My Ups and Downs with Weight Control

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My battle with weight started at a very young age, at the time I was only 3 and had just been molested, my young mind suppressed the real details until I was much older but my emotional eating started at this tender age and so from a wiry thin little girl who lived with great fear, (see link below)  I became very chubby and was always feeling hungry and with also being abused both physically and emotionally at that time and later, it increased, food is a natural tranquilizer and we feel better but only for a short time, so we top up again and then get into bad eating habits, food becomes something we desperately need and want but also fear.

Early years – https://freedomborn.wordpress.com/2011/09/27/the-early-years-a-little-lost-girl/

As a young  Teenager I starved myself to get thin,  In my Twenties after loosing my babies and living with a very  hurting  abusive husband who later left me and married a woman who could give him a child,  I used appetite suppressants. These were found to be very dangerous and were later black listed, they acted like speed on the brain. I became hooked and hardly slept and then couldn’t sleep, so I needed Hospitalization. I than tried many diets, Yuk! for a long time I couldn’t eat bananas, finally I went back to starving myself and became Bulimic.

After Marrying Ron and being part of a Christian Church, God delivered me from the Addiction of Bulimia but the damage to my body because of bad Nutrition continues today with Osteoporosis in my neck, arm and shoulder, although with God’s Balm the pain is controlled well and also in my feet when needed. This was one of the reasons I wanted to help others with weight control so they wouldn’t make the same mistakes I did.

After I found I could not conceive a baby with Ron, I decided to get a job, I did market research for a few months and than I was trained with the Health Department in Nutrition, weight problems and in running their Share weight control groups. After finishing their training and with their consent,  through the encouragement of Elisabeth a dear friend and Neighbour, I started my own groups and made them  available to Christians for a minimal cost for the Health Department material provided by them at a reduced price , which most could afford, if they couldn’t  there was no cost.

Elizabeth will share her amazing Testimony at another time but Joy another friend who came to one of my groups and than became one of my Leaders for many years, shares all about them on the Link below.

Joy –  https://freedomborn.wordpress.com/2013/10/18/a-friend-in-need-is-a-friend-indeed/

I put on weight again in Sydney for a few years when I was addicted to Gambling, which I shared about before in one of my Posts and why it happened,  later having been delivered of the Gambling Addiction after heart repentance and healed Miraculously of two life threatening conditions, Ron and I helped others and started a group called Gambling and Addiction Free in our Church, which we continued when  we came to Queensland.

I also lost the excess weight  and once again started my Groups but changed their name from Christian Weight Control Workshops, to Heavenly Lights, I use to also do One to One for those who couldn’t come to the Groups and phone support  for those who lived in N.S.W.

This  picture record of my weight loss above is not complete, but these do show the changes even in our features as we loose weight.

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There is no Magic wand but with God’s leading and empowering we can be very successful with loosing weight and maintaining it for the right reasons.

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One of the big helps with the problem of boring food, when loosing weight were  good low fat balanced Cook books, I discovered they where a great help.

Ron shares below that  they  helped him  too as  he often cooks a meal for me,  which I really appreciate, he is also a very good cook …….

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Ron….

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All the  recent cook books I have tried, the food has  been so healthy but  tasted so good too!  The recipes have so much flavour and are very filling, they are so unlike many diet recipes I have  tried before over the years,  which were mostly bland and tasteless, I’m happy to use them anytime, I’m not into experimenting like Anne does when motivated. Thanks Ron.

I maintained well until about 5 years ago when my disability started to limit me greatly and  with no exercise or controlled eating,  I started putting on some weight  again but now that God has healed me, I’m seeking to loose with His leading and empowering, I also feel the motivation from Him to start my Heavenly Lights Weight Groups again, please pray for these, as there is a great need for God’s balance in this area but it may not be the right time for me to do so.

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I would like to share some important Truths that I have learnt from our Teacher Jesus Christ in reference to food, appearance and weight misconceptions.

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1. Regardless of how we look on the outside or our weaknesses, shortcomings, faults and disabilities, God sees our heart and if we Love Him and others and willingly show we do by our actions,  our worth to God is without earthly value and this is what is really important, not what fleshy man or woman thinks about us.

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2 . Food does not bring us close to God or cause us to be separated from Him, unless we use it to worship a Pagan god, which is idolatry and sin or  we wrongly think that it Saves us or stops us from loosing our Salvation, we don’t have Salvation unless we ask for it with repentance and heart conviction and this is all about Faith not works and we can’t loose it if we really have it and we will show we have it.

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3. I  would like to share now some important Truths straight from God written word……..

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Romans 14:16-18 Therefore do not let your good be spoken of as evil;  for the Kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but Righteousness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.  For he who serves Christ in these things is acceptable to God and approved by men.

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Corinthians 8:8  But food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse.

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1 Timothy 4:4 -6 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;  for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.

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Thank you for listening – Christian Love from both of us – Anne