Week 3

Philippians 2:5 - "Your attitude should be the same that Christ Jesus had."

If you were in church last week and heard Joss give his sermon for youth Sunday, you’ll recognize the topic that I’ll be using for the next few weeks in Losin’ It. What he said was really key to what we are all trying to accomplish here. He ended his sermon with the quote "To get what I’ve never had, I must do what I’ve never done!" What great words for us to internalize. He also gave 5 behaviors or qualities that we need to have in order to make a difference and help us reach the goal(s) we have set for ourselves. I’ll be talking about each one of those qualities over the next few weeks and how they can pertain to us in Losin’ It.

First he talked of attitude. Attitude is SO important in your effort to lose weight and get healthy. We are reminded in Philippians 2:5 that our attitude should be the same as Christ Jesus. Obviously, that sometimes can be easier said than done...but I can assure you that if you pray for the right attitude in conjunction with celebrating every positive change you make – your attitude WILL be like that of Christ!

If your outlook to losing weight and eating healthier is that you will no longer have good tasting food, that you will constantly be sore and sweaty from exercise, that you’ll forever be bound to counting calories or watching every single morsel that goes into your mouth – you’ll be miserable, and your attitude will only hurt you. All of a sudden it will seem too hard, to big to change and will end up defeating you. On the other hand, if you instead think of the great health benefits that you will acquire from eating right, the new found energy that you’ll get from exercise, the better night sleep, the better mental health, being able to get off certain medications and the years you’ll add to your life because of your new lifestyle – your attitude will be a great motivator and encourager for you. I believe that most of you have probably already switched your “bad” attitudes to “I can do this” attitudes simple because you are continuing to come and are saying you are willing to make the necessary changes. Good for you! Keep your attitude in check and you’ll be that much closer to your goals!

Speaking of goals...start setting some for yourself if you haven’t already. I hope that by now, you are starting to feel some differences in your bodies (like increased energy) and possibly noticing some changes in the way you look or the way your clothes fit. If you are noticing these things, start to really think about what you would like to accomplish in the next month or few weeks. If you’ve seen a difference in the number on the scale – do you want to continue with that number in the weeks to come or increase it? Are you happy with the exercise you are getting or do you think you could push yourself a little more?

You are your body’s best consultant – so listen to it. If you think you could add five more minutes, a hill, or a faster pace to your cardio routine – go for it! Our bodies respond really well to changing things up. Consistency is great in terms of consistently DOING the exercise, but when you change HOW you exercise, you’ll notice changes as well. Have you been working on the strength training exercises I gave you last week? Add some more reps – do them more than once a day or add some light weights to the mix. Don’t get stuck in the "easy rut." The old saying "no pain, no gain" is absolutely true! And don’t sell yourself short – you’ll be amazed at what you can do if you tell yourself you CAN! Remember to watch your attitude!!

Eating on the Road

I know a lot of you will be going on vacation in the upcoming weeks and months. Here are a few guidelines for you when you’re eating out or on the road to help keep you in check. Don’t have the attitude that because you’re on vacation means your body is on one too! (that would be a "bad" attitude!)

• Watch portions sizes: One serving size is about the size of your palm.
• Always choose grilled over fried.
• Think veggies first: request more steamed or grilled vegetables or order a side salad.
• If your entreé includes rice or potatoes – do without the bread, if the bread is too good to pass up, try substituting your starch for another vegetable.
• Doggie bags don’t bite! There is no law that says you have to eat everything in one sitting – take some home with you for lunch or dinner the next day. Save the extra cash to help pay for the vacation!
• Don’t be afraid of buffets – but understand that just because it’s a buffet, doesn’t mean you have to fill your plate 10 times! Try to fill up on protein and veggies first and allow yourself much smaller portions of carbs and desserts.
• Choose restaurants that you know serve fresh foods – including salads and grilled meats, chicken and seafood (without the dipping butter!).
• Don’t be shy about asking the kitchen to prepare a food without oil or salt.
• Always ask for salad dressing to be on the side so YOU can determine the amount you’re going to put on the salad.
• If you don’t have the willpower to say no to bread, ask for it NOT be served to the table.
• Definitely eat your salad before your meal so that you intentionally fill up with fiber rich foods.
• Choose fruit for dessert if you have to have it – Fruit cups or a sorbet can fix the need for something sweet.
• If you can’t resist a burger craving – go for it, but take off the cheese, avoid special sauces and make it "topless" meaning eat only one side of the bun.
• A great option is Subway – especially when you are driving and just want a quick meal. Great selection of sandwiches for a limited number of calories.
• Try to resist the French fries or anything else fried. They are filled with saturated and trans fats that practically block your arteries upon ingestion! An alternative is always the best option, but if you MUST have some, order the smallest size or immediately throw away half of what they give you.
• Pack your own food. To avoid having to make hard decisions at the drive thru or rest stop – pack your own snacks and lunches so that you stay in check. Keep some fresh fruit, cut up veggies, nuts and 100 calorie snack packs in the car when you’re on a long drive to avoid candy bars and burgers.
• Don’t forget the dessert! I don’t agree with diets that tell you you can NEVER have dessert again. Obviously, being smart about portions and how often you choose to indulge are key – but here are some relatively "innocent" desserts that you can have on a pretty regular basis and still feel good about what you’re eating:
  
  Sugar Free Jell-O pudding or Sugar Free Jell-O
• Sugar Free Popsicle, Fudgsicle or Creamsicle
• Skinny Cow Fat free Fudge Bar or Skinny Cow Ice Cream Sandwich
• Weight watchers Smart Ones Pop
• Weight Watcher Ice Cream Treats
• Nabisco 100 calorie cookie packs
• 1 oz. dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup berries with 1/2 cup nonfat vanilla yogurt with 1/4 oz. shaved dark chocolate on top
• 1/2 cup berries with 1 Tbsp. Fat Free Reddi-Whip

As far as exercising on vacation – try to make time for it. The best thing to do is to make it something you enjoy doing so much it doesn’t feel like exercise. A long walk on the beach, a round of golf (preferably with out the cart), a tennis match, swimming, boogie boarding, bike riding, even shopping can be exercise! Remember to take along the list of exercises I included in last weeks hand out that can be done at home or the office (or a hotel!) and make plans to do them at least 3-4 days while you are away. For those of you staying home – bump it all up a notch!

Please feel free to call or email me with questions, suggestions or exciting news. I always want to hear how you’re making out and what’s working for you! Remember to keep your attitude in check this week! YOU ARE DOING IT!

Wahoo for You!!

! Jackie stayed on track while on vacation and walked an hour before allowing herself a treat!

We’re Losin’ It at Lakewood!

Ruth lost 1 lb.
Donna lost 1.5 lbs.
Craig lost 2 lbs.
Melissa, Bill & Pastor Randy lost 3 lbs.
Tina lost 5 lbs.
Elaine lost 6.5 lbs!

Keep moving!
Donna

Week 2

No need to try and do this on your own…God is here to offer His help!

Phil. 1:6 - "...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

You’ve taken a big step in starting "Losin' It". Not only are you admitting that you are ready to change your eating and exercise lifestyles, you are going about it in a way that is healthy and makes sense. More than that, you are allowing yourself to be held accountable by coming each week. This is the beginning of your good work! And although I will consider myself one of your biggest cheerleaders in your efforts to get healthy and fit, please do not for a minute think that I’m all you’ve got!

Aside from me and the others who are here changing along side you, we have a BIG God who wants to see you succeed just as much as I or you yourself want to! Go to Him when the going gets tough, when exercise is the last thing you want to do, when 5 more minutes seems like an eternity or when the refrigerator is calling your name. This is a God who walked on water, gave sight to blind men, calmed a storm with His hand, and fed 5000 hungry people with 2 loaves and 5 fish! Why couldn’t He give you the strength to get through whatever it is YOU need Him for? Every obstacle that you face and overcome can be your own daily miracle! He has promised to help us complete the good work we’ve started. He WANTS to see you do this; pray continually for His help, guidance, strength and grace.

This week as you continue to cut some of those unnecessary calories from your daily intake, or when you are tempted to eat something you know you really shouldn’t - remember some of these alternatives:

• Pray!
• Take a short walk / exercise
• Drink some water
• Listen to calming music
• Distract yourself with something in the room or the car
• Call a friend
• Take a short nap
• Do some stretching
• Play with your dog
• Play with your kids
• Watch a movie
• Clean something
• Run up & down the stairs to release tension
• Work on a crossword (or other kind of) puzzle
• Chew a piece of gum

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EATING TIPS

Continue to slowly move toward eating more of the recommended items on your food list and staying away from those that are high in fat and have extra, not needed calories.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE start your day with some kind of breakfast. You’ll kick your metabolism into gear and will find that you have more energy. An easy breakfast is a glass of skim milk, a piece of wheat toast and some peanut butter.

Try to remember to eat every three to four hours. You’ll be less hungry all day and your body will not go into starvation mode. Your metabolism will continue to speed up as well.

Remember to drink lots of water (and / or low calorie drinks) throughout the day. Here is a schedule you can try to follow:

• Begin the day – 12 oz. water
• Before lunch – 12 oz. water
• After lunch – 12 oz. water
• Right before dinner – 12 oz. water
• After dinner (preferably 2 hours before bedtime) – 12 oz. water

Here are some healthy snack ideas: Stock your kitchen with some of these healthy alternatives -

• Apple and 2 pieces of string cheese
• Fruit and some cottage cheese
• Hard boiled eggs and orange slices
• Tuna fish (in water) with celery and pita bread
• Reduced fat cheeses with an apple
• Yogurt and cottage cheese
  

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EXERCISE:

Cardio:

**Please make sure that you have invested in a good shoe to do your cardio with. A decent shoe can make a huge difference in how you feel and can prevent causing injury to yourself. If you are a runner, you should have a separate shoe to run in than the ones you use for everyday use (walking or otherwise). Runners should replace their shoes every 6-8 months depending on how many miles you are putting on them**.

For week 2, continue to walk (or run, or bike) for a short amount of time each day. Maybe add an additional 5 minutes to the time you did last week. If 5 minutes is too much to add right away…just doing an extra 2 minutes will start to make a difference. In addition to the "cardio" this week we’ll add a little strength training with easy exercises that you can do at home with no additional equipment needed. If you are going to incorporate the strength training – you can reduce your cardio to 3 or 4 times a week...although you’ll only be benefiting yourself by doing it every day!

Find a partner to work out with. Having someone to talk to, cheer you on and hold you accountable can really make your workout great. Also, find some music that you like to listen to as you work out. That can help keep you motivated.

LEGS:

• Squats – keep your feet shoulder distance apart and bend like you are going to sit down in a chair. Concentrate on keeping your toes up so that the weight is back in your heels. As you push back and bend your knees, bring your arms up in front of you. As you straighten your arms will come back down to your sides.
• Lunges – stand with your feet together, arms on your hips or at your sides. Keeping your back straight take a step forward bending your knees and getting them as close to the floor as possible. (Be sure to keep your knee in line with your ankle to avoid injury). You can alternate your legs, walk the lunges or stay on one side and lower up and down for a number or reps before you switch to the other leg. Mix it up!
• Wall Sits – lean up against a wall as if you are sitting in an imaginary chair. Hold that pose for as long as you can with your back flat up against the wall. Easy to do just about anywhere!
• Calf Raises – just lift up onto your toes and then lower back down. Can be done on the stairs for more of a stretch (have the heel of your foot hanging off the step and then raise up from there).

All leg exercises can be done while holding onto chair or wall at first to keep your balance. Slowly move away from using the help as you get used to the exercises.

UPPER BODY:

• Pushups – On the wall – Stand straight with your feet about 2-4 feet from a wall. Lean forward and place your hands on the wall with bent elbows. Push your body back to starting position using your hands. The closer you are to the wall, the easier the exercise.
• Pushups - On the floor – do a regular pushup being sure to keep your back, neck and head in a straight line. Hold your stomach in and keep your lower back from sagging. If a regular pushup (legs extended) is too difficult, start with your knees bent and work your way up.
• Shoulder raises – Begin with your hands at your sides and slowly and purposefully, bring your arms up to shoulder height (you can bring them up to the side or to the front). Do not use momentum. Return to starting position.
• Bicep Curls – Sit or stand with feet shoulder width apart. Start with arms at your sides, palms facing up. Bending at the elbow, slowly bring your arm up as if you are going to touch your shoulder. Use your own resistance and pretend like someone is pushing down on your forearm as you are pulling it up.
• Tricep Dip – Hold on to the edge of a bench (or table or desk) with your feet out in front of you (the farther away your feet, the harder the exercise). Slowly lower yourself down toward the ground by bending your arms at the elbow. Lift yourself back up by straightening your arms.
• Back (Rear Delt Fly) – Sit on the edge of a chair or bench and lean forward from your hips, flattening your back. If you can, rest your chest on your knees. Place your hands behind your calves with your palms facing each other. Tuck your chin into your chest. Raise your arms to the sides, gradually bending your elbows as they come up. Squeeze your shoulder blades together. Pause at the top of the extension and then slowly lower back down.

CORE:

• Crunches – Lay flat on the floor with your knees bent. Stomach pulled in and arms behind your head. Slowly raise your shoulders up off the floor and feel your abs contract. Exhale as you come up...hold for a second and then lower back down.
• Plank – Lie face down on the floor resting on the forearms, palms flat on the floor. Push off the floor, raising up onto toes and resting on the elbows. Keep your back flat, in a straight line from head to heels. Tilt your pelvis and contract your abs to prevent your rear end from sticking up in the air. Hold as long as you can - lower and then repeat.

Start off slow ... doing just 5-10 reps of each exercise at any given time. Your body and muscles will start to respond and little by little, you’ll find that you’ll be able to add more reps – and eventually some weights to these exercise to get even more benefits. If your body is not used to any kind of strength training, then alternate days of upper and lower body workouts. Your core can be done on a daily basis – it’s the most important thing to strengthen.

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WAHOO Moments: These are the small, yet important things that you tell me your doing each week that deserve a BIG WAHOO for YOU!! Be sure to share your successes with us no matter how small!

! Jackie started a walking CD and has been drinking A LOT of water
! Bill chose to only have one helping at his meals
! Tim lost 6 pounds by EATING BREAKFAST

What’s YOUR WAHOO moment this week! Please let me know!!

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ADMIN STUFF: Due to majority vote, we will now be meeting on Monday nights in the youth room (God’s garage) at 7:00 p.m. Once FPU is over we’ll see if it would be more beneficial to move back into the office or stay where we are at.

Feel free to contact me anytime with questions, bits of advice, ideas or WAHOO for YOU moments at: donnaquack@verizon.net

Week One

Give up the illusion of control and yield to God’s mercy and grace:

1 Peter 5:6 – "So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in His good time He will honor you."

Since we are just starting out…this week we’ll take it slow and start with some easy, obvious changes.

DRINKS

What are you drinking?! A HUGE amount of hidden calories and carbs are consumed in what you drink. Sodas, juices, lattes, beer, smoothies – can easily add an extra 1000 calories to your daily caloric intake. Here are some suggestions to help change that:

• If you are drinking juice, dilute it with some water
• Switch to low-fat or non-fat milk
• Go easy on the coffee drinks and smoothies – consider them a special treat on the weekend, and put away the money you would be spending on them for something special
• Try diet soda instead of regular
• Find a re-fill able water bottle that you like and keep it with you filled with cold water all the time. For a change, get some of the individual mixes to put in for added flavor

PORTION CONTROL

Another easy thing to do…just not something we always think about. We need a lot less food than we think!

• When you sit down to eat ANYTHING, put it into a bowl or on a plate – do not sit down with a whole bag of chips or container of ice cream or package of cookies.
• Use a smaller plate... it will still LOOK full to you, but will probably contain more than enough food for you at that sitting
• When out at a restaurant, ask for a take out container immediately and only plan on eating HALF of what is brought to you. Again, you are probably getting more than you need anyway
• Slow down! Taking time to chew and enjoy your food so that your stomach has time to respond. Its probably getting full before you realize it! Concentrate on putting your fork down in between each bite
• Go from the super size meal to a regular or small one. At this point don't try to go cold turkey and cut things completely out...just go for the little changes. They will still make a difference.

EXERCISE

For this week – just concentrate on moving more. If you are relatively sedentary, try to walk at least 15 minutes a day. People who already moving, go from a slow walk to a brisk walk. Brisk walkers, try jogging. You get the idea – just 15 minutes of intentional walking/moving.

Obviously – if you are currently involved in an exercise program – don’t stop!! This is just for those who are starting off...

FOOD JOURNAL

Lastly, try to write down what you eat in a food journal. Sometimes the accountability alone may stop you from eating something you don't want to admit to! More importantly, it'll show you when you eat for no good reason, in response to something etc and can give you good insight on what might need to change in the future.

BE SURE TO SHOW YOURSELF GRACE!!

Remember that we won't all change our habits in one week! Be proud of your accomplishments no matter how small and know that soon the BIG changes will come!

See you next time!

Keep Moving!
Donna

Let's Get Moving!!

WELCOME TO LOSIN’ IT!!

I’m really glad that you are here.

I want to start by just telling you where I am in all this and why I decided to start this group. First off, I have always been really excited by people who want to change their lifestyles and become healthy – I worked as a trainer in NC years ago and though I was not a "licensed trainer" (no real schooling, just a program through the gym) – I LOVED being an encouragement for people who would come in wanting to work and got teary eyed just about every time I saw weight drop or inches come off.

I have always been interested in and pretty good about exercising and have been very involved in sports my whole life. I haven’t been AS good about eating right – but I read a lot about it and definitely know how. So I’ll be working as hard as you all on that aspect. I think God originally put this idea in my head a very long time ago. Back when our previous Pastor was here – he actually approached me about doing some kind of exercise class or something to that effect. I was intrigued at the time and flattered that he asked me to do it – but not ready at that point to really even think about it. I felt very under-qualified, wasn’t trained as any kind of fitness instructor and basically just shut the door and my mind to it.

Well, here we are five or so years later and I’m finally stepping out ON FAITH!! to do 'something'. At this point, it’s still a work in progress and we’ll all be learning as we go.

I’m a HUGE fan of the show The Biggest Loser and again have to get out the tissues for just about every episode. The fact that these men and women – in front of a whole country – put themselves out there because they KNOW they need to change themselves is just overwhelming and amazing to me. I would love to be their trainers - just to be a part of that. So really I’m hoping to live out a little bit of a dream here - if I can be a part of your lifestyle change – I would be honored to do so. I have no doubt that this will quite possibly be more fulfilling for me than for each of you.

The greatest part about doing this through the church is that we are going to have something the Biggest Loser doesn’t have (or at least not that they are outwardly advertising or admitting to). We have the help, strength and power of God to help us all through this. I’m finding more and more reasons to pray and am usually in awe of all the things God will help us with if we just ask. Changing our bodies and our mindset on eating and exercising is just another one of those things. Willpower is nothing compared to the power of prayer. So be prepared to use that often during the next 18 weeks!

I’m so proud that you are here and willing to be a part of this. What everyone should know and remember though is that no matter what happens – we have a God who loves us JUST THE WAY WE ARE RIGHT AT THIS MOMENT! He loves us because we are His children. Whether we are 50 pounds or 500 pounds doesn’t make a difference to Him. But - that doesn’t mean that He wants us to stay unhealthy...or stuck in a place that isn’t good for us. He will be there for each of us each step of the way and will provide the strength, the people and the resources we need to reach our goals.

I think we’d all agree that the end goal for each of us is to be more healthy and fit by the end of the 18 weeks. However, with the differences of the people participating here – I think we will all reach that goal by different means. So, you can choose which option you think will most help you attain your personal goal.

Option1: Weekly encouragement, exercise ideas/plan, recipe ideas, accountability and Biblical insight is enough for you. By keeping track of how you’re doing based on how you feel, how your clothes fit, and possibly checking in on the scale every once in awhile – you’ll be able to accomplish what you had hoped for. No real need for competition.

Option 2: Competition works for you! "The Biggest Loser of Lakewood" is a title you want and will strive for. You’ll still receive everything from Option 1, but you will also be putting $1 in the "Bread Basket" each week and participating in weekly weigh ins to determine who’s got the highest weight loss percentage at the end of the 18 weeks.

You can choose which grouping you’d like to be a part of and we’ll get an official starting weight from everyone participating in Option 2 next Friday night. I hope to share exercises, recipes, short devotionals and have some discussion time each week to see how people are doing, share goals, talk about what does and doesn’t work and have some accountability take place.

Please keep in mind that I am NOT a trainer, nutritionist, counselor or physical therapist. Think of me more as your cheerleader and accountability partner in this. I will be offering suggestions to you based on things I’ve read or have experienced first hand that have worked for me. If you have an exercise or food plan that already works for you – and you just need the extra “cheering” to help keep you motivated then by all means, do what works for you.

Everything I suggest will be small, gradual steps that will help to change your lifestyle and my guess is that there probably won’t be much that you haven’t heard before. The goal here is for you to get healthy for the rest of your life – not just for the next 18 weeks. For some, that will probably mean digging a little deeper to find out what the "issues" are behind your eating habits. For others it will be about boosting your metabolism and moving again. Please be sure to check in with your doctor about any REAL big changes you make to your daily activities…get things cleared so that you don’t injure yourself!

I’m excited to begin this journey with you – and pray that God will lead us all in the directions we need to meet our goals.

Let’s Get Moving!!!