Skip to content
Archive of entries posted by Kathryn Lang
« Older Entries

More Focus for Weight Loss and Blessings

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 22 February 2010, 7:53 am

Several weeks ago I committed on my writing site to focus on doing the things that I knew I was supposed to be doing or that I thought I needed to be doing. My time was spent planning for things that I was going to do or needed to do instead of just doing them. This was my action plan that I wrote that day.

I will confess that I have not consistently followed through with the specifics of this list. What I did do was to review my actions and start asking “is this the best use of my time?”

    • Not watching television is tough for me at this moment in time. I am an AVID follower of the Olympics – have been for many years. There is no sport to obscure for me to enjoy (and that does mean that I am a curling fan). I gave up working my schedule around the programs. I have set the DVR to record them all and I am watching as my schedule permits.

    • I have also set aside three times a day to study the word. One of the studies is a devotional, the other is a Beth Moore and the third is one about discipline. Actually, they all have a lot to do with being disciplined, self-controlled and consistent. It seems that comes up quite a bit in the Bible.

    • The final thing that I have been trying to do is “one more thing.” Just before I stop for a break or before calling it a night, I try to do one more project that will only take a few minutes (but not more than about 15).

The results of the changes in my life have been surprising. I have lost six pounds in two weeks. More work is coming in and I have the ability to complete the work. And my home is running better than ever.

The key to my success is not my own efforts. It comes from choosing to draw closer to God. It is my personal relationship with Him that drives every aspect of my life. The more I know Him then the more I can understand about where I am to go and to be in order to rest under His wings.

Where has your focus been? Remember it is the thing that you focus on the most that you worship and will become!

Filed under Christian weight loss, Gaining Control. Tagged , ,
Comment

Breakfast Smoothie Makes Healthy Eating Easy

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 30 December 2009, 8:21 am

Getting healthy requires that I eat better. Eating better means more fresh fruits and vegetables. Salads are a great way to get in a serving, but alone will not be the answer to my healthy eating needs.

Several months back I was introduced to the Green Smoothie. At the very basic, it is raw green vegetables blended into a smoothie. I have taken the idea and added my own little twist. Nothing is measured out, which is how I cook most things, so there are no details. All I really do is combine some fresh fruits and all-natural fruit juice to make a breakfast smoothie that even the boys want to drink – adding even more of a twist by throwing in the occasional raw vegetable now and then.

Breakfast Smoothie Recipe
(The one we had yesterday anyway)

    Start with one whole banana broken into two or more pieces
    Add about two cups of frozen, all natural fruit
    Add two handfuls of raw baby spinach
    Add about ¼ cup all natural fruit juice
    Blend until smooth

Some days I skip the spinach and add more banana and fruit to make a fruit smoothie. Any that I have left over I use as a snack when my tummy starts growling between meals. The kids enjoy experimenting with different fruits to see what colors they can create.

The best way to be sure that you eat healthy and that your children develop healthy eating habits is to experiment with foods. Fruit smoothies and veggie smoothies are great alternatives to carrot sticks and green salads. See what fun ways you and your family can discover together to enjoy all the great foods available today.

Filed under Simple food tips. Tagged , ,
Comment

Getting Healthy Requires Change

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 4 December 2009, 12:28 pm

My life exists in the home. We homeschool. I work from home on the computer. Even my communications are through the internet these days. It is rare for me to be out and about so getting exercise usually consists of me walking from one chair to the next.

This lifestyle has not always been mine. There was a time when I would be running, hiking or skiing before I would be watching television. That was before 24 hour cable networks, on demand movies and the baby pouch. I enjoyed being active and made the choice for activity at every turn.

I changed my life once and now it is time to change again.

Steps to Healthy Change

    1. Get active even if that just means taking the kids to the park to play. Getting out in the sunshine will help you feel better and get you in a better mood for moving.

    2. Do what you enjoy. I watch the Biggest Loser the other day and guys that were almost 300 lbs ran a marathon – that is over 26 miles. If they can do that then I can find a way to run and hike once again. It may be a slow run or a short hike, but it can still be done (fortunately it is too cold for skiing right now  ).

    3. Gather support. Get friends and family to join you in your new active lifestyle. Kicking a ball around with the kids is way more fun than walking on a treadmill.

    4. Fake it until you make it. I know I am not healthy and hiding away in my house will not keep others from figuring it out. I might as well get out and enjoy what I enjoy even in the limited amounts despite what others may whisper or think until I can actually enjoy doing what I enjoy doing.

Getting healthy does not require me spending hours at the gym or hiring a personal trainer. Making more active choices in my life can be the one change that will get me to the healthy person that I desire to be.

Filed under Inspiration, Weight Freedom. Tagged ,
Comment

Dare to Achieve

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 24 November 2009, 10:54 pm

happy birthday

I turn 40 in January. My mind tells me I am far from those years but my body shows each passing moment. I am not healthy. I can not even play ball with my kids. It is time to achieve all of those goals I have been spouting.

Things that I Dare to Achieve:


    I want to run again.     The other day we went to tour a local cave. The walk was only around a mile or so and easy enough going in, but we had to rush coming out (nothing like a three year old announcing “I have to go potty” to but the gears into high). By the time we got to the cave entrance I was out of breath. I ran the two mile event in high school. I want to run like that once more.

    I want to wear clothes that I like. At this moment there are few clothes that I truly like hanging in my closet. Most of the outfits I have are there because they camouflage all those things that I detest. It is time for me to start shopping again for clothes that I feel comfortable and confident walking around in.

    I want to dance with my husband. Right now I would not be able to dance the night away. I might be able to dance a song or two but that would be all. I taught ballroom dancing in college. It is time for me to move with that freedom around the floor once more.

    I want to enjoy the summer (and yes, that does include wearing a swim suit). My whole life was spent outdoors but I hide inside these days. I want to play in the water with my kids. I want to hang out at the lake with my friends and my family. I may even want to brave the skis once more.

My lack of consistency and determination hinders my life. I know that. I have the keys to healthy living but I am choosing a different road. It can no longer continue in this way. I have determined that I will do more than dare to dream. I will dare to achieve all of my goals!

Filed under Inspiration. Tagged , ,
Comment

One Hour Diet

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 11 November 2009, 11:44 am

The diet label does not fit the idea that I am spinning around in my head. It dawned on me that spending only one hour each week could drastically change my life. My particular struggle is with weight so my first thought was to call it a diet, but it is much more than an eating guideline.

Would you be willing to invest one hour a week if you knew that it would change your life?

Points to the One Hour Diet

    1. Support is essential. It is possible to do things on your own but support makes accomplishment more likely (and much easier). Spending thirty minutes each week with a group that can support you in your endeavor will help encourage you to complete the journey.

    2. Daily affirmation makes success a possibility. You are what you think. Thinking the positive about your situation instead of mulling over the negative will give you the added fuel you need to finish the race.

    3. There is only action or inaction. Success comes from action. You have to put your goals and dreams to work.

Just three simple steps that can be completed in one hour each week are all that you need to change your life. Are you ready?

Let me know if you would be interested in a study or plan that would follow this pattern. Leave your comment here or link back to this post for your chance to win a free One Hour Diet Study Guide.

Filed under Christian weight loss. Tagged , , ,
Comment

Let the Weight Loss Journey Begin

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 8 November 2009, 9:29 am

Weight will not be the issue that drags me down. I refuse to let something as small as a bite of food hinder me from my purpose or stand in between me and my relationship with God. I KNOW that gluttony is a sin. I KNOW that eating even one bite outside of physical hunger is gluttony. I know the truth but I still do what I have always done so it should be no surprise that I continue to get what I have always gotten.

It was not always like that. There was a time in my life – a short few years – where I grasped the truth. I ate when I was hungry, I did not life on the scales and I could still fit into my pants. It would be easy to blame my current weight struggles on pregnancy but the simple truth is that I chose to listen to man instead of God. How many of my struggles in life have been caused by that one simple issue?

My weight is not the problem. It is my heart. Any time my heart is not fully devoted to God I end up stumbling over mistakes that I already know to avoid.

What is the answer to weight issues?

The first thing I have to do is realize that there is no easy answer to my weight loss or to any issue that might come up in my life. I could take weight loss pills or follow a diet plan that regulates food but none of those will deal with my heart and eventually that weight loss or eating issue will rear its head once again. I have to face the food straight on and I have to reach out to God every moment of every day if I want to put weight under my thumb.

The second thing I have to do is confess my sin of overeating and of putting other things (food) before God because that is the reason that my weight is where it is. I have to then reach out to those around me. This seems almost funny. You can NOT hide the sin of over eating from anyone because the weight shows, particularly on a five foot frame. But I still try and the only person I am fooling is self. I need to find a group that will support me specifically on my Christian weight loss journey – instead of a weight loss plan that will teach me to control the calories, food or exercise.

The third thing that everyone has to understand is that a walk closer to God is a personal journey even when that walk is about weight. We may be able to share some hints and tips, but we can not share the same path. Every person is drawn along a different way – that is why it is narrow because there is only room for one. A personal relationship with God is just that – personal. There was only one burning bush, only one talking donkey and only one road to Damascus and there can be only one weight loss journey for me.

I am still not sure how I will make all of this come together, but I know that I am eager to try. There are others around me struggling to choose the path that God for their weight and their health has over the ways of man. Helping others lose the weight and deal with eating issues helps me because it keeps me God focused and God centered. With God with me then who can be against me?

Filed under Christian weight loss, Weight Freedom, Weight loss issues. Tagged , ,
1 Comment

Weight Loss Budget

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 15 October 2009, 5:20 am

Finances make me smile. Not always my own, but the IDEA of finances brings me joy. I am not normal so you do not have to mention this concept. My weird concepts are well documented and I accept the fact that I am peculiar.

The other day I was writing about weight loss and I thought about how the idea behind weigh loss is the exact opposite of developing a budget but at the same time it is very similar. I think that if you follow the simple steps for developing a budget then the weight loss will pour off rather easily.

Weight Loss Budget Steps

    1. Write down everything that you eat for one full week. This includes even the “bites” of food or pieces of candy. Every single morsel that goes in your mouth must be documented. For a weight loss budget it is best to break the amounts apart by day.

    2. Write down all of the exercise that you get each day. Skip the “walked to the car” entries and focus on the sustained exercise like “thirty minutes playing soccer with the kids” or “twenty minutes fast walk.” Keep these separated by day as well.

    3. Figure out how many calories you have been consuming. With the weight loss budget you will not have to count the calories but you will need to know the beginning amounts so that you can begin to understand why your “account” is out of balance. There are a number of different websites that will help you with these totals.

    4. Figure out how many calories you have been burning. Your body naturally burns calories even if you are just sitting around all day. This is to help figure out how many calories you are burning in addition to those.

    5. Look at the number of calories that you are bringing in and the number of calories that you are putting out and start making your adjustments.

It is only at the last step that the weight loss budget really differs from the financial budget. A weight loss budget wants to put out more than it brings in. A financial budget wants to bring in more than it puts out. The weight loss budget requires that you cut the intake or increase the outflow in order to achieve the desired result which is permanent weight loss.

Filed under Christian weight loss, Weight loss tips. Tagged , ,
1 Comment

Easy Weight Loss in Simple Steps

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 12 October 2009, 6:41 am

Weight loss and diets have been a struggle for most of my life. There was a time when I thought I had defeated the weight loss and diets. The end of college had me ballroom dancing and had my body in the best shape it had ever been (walking around in three inch heels for ten hours a day has a way of sculpting your legs).

Pregnancy brought the weight struggles back with a vengeance. The diets came back as well and I spent a small fortune on exercise videos. It was only after I discovered a Christian weight loss program that I managed a breakthrough in my weight situation.

It was another pregnancy that again brought back the weight loss struggles. The Christian weight loss plan that I used previously was no longer available. My struggle was going to be personal.

6 Tips to Simple Tips for Weight Loss

    1. Avoid the television. Skip eating in front of the television and take a few moments to sit down at the table and enjoy the meal.

    2. Enjoy each bite of food. Take the time to savor each bite by chewing the bite completely and drinking a sip in between to clean the palate. Pick out the best bites of the meal as well so that you can enjoy the best on the plate.

    3. Get some support. Accountability can not be over emphasized when you are taking on any new endeavor. The best way to manage this support is to get a group together once a week.

    4. Make a plan to move. The only way to lose weight is a similar process to balancing a budget (only the exact opposite). You have to burn more calories than you bring in each day. Getting up and moving each day – even for a few minutes – will help that process.

    5. Follow the scripture. There are more diet plans in the scripture than you might imagine. Daniel ate fresh fruits and vegetables. Paul ate the meals dedicated to other gods. John ate honey and locusts (now is that not the ONE diet you know you want to try). In the end the key to the different Christian diet plans is to be in a personal relationship with God and allowing HIM to guide you to the how, the when and the what to eat.

    6. Defeat sin. The Christian weight loss process is not about eating special foods, controlling the calories or even following a specific weight loss plan. The ultimate key to permanent Christian weight loss is to defeat the sin of gluttony.

Christian weight loss is possible without the aid of traditional diets. My lifetime struggles with weight loss were defeated over 2000 years ago. It is time that I dropped the chains that I have already been freed from and lived a life that has been promised to me.

Filed under Christian weight loss, Weight loss tips. Tagged , ,
Comment

Christian Diet – The Bonds of the Enemy ARE Broken

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 7 October 2009, 6:49 am

Christians are free from dieting. My own experience has taught me that as a Christian I have a right to be free. I saw the chains fell to the ground. I was free. My heart knew it beyond a doubt. My mind even seemed to grasp the idea. But my hands were in control and they reached down to grab up the chains and wrap them back around me.

Being overweight is the same thing. Christian diet plans have helped me achieve the desired weight loss. Christian diet plans have also helped me to get back in the chains by forcing me to follow their RULES. I get so tangled up in one chain offered by the Christian diet that I give up and pull back on my old chains.

I have wrapped my body with the chains; the chains of diets, calories, inactivity, overindulgence and so much more. My chose was the chains over the freedom. My actions with the chains have to be the first thing that changes if I am going to fundamentally change my life. I can not rely on the Christian diet plans or the Christian diet books to give me my answer.

Christian diets are almost as prevalent as secular diets. Everyone seems to have the right pattern to help me get healthy or to lose weight. The thing that we tend to forget is that God does not do any two things the same. There was only one burning bush, only one talking donkey and there can be only one way for ME to lose weight, get fit and stay healthy.

I can not follow YOUR path any more than you can follow mine. That is why the best Christian diet plan is one that is specific to you and designed by the ultimate diet guru Himself.

The problem with finding the best Christian diet plan that will guarantee weight loss is that you have to commit to consistently studying the word AND also be willing to do the things that the word leads you to do.

Some Christian Diet Tips in the Bible

    1. Christian dieters need to go to the mountain top – Jesus often went to the mountain top to recharge and refresh his spirit. Take a hike and spend some time with God.

    2. Christian dieters need to eat it fresh – Daniel ate fresh fruits and vegetables to be healthier than the others around him.

    3. Christian dieters need to be consistent – John spent his whole life eating grasshoppers and honey.

    4. Christian dieters MUST spend time feeding the heart – David walked a successful life (even though he had some mighty stumbles) because he pursued God with his whole heart.

All of these are great ideas for developing a Christian diet. Some of the best selling Christian diet programs include these ideas. But God does not come in a box even when that box is a packaged Christian diet. How the ideas and concepts from scripture will work in your life and in my life has to be an individual decision made with prayer and study. The experts know very little compared to the Creator. I think I would get much farther in all of the things I attempt if I would take more time to consult with Him first.

Finding the best Christian Diet plan has to begin with finding the Diet Planner and then allowing Him to guide me to the successful weight loss that I desire.

Filed under Christian weight loss, Gaining Control, Weight Freedom. Tagged ,
Comment

Gaining Without Losing

Posted by Kathryn Lang on 1 October 2009, 9:19 am

Life does not want to cooperate with my new health plan. Just when I think it is safe to settle in something happens and the whole plan has to shift in response. In the end, my health struggle is not a lack of knowledge, understanding or even desire. My main problem lies in my consistency.

Consistency follows me in many aspects of my life. The ability to do IT every day come rain or shine goes beyond anything I could imagine – at least for the first few weeks (or days). Results soon cry out to be heard and when there are no results my consistency fads into the shadows.

Why do it if there is nothing to be gained?

There is something to be gained – even if the scales do not go down and the clothes size does not change.

Things Gained Without Weight Loss

    1. I gain good eating habits for myself and for my children. Eating at the table is time with the family and my children learn to eat just enough without feeling the need to over do it.

    2. I gain better health. Getting moving increases my health which means I will be better capable of playing with my children and doing things in general (like just mopping the house or walking up the steps at church and being able to hold a conversation at the top).

    3. I gain family time. Playing with the family and eating with the family means a better relationship with the family.

Weight loss has to be more than a number on the scale if it is going to be permanent and life changing. I can hang on to my consistency when I realize that I gain more from my actions than just losing.

Filed under Benefits to Weight Loss. Tagged ,
Comment
« Older Entries