Last summer, I decided that was time to get in better health…for good! The pandemic made me want to increase my lung health, and I also wanted to be the best version of myself that I could be. I wanted to be the person God created me to be. It has been nearly three months since I’ve reached my goal weight of 108 pounds at 5’2”. I feel fabulous. Even though I am in my forties, I feel like I did in my early twenties. It’s wonderful. I truly believe that the Lord has created us to live abundant, healthy lives. But if we just do what the rest of the culture is doing, we will miss out on this blessing.

Related: October Weight Loss Update

Now, before I go any further, I would like to preface this by saying this is my story and experience. I’m sure that many of you have reached optimal health by doing things very differently than I have. That is fantastic! It is important that all of us find out what works best for our individual bodies in our journey towards better health.

Health is an immense blessing we can give our families. The healthier I am now, the less likely my children will have to care for me in old age. Hopefully, I can pass on my good habits to them, and they will do the same to their children.

This isn’t easy to do. I’ve had to have a total mindset shift. I’ve had to realize that while of course we can eat things like dairy and meat, it doesn’t mean we should. While these things are allowed in Scripture, I tend to believe that they are intended to be eaten in moderation. Meat wasn’t given to mankind for food until after the flood, when the earth had been completely destroyed by water. I can’t help but think that at this point in time there wasn’t enough plant food to sustain people available, so meat became allowable. This is a result of sin, and I wonder if eating meat is God’s best for us.

The same goes for dairy products. These items are full of fat, and are meant to quickly grow a newborn animal from infancy to nearly adulthood. As fully grown adults, this fat tends to stick with us, since we are no longer growing “up.” Instead, we grow out. This definitely isn’t good for us.

I personally believe that at the least, these products should be eaten in moderation, or on special occasions. My body is responding very well to me eating no meat, and a small amount of cheese about once a week or so. For fat, I eat things like extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and avocados.

I haven’t been working on my health alone. My husband has joined me!

My husband has lost nearly 100 pounds this year. He is at his lowest weight, ever. He has been pre-diabetic for several years now, and had been avoiding carbs for awhile now. Last year, (with my encouragement, ha!) he finally started to cut back on dairy and pretty much cut out red meat. He eats grilled chicken or fish several times per week. He’s also found out that he can eat whole grains! He decided to start jogging once he lost enough weight that it wouldn’t be too hard on his knees. He is 6′, and now weighs in the 175 pound range.

I knew following a “diet,” buying a drink mix, or any of the other things pushed on us would work for me. Instead, I started to purchase and eat whole foods, and committed to exercising for thirty minutes per day. For exercising, I must actually break a sweat. Otherwise, my body doesn’t respond as well.

If you would like to lose weight, I would suggest that you find something that will work for you forever. I knew that I needed to make a life change! I have found foods that I really like that are actually good for me!

Well friends, I guess that is it for now for this little update. I just wanted to let you know that I still am plugging along and am doing well!

Have you had success at living a healthy lifestyle? Please feel free to share about your experience in the comment section below.

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