We are doing great! I often have a sense of "emptiness" that I have to sort through and reason with myself that I am not "hungry" just empty. :-)
This round continues to be a struggle for our teen son. We have decided that he will be concluding his round in time to go to the youth overnighter and will simply transition into phase 3 then 4. He is struggling not only with food but with many areas that are revealing his lack of the fruit of the spirit... Self Control. I'd love to see my son be able to face temptation and RUN like Joseph did, but he has not developed the character that with the dependence on the Holy Spirit, will allow him to do so. So, it will be best for him to move on. :-) I am saddened not just by the spiritual, mental, and physical battle he is fighting, but that because he won't choose right this dear 14 year old boy cannot run and play like other teens his age. He is just going to be one of those kids that has to learn the hard way. I pray hubby & I will have the grace, patience, and strength to help guide him through this time. So as you see his weight go up and down, pray for him and us. Every struggle and victory our children have is a training opportunity for us as parents. Pray for us too! :-)
I have had questions from some about WHY we are doing this with our teens. We have watched our two older children follow our patterns of destructive eating to the point where at the age of 13 & 14 they were obese. Not just overweight, but OBESE. They have both really responded well over-all to the protocol and our desire to teach them that this is NOT about being skinny, it is about being healthy. An unhealthy individual cannot do all that God intends for that individual to do. That is our goal, good health for our family. NOT the worlds view of skinny and sexy. The battle of the bulge is very physical, mental, and in my opinion spiritual. I will address all of these things in more detail in future posts. :-)
Today's weigh ins:
Shirley: -.8 Total R3 loss: -15.2 Total hcg loss: -64.4
Teen Son: -.4 Total R3 loss: -8.4 Total hcg loss: -30.2
Teen Daughter: Decided to weigh today: -1.8 Total R3 loss: -8.2 Total hcg loss: 26.2
Hubby, day 9: (back in Onederland) -1.4 Total R3 loss: 13.4 Total hcg loss: 30.4
Have a Blessed Day!
That is a struggle for all ages, not just him! I pray regularly that God's will become my own, in food and other areas, and one of the things I brace myself for with my children is the necessity of teaching them diligently, so they can be forgiven of and released from their own sinful tendencies and habits. It is not a process, unfortunately, that anyone else can control beyond them and God. Faithful teaching and praying for his success is the most excellent way to support him, along with continuing to encourage him to do what is right regarding his choices.
ReplyDeleteYour weights all look phenomenal! Congratulations on the losses and I hope nobody is struggling too much with this round, aside from the cheating issues.
Shirley,
ReplyDeleteMy heart aches for your son. I pray he recognizes that he has the strength to do this. However, it can take some of us until we are 39 to begin conquering the 'beast' that possesses us and overpowers our own willpower.
I am sorry to hear that some are questioning you for trying to improve the health of your children. Hopefully, your explaination was enough. I agree that any age is appropriate to begin healthy habits-preferably, as young as possible. I wish that my parents had been more attentive to teaching me proper nutrition at a young age. I am IN NO WAY blaming my parents for my situation! I was just always allowed whatever I wanted whenever I wanted it. I treated my emotions with food. This didn't become obvious until about 15 years ago when I found myself in a bad relationship that I did not have the courage to get out of. Also ALL MY FAULT.
I am finally free of that relationship and have wanted to have my physical self match my good mental health. I believe that hcg will help me to do that. I am already 30 pounds closer! My relationship with food has had a dramatic transformation!! (I have NEVER gone an entire Christmas season and not eaten a SINGLE cookie-usually it's by the handfulls-fudge, or even a candy cane until now and I DON'T miss them! Crazy.) I believe that with your encouragement and ability to 'lead by example' your children will not only see the benefit of being healthy, but also have the tools to get there.
Prayers and hugs,
Stephanie