One year down! Let's Celebrate!

Today marks a major milestone in our journey to getting physically, emotionally, and spiritually healthy because it is our one year Anniversary of joining Weight Watchers! I remember last year so vividly it seems like yesterday. We were in Ohio visiting my family and had been talking about taking the plunge and doing it for weeks. We had fiercely analyzed several different program options and after MUCH discussion decided to go with Weight Watchers ….but then never signed up, funny huh! I guess we were just waiting for the perfect moment but the problem is there is NO perfect moment. So in the middle of our vacation I woke up one morning and just had a burning desire to do it! To sign up! Nothing holding us back! After a little bit of rationalizing and resistance from my husband he finally recognized that there was nothing that would stop my zeal and determination! So we did it! We signed up online from Ohio on Monday, August 29^th 2011 and began tracking our food with a plan to attend our first Weight Watchers meeting at a location near our home that Saturday morning. The first week went great and we seemed to fall into place. I lost 6.5 pounds which was probably a lot of water weight since I was still on steroids at the time but it was just the boost I needed to keep motivated. Our meeting that Saturday was great and we seemed to fit in immediately with the Weight Watchers group we chose. They were friendly and open to us and we loved our leader Sandra right away, which really says something because my husband tells me that I can be pretty hard on leaders ;)
Achieving the one year mark on this journey was definitely cause from some self reflection and goal setting. What better time to set new goals then when you have achieved so many. To celebrate this momentous occasion I decided to go out this morning and walk/jog as far as I could manage which in my mind was a glorious 15 miles! Well about half way through my intentions changed and I decided on a 6 mile walk/jog and that is exactly what I did. As a reflected on the last year I can see the hand of God all over our lives. Who would have thought that God could take illness, unemployment, and several other major trials and mold it into such a marvelous testimony of His grace & mercy? The physical transformation has been such a small part of this journey as we have truly learned to honor God with our choices on SO many more levels. I can honestly say this has been the most intimate time that I have ever shared with the Lord or with my husband. In my devotions today I read a line by Oswald Chambers that really brought it all together for me, “Faith must be tested, because it can be turned into personal possession only through conflict.” My faith in myself, my spouse, and most importantly in God has grown tremendously over the last year and I can’t even imagine what the next year will hold!

Having Fun with Homemade Granola!

I've mentioned to you in the past that I always get stuck when it comes to breakfast. Well one thing that I love is fruit, low fat yogurt, and homemade granola! Today I whipped up another batch :) It is so quick and easy and lasts me several months. Here's my recipe for today's batch:

½ Cup Canola Oil
Canola Oil cooking spray
24 Oz. of Honey
1 Cup Molasses
2 ½ Cups Creamy Peanut Butter
2 Tablespoons of Salt
3 Tablespoons of Ground Cinnamon
2 Tablespoons of Ground Ginger
½ Tablespoon of Ground Cloves
3 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
42 oz container of Whole Oats *(NOT instant or quick Oats)*
3 Cups of Whole Almonds
½ Cup Chopped Pecans
½ Cup Dried Cranberries
1 Cup White Raisins

Preheat oven to 300* and spray two large cookie sheets with Canola Oil cooking spray. In LARGE pot heat oil, honey, molasses, peanut butter and stir often on medium heat. As it begins to melt add salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and vanilla extract. Once this mixture is completely melted and mixed well, turn off the heat and remove from the burner. Add in ½ of the Whole Oats and stir well. Add in almonds & pecans and stir well. Add the remaining ½ of the Whole Oats and stir until everything in the pot is covered. Pour and spread evenly onto the two cookie sheets. Cook at 300* for 10 minutes and stir, cook again for 10 minutes and stir, cook for another 10 minutes and stir well and remove from oven. The goal is to absorb a good about of the moisture in the cooking process but it will still be a little sticky when you remove it from the oven. Cool completely and then add Dried Cranberries and White Raisins.

*Very important to always add the dried fruit AFTER the cooking process because the fruit will dry up and harden in the oven and it is not good for your teeth or the flavor.*

This recipe makes two large gallon bags or 32 cups of granola. It freezes really well and is perfect for gifts! I eat this a few times a week and it will usually last us about 4 months. The beauty of homemade granola is that you can play with it and add what you like. I’ve decreased the honey in the past and added 1 cup of brown sugar. I’ve also added cocoa powder and cayenne powder which add a great flavor. I’ve used a bunch of other dried fruits and nuts in the past too. I’ve heard of people adding chocolate chips or marshmallows once it is cooled as well. I almost never make it the same way twice and always try to use up whatever I have in my home. Have fun with it and Enjoy!

Losing a battle but Winning the War!

I remember waking up day after day, week after week, year after year; filled with self loathing regrets and shame because I had done IT yet again. I had eaten too much, over indulged, fallen off the wagon, binged, splurged, or gorged myself. After so many of those mornings filled with regret I finally gave up trying….which led to eventually “Not caring” at all….or so I told myself.  You could literally put this record on repeat and this was my life for about the last 20 years. Unfortunately this is NOT a new story; I am NOT all that different from many other people who cycle through the same patterns of ….dieting-binge-shame/regret-not caring-caring-diet etc…..over and over again. I know this because as I have been so open about my journey with others COUNTLESS people have shared their hearts with me and exposed the truth about their own struggles. The truth is that even if your issue is not food most of us go through this cycle in one area or another at some point in our lives. I felt powerless to break through and truly defeated before I would even begin.

At this point to date I have lost a total of 94.1 lbs and have been on this journey to getting healthy exactly one year on August 29^th. You may think that I have it all figured out by now. That I have made this lifestyle change and ever fiber of my being is on board, focused, and in route to the finish line. At the risk of sorely disappointing you I must share the honest reality that is not always the case. I read a very interesting blog post recently by the CEO of Weight Watchers, David Kirchhoff called "Do all habits and no play make Dave a dull boy?"  Kind of a funny name, huh? Anyway in the article he talks about how important habits are to sustaining change. Well the good news is that over the last year I have built many wonderful physical, emotional, and spiritual habits that have had a tremendous impact in my life! Obviously to lose 94.1 lbs some drastic elements of my life have changed!

However the bad news is I spent 34 years building those unhealthy habits and occasionally, especially when I am exhausted, stressed, angry, or otherwise highly emotional….the unhealthy habits will prevail! Also I AM a human being and not God so I am imperfect apart from Him. I woke up recently on a Tuesday after eating all of my weekly points (49) and all of my activity points (25) in just 3 days with the EXACT same shame, regret, & fear that I had in the past.  As I showered & prayed I repented to the Lord for not honoring Him with my choices. In that moment a thought came to my heart “My emotions had won THAT battle, but ultimately I (with God’s help) WILL win the war”. It occurred to me as I meditated on that reality that in a war you won’t win every individual battle. There will always be losses at times in war. Even the great champion King David from the Bible experienced losses. When we lose a battle it helps us refocus, reevaluate, make necessary changes, and reconnect with our source of power – God!  I was so encouraged by this truth! It released me from chasing after perfection which always leads to disappointment since perfection is unachievable. My greatest fear has been that somehow I would “fall off the wagon” and go completely back to my old unhealthy lifestyle. Guess what! I’m NOT on a wagon! I don’t have to live in fear of every little daily mistake I make! This helped me realize that God has a purpose even when we lose a battle. I have surrendered my physical, emotional, and spiritual health to the Lord and He will sustain me. Losing this battle helped me refocus & recharge and I’ve been backing kicking butt with God’s strength ever since!