Day 25: It's over but it's not over

Today makes day 25 of the journey to a better me.  That means the Advocare 24 day challenge is over.   It's over.  But, it's not over.  Want to know my "results"?  Read on.

At the end of this first stage of my challenge, I've been reflecting on that Proverbs 31 woman.  Being raised in church, I know that so many women's ministries, women's conferences, and women--in general--hold the Proverbs 31 woman to be the perfect example.  I know I do.

Yet, as I think upon my imperfections, I think about her.  Who was she really?  Was that her reality every day?  Every day, her husband praised her?  Every day, her children called her blessed?  Every day, she was the epitome of kindness?  Every day, she took care of the poor?  Every day, she worked and gave it her ALL?  

All you and I can do is take the Bible for what it is.  The truly inspired Word of God.  

But, if you're like me, you're human.  You are perfectly flawed; yet, created in His Image.  You are perfectly imperfect, made perfect and completed--not by what you do or who you are or who you're in a relationship with--but made perfect only through Christ Jesus. 

So, maybe you're not the Proverbs 31 woman.  Maybe you're the woman at the well, who has done so much wrong that she thinks she's not worthy of Christ or anything.  Maybe you're Martha and too busy taking care of things to sit at Jesus' feet. (This is where I am on more days that I should be!) Maybe you're Sarah and want to solve the problems and not wait on God.  (I've been there too!) Maybe you're Job's wife and just want to give up.  Hold on.  There is hope.

Like you, I strive to be the Proverbs 31 woman.  But, I strive, even more, to be like Christ.

"Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ." ~Philippians 3:8 NLT

In this journey to be like the Proverbs 31 woman and to become a better me,  I've realized my shortcomings and my flaws.  We all do this, but it seems that women sometimes do this more.  This is not a stereotype, but an observation from living the life I've led.  I didn't exercise every day.  I didn't read my Bible every day.  I didn't blog every day.  There were days that I even missed church services.  I'm not perfect.  At the end of the day, all my imperfections make me who I am.  They make you who are.  Is your laundry not finished? (Is it ever?)  Is your baby crying and you sometimes just want to cry with him(her)?  Maybe you said unkind words, simply out of tiredness? It happens.  We--women (and men!)--are not perfect.  But you can be made perfect.  You can be covered in salvation.  Are you ready?  Lord, I'm ready now!

God, in Heaven, I pray for these women and men who have taken just a moment out of their day, to show interest in mine.  Maybe they are reading this to see what my weight loss is.  Maybe they are my family and just showing support for me.  But, God, You have called me to share this journey with others so that I may share You and Your Grace.  God touch them.  Help them to realize that they are not perfect, but that they don't have to be.  Your Grace is sufficient for all.  Meet them where they are.  Comfort them.  Help them to be ready to accept You as Lord and Savior, as You accept their imperfect selves.  We thank You for all that You do, but more importantly all that You are.  You are our everything.  In Jesus name we pray, Amen


And, for those who are helping me monitor my progress.  My total weight loss in 24 days is 9.4 lbs and 9 1/2 inches.  Do I feel amazing every day?  No.  But, I feel confident in who I am.  I've realized I need to spend more time for me (and that's okay!) and more time with Him.  Advocare is over but this journey is not over.  Stay blogged in.  I have a plan for my future self...

Day 22

This whole process is changing me!  (I guess that was the intent, right?)  Some days, I'm not sure it's for the better!  (This is a joke)  I do believe that my love of sweets is changing.  I am still on track, but those times when I've tasted of something sugary, it hasn't been as good as it "use to be".

Like today.  I bought frozen chocolate-covered bananas.   My plan was to have them in a few days (on day 25)...as my reward.  Kind of counter-productive, isn't it?  However,  my daughter didn't want hers today so I "tried" it.  Even though it was dark chocolate (which I'm not a fan of, by the way), it was very sweet and I ended up trading it for some kale/carrot/spinach chips.  Sigh.  Who am I?

I haven't given up, though.  I've just been, well, tired.  You know those days where you work really hard at one thing (like work) and the other (like housework) doesn't get done, or not done as much?That's been me, lately. My multi-tasking superpower has faded somewhat this week.

But, I'm not quitting.  Granted, I didn't exercise yesterday or this morning.  Yet, when I got home, I had my third work-out shirt ever given to me as a gift.  

My alma mater!  My husband wanted to encourage me because I'd been working so hard.  I needed the encouragement today.  I was reminded of a scripture:

"I count not myself to have apprehended;

But this one thing I do,

forgetting those things which are behind

and reaching forth unto those things which are before,

I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded,

God shall reveal even this unto you." ~Philippians 3:13-15

And, I did my workout: complete with scrunches, planks, weights, and 9 Refit songs.  Let me say that again, 9!!!!  I began with, what? 2 or 3?  I've also been ending the workout with some worship songs, where I just lay down, and give praise/thanks to God.  It's a good time.  I've got my eye on the prize. I press on.

Are you still curious about my food intake?  Yep, I'm still on track.  It's day 22 of the Advocare 24 day challenge...that means in 3 days, it's a weigh-in/measure day!

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Advocare Shake
Lunch: Salad with grilled chicken and boiled eggs
Dinner: Grilled porkchop, homemade potato chips, and wheat bread
Snacks: Berries, granola, banana


Are you like me?  Do you need encouragement, like my husband was to me today?  Try this on for size (one of my favorite scriptures):

"Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, 

what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink;

nor yet for your body,

what ye shall put on.

Is not the life more than meat,

and the body more than raiment?

But, seek ye first the kingdom of God,

and His righteousness;

and all these things shall be added unto you." ~Matthew 6: 25, 33

Day 18

Hi all!  It's been a few days since I've been able to post.  It's not because I've stopped working on my faith and fitness.  It's just because life happens. 

Today makes day 18 of the Advocare 24 day challenge and my own challenge to myself to become a Proverbs 31 woman in the best way possible, which started as a tribute to my Mamaw.  Today, I was with my granddaddy when he was talking to someone about her.  I had to look away because I didn't want to let him know I still cry over her. 

That brings me to my Bible reading today.   Today I read 1 Sam 21 and John 11:1-44.  In John, I'm to the part where Lazarus has died.  This is the only time in the Bible (to my knowledge) that it mentions Jesus, Himself, crying.  I believe God wrote this story down to encourage us to believe in miracles.  Verse 15 says:

"And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe;

nevertheless let us go unto him."

Jesus loved Lazarus so much that He mourned for him.  Yet, here He tells the disciples that he's glad he wasn't there.  If Jesus was there when Lazarus was sick, He could have healed him.  But, he wanted the disciples to believe that He is the Resurrection. 

As Jesus goes to Lazarus, Martha basically says, "You're late.  If you'd been here, he wouldn't have died".  Now, we all know that He's an on-time God, so just hold on.  Later in the chapter, Mary says the same thing, "If you'd have been here, Lazarus would be alive".  And, a third time, Martha says, "he's already been dead 4 days!" 

Jesus was on time.  You see He raised Lazarus.  He, Himself, conquered the grave at the Cross.  Believers will once again be Resurrected into a Heavenly Jubilee one day.  Ready to get your worship on?

My prayer for you:  God, our Father, we know that you are an on-time God.  We know that You are Jehovah Jireh, our Provider.  You are Jehovah Shalom, our Peace and Jehovah Rapha, our Healer.  You are Jehovah Shammah, our ever-present help in time of need.  God, I know so many that are in need right now.  They've heard bad news at the doctor.  They've heard bad news in their professional lives.  They've heard bad news in their personal lives.  God, only You know what we need and have the power to surpass any bad news that we may hear.  God, strengthen us.  Strengthen those that need help, guidance, healing, and wisdom to make decisions when times are hard.  You said You won't leave us or forsake us.  God, we ask that you confirm your presence in our lives so when that bad news comes, we all can say, "God, this is rough, but I know You've got this".  We thank You for all you've done.  We thank You for sending Your Son that gives us hope for the future through Salvation.  Most of all, we thank You for who You are.  in Jesus' mighty Name we pray, Amen.

****

Today's Menu

Breakfast--Chocolate Meal Replacement Shake

Lunch--Chicken sub on wheat bread

Dinner--Venison meatballs with roasted cauliflower

Snacks--Sunchips (these chips have the best ingredients I've found), pear, apples with all-natural peanut butter, and kiwi (3 snacks per day)

****

I wanted to get all the Bible reading and exercise done in the morning, as is mentioned in Proverbs 31..when it talks about the woman rising early.  Yet, today, I was sick.  I didn't go to work, slept until 9, and ended up going to the doctor.  (All is well--just an allergic reaction that required a shot).  

That being said, I ended up doing my work out at night--about 10:00 to be exact.  I did weights, scrunches, planks, and 7 (yes, 7!!!!) Refit songs from my Playlist!!  Afterwards, I played a worship song and laid on the floor, just praising God.  It wasn't that bad to be so late in the evening.  Here's what I posted on my Facebook page after taking my first-ever post-workout picture.  Isn't that the thing to do on social media?

"Not-so-beautiful, post-Refit photo.  But, it's not about beauty.  It's about fitness and faith.

10:00...I should be in bed...Yet, I missed my workout this morning, because I was sick.

Carpe Diem.  Today's the day to change your life!"

P.S.  I really mean what I say about it not being a beauty-thing.  I've never been into beauty or fashion.  But, because I wanted this process to be the purest, best form of myself, I even didn't wear make-up for the first 10-11 days of the challenge.  I don't wear a lot of make-up anyway, so I think only my daughter noticed.  

Be you.  Be beautiful as God created you.  He created You in His image.  You're body is a temple.  Why not take care of it?  You're every bit of lovely.



Day 15

"for he loved him as he loved his own soul" ~ 1 Sam. 20:17

1 Samuel chapter 20 tells the story of the friendship between Jonathan, son of Saul, and David.  In verse 17, it states that Jonathan loved David as much as his own life.  Saul wanted to kill David.  This angered Jonathan insomuch that Jonathan warned David.  Do you have friends like that in your life?  I absolutely adore my husband and he is probably my best friend.  I've mentioned that he is my main supporter in this endeavor.  However, I am privileged to have about three really good, strong, Christian women as friends...that I could count on for almost anything.  It's important to have friends.  AND, what would be more important as a woman that to have other women who are STRONG and of similar faith?  I don't believe anything can compare to that.

***

"You believe not, because you are not of my sheep" ~ John 10:26

The above scripture is written in red in my bible...that makes it extremely important as it is the words of Christ Himself.  Here, Jesus was talking about why people could not believe in Him as the Son of God.  This was during the time that he was accused of blasphemy.  One cannot believe in Christ if he/she is not in Christ.  Without getting overly biblical or adding/taking away from the scripture, here's my interpretation.  As Christians, we are judging and holding non-believers to the same Christian standard as we are held accountable for...yet they have yet to accept Christ as their Lord and Savior.  I think Christian singer, Mandisa, calls these people "pre-Christians".  God's law applies to all, but one cannot fully understand all of it until they've come to know the Son of God.  Take for example, the great creation debate.  One cannot believe in creationism without believing in the Creator,  Himself; thus, all debate is invalid and useless until those unbelievers come to know Christ.  If you're reading this and you are Christian, I encourage you to show love, instead of judgment.  If you're reading this and you are not a Christian, I encourage you to remember we--yes, we Christians--are not perfect people either.  We're just a bunch of imperfect people, trying to do the right thing.

Be blessed.  If you're interested in salvation, feel free to contact me.

***

My exercise routine is moving right along.  This morning I did about 30 minutes of my workout.  Then, when I got home from work, my daughter wanted to "dance" with me, so we did 3 or 4 more Refit songs!  It was fun to share that experience with her!

Food intake is staying on track.   Tonight, I had to make cupcakes for tomorrow.  Let's say this:  It's all about self-control!  Cupcake-0, Julie-1.  Yeah, I got this!

Day 14

It's been a few days since I posted.  I haven't fallen off of the bandwagon.  You've read about my love for Refit Revolution that I found on YouTube.  Well, I found out that the Refit founders were coming some-what locally and I just had to attend.  I was there!

Yep, I did that!  I've mentioned before that, at the start of this challenge, I'd never exercised much at all!  So, this was the first exercise class I've done and the longest amount of time I've exercised at one time!  I'm very proud of myself because I went alone and was very nervous.  In fact, one of my very best friends mentioned how out of my nature this was!  Let me say, I had a BLAST!  I like Refit because of the use of Christian music.  The message behind of what they do is more than fitness!  At the end of the class, one is lying on her back, reflecting on her life, and giving God the glory!  A-MAZ-ING!  Thank you to Angela and the entire Refit team! 

I also bought my second workout shirt from Refit.  I chose purple in honor of my Mamaw, who was mentioned at the start of this blog.  Purple is the color of pancreatic cancer awareness.  Mamaw, I am working hard to become that Proverbs 31 woman and I will see you again someday!

This was on Day 12.    But, let's talk food!  Instead of giving you my menu, like I usually do, let me say this.  Right after the Refit class, I went to out to dinner with my husband.  I sent the bread basket back with the waitress!  If you know me, this is HUGE!  Before, I could live off of bread!  

Now, thanks to God and the support of the one He gave me to spend my life with, I am slowly changing my life...one day at a time.

On Day 13, due to things going on, I didn't get to exercise/study my Bible.

Now, as I type on the morning of day 14, I feel blessed.  I'm back on schedule and did my morning routine, as always.  Check out my YouTube playlist.  In addition to my scrunches, planks, and weights (only 5 lbs. still), my Refit videos this morning consisted of: "Good Morning", "Funky Jesus Music", "Celebrate", "I Am", and "Cry Holy".  I always start with "Good Morning" and end with "Cry Holy".

Scripture Time:

Day 12: 1 Sam. 18; Psalm 113-114

Day 13: ------

Day 14: 1 Sam. 19; Psalm 115

"The Lord has been mindful of us;

He will bless us...

He will bless them that fear the Lord,

both small and great.

The Lord shall increase you more and more,

you and your children.

You are blessed of the Lord which made Heaven and Earth."

Psalm 115

~Be blessed,

Julie

Refit Revolution

Day 11

Day 11-It's judgment day

Well, not really.  But it is weigh-in/measurement day!  On the Advocare  plan, you weigh/measure on Days 11 and 25.

Spiritual intake:

1 Samuel 17

Proverbs 16

Psalm 112

John 9

Exercise: 30 minutes

Food intake:

Breakfast: Advocare Meal Replacement Shake-Chocolate

Snack: Pear

Lunch: Salad with chicken and boiled eggs

Snack: chicken salad on crepe (this was a cheat...but I was really hungry at the time)

Dinner: Chicken wraps

Snack:  Kiwi

And, here it is. 

After 11 days on the Advocare 24 day challenge, watching what I eat, exercising daily, taking Advocare products,  and only "cheating" twice (once was the blueberry muffin, once was the chicken salad today), here it is:

Total Loss:

6.6 lbs

6.5 inches... 2 1/2 inches on waist alone!

I am completely okay with this!  While not the only goal, my "weight loss" goal was 15 lbs, so if I'd lost it all in 11 days, I'd probably think it wasn't healthy.

Suggestions for success if you're wanting to begin your own fitness challenge:

1.  Plan out the food--This is KEY!  It's not as easy to eat whatever's nearby when you have your meals and snacks planned out.

2.  Record what you're eating--I keep a log of food, water, bible reading, and exercise.

3.  Exercise

4.  Have a support system/encourager (mine is my husband)

You don't need a miracle product.  I used (am using) Advocare to kick start my fitness plan and reset my metabolism.  The key is determination.  Watch the food intake.  Exercise.  Feed your spiritual body.

Be blessed.  This journey is not over.  Thank you for visiting my blog.  Keep visiting, as I will continue to update it throughout the rest of the challenge.

 

Day 10

Five a.m. came to early this morning.  I got up, drank my Spark, and took a bath.  Yes, I had decided last night that I wasn't going to do my morning exercise and scripture.  Today was school picture day and I knew that my daughter would need more help getting ready. 

So, guess what happened?  Mid-bath, I get a text saying that I don't have to be at work until an hour later than I thought!  So... I got out of the bath and did the morning routine that I was going to skip!  Complete with 4 (not 3) Refit songs!

Scripture this morning was John 8:23-59 and 1 Samuel chapters 15-16.  Samuel's reading today was about King Saul.  God told Saul to go and kill all of the enemy and not take anything.  Destroy it all.  Yet, Saul decided to keep the spoils of war because he thought that they were good.  Samuel, the prophet, goes to Saul and tell him that he didn't obey God.  Thus, Samuel ends up moving on to find the shepherd boy, David...who would go on to be the next king.

So, let's apply this to life.  Is there something in your life that you're not giving up when God wants you to?  Just keeping a little bit of it because it's not something labeled as "bad".  That happens a lot in today's society.  With the push for tolerance and acceptance of all things, we are not giving away what God wants us to because we don't see it as "bad".  Let me give you an example.  In my life, there are times when I believe that God is calling me away from television and other technology...and not because I'm watching anything against God's word...but because it's taking time away from time should be spending with Him.  Song of Solomon says that it's the little foxes that spoil the vineyard, meaning it's the little things that will get us and possibly destroy us.  Such was the case with Saul.  What he didn't destroy, as God commanded, ultimately destroyed him.  I believe God is asking us to do something simple here: obey Him.

Now, check this out!  My new video I tried this morning..."I am" and a scripture that I read this morning! Coincidence?  I don't believe in them. :)

"Jesus said unto them, Verily verily, I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am". John 8:58

****

Day 10--I succumbed to a blueberry muffin today.  It was sitting by a chocolate cupcake.  Kudos to me for not eating the cupcake.  

Besides the muffin, I had:

Breakfast-Egg, toast, kiwi

Lunch-Salad with grilled chicken and boiled eggs

Dinner-Chicken wrap (wheat wrap)

Snacks-almonds, boiled eggs, carrots, radishes, kiwi

Well, it's day 10!  Stay tuned because tomorrow is weigh-in and measurement day.

Day 9

Let's get straight to the basics today.

Exercise-The time change is still kicking my butt.  Yes, I did the same exercises, but I cut it down to 20 minutes and with only two songs from my YouTube playlist.  It was very hard to get up this morning!  However, what I've realized is that the exercises are getting easier!!

Scripture-1 Samuel 14

Food-
-Breakfast-Omelet-well, actually, it was scrambled eggs with chicken, peppers, onions, and salsa; along with a piece of whole wheat toast and banana.

-Lunch-Salad with grilled pork chops

-Dinner-Grilled pork chops with potatoes and olive oil oven-toasted wheat bread

-Snacks-Boiled eggs, pears, strawberries

Now, let's talk food!  Yes, I still miss my sweet tea, breads, and sweets.  However....and this is a big however....(I may have mentioned this already so excuse me if I have)...we are wasting less food and my kiddos are loving it!  Tonight, we cooked exactly the right about of food!  None was thrown away and everyone ate what's on his/her plate.

I know I didn't talk much devotion today.  But, I wanted to say that I listen to Praise and worship songs during my morning Bible Study....

Let me break to disclose my average morning:
5:00--Get up, bathroom, brush teeth
5:05--Spark! drink
5:05--Exercise
5:30--Make Breakfast
5:40--Eat Breakfast, Bible Study
6:00--Get Ready for work
6:30--Leave for work

Okay...back to the praise and worship thing.  What you input into your body affects your health.  The same goes for your spiritual body.  So, be careful what you listen to, what you watch, and so on.  On that note, please enjoy one of the songs I've been listening to in the mornings during my bible study.

Day 8

"For my love they are my adversaries:

but I give myself unto prayer." Psalm 109:4

Though my devotional thoughts are short today, I ask myself, as well as you who read this, do you give yourself unto prayer when people have wronged you?  The Psalmist of 109, King David, says that those he loves have turned against him for no reason.  Here he states that he turns to prayer when this happens.  If you study David, you will know that he was not a perfect person.  He had many flaws and many sins.  Yet, he was a man who knew how to pray.  The bible says that "he was a man after God's own heart".  Do you hunger and thirst after God's heart?  When things go awry and people turn on us for no reason, let us give ourselves unto prayer.  We don't have to be perfect, we just have to have a heart for God.

****

Bible Study: 1 Samuel 12-13; Psalm 109

My menu today:

Breakfast: Egg and tomato on wheat toast

Lunch: Chicken tortilla soup

Dinner: Chicken fajitas 

Exercise:  My morning exercise is the same routine but is getting easier.  Today, the same routine only took me about 20 minutes!  (When it was taking about 30).  So, I thought I'd try the jump rope. Um, I'm not ready for that! 

I received my first workout shirt ever today....(I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't exercise).   I ordered it at Cross Training Couture, a site that I first became familiar with by following Candace Cameron Bure on Facebook.  I love the message in this shirt.  It's goes along with the reason I'm doing what I'm doing.

Day 7

Today was a little bit rough.  But, please read to the end of the post.  

I don't like saying that because there were still some amazing things that happened today.  AND, each day is given to us by God....a day in which He makes all things new!  The sun was shining, the snow was melting, and it was CHURCH day.  Besides, I got to see 3 people get baptized in water...

Isn't this beautiful?

But, life is life and sometimes it's not 100%.  Let me say this: nothing bad happened today.  It wasn't a bad day.  I was just extremely tired; that's all.  I totally blame this on the fact that I got in really late last night AND last night was Daylight Saving's Time, which I like to call "the night we lose an hour of sleep".   At this point, I am reminded of my favorite scripture, Psalm 103.  Psalm 103 states "Bless the Lord Oh my soul".  To me, it means:

Bless the Lord when I don't feel like it

Bless the Lord when I'm tired

Bless the Lord when He isn't blessing me

Bless the Lord when things aren't going quite right

Bless the Lord always, regardless, unconditionally

"Bless the Lord, O my soul;
And all that is within me, bless His holy name!
Bless the Lord, O my soul,
And forget not all His benefits:

 Who forgives all your iniquities,

Who heals all your diseases,

Who redeems your life from destruction,
Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies,
Who satisfies your mouth with good things,So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s."  (Psalm 103: 1-5)

Are you not having a 100% day either?  If this was on scale from 1-10, would you be a 10?  If  not, I encourage you to bless the Lord anyway!

***

Was this my devotion time? No.  Today I read John 7:1-8:22.  (Originally, I was going to write about something that I read today but felt led to talk about Psalm 103.) 

Food Intake:

Breakfast: Egg, wheat toast, tomato, and strawberries

Lunch: Chicken tortilla soup (no chips)

Dinner: Lemon-pepper pork-chops, brown rice, and a side salad

Exercise: 30 minutes, same routine: planks, situps, weights, 3 videos.  I did buy a jump rope last night though.

Thoughts about food: My entire family is eating this way...completely changing how/what we eat!  My kids LOVE it!  At the grocery store, the cost of eating healthy vs. how we use to eat is about the same!  Tonight, we wrote out our food plan for the coming week and made a grocery list.  The list is even shorter, because we are using all of our food and wasting less.

Day 6

Speak Life!

"Sticks and Stones may break my bones but words can never hurt me".  Did you hear that has a child?  Guess what?  It's not true!  The Bible speaks several times about the power of the spoken word (and this day and age, it can be texted, put on social media, and so many other ways....yes those count too!).  In fact, there's a whole chapter on it!  During today's devotion time, I read 1 Samuel 8-11 and Proverbs 15.  The entire fifteenth chapter of the book of Proverbs speaks on speaking.  I've linked a TobyMac video up above.  In fact, he has a whole #speaklife ministry. Want to try it?  Type #speaklife on any social media or Pinterest.  

It's very popular in modern day to say that we live in a world of shades of gray.  Yet, that's not true either.  Most things are black or white.  Right or wrong. For examples, your words!  What you say has power!  Your words can either lift someone up or bring someone down.  Your words can draw you closer to God or further away.  Proverbs says "Kind words heal and help; cutting words wound". (Proverbs 15:4 MSG). So, speak life over yourself, your family, your situation, your problem, your life.  Psychologists call this self-fulfilling prophesy; I call it Biblical.

"A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart;

and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.

What you say flows from what is in your heart". Luke 6:45 (NLT)

***

My morning routine was the same, as far as exercise goes.  My husband had the day off today and, when I was finished, he said, "Sounds like you were having a good time in there"!    I was!

So far, so good, here.  Except for this.

No, I didn't eat it.  Last night, my children stayed the night with their grandparents.  My daughter texted me a picture of this.  Thanks for sharing that, baby girl,thanks.


And, not just that.  Tonight was my first time eating out, without a packed meal.  I went to a banquet and passed up bread, ice cream, chocolate chip cookies, and brownies!


My meals today:
Breakfast--Egg, toast, banana
Lunch--Grilled Chicken with Brussel sprouts and squash
Dinner--Grilled Chicken with green beans and a side salad
Snacks--A boiled egg and fruit

Day 5

Let's get right to the "bread" of the day.  My morning routine.  And, after you read my devotion time for the day, you'll understand why I use the term "bread". No, it's not because I'm suddenly allowed to have a lot of it.  Wishful thinking.

My morning routine today lasted from about 7:30-8:30. You guessed it.  Another snow day.  I kept with my "do not get side tracked" guideline and pushed away laundry, in order to exercise.  I'm a little bit of a control freak, so the fact that I just let the laundry lay there goes against my nature. I"m also very headstrong and rule follower, which is why I made rules for myself.  No getting side-tracked.  Exercise included planks, sit-ups, 5 lb weight strength-training exercises and 3  videos from my Refit play list. Today was "Good Morning", "Shackles", and "Cry Holy".  Breakfast was oatmeal with fruit and a boiled egg (must have some protein in each meal).  This is the first time that I can remember eating oatmeal in a long time...I don't really care for it but wanted to try something different for the whole grain.  Still don't care for it.  Oh, well.

Devotion time: 1 Samuel 5-7 and John 6

Here comes the bread!

Okay, not literally.  Jesus is the Bread of Life.  The book of John is filled with miracles of Jesus. Want to find out who Jesus is? Read the book of John.  Don't we all have memorized John 3:16?  Even those that have yet to call upon Him as Lord and Savior?

So, John chapter six holds the story of the 5 loaves and 2 fishes and Jesus walking on water.

Let me retell it to you.  One day, Jesus went to speak to the multitude.  (He was also a teacher!!)  I'm talking 5,000 students!  And, when the Bible says 5,000, that only includes men.  So, let's say each man had a wife.  Each couple had at least one child.   Then, we're estimating 15,000 people!  Jesus' large class (let us never say anything against class size again!) was hungry.  So, Jesus took 5 loaves of bread and 2 fishes and fed the class.  The meal kept multiplying.  You see, the more He gave, the more there was.  (I do believe that will preach on tithing and giving to God!)  In fact, there was so much food that each disciple collected one basket full of leftovers!  12 in all!  I truly believe that had there been 20 or 100 disciples, that each would have had a basket, still.

Yet, later, Jesus is talking with the disciples.  He basically says, "why do you believe in me?" (which He did a lot of in the NT).  The disciples said something like "because of your miracles!  I mean, you just fed all those people!"  Jesus goes on to tell them that He is the Bread of Life and those that seek Him should seek Him because in partaking of the Bread of Life, they will have eternal life in Heaven.

So, what about you?  Do you see after Jesus only when you want something, like the people did?  Or are you truly hungry for God because of who He is and not what He can offer you?  If God never answers another prayer in your life, will you still seek Him?  Will you still serve Him?  God's already given you the best thing you could ever ask for, even before you would know to ask: His Son.  If you haven't accepted Jesus Christ into your heart as your Lord and Savior, please do so.  Feel free to contact me and I'll help you.  If you're already a Christian, do you seek Him daily because of who He is and only that reason?   I encourage you to draw close to God. If He feels far away, I guarantee He is not the one who moved.

Now, let me say this.  Immediately after devotion time, I started feeling sick to my stomach.  I don't know if it's my body adjusting to what I'm doing now or that I am, indeed, getting sick.  Regardless, I stuck with the plan today and had a productive day, otherwise.


My menu today:
Breakfast--Oatmeal with fruit and an egg
Lunch--Chicken lettuce wraps (leftover from last night's dinner)
Dinner--Ginger Cilantro Chicken with Butternut Squash


And, let me be honest:  I really want to weigh.  I, mean, I can feel a difference, but I don't look different.  Also, I wouldn't mind a glass of sweet tea. :) And, I'm talking...I like a little bit of tea with my sugar.  FYI: I didn't cave in on either one...just wishful thinking.


Be blessed.

Day 4

"She rises while it is yet dark...." (Prov. 31)

Except that today was a snow day and I didn't have to work.  So, I slept until 8:00.  I usually get up at 5:00!  That being said, it was a good day to log progress because I was able to spend more time in my morning routine!

Before I get started, let me say something about this morning routine.  I keep myself very strict to it, meaning that I don't allow myself to do anything other than take my Advocare product, exercise, and read my Bible.  I don't want to get side-tracked by checking email, Facebook, or picking up the house...all of which are things that I would normally do during my "me time".  

This morning was AMAZING!  I got up at 8:00, had my morning Spark, and then began exercising. I did my planks (I can only hold it for 10 seconds at a time but I'm working on it) and sit-ups.  I also did something new...I used 5 lb weights to do a little bit of strength-exercising!  Because I'm a huge fan of Christian music, I played TobyMac's "Eye on it" and Mercy Me's "Move" during this time.

Then, I moved to my Refit videos, which I LOVE!  I even made my own YouTube playlist of my favorite ones.  Today, I did "Good Morning", "Shake", and "Cry Holy".   Let me say this, I was so moved by "Cry Holy"that I was brought to tears.  I'm probably the only one who's ever cried for that reason during a workout.  It flowed very nicely into my prayer time.

That put me at 30 minutes already and it was breakfast time!  For the past 3 days, I did exercise, prayer, and Bible time all within that 30 minutes!  Today, I did 30 minutes of exercise!  Whoop!  All that meant was that I ate my breakfast during my Bible study.  And, that my morning routine time today was about 45 minutes.

Because I'm trying to read through the entire Bible, I read 1 Sam. 2-4 (this is where I am on that log).  This is the story of when God calls Samuel.  God calls him 3 times before he realizes that it is God Himself speaking.  Yes, this is the same Samuel, son of Hannah.  God is fulfilling His promise to Hannah.  "And Samuel grew and the Lord was with him" (1 Sam 3:19).  God will lead you if you will only listen to Him.  He is with us.  I am reminded of one of my favorite songs.  (I've seen them in concert and they are AMAZING).

So, I have to say that I am so excited that people are reading my blog!  While this is my first time watching my food intake and exercising, this is also my first time blogging!  Today, I had a few people that I know personally contact me to let me know that they are inspired by it!  Thank you so much!  That was and is one of the main reasons that I felt that God was leading me to blog in the first place!  With that, most people are curious about what I can/cannot eat.  But, I stay full.  So today,  took pictures.  Pictured below are the foods I ate today.  That's it, nothing more, nothing less. Looking at the pic, the left side going down is breakfast, lunch, dinner. The right side are the 3 snacks.

30 minutes before breakfast: Advocare Spark and ProBiotic Restore vitamins

Breakfast--Strawberries and banana, boiled egg, wheat toast (& Advocare Fiber drink)

Lunch--Salad (grilled chicken, romaine, peppers, radishes)

Dinner--Chicken tacos on a lettuce wrap  (& Advocare Omegaplex tablets) By far the best recipe we've picked out so far!!

Snacks--boiled eggs, banana, almonds, Spark drink, oranges

Bedtime: Advocare cleanse tablets

And LOTS of water!

Day 3

Confession: I cheated!  I'm not supposed to weigh myself until Day 11.  But, I wanted to make sure that I am losing weight and it's not just in my head.  So, I weighed.  I've lost 2 pounds!  I'm okay with that because my goal to lose is at least 13...that's what would put me back to my summer weight and what was my consistent weight post-children.   If I lose more than that, it would be back to pre-baby weight (my kids are 6 and 8).  

I promise, I'll wait until Day 11 for the next weigh-in.

Scripture time:  Preparation:  Scarlet and Snow

I read John 5 and then reread Proverbs 31.  There's a reason to keep reading the same scripture.  I was reminded of a scripture that I read in Proverbs 31 just the other day.  Here's the reason I thought of Proverbs 31 again:  Tonight, they are calling for 8-11 inches of snow! Just a few weeks ago, we had about a foot of snow....the most this Florida-raised girl has ever seen! Ready for the scripture?

"She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet." Proverbs 31:21

The Proverbs 31 woman was not afraid of the snow because her family was "clothed with scarlet". At the time of the writing, scarlet was considered the best quality.  This means that the Proverbs 31 woman was prepared and not just enough to get by...her family had the BEST.  She was not afraid because she was prepared.  Are you prepared?  Have you given your fears over to God and are you resting in His promises?  Do not fear the "snow" in your life, whether it be financial, spiritual, emotional, or physical.  God's got this!  In Matthew 27:28, Jesus was stripped and wrapped in a scarlet robe.  I wonder if they realized that they were helping Him prepare!  Our Savior paid the ultimate price to help you and I in our preparation for the Kingdom of Heaven...."though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow!" (Isaiah 1:18)  If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, I encourage you to do so today.  If you need someone to walk you through it, talk with you, or pray with you, please contact me and I would be more than happy to do so!

Today's Exercises!

I did about 15 minutes of exercise this morning during my 30 minute time:  planks, sit-ups, and the "Good Morning" video from Refit!  Today, I also did the "Shake" video from Refit because I absolutely love that song!  It makes me want to move, just because I think of the glory of God!  If you watch the video, I can tell you that, yes, my legs felt like jello when I was finished with everything...but, that's proof it's working, right?

Today's Menu

Breakfast--Egg, wheat toast, and a pear

Lunch--a salad: egg, chicken breast, spinach, and cucumber

Dinner--Grilled porkchops with a potato, bell pepper, and onion mix 

Snacks--Strawberries, blackberries, almonds, pear, and boiled egg (3 snack times per day)

Food is GREAT!  My husband says he loves this type of eating because you get to eat "real food".  We've Pinterested ideas....our dinner recipes for week one are found on this site  The portion sizes are larger than what I normally eat.  But, let's take breakfast for example.  Before: I would have a sweet tea and maybe a thing of donuts from the convenient store (if I ate breakfast at all!)  So, even if I'm eating more meat/protein than I'm used to...I KNOW it's got to be better than donuts and sweet tea!  Insert smile here. 

I am missing some soft-serve chocolate ice cream, though! And, that's not even something that I ate on a regular basis.

So far...

I've got more energy!  I really like the Spark drinks provided by Advocare.  They have caffeine without the sugar.  Today, though, I had a headache.  I thought it was due to sinuses, but my husband thought it may be due to not drinking pop and sweet tea.  Several years ago, I had a complex migraine that mimicked a stroke (I briefly lost vision and speech!).  Because of that, I've had to makes sure that I have caffeine every day.  (Spark provides that!)  I'm very thankful that I don't suffer from migraines though on a consistent basis and my prayers are with those that do!  I believe God healed me from those, because I haven't had one in YEARS!  Spark? Will you keep the energy up and the migraines away?  I believe so...after all, we've got God on our side!  

Day 2

"We were made for so much more than ordinary lives.

It's time for us to more than just survive.

We were made to thrive"

So, there's not a "Day Two" song. But, I did hear this song on the way to work this morning and thought it was fitting.

With Advocare, there's a 30 minute time block between the first drink and your breakfast.  I'm using that time to exercise, pray, and read my bible.

Let's start with scripture first! This morning, I read 1 Samuel 1-2.  This is the story of Hannah and Samuel.  I've always loved Hannah.  The reason being: she gave up the thing she wanted most to God!  That takes a strong woman!  To pray and pray and pray, then receive, and then give it away.  That was why I always loved the story of Hannah.  This morning, Hannah spoke to me in a different way.  Hannah was also a woman who knew what she wanted!  She was barren and wanted God to bless her with child.  Even her husband said something like, "Oh Hannah, dear!  Aren't I worth more than having children?"  He loved her more than his other wife (yes, they did that in the Old Testament) and he expected the same of her.  Yet, Hannah knew what she wanted!  So, she prays and prays and prays.  The priest says something like "Dear! She is drunk!" and originally doesn't hear her request!  Thank goodness God hears us!  God blessed Hannah with a child.  If you're like I was, you admired Hannah because she was strong enough to give that child back to God; yet, did you know that God blessed her with more children even after that?  Hannah was a woman who knew what she wanted out of life.  This speaks so much to my goal with this challenge--to get more out of life.  We were made to thrive!  "God, we search for more of you!"

"There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee:  neither is there any rock like our God!" ~Hannah's prayer (1 Sam. 2:2)

Wow!  Yeah, soak that in!  If you're like me, you'll never read the story of Hannah the same.

Back to the morning 30 minutes.  I also did exercises, which included some crunches, planks, and the "Good Morning" video!  Twice!  That put me up to about 15 minutes of exercise in the morning..which is already 5 more minutes than yesterday!  

The morning is now my favorite part of my day!  I believe that this is a direct answer to a prayer because, in aiming to be like the Proverbs 31 woman, I wanted to "rise while still dark".  I have so much more energy in the morning!  Advocare credits Spark!; I credit God Almighty!

Oh, I almost forgot!  Totally nailed this exercise thing today.  During work today, I walked nonstop for about 3 hours while monitoring a test! Yep, I am so counting that towards my exercise minutes!!

And now the food:

Breakfast: egg, wheat toast, and fruit

Lunch: grilled chicken with lettuce and cucumber and a little bit of olive-oil based dressing, with a side of wheat bread

Dinner:  Grilled shrimp with lentils, green onions, and roasted tomatoes, with a side salad (lettuce and dressing only)

Snacks: Pears and Kiwi

Our Dinner Tonight

I found the recipe on a clean eating website.  It was only until we finished eating that I was uncertain if I was "allowed" to have shrimp on the Advocare plan.  Oh well!  I  am not perfect.  I will strive to be perfect, as Jesus calls us to be...I'll explain....but that's for another day, another post.

~Feeling so much better than Day One

Day 1: Advocare 24 Day Challenge

Day One

Here we go...my alarm went off at 4:30 a.m.  One of the Advocare drinks has to be taken 30 minutes before breakfast.  So, in order to get everything done that I wanted AND get to work on time, I set my alarm at 4:30.  I got up at 5:00.

Advocare disclaimer:  I don't sell this stuff.  I don't even know if it will work like it says.  I only know that it has worked for people I know and I want to Do Something (insert another Matthew West song here).  That being said, I had Spark Mango Strawberry (which tastes GREAT) and the peach fiber drink (which wasn't as bad as I prepared myself for) this morning.

During that 30 minute break, I did what I wanted to do in my own challenge, I read my bible and exercised.  I did some planks (which I'm still not sure if I did correctly), some old-fashioned sit-ups, and my "Good Morning" video.  Like exercising, I was never a good dancer either.  I don't have much rhythm.  Still, I LOVE Christian music and liked these videos.  Refit has a version of my son's favorite song, TobyMac's "Eye On It"...so I want to work myself up to that video.  Still, I'm not into exercise...so I did maybe 10 minutes total..TOPS.  Everyone's gotta start somewhere, right?

For the Bible study, I kept with the Proverbs 31 theme and read about the Proverbs 31 woman.  For the time being, I still focused on the scripture that talks about how she rises early.  That's what I'm working on.  

It was a good morning, indeed.

Breakfast was an egg, wheat toast, and piece of fruit. My lunch was chicken and spinach on a spinach whole wheat wrap.  Dinner was stuffed peppers, which I didn't like but my husband loved.  Speaking of him, I don't know that I could do this without him!  Before I started the challenge, we completely cleaned out the kitchen and restocked.  My son said, "You don't understand how much good stuff is in the refrigerator right now!"  

I truly believe, like in all other aspects, my husband will be my support through this.  Did I mention we're eating the same way?  Oh, and he ran 5 miles today.    

Back to food.  Under the Advocare plan, I am eating a lot of food, with bigger portion sizes than I usually eat.  3 meals....3 snacks.  It's suppose to help kick start your metabolism.  My snacks included carrots, boiled eggs, and strawberries.

Put that with the water requirement and I am stuffed!  Am I suppose to lose weight and get in shape like this? That's what they say! I'm 119 ounces of water-filled today (plus food)!  Side note: I was ABOVE my minimum requirement of water, just in case you were trying to figure out my start weight. :) 

Here's to trying it another day.  One day at a time.

-Feeling full and tired

Afterthought:  Did I mention that I have had NO sweet tea, pop (yes, we say pop here), chocolate, or any other sweets today?  

In the beginning...

There are many posts related to a "Proverbs 31 challenge" and this is in no way related to any of those.


You see, this year, I lost my Mamaw to pancreatic cancer.  God gave me the strength and courage to speak at her funeral.  I, as well as other speakers, spoke about the fact that she was the quintessential Proverbs 31 woman, our perfect example.

Isn't she beautiful?  

Several things have happened this year.  The most devastating, of course, is the loss of my Mamaw.  But, I know that she's in a better place.  

Other things: On this the year of my 35th birthday, I have gained 15 pounds! I can no longer wear clothes that I wore in the summer time.

So, I decided to make a change towards a better me.

Beginning tomorrow, I will begin the 24 Day Advocare Challenge.  Me.  The girl who has NEVER exercised in her life, unless she was required. I even got a "C" in wellness class in college, when all you had to do was show up and participate!  I never gained weight much (2 kids DOES NOT count) and never watched what I ate.  Read my lips: I LOVE SWEETS!

Nevertheless, I am going through a process that I will call my Proverbs 31 challenge.  I plan to watch what I eat (with help from Advocare), exercise (which should be funny!), and moreover bring myself closer to God through a morning prayer and Bible devotion time.  My goal is to be a healthier, better version of myself.  For my husband. For my Mamaw.  For my kids.  But, mostly. For me.

This should be interesting...I am not a morning person!  But, Proverbs 31 tells us, "She rises while it is yet night".... Before I head out to work in the morning, I plan to take my Advocare drinks and breakfast, exercise, and read my Bible.  All before I start my day!

P.S. I did take those dreaded "before" pictures.  And, no, I don't plan to share them.