Made To Crave Highlights So Far...

In my last post, I mentioned I'd be coming back here to share some of my Made to Crave (MTC) ah-hah moments. There are many of them, and they are very random...so I think I'll just share several bullet points. Hope you are encouraged by some of them too!

• We should go through this journey (to overcome our cravings and get healthy) because we ARE loved - not in order to BE loved.
• A setback is just a set-up for a comeback!
• The food industry pushes 3800 calories a day at us! (So beware of portion sizes!!)
• As women, if we eat 25 grams of fiber a day, we won't have to count calories because we'll be satisfied. (30 grams for men.)
• One 16 oz. glass of water first thing in the morning will = a 25% reduction in how much we eat that day.
• Those of us who have been fighting the battle of the bulge for a long time, will find it takes our bodies 3-4 weeks of being really good before the scale starts to show it (in order to reset our metabolism).
• We need a GPS mentality: at the first available point (after messing up), do a legal U-Turn!
• I have to learn to deny myself (stop caving into my cravings) and stop allowing the things of this world to wage war against my soul! I've allowed a terrible amount of damage to be done to my soul over the last 25-30 years. It's time to stop doing the enemy's dirty work for him! No more.
• I am choosing to be "empowered" by my healthy lifestyle choices...not "deprived."
• I have to put in the work, to expect the results. I think for many years I wanted God to make it "easy" on me. Instead, I need to do the "natural" so that God can do the "super."
• We will always be most victorious when we center ourselves in God's will.
• Our identity in Christ must precede activity. God said He was pleased with Jesus before He ever performed a miracle. The same is true with us. We cannot let God down...because we're not holding Him up!
• We need to use the "find and replace" function with all the lies we tell ourselves. (Find them and replace them with Truth!)
• Lysa's favorite go-to-Scripture: Romans 14:20 ~ Do not destroy the work of the Lord for the sake of food.
• My insecurity is the ultimate insult to God. Wow. That one cuts deep.
• Temptation is Satan's invitation to get our needs met his way, not God's way.
• The more we speak truth into our lives, the more we're able to recognize lies. So write those Scriptures and positive affirmations down and read them every day!!
• Satan has three ways he likes to tempt us (been the same throughout history): getting our physical needs met outside of God's will, distracting us with material things, and getting us to find our significance somewhere other than through God.
• Satan's name means: one that casts something between two to cause a separation.
• Shame distances us from God's best AND it's a lie! Our identity in Christ isn't dependent upon how well we do with overcoming our issues.
• If we eat just 100 extra calories a day, every day, we'll gain 10 pounds in a year! Calorie counting (as much as I'd like to think otherwise) is VERY important!!
• Any time you take a drug, you weigh the benefit to risk. We must do the same with food! Look at our daily food intake as our food budget. It must balance! Make the necessary adjustments throughout the day to make that happen.

Wow. Those are just the highlights! Are you doing the study? It's not too late to join in the weekly webcasts. It's also not too late to join me on Wednesday nights. Our group is quite diverse. Ladies are being drawn to this study for a variety of reasons. I'm SO excited that I'm able to travel this journey with so many friends! Every ounce of success gives me even more excitement and hope for the future. My knee is feeling better and the running is getting easier (please pray that injury stays away from me so I can continue training for the 10K). God is slowly unwrapping this healthier, fitter side of me! It's actually becoming FUN! Yes, weight loss is becoming fun. Did I really say that?!

So let me know where you're at in this journey. If you are reading MTC, what are your highlights? Struggles? Ways I can pray for you? I would love to make you one of my traveling buddies.