NOV 12th No No No NO NO NO!!

yes........ yes...... yes.....yes.... yes.

But I don't WANNA be a student again. 

To have to do more reading, studying, learning, measuring, weighing, and focusing on this Weight Loss Thing. Yet again. 

Do. Not. Want. To.

Well... that's life. We don't always get what we want. 

Having gone through a crummy year, healthwise, has forced me to look for answers. I suppose if I wanted to be Chirpy Positive, I could call that the silver lining. Or as Michael Beckwith calls it, the Blessing (from his teaching of Looking for the Blessin or the Lesson in all of Life's Circumstances).

So.  I haven't given up, I was just tired of writing about it. Had no answers, just questions and problems. 

And then some kind soul (sorry, can't give credit since I didn't write down the name) suggested a link to a Facebook group that was "different". 

And they were. And they were incredibly supportive and helpful. And I think I just might be, finally, coming out of the "sick" tunnel and into the light... soon, very soon. :-}

Background: sick for months last winter; some of the food and medications advised to eat had sugar; craving monster awakened; then heart trouble; then tests; horrible sleep; more tests; massive infection in teeth; dental surgery, all remaining teeth removed; complications, 2 more dental surgeries scheduled; no "teeth" til next spring; hard to get adequate nutrition; finally oxygen added to cpap at night; yay, better sleep.

Repeat: better sleep. I can't begin to describe how much better just getting that made me feel. Half of my heart is not able to do it's job now while I sleep, and the oxygen is giving it relief, so I am getting deep, restorative sleep now. Blessed sleep!

I finally wanted to "try" again. I cared again. I didn't feel despair, but hope started to glow again. Like a tiny ember you carefully blow on to get going again, until the fire is finally burning stronger and stronger.

Back to the new Facebook group that was "different". 

Again, background needed for this to make sense: I've been doing low carb now for years; read the science; believed it; it worked; I lost weight; kept it off - mostly - for the first time in life. But kept getting stuck. Things shifted in the low carb community, and Fat became king, over protein. Low carb/high fat was promoted as THE way. People started promoting Fat Bomb recipes and bragging as to how they would drown their meal in sticks of butter. I had red flags, sure. But I figured they were the experts, and surely knew more than ME.

And it DID work. In the short run. And especially for those younger, healthier, and more physically active.

But I'm ME. I am NOT younger, healthier, and physically active. So when all that Stuff hit me earlier this year, I tanked. I started gaining at a ridiculous rate, and the only answer the high fat crowd had was "eat more fat".

Eating more healthy fat took away hunger, yes, absolutely. But at the cost of eating enough protein to heal my broken body. At the cost of healthy nutrition. And you can lose weight, especially at first. But was it fat loss? Or was it fat AND muscle loss?

I had so many questions.

So in desperation, I clicked on that suggested link to the "different" low carb group. The one that believes that the body needs protein to repair and be healthy, to lose weight and build muscle and support thyroid. All that jazz. And that if you still have your own "supply of body fat" you wish to lose, then you don't need to be going crazy with smothering your meals with sticks of butter.

"Fat burning is turned on by carbohydrate restriction. And eating Optimal Protein is a KEY to build health and metabolism." 

--Raymund Edwards

Yes, they believe in eating healthy fats. But they teach how to moderate that according to your goals: 

• Lots to lose = eat less healthy fat. 
• Want to maintain = eat moderate healthy fats. 
• Want to gain = eat healthy fats at the high end of the chart.

• But ALWAYS eat the right amount of protein for YOU, to be healthy, protect metabolism and build muscle.

They have an easy reference chart to help get you started. And they were/are incredibly patient with all my newbie questions... which are ongoing! (not claiming to have any answers here, so please don't ask ME nuthin... am still learning myself).

The focus of this group is to be HEALTHY, not lose the weight at a record pace. Weight loss can be achieved many ways, but losing fat and keeping your muscle mass - or even growing it - is a whole different animal.

It was encouraging to have a few answers, and a path to follow. It's taken months to get this de-railed train back on the tracks! My progress is slow, but at least it's in the right direction once again. Finally.

So... I am a student. Again. 

But I also have hope. I have not given up. Came close, yes indeedy. So I'm grateful for a few answers to my prayers.

And for anyone else who is struggling, who finds their current way of eating has conked out on them and no longer works, may I suggest at least considering another stab at it, with a shift in emphasis? 

From weight loss first TO Health first, and then the weight loss will follow. From high fat/moderate protein, TO moderate fat/high protein. 

And yes, this group will answer all your questions. The same ones I had, such as "what about gluconeogenesis?" (too much protein turning to glucose) and "but so-and-so-the-expert says to lose fat you need to eat MORE fat?", etc etc.

Here is the link to said group: Optimal Ketogenic Living (OKL)

If you decided to join, just put in a request to join; it's a closed group, which is good. It keeps out the riff raff (spammers, trolls and argue-ers).

I don't claim they are perfect, but if you go there with a teachable heart, I believe they will fall all over themselves to help you. Really, they've been very kind and encouraging to me. Be ready to do some reading, to at least re-consider some stuff.

And please DO read the links they offer, to assure yourself of the hard science behind it. Well, as far as we can know for now, that is. We are always learning and discovering. At the top of the site is a "pinned" post, with tons of info. You've got nuthin else to do, right?? ;-)

I know this is long and dense, and not "entertaining". But I felt it's important, and if it helps someone else, then I'm happy with that. :-)

And if you got this far, I applaud you! And thank you for visiting me, even though I rarely post now.

Keep hope alive in the journey,

Loretta

DAY 199 Good News!

Hidy Ho Journal & Friends!

I have Good News to report today: I got the report back on my tongue biopsy, and it is NOT cancer, like he had suspected. :-)

It is actually something much more mundane... oral candidiasis. Ick!

It's usually no big deal, except that it can get dicey for people with immunosuppressed systems. Then, it can travel to organs, or heart, or blood, or brain, etc. So, they are going to give me "stuff" to take 5 times a day, and all should be well soon.

I feel like I have dodged a bullet... that it is not too late for me to get my health back, and continue on my journey. I am very thankful.

I have often quoted Michael Beckwith here: 

"In every life circumstance, 

look for the Blessin' or the Lesson."

I've thought about that these last few days, waiting for the biopsy results. And even before I knew the outcome, I realized I had already received a benefit from this... I have been seriously thinking of my priorities, and Time Management. Yeah, again.

• There are the not very important things that I waste time on.

• There are the necessary things that I must do whether or not I want to spend time on them.

• There are the good things that I enjoy doing, but not necessary.

• There are the BEST things that would move me closer to my authentic self, and my ultimate goals.

I need to stop talking about Time Management, and start DOING it. And even writing that, to me sounds like a broken record. I think I've typed that very sentence before!!  It's deja vu all over again... ;-)

 My favorite mind coach, Dayne, wrote an excellent post on that very subject recently (HERE). Methinks I'd better pay attention.

Anyway, one thing I had to reluctantly give up, that I really enjoyed, was responding to each individual comment on my blog. I appreciate them so much, and I really enjoyed making that connection. But then I didn't have enough time to visit blogs, too. So, I had to choose. And I decided I loved blog visiting even more, and that is what I do with my limited time now. 

I hope those of you that leave comments don't feel unnoticed. I truly love hearing your opinions and comments. It's like we are all on this great adventure together, and when we touch bases with each other, it's a reminder we are not alone as we travel that road.

From Dr Phil's book: "There is strength and power in support."

My verse for today: "Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise."

My quote for today:  "To have the thing you have never had... you must DO those things you have never done before."

DAY 116 If It's to Be, It's Up to Me

Hello Journal & Friends!

I'm still thinking about this journey, how personal it is, and how much we are able to help one another with encouragement and support. Yet at the end of the day, no one but ME can make me get up and DO the things I need to do... no one but ME is going to make that choice which decides victory or defeat. 

At the deciding point, I am alone.

This is an individual journey.

Alone, in private, with my own thoughts, is where the drive to continue must ultimately come from.

I must somehow take all the input, all the support, all the encouragement and inspiration from outside sources... and plant it all in my own heart and mind. I must protect it, defend it, and nuture it while it grows big and strong. So that someday, SOMEDAY it will be a powerful force that carries me along, and I will be able to give from my overflow, as my friend B once told me.

When I refer to being "alone", I am talking about people. I never feel alone in the sense that God has suddenly gone "poof!" from my life. No, I mean other people. I can't get dependent upon other people for my success in this journey. They are only human, and can't meet that kind of expectation. It's unfair and unrealistic of me to put that kind of burden onto anyone else.

For far too many years I expected my husband to "lead the way" in this quest for health and fitness. I set up expectations, and was disappointed again and again when he failed to meet "my" ideals. I can honestly say that I have almost... maybe 99.9%... stopped doing that. Now I celebrate who he IS, not who he is not. And it's fun to rediscover how much there is to celebrate!

Michael Beckwith says to look for the Blessin' or the Lesson in all of life's circumstances.

It surprises me to be writing this now, but I can honestly say that I am glad I started out this leg of my journey with no support at home. My only support at the time was a small online group of women who were consistent, in the long run, to their commitment to weight loss and health. 

In real life, I was forced to learn to be my own coach, my own motivator, to push myself to exercise, to keep learning what would work for me nutrition wise. To be my own "Jillian".

This made me stronger.

I talk to myself more than anyone else in my life. What I think, what I say to myself will make or break this journey for me.  I had no one checking in on me to see if I drank my water, if I exercised, if I ate right. 

If it was to be, it was up to me.

We need to get to the place that NOTHING will stand in our way. No reason, no justification, no situation, no rationalization. Or, better yet, call them what they usually are: excuses.

Yes, life happens. But too often it's something that I allowed to interfere in one way or another. Outside of my control? No problem, that's life. 

Within my control? Then it falls into the excuse pile for me.

Am I perfect at this? Of course not. I'm still learning as I go.  But these are my goals, the way I WANT to be, a target to aim at.

If this sounds tough, it's because I still have a lot of weight to lose. Being easy, being soft and casual and  "oh well, there's always tomorrow" GOT ME TO 460 POUNDS!

To have what I have not had before, 

I must be willing to DO what I have not done before.

And that means getting TOUGH, getting determined and focused and willing to do whatever it takes.

From Dr Phil's book: "When you choose your behavior and your thoughts, you choose the consequences that flow from those choices."

My verse for today: "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall."

My quote for today: "The greatest oak was once a little nut who held its ground."

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 107 The Calorie Issue & The Lesson

Good Afternoon Journal,

I have quoted Michael Beckwith before. I do tend to repeat things that are meaningful to me... it's one way that helps me learn, plain repetition. Nothing glamorous or fascinating... I guess you could call it dogged determination.

Anyway, he said to always look for the Blessin' or the Lesson in all of lifes circumstances. 

Last Saturday, when I was upset and sat down to type out my feelings, one issue that was also unearthed was about counting calories. And honestly, I was totally unaware that I was really feeling this way! I do not believe in "enduring" problems if they can be "resolved". So when this came up, I faced it with the intent of resolving it.

The issue: The A major reason I was struggling with the whole counting calories thing, or more accurately LIMITING the calories I would eat, was because I somehow had an attitude that:

1. It's not fair

2. Poor me

3. I'm entitled

Meaning: 

1. It's not fair that I have to count and limit calories... I have ALREADY GIVEN UP SUGAR AND FLOUR (due to medical reasons). I was feeling very rebellious about the whole calorie thing.

2. Poor me, so many other people get to eat anything they want in moderation, nothing off limits, while I have to give up sugar and flour AND count calories... oh poor me.

3.  I'm entitled to eat more calories... after all, I have given up sugar and flour, I should get to eat however much I want of all the rest of what's left.

Well, you can see why I got to be 460 pounds with squirrelled up thinking like this example!! 

I am actually very grateful that this all was SQUEEZED to the surface by the PRESSURE of Saturday's events!! 

By seeing this distorted "logic", and answering it with healthier thoughts, I really truly am struggling LESS now with the calorie thing... and I am even kind of excited now. I latched onto a description that Mary (from The Chronicles of Meps' Reconstruction)  used about calories. She called the number of calories that we each find that is right for us our "Golden Numbers". For some reason that struck me, and it made me think of a Magic Carpet Ride, something so positive, and not restrictive at all. Yeah, I know... mental gymnastics. LOL!

Anyway, here were my answers to the distorted logic:

1. It's not fair:  well, yeah, maybe not! But so what? Life's not fair. You just do the best you can with what you have. Yes, I already stopped eating sugar and flour, and feel so much better for it, so that's a good thing. And now I am adding the strategy of calorie counting to the mix, to help me reach my goal. I don't HAVE to if I don't want to... no one is making me do a thing. But I WANT to be healthy... I WANT to lose the weight... and this strategy will serve me well, and so I choose to be thankful that it is an easy strategy for me to use (hey, after counting calories on and off all my life, I could do it in my sleep, LOL!)

2. Poor me: if this is what it takes for me to have the life I want, then it's worth it. It may or may not be a lifetime thing... but choosing not to eat sugar and flour, and limiting the calories will serve me well, and bring me to a place of health and freedom. I choose to be thankful that I still have a choice, that it is not too late, and that this strategy is actually working. 

3.  I'm entitled: just like a financial budget is there to serve me and keep me financially healthy, so my calorie budget will serve me. Yes, I chose to give up the sugar and flour. Now I choose to create my healthy future by eating responsibly, and counting the calories in the foods that I choose to enjoy. I am entitled to a new healthy me!

I shared all this, not because it's that fascinating to anyone other than me, but because the whole point is... if you are on this journey and struggling, it really is important to unearth your hang-ups. That takes time... self-honesty... a willingness to feel uncomfortable for a season... maybe to even feel a little sheepish, like I did here. But it is soooo worth it. That surge of excitement after a breakthrough... it's like throwing more fuel on your little Hope Bonfire, making it burn bigger, brighter and stronger.

ALWAYS KEEP GOING. And look for the Blessin's and the Lessons along the way.

From Dr Phil's book:  "Be alert to the possibility that you may want to 'reward' yourself in ways that totally negate every positive move you've made up to this point."

My verse for today: "We love, because he first loved us."

My quote for today: "Sometimes we may learn more from a man's errors, than from his virtues." --Longfellow

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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DAY 81 Just Do It & An Award

Hi Journal,

I woke up sick today...sore throat, earache. After making 2 meals for MyGuy to take to work, I just couldn't get warm, so I gave in and crawled back into bed.  Bless the person who invented electric blankets!!!!

I woke up later feeling warmer and a little better, and as I lay there, I thought about all the chirpy motivational stuff I write. Oh goodie...I get to put it into practice. I get to look for the "Blessin' or the Lesson". Well, after I got over grumping about it, and remembered all my bloggin' friends who are struggling through illnesses and still Doing It, I decided that today would be no different than any other day, foodwise. I won't be exercising, or pushing my new schedule, but otherwise, it is just another day along the Journey. 

THEN, when I got to the computer I found a message from Black Kitteh and Orange Kitteh, at A Tail of Two Kittehs On WW. They gave me an Award! How did those kittehs know I was sick today?! Purrfect timing...see my pretty award? It made me purr:

I am not sure of the Rules to this one, but since it is an Inspirational Award, I IMMEDIATELY know who I would like to pass it on to, and why:

Mary, at Chronicles of Meps' Reconstruction.

I love reading her blog! She has reached her weight loss goal, and is  LIVING her life. She is busy, but still takes the time to share with those of us still ON the weight loss journey, and is sooo inspiring. I frequently save her articles to re-read and think about. Yesterday's was called "Make Your Life Worthwhile" (here). All I can say is wow! It made me cry, it made me think, it inspired me, it excited me, it CHANGED me. So for all those reasons, I would be honored if Mary would accept the Inspirational Blog Award.

From Dr Phil's book:  "Just do it...again and again and again."

My verse for today: "...the testing of your faith develops perseverance."

My quote for today: "Choose well."--Homer....no, not Homer Simpson! ;-)

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

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Day 45 I AM LORETTA

Hi Journal, it's just you an' me again,

Yeah, right.

I am blessed to have the kind of sister that really knows me, and will, in her own gentle way, call me out when I get phoney. We really are not alike, personality wise. She has a kind, gentle spirit that on Star Trek they called an Empath. She senses  things. It is her biggest strength, and can be her biggest source of pain, because she is easily hurt. But I know she has something that I want...need to learn.

I tend to be too outspoken, too blunt. As I get...ahem...older...I am learning a LITTLE bit to think before I speak. Maybe that is why I like the blogging approach...it gives me a chance to check my mouth before it runs off and inadvertently hurts someone, even though that wasn't my intention.

Many times as I look back over my life (I am 58), the things I wish I could change the most are the rash things I said. Ah, the wayward tongue....who can tame it??

I am on this train of thought because, to be honest (Karen, I am trying) I feel like a phoney...I am constantly suprised to see that someone has signed up to "follow" me.  Good grief...that's like the blind leading the blind!!

Then, other times, I think I might actually have some hard won lessons I have learned, or are in the process of learning (and then have to deal with the guilt of feeling prideful). Lessons I DEARLY would love to pass on...especially to those younger than myself (hmmm...which is most of them). So they could avoid some of the heartache and regret of waiting so long, like I did, to get my act together, to lose this weight...to not use food as a comfort or escape, but to feel my emotions, deal with them, and heal them.

I want to shout from the rooftop:

(wood sign photo credit: Diego Medrano)

I want desperately to help people in my own family...I feel like I have been a horrible example for them. I have had to work through guilt about that...forgive myself, and let it go. I don't want them to go through what I did. Being 460 pounds is not fun...it is not "happy".

The best thing I can do now, is to LIVE it, not just talk about it, the way I did for too many years....but DO it.

Yesterday, as I wrote that day's blog, I typed a sentence that I didn't even realize had bothered me all these years. It was about the angry adult male authority figure in my young, impressionable life asking me: Who do you think you are?? And then he threw a large, heavy glass ashtray at me (missed). The scene is etched in memory like it happened yesterday.

This morning as I thought about the people who signed up to follow this blog, I caught myself asking that same question: who do I think I am??? And I realized I have been doing that all my life. Out of fear of being a phoney, or being prideful, or self-deluded, or just feeling like I was a nobody, I would negate my own worth, what I might have to offer, or what I might accomplish in the future.

I am glad the light was shined on this bit of "stinkin thinkin". I can answer it, refute it, and replace it with a healthier self-image. I absolutely, literally CRINGE when I read some of the user names people give themselves as bloggers... derogatory and hopeless, even cruel sounding. Yet in the secret place of my mind, here was this thing, this axe that chopped me down every time I tried to grow up too tall and strong.

I am so glad it is GONE!! I have answered it...I am ME. I am Loretta. And I have wonderful potential, and I will not go away...I will journey to my healthy future, to the New Me.

I am getting over the embarrassment of even typing my name...it was like promoting myself, or bragging, or drawing attention to myself, or "who do you think you are?" to type my name on my blog. I am making myself do it, to chase away those lies. 

I AM LORETTA.

And that is alright. In fact it is more than alright...it is like opening a newly discovered little treasure chest, and finding what is inside...one discovery after another. It is fun, and it's a Happy thing.

Michael Beckwith says to always look for the Blessin' or the Lesson in all of lifes circumstances. If I am open, even negative events can yield either a blessin' or a lesson...or both!  I feel it was a blessing that I felt challenged for being a Happy Blogger, because it unearthed a hidden wound from my past that I am dealing with, and healing, and getting free from...and I am Happy about that. ;-)

From Dr Phil's book: "Create meaning and purpose out of your suffering.."

My verse for today: "Let your conversation be always full of grace."

My quote for today: "As I grow older I pay less attention to what men say. I just watch what they do."--Andrew Carnegie

Enjoy the Journey,

Loretta

=^..^=

DAY 8 Protect Your Success & No Whining!

Hi Journal,

Finally! It is my first weekly weigh-in day since my big ReStart. I was so excited this morning, I could hardly wait!

And the answer is: 384, meaning I lost 4 lbs this last week. Yay!!! I am hoping to keep up a good momentum, so that by my next birthday in Jan 2010, I can finally bust out of the 3's into the 2's...that is one of my medium range goals.

Well, the next topic on my "need to be CONSISTENT" list required me to ask hubby's permission to "talk about him"...mwa-ha ha ha ha... Actually, he didn't keep the worried look on his face too long, once I explained the whole topic.

It has to do with "not letting anyone rob my success from me"...an un-eloquent way of saying saboteur, one who engages in sabotage. But I always need to drag out the dictionary every darned time I try to type saboteur, so I'll just stick to "not letting anyone rob my success from me"! :-D

Anyway, Dr Phil's book has a long chapter on different types of saboteurs, and ways to deal with them. I'll just stick to my life...and close to home, the one that impacts my life the most, MyGuy.

You see, I USED to think of him as a saboteur...and how convenient was that...my own living, breathing excuse! Don't you feel sorry for my situation?? I don't have support at home... oh poor me. And the classic: it's HAARRRDDD.

When I made the big decision to switch to the Low Carb way of eating, the advice was the same everywhere: get the stuff OUT of your house that might tempt you. But they don't address the "mixed" households...ones where one or more persons--of voting age--are NOT eating low carb. Umm...he's not a child...I can't order him what to eat...he is a grown man with his own preferences.

We sat down and had a talk, and I explained to my husband that I was going to eat low carb, and why...that this was life or death for me, and I NEEDED to do this. After some thought, he looked me right in the eye, and said: "I LOVE my carbs...I am not giving up my carbs!"

Though I kept it to myself, for awhile I felt sabotaged (yep, I looked in the dictionary again). I was such a martyr...I told my doctor of my new plan, and the "lack of support" at home, and the RESISTANCE I felt I always got when trying to change...and oh! what sympathy I got!

But the more I thought about it...and whined to God...the more I realized that I had no right to expect him to change just because I needed to, or even that HE needed to shed a couple of pounds himself. Did I like someone else imposing their plan on ME?? Did I like the feeling of subtle criticism that comes when you know someone else doesn't approve of your choices??

I think God finally got through to me one day after I was whining to Him about it, and I suddenly thought about exercise...and resistance training. You know...the kind with rubber resistance bands. It takes RESISTANCE to build muscle. No resistance, no progress, no increase in strength. I then remembered what Maya Angelou said:

If you don't like it..change it.

If you can't change it,

change the way you think about it!

So, I could look at MyGuy's resistance to my new way of eating as

an OPPORTUNITY to get stronger!

He has actually been very patient with me, as I have made the switch. There were foods--and still are some--that I just can't be around without feeling them call my name! He has not complained about the sudden cessation of homebaked desserts...and I am determined not to complain when he brings "stuff" home, as long as he doesn't wave it under my nose. :-)

I have had to learn to live with the "enemy" right in my own home...no, not MyGuy...I mean the carbs that I overate all my life, that were the reason I ended up at 460 lbs at one time! It took me a long time to see the pattern...that ALL of my problem foods were heavy in carbs, whether they were sweets or savory. The common denominator was carbs.

But this has made my resolve stronger in the long run. My struggle now is not the carbs...I am doing pretty well there. No sugar or flour type stuff since March 09. Now I am working on portion sizes of the things that I AM eating. For awhile I fell into the trap of thinking "it's okay, it's low carb", and eating way too much!! Gee, wonder why I've been slow to lose weight....Ya think??

Anyway, it's all about choices. I don't want to use ANYONE as an excuse to be robbed of my success...not family, friends, doctors...anyone. So I chose to change the way I thought about the resistance. As Michael Beckwith says:

"In every life circumstance,

look for the Blessin' or the Lesson".

It turned out to be a Blessing that MyGuy offered what I perceived as resistance...it made me stronger.

It turned out the Lesson was that "one size does NOT fit all"...meaning that just because low carb is for ME, does not mean it is for everyone. And I have no business expecting a grown man to follow MY choices just because that would make it easier for me, or even because I think it would be healthier for him.

I have learned a lot from Lisa at her 24-7 Low Carb Diner blog. She cooks for herself and her "boys", but they are not all low-carbers. She does NOT make two separate meals, but has learned how to make a couple of add-ons to the main meal, or a simple tweak, so they are all happy. And she shares all that in her blog and her wonderful e-book cookbook, which I bought. She designed it so she would not have to spend her LIFE in the kitchen cooking, and the recipes are geared so that you have stuff already made for a couple of more meals...planned left-overs if you will. I appreciate all that I have learned from her.

And shock of shocks...MyGuy asked me last night about the jellos that he has been having me make for him to take to work. He said "they are actually just jelled sugar, right?? Is there a way to make them without the sugar?" (we don't use sugar-free-full-of-aspartame products in our house... if you'd like to know why, click here ). So I get to make him some of MY jello, using knox gelatin, and see what he thinks...baby steps, baby steps. :-)

So, Week 2 is off an' running...I feel encouraged.

From Dr Phil's book: With routines..."you design your life so that it pulls for you when you're weak, when you're not pumped up, when you don't feel like behaving maturely, when you don't want to tell yourself 'no'."

My verse for today: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!"

My quote for today: "You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face...You must do the thing you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

Enjoy the Journey...one good choice at a time,

Loretta

=^..^=