work, wages, business and other financial situations.
ReplyDeleteI pray your blessing on all the families represented here.
We know we can trust you, and look to you for help in our times of need.
Please bless and keep each family member as they struggle in these hard economic times.
Help us to look to you daily for wisdom and provisions. Bless this group and bless Becky and her staff for providing so much to us.
In Jesus name.
Any advice? This is my first time with a group like this. Did we get a homework assignment, I didn't see one? What are we supposed to be journaling about everyday? Thanks.
ReplyDeleteEach week I give a theme that is elaborated upon during the phone call. During the week, you are to journal--daily if possible--on how and when that theme was helpful in your life. Some weeks, I ask questions in which your answers can be both posted on the blog and recorded in your journal. For those losing weight, saving money, or improving in areas of time management, you can use the journal as a record of your progress during the quarter.
ReplyDeleteHope this helps.
Becky
Hi Everyone! I'm a first timer and not really sure what to expect but looking forward to the journey. I am a stay-at-home mom of a 3 year old girl and an 18 year old son. I am a hairstylist very part-time and manage our cattle business. My husband and I are the volunteer youth leaders at our church. I feel very challenged in the area of time management. About 6 months ago I became very committed to exercise and healthy eating and finally managed to lose the 15 pounds I never lost after my pregnancy 3 years ago. I read Becky's book "Let Prayer Change Your Life" about a year ago and now spend time with the Lord every day. Also have the Prayer Partner Notebook and utilize that as well. What a difference it makes when you spend time with the Lord daily! I don't really know what I'm in for but I'm excited!
ReplyDeleteRita
I too am looking forward to this next quarter. I seem to go one step forward and 5 back... but at least I do go forward from time to time. I have not been proactive either. But am committing to being so this quarter. One of the things I am really focusing on from the last quarter is filling up my 5 and 10 minutes here and there with a small task or two. It is making a difference. I have had some health challenges and it has been and adjustment. As I was alway able to do and go and now it is more challenging.... But this quarter I get back on track... I need to lose 25 lbs by December when I go back to see my primary physcian. I am looking for a good "Exhange Diet Program" (where you count carb servings, milk, protein etc as servings). Does anyone know of a good one?
ReplyDeleteWell hopefully I will make the call tomorrow.
Until then... I will keep on keeping on!
Dear Purple Princess, American Diabetic Diet is a good exchange diet. It was one of the first diets I did. You determine how many calories you want and then the exchanges equal choices that end up being a certain number of calories. So a diabetic may be on a 1600 calorie ADA diet and the book shows how many exchanges you have to play with. For example 1 0unce of chicken is 1 exchange. 1 small apple is 1 exchange of fruit and you may have 3 fruit exchanges for the day and then you choose where to spend your exchange. So you get a exchange for fruit, an exchange for a milk product, an exchange for a high complex carb like bread or rice pasta....then 1/2 cup or 1 slice of bread equals that exchange, there usually are an exchange for vegetables and free items. Remember though free doesn't mean free. I also did a diet years ago based on this system called Circle of Discipline. Might still find that book at your church library. Weight Watchers counts points but it is also based on measuring your food much like the exchange system. Blessings Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you for the information and encouragement. I have tried Weight Watchers before and the points are difficult for me for some reason. Shouldn't be that complicated... but my brain just can't seem to wrap myself around it.
ReplyDeleteAgain thanks... I will look for the book and check out the Diabetic Association
if you go to dLife.com (Diabetes Life) they have a huge recipe database.
ReplyDeleteThe recipes list carbs, calories, sodium and fat content and give you cooking time etc.
Dlife is a fantastic web site which we with diabetes have welcomed with open arms. They also have a great TV show once a week. You should be able to find some other info on there as well.
The exchange program is still in use, though not as widely as it used to be. The Food Pyramid is another resource that's helpful, as well as The Calorie King (web site and great little book you can buy and use for carb counts and calorie counts.) The Diabetes Assoc. has similar paperbacks with counts in them.