~~A day or shall I say "STEP" in my life~~

I'm back to stepping up in my healthy "me" journey... I'm calling them steps as I have a long way to go and if I look at the LENGTH of what I need to do, it can be discouraging.. SO I'm taking steps...

 First step :

I can check that one off--My first step was to get that first weight loss in.. Lost six pounds the first week back on this journey. I guess this would be a good place to tell you what plans I'm use to direct my steps. I'm doing Weight Watchers and using the Nutribullet System. 

(Nutribullet's official website -- Check them out)

 

 

In the past few weeks I have lost just under 10 pounds, It's a journey that is filled with changes and preparations. Changes in what to eat and what not to eat--Thankfully Weight Watchers allows you to eat a variety of food. Preparations involves planning what to buy and how to cook it. I've made my first pesto this week with fresh basil.. and have made numerous concoctions in my Nutribullet..

 

Cannot wait to make my next step on this journey to better health!!! As that old Sunday school song goes "One step at a time, only one step at a time that is the way the Lord will lead you.. " With God's help  I'm going to do this and I know

 "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Philippians 4:13)

 

 

 



~~djdeb's ramblings ~~

OK so I need to do a rambling post....

RAMBLING 1:

I am home on a Friday night, when I actually had plans... BUMMER. Been fighting a stomach bug for a week or so, but the last 24 hrs. it has gotten worse. Lord willing I will feel better for my big plans tomorrow....

Update on Rambling #1: unexpected but welcome company stopped by.. and distracted me from my stomach woes. Thanks Robin and I hope to see ya soon in the blogging world!!!

RAMBLING 2:

Those plans include my sister and I taking our Momma out for a Mom and daughters day out. We are taking her for dinner and shopping. She has been wanting a good foam pillow and I have struggled to find the right kind for her. I do believe Bed, Bath and Beyond has what she has been so wanting ( and I want one too). It's called latex foam pillow.

Update on Rambling 2: I am finishing this post on Sunday as I ended up spending the day with mom and my sister (see my lovely momma and I below). Thankfully my stomach pains held out till I got home last night and I was able to enjoy a nice day of shopping and fellowship. AND AFTER YEARS OF SEARCHING-- We found the right pillow and purchased three!

A RECENT PIC OF MOM AND I

RAMBLING 3:

Was unsure if I was or should post this rambling... Primarily because I don't have children and wonder if some may feel I am not qualified to share. BUT I must... I have been watching and listening to all the news/television shows regarding the eating habits and obesity levels of today's children.

First, I agree it's a need and we should be concerned and do our best to change for the health of the children. I grew up in a low income family, primarily due to the fact my parents wanted my Mother to remain home for the children. We were blessed to have had her there and should I ever have children I too would love to be able to do that. Having said that, we made sacrifices to have her stay at home. One was that we always rented our residency and the other was our food choices.

We did not purchase food based on the "HEALTH" content but more on how it could be spread out and price. We also used food from Food pantries and government give outs. I am not ashamed of that as it afforded us something many of my classmates never had. That was a mom to come home to if you were sick and never having to be left alone or with strangers/babysitters.

So my only thoughts are that it is expensive to eat completely healthy foods. I have been working hard recently to eat more healthier foods and my grocery bill has sky rocketed. Fresh veggies, fruits, fiber enriched, lower sodium and lower fat content products are expensive!! But being that I am single and buying for me it's an expense I feel is needed, If I had a family.....

I have heard there is people wanting to tax soda and take away toys from Happy meals. Soda yes is bad for ya, taxing it?? well I think is not going to help the issue.. and come on Taking toys from a meal consisting of a hamburger/apple pieces (or fries) and a drink (does not have to be soda). Happy meals are a reasonably priced meal as a treat and is one of the few places most parents can afford.

So what are my ideas and thoughts: LETS FOCUS on reducing the costs of "healthy' foods and work on school lunches . For perhaps with education on what is healthy and what is not and having affordable food for families to buy ; maybe then we can begin to change the health of children.

ANYWAYS it's just a thought......

Until I post again, May God bless y'all,

Deb

~~djdeb's ramblings ~~

The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower. PSALMS 18:2 kjv

Lately I catch myself praying short prayers of "Lord, give me strength". Over and over I am seeking him for strength.. Never would I have imagined that I would feel so tired, worn out and lethargic. That has described my last few months. I have been sick with bronchitis and some other cold symptoms, but I believe behind it all is my thyroid acting up. Tomorrow I am going to get some blood work and am praying that it will give the level that is needed for an increase in my medicine.

If you have ever heard of anyone with thyroid problems, I am sure you have heard their struggles with their levels. As I am sure I have mentioned before I was hyperthyroid to begin with and ended up having radiation to kill most of the thyroid. The dying of the thyroid takes years to occur (something I learned recently--even though the radiation occurred years back) and the regulating your thyroid levels will always be a part of my life. So I have said all this to say that I have sooooooo needed "strength" and the only place I can seek it is in Christ. He has gotten me through the workdays and I have rested most weekends.

I feel as if many do not understand and see me tired out primarily because of my weight. My weight is a big hindrance and some of it is a result of hypothyroidism. So I am going to continue to seek God for the strength and pursue the doctor to use the medical support there is available for me.

The other night I was suffering a migraine and was trying to rest and all I could sing was this song.

I kept singing I believe your my healer, I believe your more than enough for me.... JESUS you're all I need!!! Lord, I'm holding tight to your promise of strength in your word and will sing in my heart this song to you My Healer!

my absence...

I have been absent for awhile now. Primarily due to health issues. I was in the hospital for a week about a month ago, and have had one health issue after another since then.

But GOD IS FAITHFUL...

to give me strength, healing and peace!!

Strength to make it through work days when I have no energy to move.... Healing when my test came back negative (no cancer)PTL!!

and Peace to know that through it all I am never alone!!!

That's my shout out to JESUS!!! Love you Lord!!

sickness diagnosed -- latest writing news

I came home sick from work Wednesday and felt terrible all night. I had such a bone chilling coldness going thru me and could not get warm. The next day I was able to get into the doctor and he said he thought I had viral flu. I do not recall ever having the flu. But uggh... the writer in me knows I could have worded this so much better.

He put me on some medicine and one of them was predinosone for all the chest congestion and pressure I was experiencing. It seems to help that but oh my it keeps me up and I cannot sleep much thankfully it's a weaning off medicine. Enough about me and my woes. Thank you Lord for giving wisdom to Doctors and to those who developed medicine to help us with our sicknesses.

Writing Updates:

Recently I have reconnected with faithwriters and have begun to enter their challenges again. http://www.faithwriters.com/ I was looking at my profile and was surprised and saddened that I had been away for so long.

Needless to say, I entered my first piece and it was a short inspirational devotional pieces. This genre of writing is what comes easiest to me and I am comfortable in it. I have desired to write more fiction and really have only attempted it a few times.

In talking to my fellow writers in the group it seems like fiction is a genre that does catch the attention of the judges. Two weeks ago, I entered a fiction piece for their topic of Actions speak louder than words. The idea came to me when I was laying in bed and just veggin' as the teens would say. I have had a few good comments and some suggestions too. Both are so welcome for I have had not a good grammatical background.

My fifth grade English teacher, I will call her Mrs. G. left her mark in me and it has followed me. I was getting A's and B's in all my classes except hers English. It did not make since as I was an avid reader and part of the Library group. My mother met with her to ask what I could do to improve it. She told my mother that some children will always stay at certain levels and could not improve. Whoa!! Can you believe it. I have never forgotten and some day hope to find her and mail her some of my published pieces of work.

That is why I believe fiction intimidates me and I am just seeking God and he has given me this gift and will see it to the place he wants it to go. I cannot give specifics on my piece as they are being judged at present and it is anonymous to the judges. I have recently met some on the faithwriters site that I have also seen here on the blog world, so it's best to keep mummm.

REMEMBER GOD IS FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE THAT WORK HE HAS BEGUN IN YOU... JUST BE FAITHFUL TO HIM AND TO WHAT HE HAS CALLED YOU TOO.

Djdeb

You are what you eat OH MY!?!?!

Some interesting info I recieved in an email from my father. There is more and I would be glad to email you the rest. Makes me realize our creator and designer "GOD" thought of everything we would need to live healthy and a good quality of life....

You are what you eat, so eat well. A stupendous insight of civilizations past has now been confirmed by today's investigative, nutritional sciences. They have shown that what was once called "The Doctrine of Signatures" was astoundingly correct. It now contends that every whole food has a pattern that resembles a body organ or physiological function and that this pattern acts as a signal or sign as to the benefit the food provides the eater.

Here is just a short list of examples of Whole Food Signatures. A sliced Carrot looks like the human eye. The pupil, iris and radiating lines look just like the human eye...and YES science now shows that carrots greatly enhance blood flow to and function of the eyes.

A Tomato has four chambers and is red. The heart is red and has four chambers. All of the research shows tomatoes are indeed pure heart and blood food.Grapes hang in a cluster that has the shape of the heart.

Each grape looks like a blood cell and all of the research today shows that grapes are also profound heart and blood vitalizing food.

A Walnut looks like a little brain, a left and right hemisphere, upper cerebrums and lower cerebellums. Even the wrinkles or folds are on the nut just like the neo-cortex. We now know that walnuts help develop over 3 dozen neuron-transmitters for brain function.

Kidney Beans actually heal and help maintain kidney function and yes, they look exactly like the human kidneys.

Celery, Bok Choy, Rhubarb and more look just like bones. These foods specifically target bone strength. Bones are 23% sodium and these foods are 23% sodium . If you don't have enough sodium in your diet the body pulls it from the bones, making them weak. These foods replenish the skeletal needs of the body.