Before and After

Thought I'd indulge myself with a little before weight loss and after weight loss photo. I really began to notice it the first time I put up a photo of Tim and I at the wedding last year and could see the difference with my old "profile picture" on my blog. The first is from Nov 07, the second is March 09:

Before

After

Pretty cool hey :)

I'm very thankful to God that he helped me to be able to achieve the weight loss. And even more thankful for the impact on my health it should have- much more important than the impact on my face!

love B

Health Kick Update

Hi Folks,
I've been meaning for ages to give a health kick update.

The bad news is that I've found out officially what I've been suspecting for a while- that I'm Pre-diabetic. It sounds in some ways more serious than it is. Basically my body doesn't process glucous very well, so I have to be really careful with weight, do lots of exercise and particularly eating low GI food. If I'm not careful, I will eventually develop diabetes. But if I am careful, I won't. So rather than treating it like a negative thing, I'm thankful to God that now I know and that I can do something about it. And its an incredibly helpful motivator for living a life-style that is actually what we probably should all be doing anyway, at least in part.

The good news is that I'm getting really good at eating healthy- I've lost alot of weight and I'm .8kg away from being in the healthy weight range for my age.

And....

I fit back into my wedding dress!
love B

Update on the health kick

Just an update on my health kick.


Practically speaking it is going well. I'm being pretty good, sticking to healthy meals and snacks- not pigging out when I go out to a restaurant. I've lost a few kilos.


Its also been quite an important personal step. I've always been a comfort eater, I love food, and I had a sneaky suspicious that I could never truely be self controled with food. So its nice to know that I can. I know it is God helping me to do it and I am so thankful to him for his help.


But it also has been really, really annoying.


It's horrible to see so much good food and not eat it- particularly at College where meals are provided for us so there is always healthy and unhealthy options. When I walked past the mini-sticky-date puddings at Tuesday dinner at college I wanted to scream.


I'm horribly self-righteous about it- mixing my utter frustration with self congratulation. Almost every time I deny myself something I want to run over to Tim and cry out "look at me, look at me. Look what I didn't eat!"


And one of the worst things is that these changes in diet are intended to be semi-permenant so I am saying goodbye (except for occasional splurges) to chips, pizza, and cheesecake. I hadn't realised how much I loved them until they were gone from my now vegie/fruit/legume filled life.


Well, after that rant I feel better. Afterall, all over the world there are people who eat to live rather than living to eat.
And God has lavished on me not only bread to eat, but the bread of life- and those who eat of it will never be hungry.

Puts everything into perspective doesn't it?

The trial of being healthy

Several months ago I talked about Tim and I being on a health kick.

It didn't work. It never works (huge sigh)! So once again I try not to get dispirited as I try again. So far I've managed to give up hot-chocolates and cakes at College, and I'm endeavouring to give up ice-cream and chocolate. Which is good. But it's only a start. So I thought I'd open it up and see a) is anybody still reading ;) and b) does anyone have any particularly recipes for healthy, yummy, cheap meals. Lowish GI is my preference.

And why the picture? Reminds me of the good old days when I could eat ice cream. But really I just like it ;)

Please pray for me. I'm under doctors orders to loose some weight and I do find it a hard process. Pray that I will glorify God in all that I do.

God bless,

Belinda

Back in Sydney

Back in Sydney.

It is, I have to say, very nice to sleep in your own bed. When I entered the house I was overwhelmed by that strange musty smell that never seems to go away- but that you grow so accustomed to it that you only notice it after a week away. But- in some strange way it is home, and I actually had fun opening up all the windows to gets some air moving, emptying the saucepan we have sitting under the leaking toilet pipe, and once again sitting in our half bath staring at Greek paradimes that are blue-tacked to the glass. It will be a strange couple of days: no classes, lots of socialising, assisting Tim with preparation for a kids talk at church, and if I am realistic about myself- probably not enough Greek revision. But I'm looking forward to Monday and given most people's Sunday facebook status profiles- this is a very rare thing.

Tim and I are once again attempting to be healthier. I tend to get motivated for health more than Tim- but when he's on board with the idea it actually happens whereas for me it usually lasts a day. He even said to me at Avalon Airport- "we should eat more salad". I was tempted to ask "who are you and what have you done with my husband?", but you take what you can get in this business so I agreed. I have two main problems when it comes to healthy eating. One is that I just love eating, and food and cooking and have little self control in this area- the second is that I keep looking out for ways to make it easier. Surely I think there must be a way that you can eat healthy and still eat food that is really really yummy and not miss out. So I keep my eyes out for foods that are really fun and yummy and good for you- and given how few there are, I don't get anywhere so I just keep eating rubbish. But with diabetes on both sides of my family- I wont get away with it- and I'd much rather eat healthy now than be forced to by a failing pancreas.

But, to aid me in my efforts I have just invented the most awesome drink in the world. I'm still coming up with a name- the working title is Hot Oranj- but I'm sure I can do better than that and I don't even know how to pronounce it properly.

It started because to my own devastation I found out that orange juice wasn't one of those miracle foods that was good for you and yummy. It is to an extent- but with 200% of your necessary Vitamin C in only one cup, very little fibre, and a high sugar content- it wasn't really healthy with my three to four glass a day habit.

I had tried, as I'd read in books- to water it down- but it tasted pretty bad. Then one day I figured it out. I'd always had hot lemon drinks for colds- and one day I tried a hot orange drink- 1/4 orange juice and 3/4 boiling water. And it was so good! And I could have four a day and all that would mean was that I had my requirement of VC and lots more water than I would otherwise have. Plus it saves us the money we were spending to feed my habit!

Despite inventing the coolest drink in the world, trying to be healthy is generally so depressing! I find myself looking ultra critically at myself in photos, foods becomes much more of a big deal, and I find it harder to believe Tim when he says I'm attractive just the way I am. And its a reminder of my sin, because I'm constantly faced with my inability to stick to things- to put my health and Tim above my own pleasure- and to trust in God's goodness that he made me and he doesn't make mistakes. But I'm getting back on the bike and trying again.

BTW, just wanted to say that I had a lovely time in Melbourne and that God has given me and Tim some pretty spectacular friends.

love you all,

Belinda