Maria Kang: What's Your Excuse

Maria Kang, who is a 32 year old mother of 3 who owns two residential care homes for the elderly, runs a fitness non-profit that she founded and is a freelance writer. She posted a picture of herself posing with her 3 children who are 3, 2 and 8 months old. It had a caption over the top of it that said, “What’s Your Excuse.” Her point was that if she could have 3 children, the most recent one born 8 months ago, and still be in shape what is holding everyone else back?

I can relate to what she is saying with her picture. I am trying to lose weight, and have lost about 30 pounds so far this year. I still have another 30 or so pounds to go. It is impossible for someone else to cause me shame because I feel it myself. I am glad that people post fit pictures of themselves while discussing the hurdles they had to overcome in order to get there. It gives me inspiration and lets me know that I am not alone in my struggles and that success is possible.

Of course, many people are offended. Why? “How dare her be a bully!” followed by “I can’t believe that she is fat shaming!” There were also those who felt that she was trying to tell them how to look. I do not even begin to understand the bullying they are talking about, not the fat shaming. I am not even sure what fat shaming is. Finally, she is not telling anyone how they should look. She is making a point. So why are so many offended at this?

Honestly, I guess the truth really hurts. Another reason is because she is taking away one of the most popular excuses people have for gaining weight, having a child. There are multiple other excuses, like not having enough time, their genetics and the environment they live in. The truth is, many of us love to make excuses rather than take the time to make changes.  Finally, there is the blame game, such as “I am fat because I was abused as a child. Let us work at taking these excuses away.

 The first is not an excuse, it is just realistic. The truth does hurt. If people are saying untrue things about me, I can laugh it off. If they are saying true things or if something they say hits close to home I am liable to get angry and offended. That is my defense mechanism that allows me to stay the way I am while getting mad at someone else for simply being honest.

Next are the excuses. As long as I have reasons to act the way I act, look the way I look and think the way I think I never have to change which is good. Change makes me uncomfortable, and feeling uncomfortable is not something that overweight people enjoy. We generally eat to numb ourselves from real life, to escape problems or to insulate us by keeping people further away.

Finally, we have the blame game. I love to blame other people. If my problems are always someone else’s fault I can do nothing to change them. They have to change, and often they have to change things that are done in the past. Since this is impossible, I can remain the way I am and feel good about it. Maybe not good, but I can relegate myself to the fate I feel that others have thrust upon me.

How do we overcome these issues:

1.       I have to hold myself accountable for where I am today. I may have had things happen that led me down this path, but it was my choice to continue walking down it.

2.       Realize that although I may be powerless over the past and other people, I have the ultimate power when it comes to dealing with them. I chose how to deal with people and situations.

3.       If someone says something or does something that offends you, get honest and try to figure out why you were offended. It will frequently be something in your life that you need to work on.

4.       Stop making excuses to fail and start creating reasons to succeed.

5.       Start your day off with a gratitude list and a goal for the day. List 3 things you are grateful for and one thing you want to achieve that day. It can be as small as walking around the block or as big as running 5 miles.

6.       It is okay to have big goals, but make sure that you have little ones that help you step up to reach the big one. I want to lose 60 pounds; my first goal was to lose 5 pounds in the first month. I have been working in 5 pound increments.

7.       Eating and exercising are choices. I can choose to eat fast food, or I can choose to eat lean meats and vegetables with a weekly cheat. I can choose to be lazy or I can choose to be active.

PS – How dare some of you use your kids as an excuse to be lazy and eat poorly! I have kids, and we play. My 6 year old and I play basketball and catch. I chase my 14 month old around the house and take her to the park. Get off of your butts, set an example for your kids by eating right and get some fresh air with them and play OUTSIDE!!!!

From Shack to Temple 2013 - No More Cheating!!

I am tired of this yo-yo I am on. I keep telling myself I am going to lose weight, just to lose it then gain even more back. Last year I ended up losing about 10 pounds for the year. My goal was 60. I am done playing around this year. It is time to take it serious. I am changing everything that I do. I am changing my workouts, the way I eat and a whole lot more. 

My workouts are changing. They have been workouts to gain muscle, with only one or two body parts worked a day. I would then end with a 30 minute cardio routine that was generally a quick walk. That work out is no more. I will be hitting a set body part, like chest. Then I will end with a complex, such as the bear complex (It is from CrossFit). It is a whole body workout that is done without ever setting down the barbell or dumbbells you are using. If you have never done them, complexes are murder!

When it comes to my diet I am looking to put in a lot of water, lean meat and vegetables with egg whites, oatmeal, greek yogurt, almonds and cottage cheese thrown in. I will be having fresh fruit on occasion for sweets and chocolate milk and protein after my workouts. I will have coffees with no creamer, which is different. I will not be comfort eating, unless it is a piece of meat. My late night snack will be cottage cheese and greek yogurt, with the occasionally popcorn. 

The big change diet wise involves my weigh-in day. I will be weighing in on Mondays. In the past I have weighed in on Wednesdays. This was so that I had an opportunity to lose the weight I had gained from cheating over the weekend. This time, no cheats. I am following a stricter diet this time around. 

This is an addiction like any other, only a little harder to break. It is the same because when you are trying to quit using a drug, you do not allow yourself to have a little. Think of an alcoholic telling himself, "I will just have one or two shots tonight." He is sure to be unsuccessful. Maybe not tonight, but one of the nights he allows himself to cheat he will go on a binge. I know this from experience. One Girl Scout cookie is too many, and a boxful is never enough. 

It is different because you have to eat. I think this makes it harder. When I got off of meth, I did not have to do meth. In fact, I found I was addicted to more and stopped taking anything that was addictive.  I knew better than to chance it. With alcohol, you do not have to drink. I can go to B-Dubs (Buffalo Wild Wings) to watch the fights and have a tea. I just leave a big tip at the end of the night for the tea. With food, we have to eat and that is difficult to do. I have to not comfort eat and watch portions ALL of the time. It is rough, but I WILL do it this year.

I am just getting started, but you can bet that at the end of January you will get a workout routine I have followed as well as a better look at the diet. I am going to be happy to share, and the blogs will be coming every couple of weeks. This morning I started off at 238.6 pounds. My goal is to lose 1 to 2 pounds a week. The best is yet to come........off. I cannot wait to break the 200 pound barrier, and I will do it this year!! I can do ALL things through Christ who gives me strength!!

If you are also trying to lose weight, please share your tips, goals and progress with me. Friend me on the app MyFitnessPal, leave comments on the blog or on Facebook. I would love to have accountability partners in this endeavor! 

2013: Plans and Goals

2012 was talked about in the last blog as we looked back and now we get to look ahead! 2013 is going to be incredible for Spiritual Spackle, Better Life in Recovery and me personally. There are already some plans made and the goal is to outline more goals for the future. We got off to a good start this year and our plan is to continue moving forward.

For starters, the things we know for sure. The next Better Life in Recovery (BLiR) event is going to be at New Life Church during Spring Break. The date will be either the 13th or the 15th of March. We are having our first planning session on January the 12th for it. As yet we are unsure of who the entertainment will be or the prizes that will be won by those in attendance.

We have bought a dinner party package for 50 people that we will be using over the summer as a fundraising event. We are planning a $25 a plate fundraiser paired with a silent auction in the hopes of raising several thousand dollars. We will get to the needs for that later.

A couple of the BLiR videos will be shown at the Missouri Association of Drug Court Professionals (MADCP) convention this Spring. Two more people have agreed to be interviewed for the BLiR documentary and we have contacted a pastor in East St. Louis running a recovery program that has some participants we can interview.

We will be starting a KickStarter campaign the first of the year, shooting for March when everyone is getting their tax money back. We will have 30 days to raise a minimum of $5,000. If we don't raise the money, we get nothing. Our hope is to get more than $5,000 so that we can have the funding we need to make the documentary really rock and be able to take it into a couple of schools, too.

One of our websites, www.betterlifeinrecovery.org is under construction. We need to find someone to work on www.betterlifeinrecovery.com so that we get that going also. We also need to find someone who can design our Facebook landing page.

After the BLiR event at New Life Church over Spring Break, we will begin preparing for the next major event. We are hoping to have that event towards the end of Summer. We will be using a larger facility such as Remington's, and bring in a worship band or singer that you hear on the radio. Following that BLiR will do another event.  The goal for 2013 is to have at least 3 events.

We need to complete the paperwork and raise the money needed to file for non-profit status. I am hoping to find either an accountant or attorney who will volunteer their time to help us in that endeavor. The goal is to have the articles of incorporation written and filed by February. Then in February we get our employee identification number (EIN).

This is where the silent auction/dinner comes in. We need to have donations for the silent auction. They will range from services (massages, hair cuts, lessons) to items (paintings, autographed memorabilia, gift baskets, seats at sporting events). We need to raise money for the next phase.

The next step is to file for tax exemption with the IRS, which requires more paperwork and $850. At this point we will hold a fund raiser if we have not yet gotten the money we need. We will also need to hold our first true board meeting, which will require us having a board of directors. We need a couple more people who have a passion for what we are doing willing to be board members.

We will have the documentary finished this year and ready to take into schools in 2014. We will complete the pre-test and post-test questionairres for those who view the BLiR program. In order to do this we need to complete filming the documentary.

To complete the documentary we require at least 5 more volunteers to do interviews. We aim to reach as many people as possible and have them relate to the documentary, so we need to show diversity. We are short on ethnicities. That is our primary focus to complete the filming so we can begin editing. Our need is 5 more people (preferably between the ages of 18-25) who have struggled with trauma/addiction and overcame them.

I would like to have several more chapters written for my book, if not have it finished by the end of the year. I have at least 6-8 more chapters to go before it is completed. Once completed it will have to go to an editor and then I may attempt another KickStarter campaign to get it published if I can't find a publisher to pick it up.

I would like to have more public speaking opportunities. I get to share hope. It is what I am led to do. I spoke in 2012 at two churches, two Celebrate Recovery meetings, two colleges and one community outreach. That is an average of once every other month. This year the goal is to speak 12 times.

I also will have an opportunity to reach more people with this blog. I started off writing just on here, but in 2012 I became a regular contributor to the Poached Egg website (www.poachedegg.net ). In 2013 I will start contributing to the Global University blog as well. Once again, what a great opportunity to share strength, hope and knowledge with people everywhere.

Personally, I would like to get below 200 pounds. That is a weight loss goal of 40-50 pounds. I am getting back on a cleaner diet after the first of the year, which will definitely help. I also will be trying new workouts that involve complexes and full body workouts instead of hitting a muscle group or two each day. I am optimistic that should help also as I work to overcome both my food addiction and the curse of sloth that sometimes takes me over. Finally, I will be the best husband and father I can be by continuing to put Christ first in all that I do!

So, here are the main goals in chronological order:
1. Write BLiR's Articles of Incorporation and Incorporate
2. Obtain EIN
3. KickStarter campaign
4. BLiR Spring Break Event
5. Silent Auction
6. File for tax exempt status (501c3)
7. Show clips at the Missouri Association of Drug Court Professionals (MADCP) Convention
8. Finish filming interviews for the Better Life in Recovery documentary
9. End of Summer BLiR event
10. Compile pre and post-test questionaires

In closing, I would appreciate any help you could give me in reaching these goals. If you are able to donate anything we could auction off, that would be amazing. If you have computer skills, we could use help with the website on the .com site and our Facebook page. When the Kickstarter campaign starts we could use donations and help spreading the word about the campaign. If you have a venue for us to show the documentary or for me to speak at, please contact us.

LOOKING FORWARD TO ALL WE DO TOGETHER IN 2013. THANKS FOR JOINING ME ON THE JOURNEY!!!

From Shack to Temple - Weight Loss WednesdayGoing Paleo

I really like the paleo version of the Nike slogan. Nike says, "Just Do It" while paleo says, "Just Chew It." I have been struggling with my weight, partially because I am allowing a cheat a day and that gets in my way. I am an addict, an alcoholic and I struggle with major impulse control issues with things that are unhealthy. If I have a beer a day, it will sooner or later evolve into me going on a bender and waking up having no recollection of the day before. If I have a Girl Scout Cookie, my new drug of choice, I will eat the entire box. That is why I should not have a cheat a day, because I will blow several days. I need something a little more strict.

I also am struggling with my digestion and internal issues. I have major pains when I eat, and I won't get in to the details. I will tell you that I have been to multiple doctors and had multiple tests ran, and they keep telling me they have no idea what it is. I also feel fatigued every afternoon and that has to stop. I miss my energy. I have heard that the paleo diet can help with those types of problems. Those are the two reasons I am going to try the Paleo Diet: Weight loss and Feeling Better.

Finally, the third reason. Every other weight loss and feel good system that I know of is expensive and you have to add it to what you already eat. I have to pay $200-300 for the system plus buy my food every week, too. It adds up quickly, and I am broke. If you have some great product that you want me to try I would be happy to use it if you send it to me and let me use it for free. I will be your spokesperson. Otherwise, I don't want to hear about your products. I love you guys, but I am trying to: write a blog, film a documentary, start a non-profit, get funding for non-profit, find board members, find people to do various things (interview, web design, legal, financial, write grants, donate goods/money, bands), speak at churches/schools/events, work full-time, raise two kids and give my wife the attention she deserves. Read that as meaning I have no time for anything else God has not laid on my heart.

For those who don't know what the Paleo Diet is, here is a run down. It is also called the Primal Diet and the Caveman Diet with some variations. The Paleo Diet consists of eating lean meats that are grass fed, free range and hormone/chemical free. I get to eat just about any meat including seafood, and just so you know uncured bacon tastes amazing. After all, it's bacon! Then I get vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds.

You avoid dairy, grains, processed sugars and foods, legumes, starches and alcohol. I am super excited. I went out and got eggs, grass fed beef, free range hormone free chicken, uncured bacon, sweet potatoes, tilapia, salmon, tuna, walnuts then added organic fruits and vegetables. I even got almond butter to use as a dip for apples when my sweet tooth kicks in and I'm looking forward to having cauliflower popcorn. Below is the scramble I had today for breakfast: eggs, uncured ham, bell peppers, onion, tomato, avocado then I topped it with salsa!! YUM!! I could get used to eating like this.

P.S. - If anyone knows where the best selection and best economical values are in the Springfield area for good quality meat and organic produce please let me know.

Stop Pimping Jesus Out

I am going to start this off with an instance in particular that I see as condescending and sad. It is when someone on Facebook does what I consider to be pimping out Jesus. They also do it with soldiers, puppies, cruelty to animals, etc. What I am talking about is the random posts on Facebook that say things like, "Click like if you love Jesus," "Leave a comment if you follow Jesus," "Copy and paste this as your status if you support our troops" and "Forward this to 10 of your friends and you will have happiness."

Just wrong, period! People are using these things to get likes for their pictures and sites. You want to post something and have someone like it, write something original. Take your own picture, don't take someone else's and use it with a snappy caption pimping out Jesus or our troops or abused animals to get likes.

You want likes and follows, be honest. How about saying, "Like this site if you support what I am doing to bring the message of Jesus to people" or "Leave a comment if you support what I am doing." It is okay to use yourself and what you are personally doing. But using Jesus, pictures of soldiers or discussing what others are doing that you have no involvement in to curry favor is not the way to do it.

I am saying this because if you love and follow Jesus, your walk will show it. If you support the troops, donate to a non-profit set up to help them. Same with abused animals. If those poor dogs being abused and killed break your heart, adopt your next dog from the pound or shelter and not purchase it from a breeder or puppy mills. Finally, if you want to be happy and you are not, make changes in your friends, habits, activities and employment.

Just an FYI, I love Jesus and I would say that I have a good relationship with Him. Not great, but it is progress not perfection we aim for. That said, I have never commented or liked one of the posts that wanted me to prove it in some inane ways. I also support our troops yet I have never copied and pasted a status to say that I supported our troops. Finally, I have never forwarded an email to become happy, find love, not die in 7 days, keep a puppy from being killed or prove my faith.

We are called to be SALT AND LIGHT, NOT COMMENT AND LIKE!! Trust me, if you think that you are living on the wrong side of God, no amount of sharing an email or liking a post is going to change that. People who try to tell you that it will are misguided at best. Using God to get likes, salvation to get comments and people's fears to get shares is not right. If you want to get those things, then there are ways to get it:

1. Photograph something amazing 
2. Write something meaningful
3. Record something that catches people's attention
4. Start a non-profit benefiting a group and pour yourself into it

I want you to know that I am guilty on occasion of overdoing some things on Facebook and probably Twitter. At one time I had Facebook and Twitter linked and was double posting on Facebook because of it. I am also no longer going to use hash tags and @insertTwitternamehere on Facebook as that is not the right language. If you are on a social media network, use it and then take the time to post on the next social media network using their format.

My problem was that I was lazy and I realize that if I want people to have an interest in what I am doing, I need to show that same interest in them. Rick Warren says, "People don't care about how much you know until they know about how much you care!" If you care, you will take time out to do things well. You will use original content, not steal others.

I also share my faith very openly and honestly. I was out of hope, lost and ready to give up on life. Through Christ I found hope and a reason to live. He saved my life. If you discover something that saves your life, know that if you share it with others it could save theirs too and you don't do it............you suck at life. You are simply not a good person. Not judging, just saying!

I also talk about the exercise I do and the food I eat on occasion. The reason for that is I am in the middle of losing a goal of 60 pounds, and 70 would probably be good. I have other friends that struggle with weight issues and impulse control that are encouraged by what I say. At least, that is what they tell me. Because of that, I share about dieting, exercise, Jesus and the things that keep me positive. I hope that it will allow others to get a better outlook on life and overcome some of their struggles.

In closing, if you can be positive that is great. If you have nice, uplifting things to say then by all means say them. If all you do is complain and trash other people, then maybe you need to keep that to yourself. Let me know about you. After all, that is what I care about.

From Shack to Temple Weight Loss Wednesday My Fitness Pal

So, when I came into work on Monday this was the sight that greeted me from the copy/break room. It was hard to say no to. But, when I looked at my trusty new app that I got for my iPhone, MyFitnessPal, I was given all of the information that I needed. I looked at what it showed me, and decided what the best choice was.

So, let me tell you a little about MyFitnessPal. I want you to know that I rarely do product plugs...............ever. This is the first one that I have done in over 200 blogs. I may talk about music, small groups studies, movies but not products. The reason is simple, I am not here to sell anybody on anything, other than living a better life. But I must make an exception for this phone app, which is also available on your computer.

For starters, how cool it is to have a calorie counter on your hip. It is with me every where that I go. It allows me to use something that I already carry around instead of having to carry a diary. I then use it to log in all of the food that I consume. It also allows me to log in the exercises that I do and will then add the exercise calories to the total calories I can consume for the day so that I can have more food if I exercise. Your body needs fuel, so it is added. Makes total sense!

So how does it know how many calories I can consume for the day? It asks some questions: current weight, goal weight, starting weight, height, gender, date of birth and activity level. It then asks for your goal. Do you want to gain a pound a week, 1/2 a pound a week or stay the same? If not, do you want to lose weight: 1/2, 1, 1 1/2 or 2 pounds a week? It then sets you up with a daily calorie goal as well as the targets to hit for fat, protein, carbohydrates, cholesterol, sodium and several other minerals and vitamins.

But you could eat very unhealthy foods and never exercise, right? In recovery I talk about the 5 pillars: sponsor (mentor), 12 steps (live Biblical), meetings (small groups), a Higher Power (God) and accountability partners. This app will allow you to become friends with other people and they can then look at the exercise you do and the calories you eat. It lets you see weight lost or gained, calorie goal met,exceeded, exercise completed and whether or not they have been on the app. In this way, you have accountability partners built in.

Finally, not only does it already have a huge list of foods, brands, restaurants and exercises but you can also add your own. The coolest feature other than having friends be able to see how you are doing is the bar code reader. All you have to do is set the camera on the bar code of an item and it will automatically add it to your list of available foods to choose from. It puts it in complete with full calorie/protein/carb/fat/vitamin/mineral and serving breakdowns.

Together, those are the reasons that I am writing about this app. It is a total package. So, at the beginning I used my app to look up Krispy Kreme donuts and wedding cake. Small servings at 200-300 calories for the donuts and 400-600 calories for the cake. I knew that the Greek yogurt with granola, fresh blueberries and fresh raspberries was not only healthier and more filling, but also contained protein with no fat and tasty at only 200 calories.

I ended up eating the yogurt and did not give in to temptation. That may only be a small battle won, but it is A BATTLE WON!!! I love winning small battles every day, because the small wins daily will lead to a huge victory!! Unfortunately I have only really started using the app this week, and when we went to St Louis last week I was really bad and caved to my cravings. After two weeks, I am only down .6 pounds. That said, I am down not up so that is another small battle won in my fight against food cravings and body fat.

P.S. - So far I only have one accountability partner on the app. If this is something that you need or would not mind giving me (some support and encouragement with losing weight), get the MyFitnessPal app and request me. I am DjsDad1 on there. I also have a private Facebook group for several people who are struggling with food and/or weight issues that I can add you to if that would be beneficial.

BLiR VLog From 09/23/2012-09/29/2012

09/23 Why I Like Triggers (and So Should You)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zT0uaSs0mE

09/24 Progress Not Perfection

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikclmsaxLJo

09/25 You Love Me Anyway

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdBfep-RV6Y

09/26 What is the Best Recovery Meeting to Attend?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAo7RpMzHLU

09/27 Finding Balance in Your Life

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=reooGV1WCVU

09/28 Overcoming Resistance to Attending Recovery Meetings

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8rdbdHMVw8

09/29 Losing Weight/My Temple is a Shack

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wX-VZLs6Xf8

From Shack to Temple: Week 6

I realize that it has been 4 weeks since I wrote a blog in this series as I talk about my weight loss. The truth is, I got sick 3 weeks ago and went off the diet. I finally was feeling better by the beginning of the week. I am a male, and not to stereotype us, but I am the biggest baby when I get sick. If I have to get stitches, not a big deal. If I am sick, I moan and groan and whine all of the time. It is actually pretty pathetic and you should pray for my wife......she is a saint for putting up with me!

To continue with my illness, I eat comfort food when I am sick. The great thing was that through my eating poorly over several weeks I never got back to eating at the level that I generally do. I was bad, but not to the extreme that I as an addict generally go to. I weighed 234 on the 4th when I last weighed, and this week I weighed 228.4 so I lost 5.6 pounds this week and I am down 19.2 pounds.

I find losing almost 20 pounds amazing. I have switched over to the paleo, or caveman diet. That means that I am eating meat (free range chicken/eggs, wild fish and grass-fed beef), vegetables, fruit and nuts. There are no chemicals or preservatives and every thing is all natural. I love their motto, Just Chew It!

The first week was not so bad, but there was some definite cravings that I had to deal with, especially when you have a break room that looks like this last week. Another day it was 6 dozen donuts sitting in there.

I feel that I have been more successful this time and will continue to be so. I felt that a large part of the reason I was struggling in the beginning of this was depriving myself then having a splurge day that gave into my eating issues. With the paleo I will allow myself 1-2 cheat meals a week, not an entire day of gorging that I found myself doing in the first couple of weeks.

Internally I feel better this time, and although it says I am 6 weeks in I am actually 4 weeks in when you take away the 2 weeks I was sick. Either way, I will be down over 20 pounds by next week and that makes me happy. I am feeling great energy wise and internally, which is also good. Look forward to letting you know where I am at next week.

From Shack to Temple Week 3 - Down 14.8 pounds

Just so you know, this was a very disappointing week for me. It should not be, after all I am down almost 15 pounds after 3 weeks. The problem is that my goal was to lose 3 pounds this week and I only lost 1.8 pounds. This would be troublesome, but I would rather look on the bright side.

I do feel that this is not working, as my immune system is not doing very well. I will be looking to implement a new plan for my diet when I begin eating right again. I cannot stick to this while I am sick, I know that!

That said, since I am sick I do not really feel like writing more. I will continue this when I am feeling better. I am actually publishing this several weeks late. This should have been published on the 22nd of May and it is getting posted on June 11th.

From Shack to Temple - Week 2 (Down 13.3 Pounds)

This week was not nearly as good as last week, which is what I figured. I lost 10 pounds last week, and only 3.3 pounds this week. Did I say only???? Never mind that, I LOST 3.3 POUNDS THIS WEEK!!!!! Come to think of it, that is pretty awesome. That said, it was a very rough weekend, for sure. I keep forgetting that food is an addiction for me, and I need to watch and control it. I swear, it doesn't have to be drugs. One Ruffle's Smokehouse Style BBQ chip is too many, the entire bag is never enough!

For starters, I had a cheat day that lasted several hours longer than it should have. On my cheat day I am supposed to stop eating at 7. All started off well, waffles and turkey sausage with my first cup of coffee in a week. Then lunch after T-Ball practice of a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit. Then we went to Silver Dollar City, and it was Bluegrass and BBQ. I had a rack of ribs, baked beans, apple pie ala mode and a large frozen coke! Yum!!! That was  great day! It should have been over, but it was not.

Then I got to Springfield and it was almost 10. I did a Frisco Thick Burger with Bacon Cheese Fries from Hardees and several scoops of neapolitan ice cream with Reese's Shell on it. It actually started off as a double scoop, but then I had to finish off my son's for him. Next day should have been back to my diet, but I came in from mowing the lawn to my wife, sister, son and niece eating meatloaf and home made mashed potatoes. I did not pass it up, which I should have.

I am feeling very fortunate to have lost 3.3 pounds this week. I have continued the exercise, which is making me feel amazing. I am doing compound exercises that combine several muscles in each set, other than chest and back day. I am also doing cardio. I had someone talk to me about joining a running club, and I need to talk to him at church on Sunday and see what that entails. To be honest, it scares the living day lights out of me.

I continued to be impressed with the customer service at Supplement Superstore. I got a handwritten, page long card from the guy who has helped me, Jake, asking to be kept informed of my progress. I also have a friend, Michael, that is doing the Visalus 90 day challenge. I am keeping an eye on him and the program. I may have to try their products if I hit a sticking point in my routine. If you have never heard of the program, check his website out at http://teamdake.myvi.net/

I am still looking for a work out partner for several mornings a week. If you are at the Meyer Center and don't mind early morning workouts shoot me a message, email or text. I would benefit from somebody to push me at the gym. Next week I will put up the actual workouts that I am engaging in. Thanks for reading the update. Talk to you next Tuesday, when my goal is to lose another 3 pounds!

From Shack to Temple - Week 1

Can you lose 10 pounds in one week like they do on The Biggest Loser? I don't know if you can, but I found out that I could. I seriously doubt that the double digit loss will continue into the second week, but in the first 7 days I lost exactly 10 pounds!

I am pretty excited about the results so far. In my opinion, they have been nothing short of amazing. I know that the first week tends to be a big week for loss, so judge what I am doing not by this first week but by the end results. That said, the first week was an awesome start. Here is how I have gotten off to such a great start:

1. I drink at least 120 ounces of water daily, although it has been more like 160-200 ounces
2. I exercise every morning for an hour. Next week I will talk more about the exercise that I am doing!
3. I eat a healthy breakfast (2 eggs, 98% fat free ham or turkey, two pieces of toast and a banana)
4. I eat a healthy lunch (can of tuna, mustard, two pieces of bread, immense salad with a lot of different colors and balsamic vinegar and olive oil dressing)
5. I do not eat solid food after lunch. Once I get to where I want to be weight wise I will add a healthy dinner.
6. I have 2 or 3 protein shakes daily (1 after workout in the morning the others in the evening)
7. I have a 1st Phorm Level-1 shake before bed. I have a sweet tooth that strikes late. Level-1 has chocolate chip cookie dough and ice cream sandwich flavors. They take care of my sweet tooth with only 2 grams of sugar.
8. I stack 1st Phorm's 1-Db Overdrive with Thyro-Drive on a 5 day on, 2 day off cycle. They are a combination thermogenic that so far have not made me jittery like the products I have used in the past.
9. I eat and drink anything and everything that I want one day a week from the time I wake up until 7 PM

That is how I have made the changes I have made so far. I have had to use several methods to work around some of the problems I have with eating. I use the late night shake to curb my sweet tooth, and the promise of eating what ever I want one day a week to help me avoid temptation like you see on the right (this was actually in the break room at work yesterday and I ate none of it).

In order for me to get to where I need to be, I have to watch what I take into my body. If I can say no to cigarettes, drugs and alcohol I should have no problem with food. But I did. I had let food become my new addiction and it was killing me just like my old vices had been. Now, I am not having those same problems because of the changes I am making.

I also have to be fit and active every day. My sedentary life style was killing me. I am doing everything: cardio machines, weight lifting, racquetball and bicycle riding. One night I went to the park and took a walk. It is about being active every day. In my last job I waited tables, and walked probably 5 miles plus every day. Now I sit behind a desk and it has been showing. Between being more sedentary and eating comfort food my waist has been increasing. No longer, will that happen. Thanks for following along with me as I turn my shack back into a temple!

From Shack to Temple - The Journey Has Just Begun

Today was my first day in some time that I went to the gym after hurting my back months ago. I was just starting to get into a regular pattern of exercise when the injury occurred. That said, the exercise I was doing was just enough to keep my weight stable, which was still very over weight. I was holding at around 230 when I got hurt. Now I am up to around 250 pounds. Not a bad weight if you are 6 foot 5. Unfortunately, I am 5 foot 6. It is a very unhealthy weight for me. 

At one time I weighed 160 pounds and wore 27 inch jeans. That was in my addiction to methamphetamine. I have gained 90 pounds since I got off meth and my jean size is now up to 40 and 42. A large part of my initial weight gain was that I was skinny to an unhealthy level when I was using meth. The first 20-30 pounds that I gained was healthy weight. Then I started working out and gained more. Then more and more and more. Eventually I realized that there was a problem and through becoming an alcoholic and not eating I began to lose weight. I got down to around 205 from 220. Then I stopped drinking and the weight came back to me. 


Initially I put down the drugs and started eating. Then I put down the food when I found alcohol. When I stopped drinking and smoking at the same time I put down the alcohol and nicotine and found food. I swapped addictions. I am an addict to escape problems. When I have a stressful day, (which is pretty often because I have a stressful job and I am starting a non-profit while writing a book, blogging and speaking) I eat. I crave meat and sweets. Not lean meat, either! I mean half pound burgers, 24 ounce steaks and full racks of ribs with all of the starchy trimmings. Due to that, I have found myself at 250 pounds.  


Over the weekend while I was attempting to keep up with my 4 year old, God started talking to me. He told me that it was time to get serious and lose weight. The reasons are pretty apparent from a health standpoint. My uncle died from a heart attack at 58 last month due to his weight being more than his heart could take. That alone should be enough, but I already knew how unhealthy my weight is and that has not stopped me yet. Not to worry, God was not done convicting me yet. There was a lot more!


"It is time to lose the 50 pounds of fat," I heard a voice saying over and over again to me during the weekend. It isn't just your health. "You can't even keep up with your son any more," that voice shouted. It was true, I get tired and worn out just from playing with my son. I have another baby on the way. It is getting ready to be twice as active for me. If I have trouble keeping up with him, what will it be like when there are two of them? God was not done with me yet. He reminded me Sunday during service at church of something else.  


I am beginning to get out and speak more. I am talking to people who struggle with life controlling issues. I am wanting to give them hope that they can overcome their struggles. A voice told me Sunday that no one wants to hear someone who is fat telling them how to deal with their struggles and overcome them. A lot of people that I will talk to struggle with weight issues and self image problems. They use meth to lose weight, force themselves to throw up after eating or simply don't eat at all. If they are in the audience that I speak to, my message will fall on deaf ears if I am not in better shape. I need to reach those people and the voice in my ear screamed that I can't do it looking like I do now! I have to take control of my eating problem and no longer let it rule my life. "The time is now," the voice told me. 


God spoke, I listened! I need to hear God's whisper in my ear and feel the conviction of the Holy Spirit. I may not want to hear what it has to say, but I love it when I hear God's voice so clearly! Immediately after church I sat down and made a list of what I was going to eat and the changes in exercise that were going to occur. Monday I went shopping for what I needed and this morning (Tuesday) I started back at the gym and the eating habit changes have began.


I am going to share a few things with everyone. I am now working out multiple mornings a week as well as the occasional cardio/exercise in the evening. I am eating a full breakfast and a full lunch; full but extremely healthy. I am then having three protein shakes daily and a minimum of 100 ounces of water. The water may increase, but it will not decrease. I am doing this 6 days a week and one day a week will be my junk food day. I can eat what I want from the time I wake up until 7 that evening. Once 7 P.M. comes, the fun stops. 


I will follow this and tweak it as the time progresses and I see what needs to be added. I am excited. My goal is to drop from the 247.6 pounds that I weighed today (see picture above) down to no more than 190. If that is still unhealthy, I will drop more weight. I will not know until I get there. I will be back down to no more than 34 inch jeans from the 42 inch jeans I find myself wearing now. I have taken a couple of before pictures of myself, but they will not be shared until I have a decent after picture to show. 


I tell you this for the accountability piece I need. I will write a weekly series that will bear the title "From Shack to Temple." Each week I will have a picture of the scale after weighing on Tuesday morning. I will also outline the diet that I followed that week as well as the exercise regimen that I followed. I do all of this for a reason. We are told that our bodies are the temple of God, and lately mine has been an amusement park. That will happen no longer. God spoke, I listened and now I comply! Please follow this journey with me and feel free to ask me how it is going when you see me in person. If you do not see me in person, leave comments on my blogs, call me, e-mail me and/or talk to me on Facebook/Twitter. I would ask that everyone of you become an accountability partner for me. 


The journey has just begun, hope you enjoy reading about the ride!


P.S. If you happen to be a member at the Meyer Center and are looking for a work out partner and don't mind early morning workouts, get a hold of me. If you are a bicycle rider or a racquetball/handball player get a hold of me also. Thanks in advance!

Weight loss, addiction and our Faith

I started Weight Watcher’s June 8^th at 239.8 pounds. Two weeks ago before I left for a 7 day cruise I weighed 213 pounds. Last week after I got back I weighed 222.2 pounds. Today I weigh 224.4 pounds. I expected to gain 10 pounds on the cruise. I was going to let myself eat whatever I wanted. What I did not expect was to have lost control over my eating and not be able to rein it in on my return. So, today I will start a 7 day juice fast that will allow me to regain control over my eating.

I figure this will help me lose the original weight that I gained back and reset my eating habits. Then next week I can slowly reintroduce fruits and vegetables then grains and dairy and finally fish and chicken back into my diet. I went from eating really healthy to taking short cuts and eating things that were full of preservatives and artificial junk in them. It started with the microwaveable lunches that were easy, but unhealthy. Then it was the cruise, but just for one week. A week back and I am still struggling to get back to where I was.

This is a lot like our faith or our addictions. I have found that if I let just a little bit of the world in, I end up with a lot. If I compromise my ideals or morals for one thing, then I open myself up for many things. Two sayings come to mind, one is “You’ve got to stand for something or you’ll fall for anything” and the other is from AA, “One is too many and a thousand is never enough.” These both describe what I did with my eating. I compromised on what I felt was a little thing, and due to that my eating got out of control. I am working on getting back to where I was before I began if I do not get it under control.

What I did was I started Weight Watcher’s as a lifestyle change. It was not a diet, but a new way of eating for life, but then I picked up my old lifestyle again. This happens often with our faith. We begin changing the way that we live our lives, and the next thing you know you are right back where you started because of something small that you thought would not hurt. As an addict, I have often made that mistake in my life. I got off of drugs and let in alcohol, reasoning that I was not an alcoholic. Found out what NA has been saying for years was true, that “alcohol is a drug, period.” Then I stopped drinking, and comfort food became my thing. I quickly gained 50 unhealthy pounds.

As Christians or addicts, what are you allowing in your life that may be setting you up for major issues in the future? What unhealthy things are you allowing to control how you live your lives. What are you doing that is setting you up for future problems? Maybe seeing that NC-17 movie, or the R-rated movie that has strong sexual content. How about the music that you listen to? What are the themes and messages that you are subjecting your brain to? How about the company you keep? Do your morals and your actions change when you are with your friends? If so, you probably need to switch groups!

This is probably as important to you readers as it is to me. We allow so many things to control us, and there should be only one thing that serves as our master. Matthew 6:24 tells us that we cannot serve two masters. The Bible even lets us know that when we allow worldly things to have power over us, we set ourselves up for failure.  James 4:4 calls us adulterous people and says, “don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.”

So let this not be a warning, but a reminder of what you already know. Choose Christ, choose life. Our secular life and our spiritual life are not two separate things. We should always exalt Christ with all that we do, whether at church, work, a restaurant, in traffic or on a date night. We are in this world, but we do not have to live as if we are of this world!!

Losing Too Fast/Setting Christians Up for Failure

So I just completed my third week of Weight Watcher's for Men. I have lost 8.6 pounds in the 3 weeks that I have been following what they call the "Lifestyle Change." For those unfamiliar with Weight Watcher's, they do not suggest using it as a temporary diet, but instead as a new way of eating for life. You permanently change the way that you eat. For the unschooled let me explain how Weight Watchers works.

Weight Watcher's has a point system that you follow. You are given a set number of points to use each day that is based on your sex, age, weight and height. You are then given 49 cheat points a week for splurges. If you exercise then you are also given extra points daily for the completion of your physical activity. As you lose weight each week (if you weigh a lot over your ideal weight like I do you have a lot of points daily to begin with), you have points taken away based on how much weight you have lost.

This week, there was a warning given to me that I am losing weight too fast. It stated that losing 1-2 pounds a week is safe, but that losing more than 2 pounds a week consistently is considered to be unhealthy. I thought that was a fair warning. I need to be aware of not losing weight too fast as it may be unhealthy. I can live with that warning. Then I went to my points for the day to log in what I had eaten for breakfast and I had lost a point each day due to losing the weight that I did. So I was told that I was losing weight too fast, then the amount of food that I can intake daily was reduced???? How do you lose weight slower by eating less food?

Those sound like completely contradictory things, or what I call mutually exclusive goals. They are not congruent to accomplishing the same thing. That does not make sense to me. I have been set-up to fail. Why would you tell me that something is dangerous for me then insure that I do the exact thing that you are warning me about? As I thought on this, modern day Christianity came to mind. Some of the authors whose books I have read recently came to mind. We shall review those books by name in later blogs.

The things that are confusing are the commandments and requirements for Christians to live by that are found in the Bible. They are being subverted by people claiming to follow God. It is actually sad to see how sick some of the churches here in America have gotten. It may be that way every where, but I have only been to churches in the United States. I see the way that people take parts of the Bible and use them out of context so that it makes Christianity more user friendly, instead of taking the Bible in its entirety and following what it truly says. Following are 2 prime examples of what I mean:

1. Once Saved, Always Saved - This is repeatedly tossed around. It says that once you are saved, there is really no reason to live a sanctified life. To do so is a form of trying to earn salvation. They say that if someone subverts, than they were never truly in a relationship with God. Yet the Bible warns against this numerous times, and even says that we can fall out of relationship with God. In 2 Timothy 2:12 it states, "if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us." You have to be in a relationship with someone in order to disown them. Or how about Matthew 7:21-23 that says that there will be those who have given prophesy and who have healed and driven out demons in Christ's name. Sounds like someone who operates with God's authority. Yet Jesus states that He will tell to get away from Him. Driving out demons and healing would seem sure ways to tell if someone is in relationship with God, yet they will not be in His heavenly kingdom.

2. Grace - Next is the grace card that so many pastors and authors speak about. They mislead millions by saying that since God is a God of grace, it should reason that it is okay to sin. Often Romans 5 is used, where Paul said that if sin is abundant, then God's grace is surely big enough to cover it all. Some use that as saying we have a license to sin, a "get out of jail free" card. But if you continue to read, Romans 6:1-2 says, "What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer?" 


Paul in essence says, "Do we continue to sin since grace covers sin. Ummmm, Hello! Have you not been listening to me? We have died to sin and been born again!" In John 8:11, Jesus instruction to the woman caught committing adultery was to, "go and sin no more." He did not tell her to go and try not to sin like many churches preach. He told her not to sin at all. 


Does this mean that we will never sin. No, Romans tells us that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. What I am saying is that we should not get stuck in the sin cycle. I used to set aside days to sin because I knew that I would be forgiven. "I am going to get drunk tonight, I shall ask forgiveness tomorrow" or "She looks cute, let me see if I can have sex with her. If I do, I can just go to God in prayer in the morning. He expects me to sin, so it is okay." 


I wanted what was promised to me at church; I was attracted by the music, to fit in with the crowd, the promise of wealth and happiness. But did I truly want what God had to offer? I think that we often do not take advantage of the true gifts of God, because He wants to give us more than we really want. I want to believe in God, but not follow all of those rules and commandments. The real question is, why do I want to believe in God?


It is not enough to simply desire to be saved. We must also desire to be more Christ-like. If I am truly "born again" or have had a "conversion," then the Holy Spirit lives in me. Are you going to tell me that the Holy Spirit wants us to sin? Is the Holy Spirit okay with us sinning? Let me give an example:


When my son lies, do I forgive him and still love him? Of course, but do I want more for him? Do I want to be able to trust all that he says and does? Should I settle for anything less than full honesty when he grows up? Of course not, the older he gets the more he will understand the difference between right and wrong. 1 Corinthians 13:11 says, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me." 


As we learn what is right and wrong, we should begin to live differently. But how do matured Christians live their lives? How do we know what we should or should not do? What is the ultimate guide? I would say that our choices in life should be guided by several things:

1. Prayer is the first thing that we should use as part of our guide. 1 Thessalonians 5:13 tells us that we should, "pray without ceasing." That sounds like a vitally important thing to do.

2. Apply the Biblical principles to our lives. It will allow us to live our lives and be successful in becoming more like Christ. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

3. Obey God's commands in all that we do. The commandments are not multiple choice. This is a pass or fail test. John 14:21 says, "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

4. Seek Godly counsel. Use those around us as mentors and advisers. Proverbs 15:22 states, " Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed."

5. Follow the leading of God through the Holy Spirit. John 16:13,14 says, "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

If we can apply these 5 steps to our lives, we will begin to make huge steps in becoming more Christ-like. Do not accept the road that is so often traveled in watered down, or what Francis Chan calls "luke warm" Christianity. We need to take the road less traveled. In Robert Frost's poem entitled, "The Road Not Taken" the last stanza tells us all that we need to know about going against the mainstream and how it will benefit us:

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

The Temple of God......more like a shanty

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 says, "Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple."

Our body is God's temple. That is said because the Holy Spirit lives in us. But do we live our lives that way? For the most part we do not live our lives as if we have even read the Bible, let alone as if we are a temple for the Holy Spirit to live in. A lot of us treat our bodies more like a garbage disposal or an amusement park. If we cannot control our consumption habits, how can we possibly control other habits such as lusting, lying or being a gossip?

When I say garbage disposal, what I mean is that we will throw any and all trash into our bodies. This ranges from junk food to eating too much food. Just because we have mega-Churches springing up does not mean that we need to have mega-waist sizes so that our personal temple matches the one we worship at. This is called gluttony, or overindulging.

Ever heard of gluttony? I hear that it is a sin! The Bible has a few things to say about gluttony. Proverbs 23:21 says that the glutton will come to poverty. Proverbs 23:2 goes as far as to say "put a knife to your throat if you are given to gluttony" and Phillipians 3:19 says that those who will come to destruction will treat their belly as their god. Does not sound like gluttony is a good thing. It sounds like gluttony is something to be avoided. Maybe this is something we as Christians should attempt to focus on. After all, sin is sin.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 states, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."

Now we will look at treating our bodies as amusement parks. By that I mean we smoke cigarettes, have premarital sex, overindulge in alcohol and abuse drugs. Is that honoring God with our bodies? I should certainly hope not. That may be honoring the little "g" gods, not the big "G" God that I worship. We tend to take the path of least resistance and focus on what we want to do and what is popular and cool. This is not how we are to live, though. We are to live like the Holy Spirit resides in us, because it does. We should desire what God wants us to do.

Romans 8:5-6 says, "Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace."

Somewhere in the course of our lives we have to ask ourselves if we are living as though our mind is governed by the Spirit. Are we doing as we have been instructed to do. I would argue that we are not. The way we live our lives shows that we have no self-control, which is a very important thing. 2 Peter 1:6 says we are to supplement knowledge with self-control, and Galatians lists self-control as one of the fruits of the Spirit. If we are led by the Spirit, then we will have self-control. If we have the Spirit, you will know it by our fruits.

We may have trouble acting with self-control, but there are ways that we can build it. We need to acknowledge that when Christ died he brought us salvation that allows us to deny our worldly urges (2 Titus 2:11,12). In order to take advantage of this salvation, we must be baptized (Galatians 3:27), cleanse ourselves from the impurities of flesh and spirit (2 Corinthians 7:1) so that we can pursue peace and holiness and through them see God (Hebrews 12:14).

We show that we are truly following Christ by doing several things. In Acts 8:22 the Bible tells us that we should repent and pray so that our hearts can become right with God. Prayer and meditation will open us up to receive the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Just because it is there does not mean that we use it. As an example, I use public rest rooms all of the time. It has been my experience that almost every one that I have ever been provided both a sink and soap to wash your hands. Yet, I frequently see people walk out of those bathrooms without washing their hands. So it is with the Spirit, accessible to us but left unused.

Another thing that we need to do is surround ourselves with people who are living their lives led by the Spirit. There is a reason to do this. Birds of a feather, flock together. The Holy Scriptures also tells us that not only does bad company corrupt good behavior (1 Corinthians 15:33), but being around positive  Christians who are like-minded allow us to be built up and encouraged (1 Thessalonians 5:11).

When we get rid of the negatives in our lives, we need to replace them with positive things and people. If we do not, then bad things are surely going to seep back into our lives. I would rather be in relationships with healthy people than those who are living in sin, positive Christians as opposed to those who continue to make negative choices and accept no responsibility or hold themselves accountable for their actions.

In my life, I have decided I need to make some changes because there are areas of my life that I could improve in, that I do not have self-control in. The area is gluttony. I overeat all of the time, I do not know moderation when it comes to food and that has began to add up, leaving me with a waist that is almost as big as my chest. I will keep you updated on my progress as I attempt to overcome my last addiction, which is eating pleasure food in abundance, and drop 55 pounds and keep it off.

What I have decided to do is join Weight Watcher's, because it is a lifestyle change as opposed to a diet. I have tried juice fasts for a week, and the Daniel Fast for 40 days, but I have always returned to my addiction to food after it was over. I do not need a phase, but a permanent change. I need a change in lifestyle and a community to support it. I have done that with my other addictions, choosing to attend church for the community it provides, removing myself from those who were engaged in the lifestyle I was trying to leave behind me and actively associating with people who are accomplishing what I am striving for.

That is what Weight Watchers offers me: support, hope and encouragement. I know several people who are active Christians that are also involved in Weight Watchers and have been successful that can offer me support and encouragement in our journey. I will win in the battle with obesity and overeating, because my God is an awesome God. Don't forget what it says in Philippians 4:13, "I can do all this through Him who gives me strength."