War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

How does being overweight affect us financially? Listen and find out.

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

How was your weigh in? Did you reach your goal. Today is confession day - listen in!


War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

Losing weight is more than just a change of mind, it goes much deeper. Listen and find encouragement to win your WAR.

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

Pet Peeve #6 of Top Dietitions... What is it? Listen and learn.

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

Well, how have you been doing in your War on Weight? Listen to this short episode. You CAN DO IT!

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

Join in the Conversation NOW MONDAY through FRIDAY 6:30 A.M. Central Time!!! - War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

Today we talk about 10 tips to "mindful eating" on Thanksgiving. It's actually GREAT material for all year long!!

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

     HEY!!! Here is my blog on my War on Weight! DID I reach my goal of 358 pounds?! Listen and find out.

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 | Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Online Radio by Miracle MorningMinistries2 Blog Talk Radio

War on Weight Show!!

Hello everyone!! I attempted my show last Saturday, but it didn't go so well due to my own errors. So THIS Saturday will be my first show on War on Weight. I will continue to keep this blog going. It may not be as long as it has been in the past, but I will still keep posting. I will also be putting my show on this blog. Every Saturday so you can listen to it. It's only 15 minutes long. I would LOVE for you to join me THIS Saturday @ 8:30 A.M. Live on blog talk radio. Keep an eye on my face book page or twitter page. I will post the link. See you Saturday!! Here's the link NOW, you can click this. It will take you to my homepage http://www.blogtalkradio.com/miracle-morningministries2/2011/10/22/war-on-weight

1st broadcast!!!

My 1st "War on Weight" broadcast will be THIS Saturday @ 8:30 A.M. Join me LIVE on blog talk radio. I will leave a link for you on Face book be watching for the link and listen Saturday!!

War on Weight!!! Moving?

I am considering moving from typing my blog every morning Mon through Friday - because I am so slow at typing - to having an online radio spot at blogtalkradio.com once a week. It will be live at 8:30 A.M. Saturday mornings. I will post it to this page so you can hear it. It will be a short program, but when I'm live I can actually take callers. You will be able to listen to the archives anytime. I REALLY NEED some opinions. WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should I keep typing or do the radio thing? PLEASE let me know your opinion.

Pushing off Paleo

      Yea, I pushed off starting the Paleo diet until this Sunday. I didn't exactly "mean" to push it off. Here's the story. On the Paleo diet you get one day of cheats - I think I have it right. So I am planning on using Tuesday as that cheat time. - It may be one cheat meal, I'll have to double check. Anyway We were having chili Tuesday and I had planned, for awhile to make a new "spicy" chili. Everything seemed o.k. I told Holly on Monday, "Hey, We're having chili Tomorrow. It uses beans, which is on my diet and peppers, which are also on my diet! I can use today foe my 'cheat day'" Then after eating fries and burger with cheese on it, it struck me. My recipe also calls for sugar and cocoa, both of these items NOT ALLOWED on this diet. So I thought I would make this pot of chili for the next day and start the paleo on Wednesday. The only problem is that my chili was a great success! It was hot and had great taste...except everyone else like the chili Holly made too. It is not as spicy, but it also tastes great. Corban didn't want any of my chili, my dad had one bowl of my chili and my mom had one "dipper" full of my chili. It was up to me to eat my own chili. Let's just say that it has taken a few days to get down eating the BIG pot of chili!

UPDATE!!!!

     Now, I don't want you to worry I have been down weight watchers this week. so I have not gone hog wild. I have however been gaining some weight. Yesterday I weighed in at 361.5. I am afraid I will either stay the same today at weigh in or at best stay the same. I don't see weight loss for me today. Now this week I am supposed to be down to 356 pounds. I currently have 5.5 pounds to lose to get down to that weight. It will take hard work, focus, and discipline, but I think I can still do this. I am finding that the most DIFFICULT thing about losing weight is the mindset. I am REALLY struggling with changing the way I think about food. It is the craziest thing. It's like I can't control that "animal" that just wants one more helping, one more bite. This has been my struggle this week. I am hoping that my focus now will not be too little too late. We'll see. I'm strapping in..

What a weekend!!! - The Start of Day 1 (Paleo Diet)

     I trust you all had a GREAT weekend. It was a very sobering one with 9/11 this past weekend. It was, however, a weekend to find a great since of courage. We found many people coming together, praying for those lost in the attacks of 9/11. We also prayed for America. It was a very thought provoking, spiritually challenging weekend.

     Today is it! Today I start the paleo diet. As I said I will follow this plan for the next thirty days and see what happens. It has already played tricks on my "normal" way of thinking about food. Yea, I stooped myself from reaching out for the doughnuts, cookies, cheese sticks. Instead I went and bought chicken, some steak - lean, of course, and something I have not ever really bought before...fish! WHOA! I am NOT a fish person, but Holly likes it and I told her I would try some, since I can have it.

     I have been given some "homework" from the one who suggested this "diet" to me. I will simply call him my "Paleo Pilot" - Hey, I'm a preacher I have to fulfill the urge to alliterate (LOL). So I will be doing some reading and sharing with you what I discover. My "Paleo Pilot" has informed me that this is not just a diet is supposed to be a lifestyle change. If you need a refresher of what this paleo diet is about, I give a brief outline in my "Change" blog. So ready or not.... I am Plotting off into the Paleo diet and Plan to come in first Place!!! (HAHAHAHAHA!!!) - I just can't help myself today, I MUST alliterate.
    
     As for my war on weight, it was a great success. I won a BIG battle this week. I am feeling MUCH better! I can't believe how good I feel and I am just now making some progress. My goal weight was set for 358 pounds for Sunday - my official weigh day. I stepped on the scale and it said 356.5 pounds!!! I actually went OVER my goal this week!! What a shot in the arm to get me motivated and ready to go. The great news is that my goal weight for this Sunday is 356 pounds. I only have 1/2 a pound to lose to reach that goal. Now, a word of caution, I reached this goal while on my monthly "special diet" I am coming off this "special diet" today, so I am fully expecting to gain SOME of the weight back, but not ALL. So my 1/2 a pound weight loss goal for this week will take GREAT discipline. My goal is to NEVER EVER see my scale say that I weigh 360 again...EVER!!! I am determined and will work hard not to see that again.

Chili

     Yesterday was a very difficult day. I didn't eat anything bad, but I sure wanted to. Holy and the kids were eating big bowls of chili and me well... let's just say I didn't eat any chili, although it is one of my favorite meals when it is "cold" outside. I had instead a nice big cup of water. This is something do every month. I don't eat "normally" for several days in a row. This month it is 4 days and eventually I will work my way up to the first 7 days of a month. At the beginning of the year I go on the "special diet" for 40 days. This helps me with discipline and gives me time to focus on things more important than food. It is the first day that is the most difficult for me. I usually get a headache. Then when the family eats a meal I REALLY have to fight the temptation to give in to my flesh and eat. Yesterday was my first day and boy did that chili smell good! We are having my parents over Tuesday and I will be done with this "diet". I am planning on making some chili! I would however like to try something new so I am looking for a new recipe for chili. If you have one I would LOVE to hear from you!!

UPDATE!!!!

I stayed the same weight wise. I am fully anticipating weight loss today when I step on the scale. I need to lose 9 pounds to reach my goal this week. I still think it is possible. We will see.

Vegetarian

Gen. 1:29 And God said , Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

     Man did not always eat beef, venison, pork, or any meat for that matter. This all came about because of sin - the wages of sin is death. Adam and Eve were placed in the garden of Eden and was told that they could eat any herb bearing seed, and fruit from any tree to eat. Originally man was created as vegetarians. Man sinned as a result a lamb was killed - the 1st physical death as a result of sin. After that man began to eat meat. I am not saying that it is wrong or a sin to eat meat I am only pointing to what man ate in the very beginning, and what we will eat in the end.

     Fruit and vegetables are very important to health, because that is originally what we were meant to eat. We need to make sure we incorporate these into our diets. This is  something I will need to try to do as well. I am still preparing for my 30 day test of the paleo diet that one of my readers told me about. I looked up the diet in more detail. It looks pretty interesting. The only concern I have is that the whole diet is based off evolutionary concepts. I am looking forward to trying this diet. Then after that I will either still with it or I may try a diet based on the Old Testament law that God gave to Israel, just to see what happens. We will see. I can't wait to get this new diet started. It should be interesting.

UPDATE!!!

Just call me the world's largest yo-yo. I gain then I lose, I gain then I lose, etc. As I stepped on the scale yesterday I weighed in at 367. Yes this is a loss of 1 pound and a half.  I can't remember what all I ate. For some reason I didn't write them down. I will try to remember to do that from here on out. I have tried to send pictures to my blog, but for some reason I can't get them to go through. Right now I can't even send pictures to Facebook. I will keep trying to figure this out.

Is Exercise important to weight loss

I have recently been challenged on the statement that I need to exercise more to lose weight. While I thought it was a given that exercise is important to weight loss, obviously it isn't (a given). So I have found some information about weight loss and exercise. The results of my research surprised me! Here is the link to where I found my information. This comes from the Mayo Clinic - very reliable. http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/weight-loss/AN01619

UPDATE!!!

I stepped on the scale anticipating a gain since I ate pizza the day before, and I was right. I weighed in at 368.5. This leaves me 10.5 pounds to lose o reach my goal for this week. It is as I said yesterday there must be a change. I cannot lose weight eating the way I have. It must take a COMPLETE overhaul. Good news; I didn't eat any of my kids leftovers yesterday!! That is a bit of good news! One small step in the right direction.

Change

     "I need to make changes in my life." Have you ever said that? I know I have, recently. I have wondered HOW to go about making the needed changes. Do I just Start from scratch? Is that even possible? Do I make small changes and make a complete overhaul over time? Do i just accept where I am and just enjoy life? But then HOW do you enjoy life when you know changes need to be made? You can't. As I have been considering what to do, I think I will make small changes and work to make progress slowly, but surely. 1st change I am going to make has nothing to do with weight loss, but I will clean my office. This is actually quit a statement. My "Office" at home is not even usable and hasn't been for about...1 year? maybe a little longer. yea, I know, that's bad. Like I said it is a change that is a small change that will help me make other bigger changes in my life.

UPDATE!!! 



     I stepped on the scale and was delighted to see that I had lost 1/5 a pound. I went from 367.5 to 367. I am now 9 pounds from my goal this week. I did not exercise, I ate my kids left overs, and I had seconds. I think I will simply try to do one thing at a time... I will not eat any of my kids left overs. There it is, I know this can be done. It's a small step in the right direction.

     I received a message from one of my blog readers, that basically laid it all out there for me. He made one clear observation. I have not gotten very far in my war on weight. He is absolutely correct. He then continued to offer me a diet plan to try for 30 days. It will take discipline, hard work, and focus. I wrote him back and told him that I would take him up on this diet plan. We'll see what happens. I will try to start this new plan Monday. Oh yeah I will be keeping you all updated. It may be a great way to give me a boost in my efforts to lose weight. Here's the plan laid out for me:

You can eat: lean meats, veggies, eggs, legumes, a little bit of nuts (almonds and walnuts), and a little bit of fruit (preferably after exercise)

You can't eat: grains, cereals, breads, starches, dairy, or any kind of processed sugar (anything besides fruit that has sugar in it)

Labor Day!!

I will not write much today, I will only let you know I did not reach my goal for the week. I weighed in at 367.5. My goal for this weak is 358 - 9.5 pounds to lose. I am pretty confidant that I will reach this goal. I will set the same goals this week as I did for last week. I will:

1. Not Eat Seconds
2. Not eat "leftovers" from my kids plates
3. Not eat past 6:00 p.m.
4. Will drink ALL my water for the day - approx. 1 gal.
5. Will exercise for a minimum of 15-20 minutes Monday through Saturday. 6 x's this week

It's Hard...So Hard to do...but NOT Impossible Pt. 2

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!"

     That's what I feel like screaming when I think of eating right! Oh man is it hard to turn down the french fries, burger, and soda/ pop - Depending where your from - so that I can eat lettuce! O.K. I'll admit it I do like salads, but it's more along the line of taco salads, you know with extra meat and cheese. It is so hard to eat right in a world where fast food, fattening food is less expensive, more easily accessible, and tastes better than the "health foods" we're supposed to eat. I do NOT blame anyone else other than me, though, for being so overweight. I need that self discipline, yeah, SELF discipline. I can't, nor should I point fingers at anyone else. So it's time to "cowboy up" and get disciplined .

     I have noticed that the more I am disciplined in food, I am more self disciplined in other things in life as well. I manage time better, I am more disciplined to get things done I need to get done, I am also more disciplined to refuse or stay away from those things I am tempted by. It is amazing that when I sit back and consider how this thing of being overweight effects me in so many areas, I can't help but want to lose weight. I AM tired of saying it. I am ready for action. It will be Hard, very hard, but not impossible. I will depend on family, friends, YOU - my blog readers, but most importantly I will depend on my Lord to help me in this fight of (and quite possibly for) my life.

   UPDATE!!!!!! - I lost 1.5 pounds!! According to the scale I weighed in yesterday at 366! I now have 6 pounds to reach my goal this week. I did not, however eat very well. I had an apple for breakfast - YEA ME!! For lunch it was two WHOPPING bowls of spaghetti, and 2 1/2 pieces of garlic bread sticks. Supper was not much better. I had 15 chicken nuggets - microwavable, then the rest of the family wanted DQ, so off I went. I got me a grilled chicken wrap and a small chocolate milk shake. I didn't think that was that bad, but then Harmony did not want her fries, so I ate them, Corban ate his french fries, but only ate a couple small bites of his burger, with cheese, then was done, so I ate it too. NOT GOOD. I did not exercise or drink my water either. I believe this puts me exactly -3 on my goals list from yesterday.

GOALS for today!!! O.K. I will once again shoot for the same goals I had yesterday.

1. NO SECONDS
2. EXERCISE
3. DRINK WATER
4. NO EATING PAST 6:00 P.M.

Until tomorrow, stay in the battle, we will win this "war on weight!!"

It's Hard...So Hard to do...but NOT Impossible Pt. 1

    In order to lose weight a person must exercise.

     It is hard to get into a workout routine. For me it is difficult because both the physical strain and the emotional will to get up and go. It is key to overcome the battle of will. This is why being overweight is very often a sign of the sin selfishness, lack of control, discipline...etc. because it is all about what I want at that time. We do not stop to think (or at least I don't) about the result of not exercising compared to the result of working out. My knees, ankles, and my feet hurt. It is key to start with low impact aerobics. walking is a great exercise. I must remember that No pain = No Gain! So time to go feel the pain...

      UPDATE!!! - As I stepped on the scale yesterday I was hopeful for a weight loss. It didn't happen, I stayed the same at 367.5 and still needing to lose 7.5 pounds by Sunday. While this goal may look out of reach this week, I will be able to catch up next week. I will simply try to get back on track after being in Arkansas. Bring on the FOCUS!!! Yesterday I ate 5 pieces of pizza, 5 cheese sticks, and for supper I ate a southwestern salad from Wal-mart. Tasted GREAT!

     GOALS!!!! - My goals for the rest of this week is:

1. Do not eat past 6:00 p.m.
2. Do not eat ANY seconds - including cleaning the kids plates
3. Drink ALL my water (approx. 1 gal.)
4. Exercise Thursday, Friday, and Saturday

Made it Back!!

     I had to take a small break from blogging because I had to go to Arkansas. There was not a good Internet connection where I was. I did try to blog at least once, via my cell phone, but that looked like jumble. So I didn't try again. Holly and her family laid her granddad to rest this past week. It was a precious memorial service. Please pray for Holly's family.

     We were going to be back Sunday night, but after 2 hours of driving, the car broke down and we were stranded. We called my father in law who came and helped, but we still had to wait until Monday for my dad to rent a U-Haul car hauler and tow the car back to TN. Oh, yeah here's the funny part. We were driving my dad's car because was still, and STILL is, in the shop! What a week end. We made it home yesterday at about 3:00 A.M. I was pretty tired, that's why I didn't post yesterday.

     I stepped on the scale when I got back from Arkansas and I weighed in at 367.5. I am supposed to be down to 360 by this Sunday. I have about 7.5 pounds to lose to reach my goal. I truly believe that if I focus that I will be able to reach the goal. I will be trying to get back into an exercise routine and eating healthier.  It takes a lot of hard work, but I am convinced that this thing can be won!

WHAT IN THE WORLD!!!!!

O.k. folks, I have NO clue what the jumbbled up stuff is on the poat below. I tried to use my cell phone to post with. UMMMM.... I don't think it worked right. Sorry fot that. I will try to update you later. I have the viewing of my wife's grandad to go to tonight. Please pray for the family.

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About to leave

      I am going to heading to Arkansas this morning to be with Holly's family. She lost her grandad the other day. Any time we travel it is VERY difficult for me to lose weight. I am trying to mentally prepare for the trip. I usually gain weight when I go to Arkansas. I have no idea what this weekend has in store for us. I may not post much the rest of this week, unless I post on the go, they'll be short. I will be back to posting in the morning's by Monday.
  
     UPDATE!!! I weighed in at 368 this is a 1.5 pound increase from the other day. Of course the 1st night of the fair I ate AWFUL, last night I did good. I stayed in my points for weight watchers, but I didn't eat supper until 11:00 P.M. last night. We'll see what the scale says this morning.

Like it or not, It's Fair

     It's Fair time here where I live!! You know what that means - especially for small towns where we have something to do once a year - LOTS of food!! Last night I worked at the fair and STILL ate a hamburger, french fries, 1/4 of a funnel cake, a fried Oreo, and 2 small packages of peanut M&M's and half a kitkat. Let's say, I'm not looking forward to seeing the scale today. I will have to stay extra focused for the rest of the week. I don't have any of my extra points - I'm on weight watcher's. I actually am at -4 extra points. I will exercise and that will fix that problem.

     UPDATE!!! - I already told you what I ate at the fair last night, but I also had 2 strawberry strudels for breakfast. I also made me a turkey sandwich for a snack, and ate 2 hamburgers, wheat bread, and mustard along with potato chips and some dip for lunch.

     I was planning on sending pictures or something , but I haven't been able to figure that out yet. We'll keep working on it. I will probably be writing a little less over the next few days, Holly - my wife, just lost her granddad. We are preparing to go to the funeral. I will post as much as I can.

Dream the Impossible Dream

     When I was in high school we sang a song that said "To Dream the impossible dream.." That's all I remember, word for word anyway. It also talked about reaching for the unreachable stars, etc. For those of us who are overweight our dream may be as simple as losing down to our "ideal" weight, or just a few pounds would be nice. I am a big dreamer. I enjoy trying to do great things. I also enjoy dreaming of doing greater things. I am never satisfied with what I did, I want to do bigger better things next time.

     What's my dream? right now, my dream is to lose weight and reach my goal that I have set. The good news is, if you are in the same boat as me, our dream is not the impossible one. It is just the difficult, VERY difficult one. So, how do we see the dream come true? We set reachable goals. I have set goals for my weight loss that will, if I reach them every week, will get me to my goal weight of 200 lbs. By the last weigh day of October 2012. I am only losing about 2 pounds a week with very few exceptions. For example my update for you today will show you that I am 366 and my goal for next Sunday weig in will be 364 - only two pounds. I have also started back on weight watchters and will  use that system to my advantage in order to reach my goals.

     In order to help me stay motivated to reach my goals I am setting up a simple reward system that does NOT include food, except for 30 pounds lost. My first reward will be a day to the zoo with my family and me and NO ONE ELSE. This is a big deal for me, I love my family time, especially when we get to spend all day with the kids and watch their eyes pop as they see cool animals! So, in order for me to get to go to the zoo I must lose down to 350.

     Let me encourage you to set simple, attainable goals, and find a weight loss system that will work for you. What is your goal weight? Jow will you get their? What system will you use? What rewards will you give yourself for losing weight? I would LOVE to hear from you!!!

F.O.C.U.S.: S= Single-minded

    Being single-minded is a key aspect of focus. Single-minded is defined as "Having one overriding purpose or goal. Steadfast; resolute". As a Christian I am to be single-minded on the things of God and yet the Bible tells me that my body is the temple of God. I must ask myself, "Is God's temple (my body) worthy of Him and His Holiness, or is it cluttered with garbage (fat). Being as overweight as I am I sometimes struggle with self-esteem. How does this affect my ministry? My life? My testimony? We cannot break up the Spiritual world and the physical world. They effect each other. My spiritual life will cause me to act a certain way physically and my physical life is the thermostat by which we can read our growth in God. So I MUST lose weight, not just so I will feel better, not just for my wife or the kids. It's more important than that. I must lose weight so my life can better glorify God. So being single-minded is more than just on weight loss, it's being single-minded on God and what He wants for me. He wants a pure, clean, well taken care of temple. I have failed miserably in this area, but by God's help I will clean it up!

     UPDATE TIME!!!! I lost a pound yesterday. I now weigh 366lbs. Now I have just listened to a professional who suggest that a person only weigh in once a week. I have also heard it is better to weigh every day (This also from a professional). I have been weighing every day for the past several months, I may start weighing only once a week. I haven't decided. Any comments on this decision is are welcome. Yesterday I did not do as well as I should have. I ate pizza - four pieces that had xtra cheese, pepperoni, and bacon. I also had about six cheese sticks and a glass of milk. For supper I had a turkey sandwich, white bread, mayo, cheese, and tortilla chips with cheese dip. I did not exercise last night- this is the only night I did not do my stepper. So we'll see what happens when I step on the scale today. Starting Monday I will be posting a lot more via my mobile. I will start posting pictures of what I eat as well as other things throughout the day. I will still be writing my morning "devotional" so keep an eye on this blog it will be changing constantly. It's about to go to the next level!!!

This is a test to see if I can post mobile
Pastor Caleb Bowling

F.O.C.U.S.: U= Undeterred

      There will be bumps in the road to weight loss. There will be battles lost. This is where being Undeterred comes in handy. Undeterred is defines as "not discouraged or dissuaded". It is so tempting to throw up my hands and say "I quit!!" However if I am undeterred I will get back on track and stay with it. I must NOT allow things to keep me down, I must go on...undeterred.

      Time for my update!! I weighed in yesterday morning at 367 lbs. I gained 1 pound. This was quite a let down, since I really thought I would lose weight. However, I fought through my discouragement and pressed on. I ate 3 tacos, and 2 bowls of banana pudding - yea I'm NOT supposed to have seconds. This was for lunch. I also had a turkey sandwich with mayo, cheese, pickles, and white bread. After church I ate 2 more turkey sandwiches and 2 chocolate chip cookies. I DID do the stepper for 30 minutes. We will see what happens when I weigh in this morning.

F.O.C.U.S.: C= Commited

     Commitment is a word that most people, it seems, don't like to hear. When a person is committed that means they are going to "stick with it" until the end. Commitment takes hard work, endurability, and toughness. It is tough to stay with something when it is hard. It is easier for me to be committed to watch a movie than it is for me to clean and paint a room. That is human nature. To be committed you have to be stubborn and say NO when you are tempted to give up.

     There is another "C" word I could use here as well. It is companion. Had I not had the encouragement from my wife, friends, and even kids I would have quit a long time ago.Having someone to answer to is a great way to help a person stay focused. This is why I LOVE to hear from you so we can help each other. A companion will help you stay committed. They go hand in hand, for me anyway.

     O.K. Now for my update....Yesterday I lost 1/2 a pound!!! I was pleasantly surprised considering all I ate Monday - see yesterday's post. I am now 9 pounds from my goal for the week. I did a little better - I think as far as eating goes. Yesterday I ate 3 cheeseburgers - the burgers were NOT fast food and they were on whole wheat bread. I also had nachos and cheese - it would probably equally a full large plate full of chips with cheese on almost every chip. I also had a small ice cream cone and some cake. Last night I ate two red baron personal, microwavable pizza's - 4 cheese. I did drink my gallon of water. I also did my 30 minutes of stepping. I feel pretty good about today. I think I will try to take pictures of what I eat - I have read where that helps some people - and I will share the pictures with you - we'll see what happens. Until next time stay F. - Full of Fortitude O - Observant C.-Committed...

F.O.C.U.S.: O= Observant

     Being observant can be a very difficult thing to do. How it is very important that those of us in this war on weight pay close attention to what we eat, how much we eat, and when we eat. We must be careful not to eat too much, the wrong foods, and when we are emotional. I am an emotional eater, I eat when I am depressed, happy, excited, sad, pretty much any emotion I eat(lol). Seriously, I have had a struggle with eating too much.

     Yesterday when I weighed in I weighed 366.5, this puts me now 9.5 pounds away from my goal for this week! Yesterday we had a an appreciation lunch for those of us at the radio station. They ordered pizza. Man was it good. Yes, I ate too much. I ate about 4 or 5 pieces of pizza along with 2 cheese sticks, and some very yummy (a.k.a. very fattening) chocolate bread sticks, I ate four of them - they were smaller. Later, for "supper" I had 2 more pieces of pizza and 4 of the small chocolate sticks. I also drank two cups of Mt. Dew yesterday, the rest of the day I drank water. About 7:00 p.m. I had 3 bowls of honey nut cheerios, with milk - I think it was 2%. Oh yeah I also had about 6 or 7 meatballs yesterday morning. I did not exercise ANY fortitude. I did however walk about 1 mile throughout the day and at about 8:00 I did my stepper for 20 minutes. This is similar to the stepper I use.

Today I will show both Fortitude and will be Observant. I haven't weighed today as of this post I will tell you how it turns out. Not really looking forward to it, but at least I will know the damage.

F.O.C.U.S.: F= Fortitude

    Fortitude, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary means : strength of mind that enables a person to encounter danger or bear pain or adversity with courage. This is a key component to weight loss. It will not be fun, worth it, but NOT fun. A person must be focused and ready for "temptation" to spring it's UGLY head. So I want to take the word Focus and write an acrostic. Today we will look at F.

     F= Fortitude. As we begin on this life changing journey, we must be ready for what lies ahead, in the form of temptation. There will be dangerous pitfalls to avoid, such as that dreadful 2nd helping, eating too much fried foods, eating out too much, or not "having time" a.k.a. don't want to exercise. We must have the fortitude to say NO to the temptations we will face, and YES to the good things which are difficult to do. I can say I want to lose weight, but ACTION is the key. It is time to gear up for battle, because that is exactly what we are in for.

    Now, let me tell you my official weigh in for this week: 365 lbs. My goal is to be at 357 by Sunday. This IS a lot of weight to lose in one week however I believe that this is attainable with A LOT of  FORTITUDE. Now what is your goal for next week? How will you reach that goal?

Off to a Good Start

      O.K. so I was thinking..."What can I do to help me lose weight?" I have formulated a plan that I think will work. I will do this in stages. stage one is where I am now.

1. I have stopped eating past 6:00 p.m.
2. I have some "steppers" at my house. I am using those for 15 min. each day
3. I have started eating a lite supper.

This is step one. Using this step I lost 1 pound yesterday. I am now 363.5.

     Now let me clarify, while I officially weigh in on Sunday's, I weigh in every day. Now I have heard from some that this may not be a good idea, however according to the research I have done people who weigh in every day are more likely to lose weight and manage their weight lose.

      Stage two will begin Monday I will keep doing everything on stage one, but I will add stage two which is

1. add 15 minutes of steppers - this will be 2 X's a day 15 min. in the afternoon and 15 min. in the evening
2. start drinking more water - back to my gallon a day

I will stop there for my stages. and will keep you updated on what I am doing in my next stage.

Back in the Saddle Again

     "Back in the saddle again, back where a friend is a friend..." YES, it has been a looooooong while since I last wrote. I am ready now to get back on subject. I will tell you that I REALLY struggles through the summer. I fell off the bandwagon, but I am once again back in this war!! I was "wounded" but now I have healed and I am ready to lose weight. I will be posting my goals on the next couple days. I am also considering posting pictures and maybe a video every once in a while. I am going to schedule some people to blog on this topic as well.
      If you did well during the summer I would LOVE for you to share your story! I am currently 364.5 lbs. Holly and I have set goals as well as some rewards for when I reach my goal. Oh yeah, by the way Holly beat me in our race! Congratulations. I have a VERY busy schedule so I may be a little hit and miss in my blogging, until I can get my schedule figured out. My new official weigh in day is on Sunday Morning. I will post my official weight on Monday's. So until Tomorrow, I'm going back into the field!!!!

Still in the War, Just on "Leave"

     It has been several weeks since I last wrote about my War on Weight. Yes, I am still in the war, I have just taken a little "leave" from writting so I can regroup and set new goals for my weight loss. I had come to a realization that since I have set my weekly goals, I have NOT reached ONE goal! So i have set more attainable goals. Last post I was at 369 at last weigh-in I was down to 367. I have been down to 361.5, but gained some back. I am now going back down.

     Holly and I are still in our race in which she has lost 5% of her goal and I have lost 1%. We are shooting to be done with this race by the end of June! This only leaves me about 7 weeks to lose 9% before Holly reaches her goal. I will attempt to write about once a week. I REALLY want this to be a blog that can be helpful to those who read it, so I will begin looking for helpful information to post. Please feel free to share any helpful information. I am looking forward to getting back into the "War on Weight!!"

      I will keep you updated on my goals. If you have any you would like to share, please do so. I weigh in every Tuesday. My goal for this next weigh in is to lose only 2 lbs. from 367 to 365. One of the Christian radio stations I work at is having a share - a- thon. That means LOTS of FOOD! So I must have LOTS of DISCIPLINE! Please pray for both our share - a - thon and me to STAY THE COURSE.

The Big Race Weigh In Week 3

As we stepped on the scale Holly was excited. She was able to fill in yet ANOTHER % in for our race. She is now 4% and almost half way home. I stepped on the scale and I lost 2 pounds! I am still trying to get to 1%, but I am poised that if I work hard enough this week I may be able to mark off up to 3%!! So get the tae bo videos out every day and get ready to work it off. This is my chance to get back in the race! I have been nice enough and have given Holly enough of a head start, it's time to get busy and show you all what I can do. I CAN'T WAIT until next weigh in, BRING IT ON!!

Here's my chart for this week:

Date	weight	Gain/loss	Total   +/-	Goal
8/9/10	380		n/a	n/a

4/6/11	369.5	- 2	- 10.5	350 ):
4/13/11				366

The Big Race Weigh In Week 2

Well, today we stepped on the scale and while Holly was able to jump up and down because of her weight loss. I hung my head in head in shame. Here's why...

Date	weight	Gain/loss	Total   +/-	Goal
8/9/10	380		n/a	n/a

3/30/11	371.5	+ 1.5	-          8.5	360  ):
4/6/11				350

Holly has lost officially 3% and ...let's just say, I haven't. Don't count me out yet though. I WILL get in the game this next week. I  am planning on losing about 10 pounds this week!!! Get ready, I'm pulling out all the stops!!!

Just CHILLIN'

"I scream you scream we all scream for ICE CREAM!!!!" Now that brings back childhood memories. My brother and sister would sing that at the top of our lungs when we were all small children. Who doesn't like ice cream? - except the lactose intolerant. I have been told that more ice cream is sold during winter than any other time of the year. Ice cream is so great because you can get soooooo many flavors, thanks in part to Baskin Robbins. If you don't like plain vanilla you can always get, chocolate, moose tracks, turtle tracks, sherberts, cookie dough, cookies and cream, etc.

One place that is famous for great ice cream is Ben & Jerry's. If you find yourself staring at their delicious menu you may want to remember what "Eat This, Not That" has o say. According to this book, written by David Zinczenko - Editor-in-chief of Men'sHealth, Don't eat the CHUNKY MONKEY in a waffle cone!!!! It will make you look like a chunky monkey with 659 Calories, 34 grams of fat (19 grams saturated fat), and 58 grams of sugar. Instead try the Strawberry Kiwi Swirl Sorbet, sugar cone (1/2 cup). The delectable item contains 280 Calories, 1 gram of fat (0 grams saturated) and 52 grams of sugar. You can also safely try the Chocolate Fudge Brownie Frozen Yogurt (1/2 cup), or the Strawberry Original Ice Cream (1/2) cup.

If you begin to crave ice cream, remember that it's o.k. to eat some. It's not a sin to have food, it's only a sin when you begin to become a glutton. You can either become a glutton of Junk food or even become a glutton of health food. Gluttony is when you eat too much of something whether "junk" food or "health"food.

Trick or Bad Choice?

     We pulled up to the Mcdonald's drive thru. I was ready to order. I had about 30 ponits left for the day on weight watchers. It was supper, needless to say I was feeling pretty good about my situation. I was ordering for the kids and Holly's meal as well. Now it was my turn to order, then I heard the voice of temptation - It's funny it sounded JUST like Holly! She said, "Awe, just get the Angus deluxe meal." She KNOWS that I LOVE that meal! So what did I do? I mustered up all my will power that I had and then I spoke into the speaker. "I'll have your...ummm... your...Angus deluxe meal please LARGE sized with an apple pie - I have never turned away the free apple pie in my large sized meal. Then I heard a laugh. I looked at Holly and, with all the love in my heart I said "Holly your evil!" - of course we were just having a good time, I was not really angry, I mean how could I be angry with her, she just told me I could get my favorite meal on the menu!!

      We drive home and get all the meals separated out and I still thought o.k. I've used all my extra points, but I'll still be o.k. - YEA RIGHT!! The sandwich alone was 21 points. Long story short I went WELL over my points and today I had to do "Billy Blanks Boot Camp Tae Bo workout"! I am STILL 10 points in the hole, so I will have to do it again tomorrow! I wonder if I have learned my lesson...

FRIDAY!!!!

Yes, we find ourselves at another weekend, and READY for a break. (Well, at least I am.) A couple days ago I was so distracted that when I ordered a chicken nugget meal (Go ahead.... Gasp in horror) for McDonald's FOR THE KIDS -I only ate a "few" of their nuggets and fries, anyway, I ordered the meal, with the kids yelling, screaming, singing, etc. all at the same time, I told the drive thru worker that I wanted honey musterd sauce to drink in the meal.

Have you ever been there? I was greatly distracted and messed up terribly - funny, but teribly. The same is true with my diet. I get s busy with my boss "screaming" in one ear, my church in the other, while my kids are wanting a daddy, and my wife wants a husband. I have learned that it is easy to become distracted and mess up terribly on my "diet". One word must be my theme and that is FOCUS. I must not get too busy to eat right, count my weight watchers points, exercise, etc. So as the weekend gets here we must stay focused.

Daily Bread

Matthew 6:11 - Give us this day our daily bread.

   As I look at this verse I see that the request is for TODAY'S food, not an abundance of food. How much is considered "Daily Bread"? Daily bread indicates that we are not to ask for more than w can eat in a day, but for some of us we could eat  A LOT more than others. So where's the cut off line for our daily bread? We must remember that in the Bible times food was not so abundant as we have today. They were happy to get food enough for one meal, much less for the day. They rarely ate seconds, depending on their wealth. Today most of us in America eat as kings and still gripe when our favorite restaurant is not open when we want something late at night.

In the Bible times people ate to live today we live to eat, this is NOT good. This is why I have made it my personal goal to cut out seconds. I believe that if I can simply be thankful for the bread I have for the day I will not need to eat enough for two. Today I think we should ask God to help us only eat our DAILY bread.

The Big Race Weigh In Week 1

So, how did you do in your weigh in this week? Did you lose weight? Stay the same? Gain Weight? Let me know! Holly and I weighed in today. Holly lost several pounds and I, well...I didn't start off great. I tipped the scale at 370. I stayed the same. While this is not bad, it sure doesn't help my race. I am currently in 2nd a.k.a. last place. I could use the excuse that I am trying to let Holly get a head start, but somehow I don't think you would believe me. So week 1 goes to the women (Holly). Good job!!

Let me just finish by saying, "BEWARE, I WILL WIN this next week!!" HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

Eat and DIE!!!

Genesis 2:16-17 -16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat : 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

        It does NOT surprise me one bit that it was the temptation for food that made man fall into sin. Even today, though it is "socially acceptable" the sin of eating too much, A.K.A. Gluttony is still haunting many people. While I am not a tree hugger that thinks we should do things a certain way to "Save Mother Earth", I do believe that we should be good stewards of what God has given us. We should keep the planet clean, recycle, and all that good stuff, but we should definitely take care of our body.

        We only live on this Earth one time and while we are here we should strive to make as much of a difference as we can. We cannot make much of a difference if we  are unhealthy. How much good can we do if we only live to 50, 60, or even 70. We could do quit a bit, but what if we were healthy and lived until 75, 80, or 90+. Now I know that we are not guaranteed the next day, but I sure don't want to shorten the life I have been given just because I have made selfish decisions.

         So while we may eat and not necessarily die, if we eat the wrong things we may certainly die before our time. So please join me as we declare "War on Weight" and say we will be victorious over fat! We may eat many things but there are some things that if you eat "You will surely die". Watch what goes in your mouth.

Breakfast Breads

  I am a BIG breakfast eater. I like the eggs, bacon, pancakes, sausage, ham, biscuits, gravy, omelets, and almost any other breakfast food you could mention - except Grits. Along with my love for breakfast I love the breads of breakfast: Bagel, muffins, toast, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, etc. So I thought I would look through my interesting book called Eat This Not That and as I did I found some helpful tips on choosing the breakfast breads I love.

   According to my book: we SHOULD eat "Vitalicious AppleBerry Bran VitaMuffin (4oz)," these muffins have "200 cal., 0 g fat, 280 mg sodium, 20 g sugars. VitaMuffins (vitalicious.com)contain 100% of your recommended intake of several important nutrients, including Vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, and E." This is opposed to the "Hostess Blueberry mini muffins (1 pouch)" contains "250 calories, 13g fat, (2.5 saturated) 160 mg sodium, 17g sugars."

    So next time you make your trip to your favorite grocery store to pick up your breakfast breads think VitaMuffin!

Weighing Shamoo!!!

    We got our scale in today!! I was pretty pumped until I stepped on it. I weighed 5 pounds MORE than I did on my other scale. So, I weighed in at 369!! I have a ways to go to get to my goal of 320 for the race. On the other hand the scale showed that holly had lost weight! The good news, for me, is that our official weigh in is not until Wed. so I have some time to get to work and get caught up.

   If you find yourself gaining weight, like me, then DON'T quit!! Keep on keeping on. If you find yourself losing weight, like Holly, congrats!! It is so very important that we lose weight, not only fr ourselves, but so we can more effectively serve Christ. I want to hear Him say "Well done" not  "Well, what have you done?" We can do MORE for the Kingdom if we lose weight and stay healthy. I do not want to be like the preacher that was a great man of God, but died at age sixty because of weight related illnesses. No, I want to live until 95-100 and be healthy and accomplish more for the kingdom.

Let the Race Begin!!!!

     Holly and I stepped on the scale Wed. (One at a time) and our competition is officially to a start. We will get our scale tomorrow. This will give us more accurate readings then the scale we have now. - This DOES make me a little nervous, seeing I may weigh MORE than my scale says now. So as way of review, We will be weighing in on Wed. and reporting % results as we are able. We are racing to lose 10% of our start weight. I am playing for a missionary in the Ukraine that is in need of a van to better reach the 15 villages he reaches out to now. He WALKS to them! His name is Paul Dudka. Holly is racing for church planters in Arkansas. They planted the church a little over 1 year ago. The man does NOT have a full time job. He does this so he can spend more time on the field God has called him. This missionary's name is Billy Brewster.

       SOOOOOOOO..... Let's BEGIN!!! I will need to lose approximately 40 pounds to WIN. Holly will need to lose... less then that. The 1st one to reach their goal will get to send $100 to his or her missionary. So, who do you think will win? Do you want to join the fun? It's not too late! Just message me and let me know, we'll get you going along with us!!

Ladies and Gentlemen Start Your Engines!! (Pt.2)

OK! Tomorrow is the day!! Holly and I will have our official weigh in and start our race against weight! I am pumped. We are both using the weight watchers new plan...online. I will need to lose about 40 pounds to reach my goal - I rounded up a couple pounds. Holly will need to lose... less then that. I gave you Holly's profile yesterday, today I will give you mine.

                                                         Caleb
My  main weakness is lack of self control. Yes this is where I fall short every time. I eat a wonderful meal and just can't seem to control myself to say "Enough". I usually go back for 2nd's 3rd's etc. until I am going to BUST. This is NOT good. I would honestly have to say that lack of self control for me will give Holly a small edge in this race.

One of my greatest obstacles will be my emotions!! I admit that I am an emotional eater. If I am depressed I eat. If I am happy I celebrate by... (yep, you got it) eating. If I need to think I best think with food in my mouth. I eat for EVERY emotion! So probably my emotions and my schedule will be my greatest obstacles. I have to reign in my emotions and deliberately say NO to emotional eating.

My greatest strength is my love for competition. I always enjoy a good competition. Another strength in my arsenal is my focus. When I get focused on accomplishing something I 9 times out of 10 will accomplish it.

There you have it, the run down on both Holly and I. I am looking for this to be a great competition that will be both fun and beneficial to Holly, me, and the missionary we chose to send the money to. Tomorrow I will try to post my weight otherwise I will post it on Thursday morning. I'm ready! Are you?

Ladies and Gentlemen Start Your Engines!!

  Holly and I are gearing up for our BIG race beginning THIS Wednesday! I am pumped about what will happen over the next few weeks.

   Here are the rules and the stakes.

                                               1st the rules.

   The rules are simple LOSE WEIGHT!! We will be racing to lose our first 10% of what we weigh. This will even the odds a little because...Let's just say Holly does not have lose as much as I do! We will weigh in on Wednesday's and will, when possible report in our weight loss percentage Wednesday afternoon, or Thursday morning. We WILL keep you updated every week. If anyone would like to start with us please let me know and we will all begin "fresh" this Wednesday. Those are the rules.

                                                         The stakes

   So what will the winner get? Well, this blog is a ministry of Miracle Morning Ministries - A ministry of helps, to missionaries. In keeping this as part of our ministry Holly and I have each chosen a missionary to "Race for". I have chosen a missionary to the Ukraine. He is in need of a van that costs $17,000. He works in 15 different villages and walks to them to minister. He holds five small group meetings a week, as well as a pastor of a church that runs 95. His name is Paul Dudka. Holly has not yet told me the missionary she has chosen. These missionaries are missionaries which MMM talk with and are on our ministry list as MMM Missionaries. Once Holly announces her missionary I will let you know. The one who reaches his/her goal first will get to send $100 to the missionary for whom they are racing!

    Here is a run down on the strengths and weaknesses of both Holly and I. As we begin to get ready for the big race there are some strengths and weaknesses I want you to know about. Being a gentleman I will go over Holly's "profile".

                                                      Holly
    Holly's main weakness is that she is a woman. NO I'm NOT trying to be mean, however it is proven that men tend to lose weight a bit more quickly than women. This is Holly's greatest weakness in this race.

    One of Holly's greatest obstacles will be her schedule. While she is a stay at home mother I am convinced that with three children at home, homeschooling one child, potty training another and a three month old, and a husband to be helpmate to, and I won't get into her ministries she is involved with. Holly is by far busier than I am with a much more hectic schedule.

    Holly's greatest strength is that she is VERY DETERMINED! When she sets her mind to something she WILL get it done, and get it done in excellence! She is,unlike me, a person that when she decides to lose weight... she does. This is her greatest strength.
                        
                                               I will post my profile tomorrow.

Here We Go Again!! The BIG Weigh-in "Take 2"

    This week I will begin the new weight watchers program. I think we will start it Monday. Holly and I will also be getting a scale that weighs up to 400 LBS. and it is one like the doctor's office has. The tall scale and you move the weights on it to see how much you weigh. They are supposed to be more accurate than other scales (this somewhat makes me nervous). Holly and I will be starting our competition with our official weigh in Wednesday! (Please remember for my safety I will not be posting Holly's weight.) I will be posting who lost the most, again we are racing by percentage not pounds. I will post our "official rules" Monday. I may try to get Holly to post once a week on our blog! So... If you want to join the fun, just let me know and we will join together. I do not need to know your exact weight, you can simply weigh in Wednesday and message me the % of weight lost. (Of course I already KNOW I will WIN!!) We have not yet set the sakes for the winner... Do you have suggestions.... Post and let us know by Tuesday...

    I stepped on the scale yesterday and waited to see what I weighed. Here's the outcome...

Date	weight	Gain/loss	Total   +/-	Goal
8/9/10	380		n/a	n/a

2/16/11	Did not Record lbs.	Did not Record lbs.	Did not Record lbs.	355 ):
2/23/11	Did not Record lbs.	Did not Record lbs.	Did not Record lbs.	350 ):
2/28/11	Did not Record lbs.	Did not Record lbs.	Did not Record lbs.	345 ):
3/10/11	366.4	-11.4	-13.6	335 ):

3/16/11

360