It's nice to have an occasional weekday off. I have many loose ends to tie up via the phone to doctors, etc., for scheduling and rescheduling appointments.

I was so blessed last night to be one of the cooking/serving volunteers at a local church (provided by my place of employment) to a crew of workers from one of the Billy Graham ministry teams helping rebuild Parkersburg after losing one third of its town to the Memorial Day weekend tornado. What a blessing it was to hear testimony after testimony from these dear selfless saints.

I'm thankful for the many ways God gives opportunity to love Him (by loving others).

I'm glad I'm moving forward again. I've taken off the weekend pounds, plus one more.

Since mixing up my routine a little, I'm seeing better results. It will be interesting to see how long I stay at my usual plateau--the next "ten." I'm four pounds away and usually camp "at the ten" two weeks (or more). It will be wonderful if I breeze into the next decade of pounds with no hesitation!

My success is all of God. I have tried every way possible to lose weight, only to yoyo. God in His goodness has said, "Today."

I am doing some backtracking; I put on a couple pounds over the weekend.

I'm still pinching myself, though, as I haven't been this weight in twenty-two years! I turn sixty in about six months--wouldn't it be wonderful to be in better shape than when I was thirty-eight! (It would sure make turning sixty a whole lot more palatable!)

So, with these anticipatory thoughts, I begin a new day giving thanks to the One who is faithfully guiding.

The weekend flew by! I ended up not accompanying my husband to Rockford, IL to pick our son up. (My husband loves to be on the road; I find it hard to endure.)

I'm glad the weekend is no longer than two days (for my health's sake). It is hard to be regimented when I'm removed from the "box." I am a person who thrives on routine and flounder somewhat when the clock isn't directing me.

It's good to have a new week luring me forward. I thank God daily for all the opportunities that await me.

Hooray for Friday (even though I'm looking at a busy weekend)!

Tomorrow we will be leaving bright and early for a family reunion, caravan style. My brother, and his fiance and her four kids, will be following us which will make it that much more fun. Sunday we will be going out of town (again!) to pick up our son who has spending part of the summer in Michigan. (We only have to go to Rockford, Ill., so it won't be too tiring.)

That's my busy weekend; a lot of in-the-car time! God is good!!

I'm feeling much better today. I was very careful what I ate yesterday.

It took until about noon for me to start feeling normal again. I learned a good lesson. What I ate would not bother most, I'm sure; but God has given me this meal plan, and I'm to stick with it. (He has shown me that more than once.)

My reward for yesterday is another pound lost! "Faithful is He..."

I'm paying the price.

Yesterday I ate too much fat--instant mashed potatoes made with whole milk (at work). I had that twice. (I battle compulsiveness, too!) I have had a stomachache ever since. (This has happened once before. I hope I've learned my lesson!)

It's off to work I go feeling a bit under the weather. God knows the best way for me to finally get it!

It's funny how my body will let go of ten pounds, then stop. (I lost another pound today.)

It will be interesting to see how long it takes me to lose this next new ten. I seems it takes two (to three) weeks, then there are two (to three) weeks where no weight is lost. I need to do some journaling to see if that's the pattern.

It's such a good feeling, no matter what the formula is, to know my body is returning to a healthy state.

It finally happened; I'm two pounds lighter!

That is a real praise. My next eight pounds usually come off pretty steadily, then it's a long wait again. I'm so thankful for my new direction. It has given me so much (long awaited ) hope.

It's a wonderful way to start a new week.

It's Friday already. I'm looking forward to spending some time rearranging my schedule this weekend.

This weekend is fairly empty, so I should have plenty of time to do some more reading (and practicing) on getting my pounds to start dropping again. It most likely is my eating habits after work. I don't have time to eat much during the day; and when I get home, I'm too hungry.

I am so thankful for the path I am on. I pray God uses this to His glory.

My "ten pound club" is aptly stated. Every time I reach a new "ten," I sit there as if I had reached my goal!

I do need to stir things up a little (thanks, Diane!) to see if I can get this going again. The body likes routine and gets very comfortable (very noncompliant!). I will see what I can do to throw things off balance today and see how my body responds.

May be if I make a game out of losing weight, my enthusiasm will reach a new level!

I am stuck on a number, and it is so frustrating. God is teaching me to be less controlling through this!

I need to relax and enjoy the wonderful affects of being off seven of my nine prescriptions and the renewed energy I have. The rest will come in its proper time. I get excited, though, thinking of all that lies ahead.

The "wonder of it all" is uncontainable!

I enjoy facing each new day. What a difference it makes knowing where I'm going.

My "hit and miss" lifestyle in the past was shaky, at best. God has given me a wonderful gift in giving me total satisfaction in my limited "menu items." It is all Him; that is why I feel so complete.

I see a difference in myself. And it shows on the outside, too.

It's Monday already--the hazzard of working on Saturday!

I was so hopeful I would be starting a losing streak again, but (sadly) I'm stuck on the same number I was on over a week ago. Losing weight is such a slow process--and putting it on takes just a day! God has a message in that.

Each day is committed to Him; that doesn't change. I will start losing weight again "in His time."

Yesterday felt like Saturday all day, since I had the day off. (I forgot to blog!)

It was wonderful to have a weekday off. It felt like the "good old days" again. It made me realize what a life-change it was to go to work.

Life is bittersweet, the way it is meant to be. I'm reminded, "This world is not my home; I'm just passing through." So much more awaits us!

I am really looking forward to work today; it is my last day before I have a day off!

I am going to start working every other Saturday, which will give me a day off during the work week twice a month. It will be so nice to schedule appointments, etc., on those days.

I woke up thanking God for all He has given me--and most of all, for what is yet to come.

I'm still lagging from the big weekend. It's hard to make the best choices at those times.

This morning, however, I'm back on my usual routine, making carrot/celery/beet juice for breakfast. I went without it for two days and really felt the difference. (I'm going to make sure I juice when I get off work today, too.)

My energy level is so high when I stay on task. God has His ways of showing me when I'm off the mark and being tired is one of them!

I'm dragging a little but had such a wonderful weekend.

It was reunion time and what a special time of bonding we had! I love getting together with my cousins, aunts and uncles. Everyone looked great, and we all enthusiastically got caught up on everyone's life. ( A sad note, however, was an aunt who was too frail to make the long trip, passed away during the time of our reunion.)

Family is a gift, a generous gift from God.

I don't know what happened to yesterday's blog; it disappeared instead of posting. Computers!

Finally, I lost two pounds. I am now at 25 and am encouraged once again. I was beginning to wonder if I was at "my" desired weight! I don't know why weight-loss takes so long, but weight-gain can happen instantaneously.

I am already looking at the next ten pounds--God is looking for my contentment.

"The heavens declare the glory of God," is what I thought as thunder broke the silence of the early morning.

"Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer." That was my prayer this morning, because I work among so many who do not know my Lord and Savior. They are Muslim and live in fear because their god does not love them.

"I love you with an everlasting love." We are truly blessed to have the true God love us with an everlasting love.

Because of a slow weight-loss, I have added more raw vegetables to my diet. I am amazed at my increased energy!

I am thankful for finding the way, finally. I think of all the wasted years (and jeopardized health) of eating a high-protein diet. I don't know where all of this will lead, but one thing I want to do is help others find the way faster than I did.

My desire is to use our home in that way. I give that deisre to the Lord to be used to His honor and glory.