Strengths and Areas in need of improvement

Strengths and Areas in need of improvement
Strengths

• Weight loss: 27 lbs.
  
• Knowledge of following a schedule
  
• Cut back on fried foods
  
• Cut back on unhealthy snacks
  
• Able to assess strengths and weaknesses
  
• Affirm myself
  
• Respect myself
  
• Willing to set goals and stick to them
  
• Spiritual person who loves the Lord
  
• Don’t drink a lot of soda unless it is a 0 calorie soda I drink every once in a while
  
• Drink on average 8 cups of water a day
  
• Does eat fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, and proteins
  
• Asks God to continually renew my mind
  
• Despite being at a plateau, slowly continuing to lose weight
  
• Taking vitamins, supplements, and being more holistic
  
• Begun to know more about myself
  
• Set plan is coming to play
  
• Have many meal plans at my disposal
  
• Have great insight into what I am going to do with my plan due to light-bulb moments
  
• Eat in moderation for breakfast and dinner
  
• Moving around and relatively active
  

Areas in need of improvement

• Binging
  
• Don’t always eat in moderation
  
• Mindless eating
  
• Don’t exercise as much as I should
  
• Too sedentary
  
• Fear of eating too few calories thinking I will fail
  
• Despite losing weight, currently at a weight loss plateau
  
• Overwhelmed and stressed out
  
• Inconsistent with meal plans and set plans in the past
  
• Eat too many processed, sweet, and fried foods and not enough fruits, vegetables, and whole grains
  
• Need to be appreciative of the fact that I lost weight
  
• Don’t always snack in moderation
  
• Have much information at my disposal that is overwhelming to follow
  
• Difficulty counting calories and carbs; rely too much on counting calories
  
• Drink too much juice and sugary drinks
  

Weight loss goals

I had to realize with a little help about my weight loss goals.  My goals are to lose 5-6 lbs for now.  I would like to weigh between 190-220 pounds at the moment.  The truth is, I am not sure how much I want to weigh because it has been years since I weighed that much.  My desire and plan is to eat between 2100 and 2150 calories per day until the 26th of this month. 

Now I need to know how to be consistent with this plan and stick with it.  I will drink only 4-6oz. of juice when needed and test blood sugar twice a day.  I am now exercising but I have to make adjustments because of back pain. But I will be okay.

Here are some mathematical formulas for me to use in order to make this plan successful:
food = medicine
calories = budget
carbohydrates = budget
exercise = fun
Here is a note.  Exercise is not a chore.  It should be fun and promote health.
I live to eat, but I should eat to live.

I have finally realized that there are some alternatives to calorie counting.  Calorie counting has become a chore and one of my weaknesses has been eating too much at night.  I have learned that eating in moderation and more often is a key alternative to calorie counting.  I also need to be mindful of the choices that I make.  Exercise more often and prepare healthier meals.  People who lose a lot of weight also write down foods eaten.  I also learned that my calorie needs may be more than previously thought.

Tomorrow, I will write about their strengths and areas of improvement, or my weaknesses.  All I have to say is that I am glad that I have more pros than cons.

My life

My life has become a vicious cycle of procrastination and a lack of knowledge.  The book of Hosea says that "my people suffer for a lack of knowledge"--paraphrase.  Knowledge is key and so is wisdom.  I could use a little bit of both.

I realize that my life is not in shambles, but it could be if I don't break the cycle.  I have obsessive thoughts which are not easy to deal with sometimes.  Right now, they are manageable, but that doesn't make them less annoying.  I hate to say this because every careless word and every careless though could sidetrack me.  That is a delicate balance to have to deal with every day.

It is ironic that I am writing about this since yesterday I wrote about being grateful.  To help break the cycle of procrastination and a lack of knowledge, being grateful is key.  It helps to put things in perspective that maybe it is not so big a cycle.  However, I tend to confuse myself and often accuse myself of being in denial.

The solution is to ask for wisdom and seek knowledge.  Just do what is hard, but the problem is it is easier said than done.  But I cannot wait for others to help me.  In fact, I can have support from others, but it is up to me to actually do the work.  But what good is there if I have knowledge and not enough wisdom.  So asking for wisdom would break the cycle.  That is what I did.  I am doing better and am wiser for it.

Being grateful

I thank God everyday for answered prayer.  It is a great thing to be thankful, appreciative, and grateful.  One of my pet peeves is when people are ungrateful to others.  The world would be a better place if people were more grateful.

I thank God everyday for salvation.  The world would be a better place if more people would not be so scared to preach the gospel to the poor, to heal the brokenhearted, and to help those who are in need.  We are to be grateful that we have the truth at our disposal and on the inside of us.  Jesus died for us.  Let us take the time to be grateful to Him.

Psalm 64

Hear my voice, O God, in my meditation;
Preserve my life from fear of the enemy.
² Hide me from the secret plots of the wicked,
From the rebellion of the workers of iniquity,
³ Who sharpen their tongue like a sword,
And bend their bows to shoot their arrows—bitter words,
⁴ That they may shoot in secret at the blameless;
Suddenly they shoot at him and do not fear.

⁵ They encourage themselves in an evil matter;
They talk of laying snares secretly;
They say, “Who will see them?”
⁶ They devise iniquities:
“We have perfected a shrewd scheme.”
Both the inward thought and the heart of man are deep.

⁷ But God shall shoot at them with an arrow;
Suddenly they shall be wounded.
⁸ So He will make them stumble over their own tongue;
All who see them shall flee away.
⁹ All men shall fear,
And shall declare the work of God;
For they shall wisely consider His doing.

¹⁰ The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and trust in Him.
And all the upright in heart shall glory.

Psalm 149

Praise is an Amazing thing.  Let us all shout to the Lord.

Psalm 149
1 Praise the Lord.
Sing to the Lord a new song,
his praise in the assembly of his faithful people.
2 Let Israel rejoice in their Maker;
let the people of Zion be glad in their King.
3 Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.
4 For the Lord takes delight in his people;
he crowns the humble with victory.
5 Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
6 May the praise of God be in their mouths
and a double-edged sword in their hands,
7 to inflict vengeance on the nations
and punishment on the peoples,
8 to bind their kings with fetters,
their nobles with shackles of iron,
9 to carry out the sentence written against them—
this is the glory of all his faithful people.
Praise the Lord.

Volumes

As I look back into my life I realize that there are things that have run my life and it is not me.  I have been controlled by fear and not faith.  Fear is the false evidence of things that appear real.  They appear real because they are real and fear does exist.  I have many fears and it has impeded my faith a lot.

I have been controlled by what others think of me.  It speaks volumes about my self-esteem.  I have to affirm myself and now I have to apply those affirmations to my life.  It has become a daily thing.  I write and copy these affirmations but I have to believe that those affirmations are true.

I often pray the same prayers over and over again.  Should I feel okay with that or should I try a new prayer?  Am I thankful enough?  Am I mindful enough?  How do I overcome fear?  I just complain too much.  That speaks volumes of how I truly see things.

I need to change.  I want to change.  I desire to change.  I am not sure if God only helps those who help themselves.  What would God do for those who can't help themselves?  How about those who have a lack of wisdom or guidance?  What does that mean anyway?  That statement seems rather limiting of God's power and it speaks volumes about the faith of those who agree with that statement however they interpret it.

The volumes that one's action speak speak to one's own character.  It has been said that what a person is in private is who they really are.  It is also true that a person's character is measured by how they deal with another person or a situation in times of trouble.  I hope that this reveals a person who is not only willing to change but is making progress.