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Manna 17
#1
Manna Issue 17

1 Corinthians 3:2 "I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready."

Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven."

I see discouragement on the message boards all the time from beginners. They post and plead for prayer, for support, for motivation and tips. They usually post for the first time after being on a diet for 2-3 weeks and either actually gaining weight or not losing anything. My heart goes out to them because discouragement that early on in a diet is not a good beginning. Here is a typical posting: "I have been here for 2 weeks now, but gained 1.5 last week. Yuk! I can't seem to get re-motivated. Need lot's of love, prayer and encouragement. Help please!" Or this: "Hello out there!!!! Have joined a few weeks ago and just look at the food plan and don't seem to be motivated to eat what's on the plan. I think I should have waited another 2 weeks to join. I have a problem with exercising. Belong to a health club but don't make any effort to go. I feel like I am so far behind and have no stamina, I get discouraged before I start. So any excuse that comes up, I find myself not going. Can you motivate me?"

I am convinced that the love, motivation, and encouragement comes primarily from God, and the prayers have got to come spontaneously from us. Having others support us is all frosting on the cake. I was blessed the first week by losing six pounds and that encouraged me more than any words that another could speak. Other typical weight loss is 1-3 pounds. I met someone who lost 14 pounds the first week. We know that the first week can consist of water loss, but it sure gets you revved up into a "I believe I can do it mood." But today we are going to take a look at why some dieters never get off the ground and why other dieters seem to adjust so readily, and that is where our Scriptures are headed at today with the help of an article so fantastic I had to build the food sermon around it this week. Might you still be digesting milk when you could be chewing on meat?

SIX STAGES OF LOSING WEIGHT The following six stage plan is adapted from a theory by James O. Proscaska, Ph.D., professor of psychology at Univ. of Rhode Island and co-author of 'Changing for Good' (Avon 1995). ============================Stage 1: “I can't lose weight so why try?” In this initial stage, you don't accept that you can or need to change. You might be in denial because you've been so demoralized by previous failures. Or maybe you're just hoping no one will notice, since you've got zero motivation to do anything about it. You know you're in Stage 1 when you make up excuses like, "I have a slow metabolism." or "I've tried exercising and it just doesn't work for me." But you are probably also aware of warning signals: buying larger clothes, doctor saying your cholesterol is too high, your blood pressure is too high, you're not comfortable in your own skin. To take the next step: Don't turn a deaf ear to those warning signals. Write down a pro/con list about why you want to change your diet, review it regularly.

============================ Stage 2: "I'm tired of being and feeling fat." Big Clothes, dreading an upcoming vacation, being out of breath when you climb stairs...and you finally want to do something about it. The fact that you need to drop pounds is finally starting to sink in. Before you can take the next step successfully, you must set firm markers that force you to take action. Look into weight-loss programs, consult a dietician and give yourself a deadline for making appointments. Buy and use a good low-fat cookbook. Set a day for beginning your program, be prepared with the essentials and stick to that day. ============================= (Relapse Rx) If you hear the call of Stage 1 ("I guess being heavy just runs in my family"), get some support. Team up with an exercise buddy, or go grocery shopping with a friend who also wants to eat healthier, and start practicing positive imagery---- visualize how good you'll feel and look once you've taken off a few pounds.

============================= Stage 3: "I'm ready for action." You're ready to detoxify your diet and can prove it. Perhaps you've already joined that weight-loss group. You're more focused on your goals and they are beginning to take priority in your life. For instance, you're willing to adjust your schedule to accommodate time for exercise. You've begun an aerobics class or walking or bike riding. You've begun to modify the way you eat and cook. To move to the next step: Reality tests all the changes you plan to make to get an idea of whether they'll stick. Let's say you've decided to give up those fatty take-out dinners but don't have time to cook--what are you going to eat? Make sure you stock your kitchen with low-fat frozen meals, bagged salads and frozen veggies each week so you have easy, healthy options. If you're not a morning person, don't vow to hit the gym in the a.m., you're likely to hit the snooze button instead and scrap the exercise altogether. ============================== (Relapse Rx): Still having problems? Develop a structure and routine. Jot down your exercise routine in your calendar at the beginning of each week so you'll be more likely to stick to a regular program. And keep a food diary so you can track your progress and pinpoint problems.

============================== Stage 4: "I'm on a roll!" In stage 4 you feel really good. You're eating and enjoying lower fat meals, controlling your portions and consuming more fruits and vegetables. You're also working out for 30 minutes three times a week. You feel a huge sense of relief because you've found a real solution to a problem that's been zapping your confidence. CAVEAT: One reason dieters fail is that they dive in at Stage 4 without first getting mentally prepared for change. If that sounds like you, turn back. Do your homework first and you'll increase your chances of success.

============================== Stage 5: Fortify your motivation. Take part in activities that were formerly only on your wish list. Buy yourself a new outfit. Look in the mirror every day and repeat, "I feel good! I look good!" ============================== (Relapse Rx): Keep a photo of the 'old you' tacked on the fridge as a reminder of how far you've come. If you gain a few pounds, evaluate what in your life might be causing you to solve your problems with food. Be a stress manager, not a stress victim. And if you do slip, don't let guilt---the biggest motivation killer of all---set in. Instead, forgive yourself and start fresh with the next meal.

============================== Stage 6: "I'm a healthy eater for life." You know when you're in this utopian stage when your former less than healthy habits feel as foreign to you as your new habits once did. Eating right, staying active, and handling stress has become second nature. ============================== Sound too good to be true? It might be. For many of us Stage 5 is as far as we get---and that's okay. If you've reached your goal but still struggle with occasional setbacks, give yourself credit for all you've accomplished, you can maintain your new, healthier body by making sure your motivation doesn't lag. ============================== (Relapse Rx): Revel in the new you and make sure to continue rewarding yourself.

Any of this sound familiar? What stage are you? Do you have what we will call stage fright and just can't move on to the next stage? The majority of people that I meet fall into that first and second stage. I was in it myself for years before I was able to move on and do something. The key to these stages are blame and excuses. I have tried to move many people beyond this stage and I am afraid that even with my own success story and experiences to spur them on they remain stuck. I call to their attention that there truly has to be a straw that breaks the camel's back for them personally. I remember my straw was when I had a photo taken for our church directory and all I could see was this full, fat face with two doubles chins, mind you! Why hadn't I seen that in the mirror each day? Why hadn't I realized that this is what other people saw in me? It took a camera to break the camel's back for me.

Let's take a look at others' breaking points that made them move on to stage three and beyond. Perhaps you will see yourself in one of these and be motivated to move on yourself. What's it going to take? Perhaps just knowing that someone else is encouraging you to make a decision today as they did at one time also. Make that decision first and you will be able to move onto stage two and three, and from there on seek all the support and encouragement that you possibly can from others as you go through the subsequent stages. Almost overwhelmingly people said that is was when they saw a picture of themselves that made them decide to lose weight. One person said they knew a camera put on ten pounds in a picture (that is a television camera actually), but my mother always jokingly said to me, "Look what the camera has to work with." Have you seen a recent picture of yourself? Are you pleased, or shocked? Were you tempted to tear it up? If you were then this is the time to do something about your weight. This goes also if you have caught yourself in a window reflection and looked so heavy you were surprised. You may have thought that reflection distorted your image, but the truth is, if you were taken aback it is time to move forward with action. If you don't have a camera handy, pick up one of those inexpensive disposable ones and have someone shoot the roll of you. Not only will you be convinced to change your appearance, you will proudly someday be able to display a before and after picture! It is an investment that you will be glad you made, and if you are ever tempted to raid the refrigerator or revert, having one of these photos on the fridge might just continue to do the psychological trick for you.

The next most common I see is people hitting a certain age group and finding that they are extremely uncomfortable with how they look. Biggest was the thirties, a first time milestone for many. When they compared themselves with others at this age they realized that they had many good years left in them that they didn't want to be wasted on being obese and unhappy. Another age group is the college age student who discovers that they not only have to compete for academia while away at school, but also acceptance from their peers as they live apart from family and friends that have always been familiar and accepting to them. And then there is that cafeteria and parties to contend with rather than cooking something sensible. Many at this age come with determination and find that their busy lifestyle needs much more hours in the day to devote to a healthy lifestyle. Next is the forties and the fifties. Two major milestones for anyone to deal with, let alone dealing with the natural decline of bodily attraction to other age groups. Being overweight and realizing that the body is beginning to slow down takes its toll. Many reach out just before one of these milestone birthdays and are determined to take the bull by the horns and not let gravity and the aging process get the best of them. Then there are those that received the very last insult that they can stomach. Perhaps it came innocently from the mouth of a child, or perhaps it came intentionally from a spouse, a stranger, or a parent. But it did come. It did infuriate us, and it did cause us to seek to lose the weight so that we would not be subjected to insults anymore. It did cause us to want to raise to the occasion to prove that we were above that insult and would never allow ourselves to be put in that position again. Whatever works, the cruelty of unkind remarks might have raised us up to a point that we did want to improve if only to prove a point! And at the very bottom of the list I find those that for health reasons have sought out medical advice and was told to lose weight by a doctor. Diabetes, stress, backaches, high cholesterol, blood pressure and other symptoms that can be relieved or improved by better diet. One lady that had been with me on and off for well over a year, suffered a mild heart attack. Her doctor has charted her as morbidly obese which she hates, but up until now has not been able to lose any significant weight. Will she now? She is only in her forties. Is this what it really takes to move on to another stage? Others when confronted with health issues may not be fully persuaded, but when convinced that this is the only route that will alleviate them, they attempt it.

Know what? It really, absolutely will enhance our well being if we drop some weight. Results begin to be seen after as little as 10 pounds and a healthier diet to get there. The magic begins to happen, and oftentimes this group stands amazed that what they were blaming on the inevitable in life can be prevented. Is it can't, or don't want to when it comes to moving on into a different dieting stage in your life? Please take time to not only write down the stage you are in, but a plan of action by God's guidance how you can move on to the next step to become healthy and confident once again as God desires for you. Stage 4, 5 and 6 are pretty self explanatory and appear to be like the dominos effect. If you can make it to stage four you will find the inner motivation to make it all the way to goal. You can do it! God will help you! But absolutely no one else can coax you out of one stage to the next. It must come from within, and perhaps there is a season for it as our Scripture suggests. You haven't begun to bloom yet, but you will. Is anything to difficult for God? Can't He still lead you upon the path that He so desires for you? Can't you reach out your hand right now and almost feel Him urging to grab hold and get ready for the move?

Dear ones, take a few minutes today to read over the stages, determine where you are really at, and make plans on how you will move on to the next phase that we have discussed today. Write it down, read it often, and make very sure that you commit it to God in prayer with good intentions. You needn't be stuck in second gear when it is time to shift gears and move on. Perhaps this day, this week, this month you are ready for it. Prayer: Lord God, I am motivated to move on to the next stage whatsoever that might be. Help me please. Give me a nudge. Let me be encouraged that as I commit it to You, that You will bring it to pass. I want to do what is right, and I want to be cheered on by You. May I make You proud that instead of sitting down and pouting, I hold my head up high and march on bravely. Thank You, Lord God for hearing my desires. Amen ©2001-2007 www.gracetoday.com

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