Today is the big day! 🙂 Here is a video (10 minutes) that highlights some of my thoughts as we launch into this “Weight Loss Bible Study.”
Click here to go to day one of Barb Raveling’s bible study. You will want to have this page at Barb’s blog open.
As indicated at Barb’s site under The Plan section, select a Primary Boundary. For our purposes, we will assume it is 0 to 5 eating.
Select your secondary boundaries. For that, you could have it be anything you want that will support your primary boundary. You may want to consider any of the other Keys to Conscious Eating:
Eat in a calm environment by reducing distractions.
Eat when sitting.
Eat when body and mind are relaxed.
Eat and drink only the things your body loves.
Pay attention to your food when eating.
Eat slowly, savoring each bite.
The MOST important thing about our study and Barb’s material is this:
We will renew our minds. We will change the way we think. We will learn to think God’s thoughts after him about food, eating, weight, him, ourselves, etc…
Romans 12: 2 Says “Do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”
Suggestions about Picking a “Renewing of the Mind” Goal
I wrote a post (with a video just for this) last Wednesday. If you haven’t seen it, check out this link. Consider prayerfully (ask the Lord to show you) if there is any way that you should think differently about eating, your body, food, your weight, emotions, about Him, about people that challenge you. Is there a theme that impacts your success in adhering to your godly boundaries? There usually is. for many of us, it might be “I look to food to make me happy” or to reward me, or to energize me, or to comfort me, or… The list can be quite long. For me, my renewing of the mind goal has to focus, for now, on thinking differently about 0 to 5 eating. I want to be sold out, committed, delighting in 0 to 5 eating and all that I know God does when I live within this godly boundary.
My renewing of my mind goal: “To think God’s thoughts about 0 to 5 eating. To see 0 to 5 eating as a wonderful joy, and a path of freedom.”
I might end up getting more specific, too, as time goes on, breaking this renewing of the mind goal down into several smaller thoughts.
HOW will I renew my mind about 0 to 5 eating? What does it look like to “renew my mind” about this? I share that in the video, and here are MyAffirmations about 0 to 5 eating (click on that link) that I can read in the morning and again later in the day when I know my resolve may weaken…and again, if need be, after dinner. There are times when I need to read this out loud every time IÂ before I eat! I want to GO AFTER THE WAY I THINK during this study. I hope you do, too! I want to crucify the lies I believe and replace wrong thinking with thinking God’s truth. I have my affirmations about 0 to 5 list on my Blackberry. You could put your list of true thoughts about whatever it is on an index card or piece of paper, if you want.
Decide what you need to think differently about relative to your weight loss journey, then write down the truths you want to start thinking about whatever it is. Decide when you will refer to that list. I suggest in the morning before the day gets rolling and any other time of the day that might challenge you relative to the thing you want to think differently about (for me, this is afternoon about 3pm and again right after dinner). Also, refer to the list after you have an “episode” of eating outside of your boundaries. Observe and correct and refocus by reading your affirmations again.
Do the questions at Barb’s blog called “Following Your Boundaries.” Journal these. Copy and paste them into a document if you want to have the file on your computer. Spend time with this. THIS will renew your mind, too!
This week’s ASSIGNMENT:
1. Today: Choose a renewing of your mind goal. (Tell us in the comments what it is…your name gets entered in the drawing for free books each time you comment.)
2. Today: Write down thoughts that are godly to think instead of the thoughts you have about whatever it is. I call this my “affirmations.”
3. Today: Plan when will you choose to read and pray over the list of affirmations? (Should be before you are tempted, but times when you know you are vulnerable and also anytime after you have given in to temptation.) Once you plan for it, you want to DO it. This will take practice! Extend grace to yourself! Remember, if you don’t want to renew your mind (or go over your list of affirmations about whatever it is you want to renew your mind about), it is good to renew your mind about that, too. Remember, at the heart, renewing the mind is thinking God’s thoughts after him…thinking TRUTH. What is truth about renewing the mind? 🙂
4. Today: Select what your secondary boundaries will be. Write them down.
5. OPTIONAL (but VERY helpful): Get an accountability partner. (If you want professional coaching as you go through this material, see this page.)
6. Complete the questions in Day One of Barb’s Weight Loss Bible study entitled “Following Your Boundaries.” Share here any thoughts that you have upon completing these questions.
8. Let’s talk about this material here! I will be doing our first drawing this Friday. If you comment, your name is put in the drawing. If you post at Barb’s site, I will count it, too, just let me know at the comments at her site that you want your name in the drawing for the TW materials. I won’t automatically assume that! The winner of the drawing each week will get to choose between a copy of the book, Thin Within, or a copy of the book, Hunger Within, or a one-hour coaching session on the phone or on Skype with me. The more you comment, the more entries you get in the drawing! My desire is that we build a community to support one another as we go through Barb’s material with a “Thin Within Spin.” 🙂
Whew! This is a lot of stuff! This week, I will address your questions as they come up and provide additional material here at the blog. If you have a question and a preference for a video or written response, let me know that, too. Like if you have dial-up, I don’t want to respond with a video! 🙂
I have received some inquiries lately asking if I am still offering coaching. Yes, most definitely. And still at the introductory price. The details are on this page.
Sometimes, we have all the knowledge we need. I know a lot of you have read the Thin Within book, done all the workbooks, read Get Thin Stay Thin and have been on the Thin Within website for a while. I know, too, that some of you know that this approach works.
What you may feel like you are missing is support. That is what I want to offer you. That is one reason why I offer videos and blog posts here at this site. As you know, much of the blog content chronicles my own journey to release 100 pounds using these principles. Many of the posts and videos, though, I did specifically with you in mind.
Blog posts and videos can be really helpful (I hope!), but sometimes we need someone to walk with us. That is why I am offering the coaching option. I know you can do this! Whatever is holding you back, we can hurdle it together.
This is how it works:
1. When you contact me with your inquiry, I will respond in email.
2. We will arrange our first phone call which is 30 minutes in length. This is free so you can get a sense of if you think this may help you or not. It also gives you a chance to see if we connect in a way that you are comfortable with.
3. Before that first free call, I ask you to consider these questions:
What is your story relative to food and body image?
What is your experience with Thin Within?
What have been the hurdles you have faced in applying the principles?
How have you attempted to manage these hurdles?
What victories have you experienced in applying the principles?
What challenges seem to be a theme for you?
What are your goals physically, spiritually, and emotionally relative to this journey?
What expectations do you have for our four sessions?
What else do you feel is important for me to know?
4. During our first call, we will talk about the things on the list above. I will offer you feedback, some insights, and thoughts that I hope will encourage you. I will then ask you how you feel about going forward. You can take time after the call to decide this, of course. There is no obligation whatsoever. One of the things I will ask you to consider, too, is if you feel one of three different levels of accountability (or a personalized accountability plan) might be helpful. This is not required, but some find it helpful.
5. If you decide that you would like to proceed, then we can work out payment in one of two ways. You can either send me a check and we can start after I receive and cash your check or you can pay me via pay pal.
6. I will shoot you an email giving you a “first assignment.” The assignments will be prayerfully constructed to suit you and your specific situation. I will always eagerly receive your feedback so we can personalize this experience for you. For instance, some may need to invite God back into this process and want accountability that includes quiet time with the Lord. An assignment for this person might be to eat only when at a 0, but to read a psalm (or portion of a psalm) each time before eating, praising God for His character and that he has made her body to be so reliable. Another person may feel she needs to work through some forgiveness issues and I will ask her how she feels about doing that. That person, I may ask to do the material in chapters 19 and 20 (on forgiveness) in the Thin Within book. Those who are struggling to break free from a dieting mentality will be given different assignments from those who have been free from that for a while. Together we will craft a unique approach for you that shows you that you can be victorious.
7. We will use our calendars to set up our calls, hopefully for the next four weeks.
Each week you will be offered a unique assignment and each call we will talk about the assignment and anything else that you feel is pertinent.
I know just how much of a struggle this journey was for me (and can still BE!), but if *I* can do it, ANYONE can! That means you! The thing that helped me the most was having someone who had been down this path ahead of me cheering me on, routing for me, and fielding questions I had along the way. That is what I hope to be for you. Give it some prayer and thought. I know $100 and four weeks is a commitment.
And if you wonder about the money and why I charge for this service at all, it is because I want to help my husband by contributing to defray the costs of having our daughter in a private Christian college. We will also be helping our son get established in a place of his own once he returns from bible college in May.
What questions do you have about the Life Coaching/Thin Within Mentoring service? I would be more than happy to field your questions here so others can benefit from your questions.
As a result of the years I was in Thin Within and the things God has taught me during that time, I have found my ministry broadening. That is why I started the “Living Life on the Path of Praise” website and blog.
What happened was, I was going through what was *then* the most challenging trial of my adult life (this new one has the award now!) and was contacted by a lady from a church asking if I would meet with her to discuss bringing a message to her women’s group that would sort of facilitate the launching of her Thin Within group. I gladly met with her and asked her what she wanted to talk about. She said that while she wanted me to share my testimony about Thin Within, that her heart was for the women to hear a message on “Moving from Fear to Faith.” Little did she know at the time that I was experiencing more fear than I ever had! God used this conversation and my need to prepare a message for the women to do a HUGE work in my life!
When, months later, I got to share with the women a message about choosing FAITH when we are experiencing FEAR instead, I felt like God had personally been tutoring me through it. I well remember being terrified (!!! How fitting!!!) when I first sat down to write a rough draft of what I would share with the women, only to have the Lord just encourage me with “Tell them what you know…” What I KNOW is that GOD IS ENOUGH.
Anyhow, since that time, I have had the opportunity to share this message with other audiences and God continues to write the truth of it on my own heart again and again. Right now, at my other blog, I am sharing steps and strategies for navigating trials in such a way that we can go from fear to faith. From victim to victor. From trial to triumph. For me, this is what I have to do in order to manage my eating in a godly way, so the overlap is definitely there!
Here is a summary of what I have been covering and I want to invite you to come on over and visit! Please know that this life is about so much more than body, size, food and our struggles with all of it. God wants our hearts!
If you decide you like what is happening there and it can encourage you in your Thin Within journey, you can subscribe to the feed by clicking this link.
I really believe that *this* material is what gives us “success” in defeating our struggles with overeating–really *anything* that we may know we need to surrender to the Lord. I hope you will give it a try and let me know what you think!god
Then there are times when I just sort of let it all hang out. Today is one of those kinds of posts, because truthfully, those of you who visit this blog probably don’t need the “super-sanctified” version of life. You are living REAL life and you see through the facade when it is put out there.
So, today’s post is taken from an email that I sent a small group of ladies who I am traveling with through the Thin Again book by the Hallidays. I hope it challenges you (in a good way).
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God has been working on a theme in my life recently. Here are some thoughts that have come of it:
How much inspiration do I really need?
How many verses that convict and encourage?
How many great books and devotionals about making great choices?
How many study groups (and goes through the Thin Within book and workbook)?
How many accountability partners?
I have all of the tools, all of the knowledge, all of the conviction and more. I have everything I need for life and godliness, according to God’s Word! I have His Holy Spirit…so what on earth is holding me back?
I am nuts if I think I can be free without SAYING NO TO MY FLESH. The reality is, I have to DO what I know and I may not WANT TO, but then if I don’t want to do it, then I must want to live in bondage more than I want to live in freedom. Living in freedom will take some HARD choices, but God has given me so much to “inspire” me to walk that path.
What really am I waiting for? For it to get easy? It won’t. Or if it does for a while, it might be hard again. I have to say NO to myself just like I do when I want to buy something and can’t afford it, or want to zip around a slow driver, but the double yellow line tells me I can’t, so I don’t (even if no one is looking). I don’t take things I want from the store. I don’t slap my children’s mouths when they are impertinent. I say no to my flesh all the time, so it is high time I do the same with food.
I can keep patting myself on the back (“There, there…don’t worry….”) with an eye to all the things I have to process that have set me up to have this battle with food, such as:
the fact that my mom abused me regarding food/eating as a kid…
the molestations (my dad)
shoving down all the things that were true about our family so I didn’t have a voice as a child
my mom’s suicide attempts (too many to count before I was 16)
my parents’ knock-down-drag-out fights, even though they were “professional” and church people (we had to keep up the appearance) – and the Sheriffs coming to our house because of it!
the emotional and physical abuses of my childhood (in addition to those mentioned above!)
the other things I struggle with and feel “victimized” by more recently in life…
…but the reality is…this is the life God has sovereignly ordained for me to live…NOTHING has come to me that isn’t according to His plan. He intends for me to be VICTORIOUS through all of these things. If I put off obedience and making good choices until I have “processed my junk,” I am, simply, SINNING. I am called to obedience NOW. He calls me to this with gentleness and love—not one shred of condemnation. He KNOWs how hard it is, but he gives me Jesus as the example.
What choice will I make today—EVEN WHEN I DON’T WANT TO? What choice will I commit to offering to Him as a sacrifice? What today will be an expression of my love for him and of dying to self?
What about you? 🙂 (You knew that had to come, right? Really…I would love to hear from you.)
If you have visited this blog for any time at all, you know that I celebrated a loss of 100 pounds using only the Thin Within principles…eating when hungry, stopping when no longer hungry, eating any food I wanted to, and not being involved in any exercise routine of any kind. Because of all the reasons I tended to want to eat aside from hunger, I learned to depend on God a whole lot to be my “portion” when heart hunger and head hunger called. These can’t be satisfied with physical food. During the time I released the weight, my walk with God deepened as I leaned on him for strength. So, from Nov. 2006 to Fall of 2007, I released 100 pounds of physical weight and emotionally and spiritually, I felt set free as well.
Four and a half years later, I remain a healthy size. That is the good news.
But, I haven’t kept all 100 pounds off. I think there was something magical about “100” pounds for me…the number became almost more important than anything else. I don’t think that was where I was supposed to land for the rest of my life. So being that thin isn’t God’s “ideal size” for me.
In fact, last year at this time, I saw just how easy it was for me to be obsessed with weight, size and exercise again! I revisited an obsession I hadn’t known in over 15 years! I exercised 2 hours a day in addition to the tennis I was playing. That clearly was out of line.
Truthfully, since 2007, my size has fluctuated. I have remained a healthy size during all that time, but there IS in fact, a lot of work yet that God is doing regarding how I view food and my body. I am definitely still a work in progress.
In my rather lengthy dieting history before 1999 (when I stopped dieting), I never stayed a healthy size for more than a year once the weight was lost, let alone almost five! So I continue to celebrate the fact that I am still a healthy size! WHOO HOO! It is, after all, so easy to beat myself up (even now!) for ways I fall short.
I thought I would share with you some of the struggles I do have…
“Nutritionally dense” foods are not my preferred fare. I am stuck in Phase 1 of Thin Within most of the time…the “Freedom Phase.” Since much of my childhood abuse was focused on food, I do try to extend some measure of grace to myself about not eating raw carrots or green salad. Truthfully, I only like vegetables in salsa and well-cooked stew or soup! I hope to “grow up” relative to my eating preferences.
This continues to be a journey of my heart–much more so than of the body. It doesn’t take much for me to rush back to the comfort that I have found in food over the course of my life–maybe not with the abandon and zeal of my former years, but the thinking is still there…or there again.
I got rid of my bathroom scale at least four years ago at the encouragement of my accountability partner at the time. It was a great choice then, but right now I am drawn to the added accountability of numbers! This BUGs me–the truth is, I know if I am eating according to the boundaries God has given me without a bathroom scale! If I eat according to those boundaries, I need not fear weight gain. If I don’t eat according to those parameters, I know I will likely “find” weight that was “lost.” Numbers are so motivating because they are so instant. But I want a heart that is transformed…both in terms of how I think of food and what is most important to me–heart change or body change? I could use the numbers of the scale to be motivated more to stay focused on 0 to 5 eating, but the expense to my heart might be rather high…I might become obsessed with weight–numbers–again. I don’t want to go there! Goodness! I am over-thinking this, I am sure. I just want to be normal!
Fear has a grip on me again (still?). (I am sure that is obvious! LOL!) I live in fear that I will weigh 250 pounds again. I want to value having a heart change more than a body change…but honestly, I don’t live with such noble motivations much of the time. :-/ I know God wants to renew my thinking in this. I am even more fearful because of my role in the Thin Within company and with a possible book project (being pitched this month)–if I am going to be connected with “Thin” anything, I better be sure not to blow it and not be a healthy size! How is that for godly, deep, thinking?
Here is a photo that hubby took on Saturday…his newest hobby is photography and the silly man likes to take pictures of things in motion the most, it seems. I tend to be his primary “subject.” It definitely keeps me “honest.” So one more thing I guess I struggle with…when I see this photo, I see “fluffy.” I don’t like that. I want to see hardened, athletic muscles! I know this is something that God wants to change in my thinking, too. Somewhere between “fat acceptance” and “obsession with thin” is a place where I honor God with my eating, worship with joyful movement of my body, delight in who HE is, and who He is making me to be!
Well, there you have it. The truth tossed out on the table. So, though I have kept off most of the weight, though I am a healthy size, my mind is definitely stuck in a place that I don’t think is healthy for me! I need to “lose” the old mindset!
But I am optimistic that God is doing a new thing even now! I refuse to live in condemnation because I don’t “do this” perfectly. He is sanctifying me, one babystep at a time!
How about you? Can you relate to any of the struggles I have listed? What new thing is God possibly doing in you right now?
