"Made to Crave" Online Group (RESTART :)

Hey Ladies...

So I fell off the "Made to Crave" Wagon... Although I have not gone back to my old eating habits, I surely am not progressing. A standstill with maybe a few steps back. Anyhow, I am back. I just signed up at my Gym to take an 8 week challenge in which I will pushed to my limits and held accountable for my choices. The thing is... I know that no 8 Week challenge is going to conquer my addiction to food. As I see it, I could go through this challenge 3 ways...


1. I can go through and grit my teeth and take the 8 week challenge and be successful...maybe some toning up and weight loss will happen. Then 2 weeks later gain all my weight back :(


2. I go through the challenge and totally blow it...become the "loser" of the team.


Or 3. I get back on track with God and draw on His strength to help me use this challenge as one "tool" to get healthy. I pick back up my "Made to Crave" book and follow the Biblical principles of Lysa's book.


I like the third option, so that is what I am going to do. I don't know where you all are with your food choices and healthy living. The lack of comments can make me think that you maybe struggling like I have been...on the other hand you may be doing well, but just have been quiet here at the Group site. Wherever you are I am encouraging you to jump back in and let's do this thing together!!! (The last comment was for my Facebook friends, but as always anyone online can join in with us at anytime)

I will post another set of questions in a couple of days.. I may start over in the "Made to Crave" book...start reading it from the beginning again... A new start!!!

Blessings

Made to Crave Monday (Online Group Meeting 4)

Hey "Made to Cravers". I am back. Sorry it took me so long to get to this week's post. The end of the school year came fast and furious and it never seemed like I had a free moment to post a new set of questions. OK, enough excuses...I am back and ready to finish strong.

Since we have not "met" in over a month, let's do catch up for this week. Personally I have not been doing as good as I had been a month ago. My take on that is that I took my eyes off God as the source of breaking my food addiction, and treated this journey like a diet. Along that same line, after having some success I got into the mindset that I was doing OK, and thus I slacked off on my commitment to becoming free from my food addiction. So, here is to a fresh start...

To my Facebook Group...Make sure to answer this week's questions and hopefully we will get back on our regular weekly discussions. As always, if you drop by my blog and want to join the weekly "Made to Crave" online group, please leave a comment and let us know you are on board with us.

Questions

1. Since we have been on a little break, let's do catch up. Tell me where you are right now on your journey (whether it is breaking the bond of food addiction, or becoming more healthy with your food choices).

2. Have you been reading Lysa's book? If so, how far are you into the book? Anybody finished? What have you been learning from the book? Or like me, did you stop reading for awhile? Are you ready to pick up the book again?

OK, I am keeping the questions simple this week so that we can make a fresh start with this group. Can't wait to see what you all have been doing.

Blessings...

Check out my article at the AMH website...

I wrote an article at the A Martha Heart website today...click here to be directed to the site. I have been writing about my journey to become spiritually free from food addiction at the AMH website as well as here at my own blog.

Blessings all...

Made to Crave Monday (Online Group Meeting 3)

Welcome to Week 3 of our "Made to Crave" online study. I waited to post this session so some of my friends could catch up from the last 2 weeks :) Life sure does get busy at times... I have just so thoroughly enjoyed reading the answers to the last two group sessions. There are some amazing women that are taking this journey with me, and I feel so blessed to lead this group. If you are visiting this blog and reading this post for the first time (or tenth time) feel free to join this online group, and to join in on the weekly discussions. All you have to do is just leave a comment. Also, if you have been reading any of these online posts, but have just felt a little shy to join in, go ahead and take the plunge and jump in on the discussion this week...the more the merrier :) Facebook girls...you know what to do (remember feel free to go back and answer any questions you did not get to answer...it is never too late) OK, onto Week 3's questions. QUESTIONS WEEK 3 1. In chapter 3, Lysa talks about getting a "PLAN" in place that works for you...preferably a healthy plan :). Currently, do you have any kind of plan in place when it comes to eating and developing a healthy lifestyle overall? If you answered "no", why not? If you answered "yes", tell us about your plan and if it is working for you, or does it need to be revamped? 2. In chapter 4, Lysa talks about accountability... This online group is a form of accountability, but it cannot replace having an actual person in your life that holds you accountable when it comes to your healthy eating plan (or shall I say healthy living plan)? Do you TRULY have someone in your life that holds your accountable when it comes to your food issues/addiction? If you answered "yes", please share a couple of ways your accountability person helps you? If you answered "no", is it because you don't want an accountability person in your life, or is it that you just have not found a person that can help you as of yet? 3. Please share one victory you have had since you started this group or started reading Lysa's new book. (Remember this is a spiritual battle, so please don't forget to share those victories as well) OK, we will stop at 3 questions this week. For homework, make sure to read Chapters 5 and 6 before our next session. Remember feel free at anytime to go back and answer any week's questions that you may have missed. Blessing to you, and remember as Lysa says, "We were made to crave God, not food" :)

"Made to Crave" Monday (Online Group Meeting 2)

Hey All!!!

Welcome to Group session 2 of our online "Made to Crave" study. Currently I have 11 people participating...if you come across this blog and you want to join in, feel free. Just leave your answers in the comment section of this post. Everyone is welcome :) We are all on a journey to be spiritually free from our food issues/addictions.

To my Facebook friends...you have all just blown me away with your honesty and your incredible stories. I am so excited about this group, and my hope is that we all find true freedom in Christ when it comes to our food issues.

Below are this week's questions and homework. Make sure to post your answers in the comment section, or for my FB friends, you can post directly on our group page.

QUESTIONS

1. Go back to last week's post and read all the answers from the group members. Which person do you relate with this most? Or which person's story touched or encouraged you the most? (Please explain why)

2. Currently, what is your number one biggest struggle when it comes to your food issues/addiction?

3. Lysa Terkeurst has said many times that her book "Made to Crave" is not a "how to" book on eating and dieting, but she talked about our "want to" when it comes to breaking our food addiction. On a scale of 1-10 (10 being definitely a yes) how would you rate your "want to" when it comes to truly being free in the area of food issues?

4. If you have joined this group you are already willing to admit your struggle with food is a spiritual issue (or at least that is the direction you are heading)...Lysa talked about how she prayed over and over when she was tempted by food...crying out to God for help. Are you at a point where you are willing to take steps and fight this battle spiritually by praying to God when you are feeling weak or tempted by food.

Ok, I really could go on with more questions, but I don't want anyone to get bogged down with answering to many questions :)

Your homework this week is to read chapter 3 and 4 of "Made to Crave". Blessings and remember this group is open to anyone who wants to join...you can also answer anonymously if you don't want to leave your name or website address.

Blessings Friends... See you back here next Monday for another session :)

Journalin' the Journey (#2)

Hey Friends...

As mentioned before I decided to document or "journal" my journey to become spiritually free from food addiction. This journey began the first week of January when I got back from Florida (You can read my first post if you would like by clicking here). For this post I decided to write about my victories and defeats while on this journey :)


I will start with the "defeats" (or at least I think they are defeats) so I can end on a good note.


-I think my biggest "defeat" is that I am still prone to try to battle this addiction in my own strength...treating it like a diet rather than a whole new way of thinking and eating. I have not yet really transferred this battle to the Lord and let Him help me. I know that He is faithful and will help me if I ask.

- I have such messed up thinking when it comes to food that I am still letting the scale tell me how I am doing. As Lysa Terkeurst reminded me in her book, "Made to Crave", the scale can only tell me how much I actually weigh (the number), but it doesn't tell me who I am in Christ. When I step on the scale at times, it makes me feel like a failure, and in Christ I am not a failure.

-Although I have radically changed the way I eat (at least I think it is radical) I am still struggling with portion control and eating when I am not hungry. I think this happens because as I mentioned above, I am not seeking God to help me with these very practical issues.


OK, I could name some more, but now onto the "victories"...


-I have radically changed the way I eat. For now I have given up sweets (not including fruit) because they are such triggers for me. I have had sweets, but only a few times in the last two months.

-I have pretty much not had "fast food" since January. I don't think I have had any french fries from a fast food place :) French Fries are huge trigger for me, and I know they are not a healthy choice for me. When my family has gone to fast food places, I have made the healthier choices from the menus.

-I am trying to eat more fruits and veggies. I have been taking fruit to my workplace and having fruit instead of the sweet and salty treats that my kiddies bring to school.

-I have been exercising :) I enrolled in a "bootcamp" class and have been pushing myself beyond what I have normally done in the past.

-Since January I have lost about 10 pounds... At times I have seen this as a defeat because in my past I have lost about double the weight when I have been on a diet in the same time frame. However, it is truly a victory because I am doing this the right way this time. My goal is not only weight loss this time around, but complete healing of my mind... I want to be free from food addiction once and for all... I know this is possible with Jesus leading me.


I guess I will stop here for now, and will check in again in the next couple of weeks.

Blessings and remember you can be free from any addiction or struggle if you let Jesus help you in the battle :)

"Made to Crave" Monday (Online Group -Meeting 1)

Welcome to the "Made To Crave" Online Group. This is our first "meeting", and anyone who visits this site is welcome to participate. If you are in the Facebook Group, feel free to comment here at my blog as well. Let's get started...

Every Monday I will write and post a new entry for our "MTC" group. You have one whole week to read the chapters in the book, and to answer the questions that are posted here at my website. I will keep the instructions simple today...if you have any questions about this group, please feel free to leave a comment here at my blog, or visit me on my Facebook account.

Meeting 1 "Made to Crave" Online Group

Questions

1. Why are you joining this group?

2. How long have you dealt with food issues (addiction)?

3. What is one thing you hope to gain after reading Lysa Terkeurst's book "Made to Crave"?

Ok, I don't want to overload you with questions this week, so we will stop at 3. This week's homework is to read chapters 1 and 2 of Made to Crave.

Make sure to leave your answers in the "comment" section of this post. You don't have to have a blog to leave a comment. To my Facebook gals, you can either leave a comment here at my blog with the answer to the questions, or you can leave your answers on our Made to Crave Group on Facebook...just make sure to leave your answers somewhere :)

Blessings, and remember as Lysa always says "we were made to crave God, not food".

Journalin' the Journey

Recently I wrote a post titled, "The Freedom Dance" for the "A Martha Heart" website. I am blessed to be one of many online contributors at the AMH site. My post was about my commitment with the Lord to be free from my food addiction. Currently I would not classify myself as free from my addiction to food, but I am making progress everyday toward that goal.

I decided that I would do a monthly post about my journey to become free from food addiction at the AMH website, but I also decided that I wanted to do something similar here at my personal blog. I plan to be more in depth here at my blog about how my journey to freedom is going. My blog is like my journal (well except the fact that anyone on the web can read it :), so I want to document the process of becoming spiritually free from my food addiction.

So for today's post I just want to journal about the "why" I decided it was time to break free from my lifelong addiction to food.

(In no particular order)

-I have not been overweight my whole life, but I feel like this food issue started with me when I was very young. I feel like I have been on some kind of diet since my early teens.

-I want to be a good example to my kids. I can see that at least one or two of my kids may fight this same battle as they age.

-My mom and dad have heart issues. My mother had quadruple bypass surgery about 2 years ago. She then suffered mini strokes and had to have surgery on her carotid arteries as they were both almost 100% blocked. It runs in my family :(

-Recently I had a blood test done for some insurance type issues and it came back that my cholesterol level was at a 255 which is very high. That scared me to death.

-I am overweight. I think by today's health standards I even classify in the obese range :(

-I don't have a lot of energy... I feel tired a lot of the time.

The things I mentioned above weigh heavy on my mind, but I think the reasons I will list below are the bigger reasons why I decided that I want to be free from my food obsession.

-I am in disobedience to God when I choose food over Him. I feel like He has been so gracious to me and has given me a lifetime to make changes, and I keep choosing food. To be honest I have not ever really wanted to truly surrender this issue to God...at least 100% surrender (isn't that the only kind of surrender there is??)

-The battle in my mind over food is so exhausting and relentless. It is an all out WAR!!! I have been dealing with this mental bondage for so long that I know I am not thinking correctly or truthfully when it comes to this addiction.

-Jesus paid the price for my freedom, and I want to be Free!!! I don't know what freedom will completely look or feel like, but I know currently I am not there.

There are probably more reasons that I could list, but for today's post I will stop here. Again, I am not sure how this whole journey will play out, but I know that it has begun (I started this journey around the first week of January).

On my next post, I will write about the "how" I began this journey, and the "what" I am doing to become free.

Blessings...