Turn a setback into a COMEBACK!

Let's just say I have had a HUGE setback. I have gained most of the weight back that I lost this time last year, when I started this blog. The good news. I am NOT at my highest weight ever! I am 2.4 pounds away from my highest point. I'm thankful I got on the scales this morning...it could have really been disastrous if I had waited and actaully gained MORE that my highest weight. So, God gave me a little ray of hope this morning. I won't go into details as to why I gained it back. Let's just say I ate too much and didn't exercise! That's how weight gain usually works...in case you didnt know! 

Yesterday, I saw my doctor. He is a wonderful man and I have been seeing him for years and years and years. He seemed very concerned about my weight, and told me to exercise and come back in 6 weeks. He also took LOTS of blood to check for everything! I only went in for a med check, but I got a wake-up cal!! I don't know what the bloodwork will show, but it proabaly can't be good. Weighing 318.6 pounds is NOT GOOD!! (You know me...I love being honest.) So, today I start my comeback! 

Let's look at a few people who have had huge comebacks in the Bible, so I can remind myself that there is hope!

Joseph....was sold into slavery....God made him the right-hand of the king and he was able to save his family from a famine.

Moses....he was a murderer...God chose him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt to the edge of the promised land.

Job....he lost everything....God restored everything.

Jonah....refused to obey God and was swallowed by a fish....God brought him out of the fish.

Peter....denied Christ 3 times at his crucifiction....God allowed Peter to be apart of Pentecost where the Holy Spririt was received.

Jesus....crucified on the cross....Jesus was resurrected! 

God worked in all these people's lives to give them a comeback after huge setbacks!

So, what about little ol' me? Can I have a comeback? Of course! 

Eventually, Jesus will come back to earth and take me with him to heaven...this will be the greatest comeback EVER for those who believe! WOW...what a day that will be! So, what about in the meantime? In the meantime, I am asking God to turn my setback into a comeback! It's going to be a slow and steady comeback. Some of the people I mentioned in the Bible didn't have a quick comeback! It took time! 

So, today I went to the gym....it's a start! Stay tuned...for the comback!! I will rely on God the whole way....it's the only way that this comback will happen! (Prayers appriciated!!)

God did it!!!

Wow! I am overwhelmed with the support from the FB world!! Thanks for the encouragement. But most of all, thanks for the prayers!!! God totally helped me Walk the Color Run and it was sooo much fun!!!! 

1. God orchestrated new friends to walk the color run together...and they are awesome!! I look forward to getting to know them more. Pics to come!

2. God gave us the perfect parking spot. I was worried to death that we would have to park a mile away. Then my 5K would have been a 7K or something crazy like that! 

3. God let me see another friend right when I got there. She was very encouraging!

4. God allowed me to walk the WHOLE TIME!!! We didn't even stop to catch our breaths! We stoped to take a pic and I grabbed some water along the way, but we never stopped and rested! I was prepared to cut through the race if I felt like I needed to!

5. God allowed me to walk it with my new fiends! They were determined to get me through the race, so they didn't walk ahead of me! This was good becuase who wants to run through color by yourself! Would have been sooo boring!

6. God allowed me to not feel unbearable pain! My left calf hurt, but other than that...no unbearable pain!

7. God allowed me to get TONS of support and prayers from FB. I knew people were watching to see God work, so I knew I couldn't give up!

8. GOD ALLOWED ME TO FINISH!!!! 

Those are just a few ways that God showed himself to me through the Color Run! It was soo fun! Next year I will have to dress up crazy! I had crazy hair, but needed a tutu and crazy socks! LOL! 

This is a new beginning for me! I'm so excited to press on to better health! Here is my verse for today and lots of pictures of the race! Thanks again for the support and prayers!!!

Confession is good for the soul...right??

I will just start with the confession: I haven't done one thing for my journey in the last 3 months. There, I said it! I thought getting back into the school routine would get me back on track, but I have been failing miserably! I know I don't have to confess to you guys, but this blog is to journal my trials, successes, and failures throughoout the journey! I want to continue to blog because God has put this journey in my heart and he will complete the journey with me! He hasn't gone anywhere. I, on the other hand, have not been faithful to continue to eat right and exercise. I haven't weighed in months, so I don't know what kind of damage I have done in the last 3 months. I am not going to stress over the numbers, but I am going to give this journey back to God because HE is the only one who can pull this off! I can't do it! That's obvious! (PSA...I don't want to take any supplements or pills!!! I'm glad many of you do and it's working!! I have tried a million things..this time around...it's gonna just be God, me, and hard work! Just had to throw that out there before I get 15 private messages about various products!)

About 6 months ago, I signed up to run my first 5K!! Well, the big day is tomorrow! I haven't been to the gym in over a month. Last time I was there I walked 1 mile...barely! Tomorrow, I willl walk 3 miles. You might be asking why. Well, I'm not a quitter or a failure! I have had Color Run written in my planner for months. Two weeks ago, I crossed it out and wrote "You are not a Failure! Move on!". I have looked at that message in my planner all week! 

If I don't walk this 5K, I am sending a message to myself, that yes, I am a failure!! No matter what I write in my planner! So, I decieded to do the race! It will be a God thing when I finish! It's supposed to be the easiest race on the planet! They don't even time you!! For me, it will be the hardest thing I have ever done....literally!!! 

I have to tell you about my answered prayer! I began to pray last week that God would give me clear direction about the race. Holly had written off herself, but I wanted to make sure God was cool with that! Well he wasn't!! Duh, he never writes us off! I had asked several people to do this race with me over the last couple of months, but nothing really panned out! About Monday, God was telling me to GO and DO IT! So he was changing my heart about the situation. The week before, a new acquaintance from church friended me on FB. I have been reading her posts for a week, and just love what she writes each day! Tuesday morning, I read her post and almost wrote on it that I am glad we are getting to know each other...etc. But, I didn't. Later that day, on FB, she said she was doing the color run on Saturday and just wanted to see if anyone out there wanted to do it with her and another friend. 

And some people say God doesn't still talk to people??? He does!!! It wasn't through a Burning Bush, a Donkey, or an Angel...it was through FaceBook!!! LOL.

So, I wrote her back and asked if I could go with them. Of course, she said yes! Four of us are going together, and I fully expect to have 3 more friends at the end of the day. Not just aquaintances!! 

People: God is so good to us!! Even when we don't deserve it!! And we never deserve it!! As you read this, please pray for a positive experience! Also pray that this spurs me on to get back on the right track physcally! 

I am posting my verse for tomorrow a day early!

So, tomorrow...whether I run, skip, walk, or crawl through the finish line...God will be there with me! In fact, he may be dragging me through the finish line!! But we will finish!! 

Of course, pics of me and my new friends will follow in a couple of days! Until then....I'm ready for the Color Run!

 

I'm BAAAAACK!!!

Yes, you read that correctly. I haven't given up! Just had a setback! My neck and shoulder are in perfect condition now! Praise The Lord! After the setback, I got discouraged. Satan knows just how to "get" me. This summer, I have been TOTALLY off the program because I didn't have much of a schedule! I work much better when I'm on a schedule! I have gained a little back, but I'm ready to press on! My first 5K is November 8th!

For a teacher, August is for new beginnings! I am taking this time to get back into the swing of things! I started eating right on Saturday, and I will add some exercise in this week! I love going to the gym, so I am looking forward to going back! 

This week is going to be challenge becuase I will be eating right, exercising, and starting back to school. Please pray for strength and endurance! With God's help, I can do this! 

Proverbs 16:3 - Commit to the LORD whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.

Romans 8:31 - What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?

God is good, people!! This setback will not define me. The journey continues....stay tuned!  

Test Results!!!

Well, I had a scare after the Nerve Conduction Study and the Neck Xrays. Radiologist thought my neck may have been broken. WHAT? You heard me right! For a week, I thought my neck might be broken while waiting on my MRI results. Long story short, I don't have a broken neck! Hallelujah!!! This was a major praise!! But what is wrong? 

If you can read those and understand them...you know more than I do!! LOL. Here is the short version about my neck....I have an annular tear in my C5-6 and narrowing in the C6-7. The short story about my nerve test...signs of problems with the median nerve..which is the carpal tunnel nerve. So, I am going to see a doctor about possibly getting carpal tunnel fixed. I have NO feeling in my 3 fingers and my arm goes to sleep a lot during the day. As for the neck...just gonna live with it and pray it doesn't get worse! Don't know why all this has happened, but fortunate to NOT have a broken neck...God is so good!

The best news.....I CAN EXERCISE AGAIN!!! YAY!!!! I don't know what the next few months will hold. My next appointment is on July 2nd. Please pray for wisdom for my doctors!! I don't want a numb hand and an arm that falls asleep on command. 

Honestly check.....here it goes....I have eaten WAY more than I should the last month and haven't exercised in 2 1/2 months!!! I have gained a few (5-6) pounds. Boo hooo!!! My new friends at the gym probably think I have fallen off the face of the earth. Well, that is all about to change....with God's help!!!

I knew I wouldn't lose 181 pounds over night, but I was planning on being consistent!! An injury stopped me for a while, but with God's help, I can continue on this journey!!! So 3 months after injurying my neck/shoulder....I am back on the program!!

Please pray for me as I get my MIND, HEART, and BODY back where it should be!!! It't not an easy thing to detox your body, but here I go again!!

You gotta have faith...faith....faith!!!

I need all prayer warriors to pray! I injured my neck/shoulder/arm about a month and a half ago. I have been on pain killers and muscle relaxers. Three weeks ago I lost feeling in three of my fingers on my right hand (dominate hand). I can still do everything...it's just really annoying and scary! I have a Nerve Conduction Study on Wednesday and more xrays on Tuesday. Please pray for good results and that the numbness is not permanent. I hope physical therapy can fix it! So, this is my bad news. 

Even worse, I haven't exercised in several weeks. I miss it soo much. I have just been afraid to mess up my neck even worse. That would not be a pretty sight...as my Dad would say! I don't lose weight if I don't exercise!!! It's just a proven fact with my body. So, I have maintained a 43 pound loss.

That was all the bad news. The good news is that...GOD IS IN CONTROL of the situation! He knows why this has happened and He will take care of it! In celebration of knowing God will take care of this problem, I decided to register for my first 5K. I am just having FAITH that he will allow me to have good results and begin exercising again (which I was loving soooo much). I just took a test about my Spiritual Gifts. FAITH is in my top 4 gifts!! I have faith that God will take care of my physical body and allow me to start exercising again! I have faith that I will be able to train for my first 5K!! I have faith that I will be able to lose 181 pounds! I have 138 to go...but who's counting!!! LOL!

Hebrews 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. I just read the "faith" chapter. This next part is from my commentary. God is who He says He is!! God will do what He says He will do!! When we believe that God will fulfull his promises even though we don't see those promises materializing yet, we demonstrate true faith. 

I believe that HE who began a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. (Philippians 1:6) 

In January, I wote that God gave me a vision! That was from GOD!!! He gave me the vision of Holly's New LIfe!!! He will complete the vision! So, numb hand or not....He will complete the vision he gave me! I have FAITH!! Please pray in faith with me that I will get good test results soon, so I can exercise and train for my first 5K!! Whoop whooop!!!

The "Holly Can't Do This On Her Own" Lesson!!!

Well April was just one big mess up! I wrote 2 weeks ago about having RESOLVE. Ha! Holly can NOT have enough reolve to do this weight loss thing!!! I have to rely on God to give me the resolve! So, lesson learned. Tomorrow is a new day! I am going to rely on God to get me through this, by praying and studying the Bible. PERIOD...THE END!!! 

Last week was weigh in week! So here is the new pic!!

Pounds Lost - 42.8

Total Inches Lost - 44.5

Waist - 12.75

L Arm - 1.25

Bust - 6

Hips - 3.75

L Thigh - 5.75

L Calf - 1.75

Neck - 3

Wrist - .75

WHOOO HOOOO!!! I don't know if God showed me MERCY or GRACE this month, but he did allow me to lose some inches! (I get mercy and grace confused!) God has brought me a LONG WAY!! And, since I learned my "Holly Can't Do This On Her Own" Lesson, he will take me the rest of the way! ONLY 138.2 pounds to go!! Keep reading and keep the prayers coming...this is gonna happen!!!