So what  happened to the weightloss plan? In a nutshell …nothing. I went to New York, had a blast and bought some cute clothes. Slimfast  became a thing of the past. I joined an exercise class with Neval from www.nghealthandfitness.com. He’s a really cool guy and excellent personal trainer but I really wasn’t putting in the time with him to see any positive results. That’s when I decided to start my monthly challenge. The very first one will begin in October 2011 and it’s to exercise everyday for a minimum of 15 minutes daily. It’s well known that to maintain a healthy heart you need to exercise for 30 minutes 5 days a week. Here I am working in chronic disease research and I’m not even getting in two days of exercise. That has got to change.

My reward for the exercise challenge is a new pair of shoes. A new pair of cute sexy sandals, or slippers or pumps. Hmmm…I think I’ll go look for them now so I’ll know what to buy at the end of the month.

First I forgot to weigh myself and so had no idea what was my starting weight. This would have made it quite hard to gauge any progress I would have made. My forgetfulness was probably due to the fact that generally I hate scales because they always seem to be telling me a number I don’t like. But in this case since I’m  actively making an effort to lose a few pounds I at least need to know where I am so I’ll know when I reach the target.

Then over the weekend the idea to use slim fast and all my other healthy eating decisions went right out the door. Granted it was a little hard to keep focused because we were hit by a category 1 hurricane and torrential rain and power outages were the order of weekend, but still I must confess that I really did not make any effort to stick to any kind of plan. There’s just something with being stuck with no power, no internet, no distractions to just make a girl eat. Unlike other people I can’t do the auto-sleep that got my brother through the weekend. Most of the time I was wandering around the house, going to the kitchen, looking out the window and going to the kitchen, reading a book and going to the kitchen, listening to the radio coverage and going to the kitchen. Even listening to the radio and hearing people calling saying they didn’t have any power became monotonous. Actually it was downright annoying after a while since there were other people in worse situations like having their roofs blown off. I thank God however that there were no lives lost and that the storm was not any stronger than it was.

In my defence though, I’d forgotten to buy any slim fast cans while in the supermarket and scurrying around trying to remember what hurricane supplies I needed. Somehow things like you’re on a diet just fly out of your mind when you suddenly find out at the end of the day that the bad weather you knew was coming had, in the space of an hour, been upgraded to a full fledged storm. Plus the cashier lines were beginning to get very long and I just wanted to grab stuff and leave as soon as possible.

It means then that the official diet period started from November 2^nd. But having used three of the different flavours cans last week when I thought I was on a plan I can say that l learned a couple things.

1. Although instructions on the cans say chill before serving I kind of like them at room temperature, particularly the ones I have for breakfast.
2. I’d be more successful substituting breakfast and lunch rather than breakfast and dinner. On Thursday last when I had a bacon salad and was planning to have a can for dinner, I went home to find some good old bajan chicken soup with dumplings, cabbage and sweet potato yum yum. It was nice yellow with all the pumpkin. I completely forgot about slimfast and had second and thirds.
3. Weigh first… even if you don’t like to weigh because it’s depressing. This is a general rule and not really to do with slimfast.
4. My ratings per slim fast can where as follows:

Flavour: Cappucino
Taste: 8/10
Fullness: 6/10 (this is standard)
Time after which I had to snack or go crazy: 2.5 hours later

Flavour: French Vanilla
Taste: 7/10
Fullness: 6/10 (this is standard)
Time after which I had to snack or go crazy: 3.5 hours later (need to monitor this)

Flavour: Chocolate
Taste: 8.5/10
Fullness: 6/10 (this is standard)
Time after which I had to snack or go crazy: 3 hours later

<h2>XL top on a 3XL bottom</h2>

I know the chances are very, very slim that I’ll find any new clothes during winter that are suitable for my Caribbean climate, but hey, a girl’s still gotta try. Definitely, definitely, shoes will be the order of the day which means that I’ll have to find a way of lugging them home without paying too much for overweight baggage. Still the chance to sightsee during the festive period and experience snow for the first time (hopefully) will be great.

As a result I decided to look into losing a few pounds since it was either that or gain a few. The thing is though that my day job is with doctors and a nutritionist, so gaining weight does not appear to be a viable option because I will be castigated if I do. One of the docs is a friend who keeps hoping to stage a nutritional intervention with my family because she thinks we’re all grazers. She also only eats one meal a day and snacks on yogurt for breakfast and has a cup of tea for dinner. Like how cruel to your tastebuds and stomach is that!

So it’s almost the end of October and I’ve got about 8 weeks to lose 20 pounds. Exercise wise – Thoroughly cleaning the house (with much bending and furniture lifting/pulling) will do nicely. Plus tennis a couple days a week where instead of just watching the ball whiz by, I’ll actually try to run to get it. And I’ll take my stretch bands to work and do a couple resistance exercises during breaks.

The hardest part will be what to eat given that I also have a love affair with food. Fruit, vegetables, meat, dairy, you name it, I like it. I like it all. Different tastes, flavours, trying new things? Well that’s me. I figure I’ll have to switch up whatever eating plan or plans I use along the way.

If you’ve been on the internet lately or done a drive by to a book store for books on weight loss you’d have noticed they are hundreds if not thousands of plans, supplements and gurus. Whatever I choose must be healthy, effortless and interesting. Sticking to it, I know, will be challenging (See above food affair). But I promise to give it a go and record my journey whether good, bad, ugly or to heck with it.

My plan of choice for the time being is slim fast 3-2-1. But to be on the safe/frugal side I think I’ll just buy 2 of the shakes to try out for b’fast and lunch tomorrow. If I don’t feel like passing out or hitting somebody during the day because I’m too hungry then I’ll buy two more for the day after.

Wow I thought, amazing! What was it that caused those people to do so well even during horrible economic times? What differentiated them from the other average struggling person who just couldn’t get it together? Was it talent, education, self-belief? Luck? All of the above?

But wait a minute. For every rich, successful talented individual out there, there are countless others just as talented or educated who will never achieve a tenth of the success these people have. It’s not like they are lacking ambition or are not working hard to build their dream. Yet the dream seems to just elude their grasp. Then I thought. Where does God fit into all of this?

There are four important points to consider if you want to become successful God’s way. Of course, there are many other considerations that will be discussed in other articles but I think these four are a good place to start.

1. Wealth comes at the Lord’s discretion.

The bible acknowledges that it is God who gives the power to become wealthy. As David prays in 1 Chronicles 29:12, “Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all.” – NIV

Sure there are certain common character traits and habits of very successful people and by learning and mimicking these habits we too can achieve a measure of their success. But the power to become great is not only a natural phenomenon and the ability to amass riches comes from the Lord.

2. Not every Christian is supposed to be rich.

I can remember when some christian teachers preached a prosperity gospel that basically told people that if they were not blessed with riches it was their fault because their faith was weak. People were encouraged to buy tapes, books, cloths, make pledges, donations etc, in order to receive a financial blessing.

While the concept of giving is a sound christian, financial principle through which we receive God’s blessing, what ended up happening was that the teachers themselves became rich from offerings and book sales while many of those who gave but did not get the financial breakthrough were left wondering why. The simple fact is that not everyone is meant to be rich.

Jesus said that the poor we would always have with us. And in Acts remember that the apostles and members of the early church were selling fields and homes etc. to get funds to help those members who did not have. Since the poor did not disappear at that time, I don’t think we will all become rich now. What I do think is that God want us to have abundance but that’s a discussion for another article.

Question – So if I am not given wealth does it mean that God loves me less, or that my faith is weak?

No. God loves us all with an everlasting love but He is more interested in our character and motives than in our comfort. If we trust in His faithfulness, mercy and love then we have to trust that He knows what is good for us. Not what we think is good for us but what He thinks is good for us. As Proverbs 15:16 puts it, Better a little with the fear of the LORD than great wealth with turmoil. – NIV

3. Why do you want to become rich?

The third thing to consider is why do you want to be rich? Is it to achieve a measure of security? To be able to buy things for yourself or your family? But what have you sacrificed in your striving and ambitions to gain wealth? Is it time with the family you love or your health because you are under constant stress and pressure? Have you found yourself willing to compromise your integrity?

While there is absolutely nothing wrong with being rich, true success is not only measured in dollars and cents. At the end of your life what really matters is not how much money you have in the bank because you cannot take it with you. We are cautioned against hording and putting our trust in material things and riches, which can be easily swept away. Let’s face it, the more we have accumulated, the more we have to lose – whether by inflation, theft, or some unpredictable natural disaster.

Rather, we are to build our treasures in heaven which cannot be destroyed. We build on relationships. We are kind, giving to the poor and needy. We trust God to take care of us. He watches the sparrows and provides for each of them. Indeed if He can do it for them certainly He knows what we need and is willing and more than able to supply it to us.

4. What part do my efforts play in acquiring wealth?

First of all God hates laziness and rewards diligence. Proverbs 13:4 The sluggard craves and gets nothing, but the desires of the diligent are fully satisfied. – NIV. The Message bible interprets it this way Indolence wants it all and gets nothing;

But the energetic have something to show for their lives.

Secondly, we are called to be excellent in all that we do. This means that we try our best in all aspects of our lives. We behave with integrity and honesty in our relationships. We don’t manipulate people for our own gain. We are compassionate. We are excellent employees and employers. We value people because God values them. We are givers.

But, we stop the constant striving with reckless ambition to get, get, get. You do not have to neglect your family or become an overachieving workaholic.  Psalm 127: 2  It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors; For He gives to His beloved even while they sleep. – NAS paraphrase

What we need is balance. On the one hand we are not envious, lazy or looking for handouts, and on the other we do not become so consumed with our desire to acquire wealth that we sacrifice our morals or God’s standards to achieve it. Inevitably we should aim to be content with whatever means God has provided us with – whether much or little. Giving thanks to Him always for everything and trusting Him to continue to provide for us whatever we need.

All the while, at the back of my mind there was this needling voice saying, I should get a handle on my finances, I needed to manage my spending. Did I know how much debt I really had? How much did I owe and to whom? The voice was always loudest during the week to ten days leading up to pay day. That’s when the money from my last check was all but gone and the groceries and gas purchases were going on the credit card. At the beginning of the month when I had some cash, things didn’t seem that bad. Sounds familiar?

After months of hair pulling, tortuous feelings and two free seminars on managing personal income, I decided to take the plunge. I took a deep breath and decided to take a look at all debt I had accumulated. So here goes…

Credit Card 1                      1,116.67
Credit Card 2                      7,862.69
Store Card 1                       198.99
Bank Loan 1                        4,000.00
Bank Loan 2                        3,834.52
Other loans                         353.99
Student loan                        0.00  (Thank God I finished that one a year ago)

Total                                      17,366.86

I remember looking at the total in shock wondering what to do next. Granted it may not be a lot compared to some of the albatrosses around the necks of others but hey, it’s mine and feels just as overwhelming to me as it may to someone who is in the red for twice or twenty times that amount.

Isn’t it all relative though? What may be manageable debt to you based on your income level, may be completely unmanageable to another person. I try to be sympathetic to those who find themselves in these situations. Yes we are the ones who put ourselves there. We slide head first after all. Yet often we arrive at the erroneous conclusion that we can afford to pay it back when the paycheck comes around, or that making the payments while eating and living will be easy. I certainly thought about my purchases before buying them. Still the money I owed seemed like some esoteric number floating in outer space…until, that is, I actually sat down and listed it all. My next step is to try to find the best way to eliminate debt and better manage my money?

We are plagued with concerns about how long it will take to payoff our creditors and whether we can keep our credit ratings in good standings. The point is we need help …all that we can get and there is no better way to do this than to educate ourselves about the tools and strategies we can use to manage our personal finances.

However, before I begin talking about budgets, minimum payments and interest rates I want to introduce a book that has provided me with invaluable help in changing my perspective on how best to go about achieving a debt free status. It is not a get rich quick book, nor does it tell you which agency to approach for an interest free loan or where to find the least expensive credit card. What it does provide is the foundation for creating prosperity using biblical principles.

I do not mean that you will achieve unparalleled financial success and become a millionaire, though who can limit or determine God’s blessings. No, what I mean is moving from insufficiency (not having enough) to sufficiency (just having enough) to abundance (having more than enough). And why is abundance the aim. It’s because with abundance you can then reach out to help someone else. The amount really does not matter and is all relative, since what is the point of earning a million dollars a year if you end up with twenty million in debt.

The book I’m writing about was authored by Derek Prince and as anyone familiar with his teachings would expect, it gives the reader delightful insights and sound biblical principles on how God views money and how to cultivate a balanced attitude toward money and wealth.

Based on his personal experience in living the principles outlined in the book for over 40 years, Derek gives valuable and realistic advice on steps to achieving financial success and living in abundance.

Not surprisingly it starts with control, though not about how or why we should control our spending. Rather it begins with our need to surrender total control of our lives to God and allow Him to renew our minds and bring our priorities and value system in line with His. Only then can we have God’s full blessing on our lives and by extension our finances.

Did you know that extreme poverty is a curse which Jesus took on himself when he went to the cross? As it says in the bible ‘For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor so that you through his poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9)

God has a plan

In Gods Plan For Your Money are little gold nuggets of wisdom as is usual for Mr. Prince whose ability to show how God’s word can be practically applied to our lives is unique. In the book he states that money should not be underestimated because it represents our time, efforts and strengths. If we consider that the money we earn is a quantifiable value of our God-given talents and recognize that the majority of our productive lives will be spent pursuing gainful employment (8 hours x 5 days/week x 45 years), then it stands to reason that the portion of our income or receipts we give to God will reflect how much we love and desire to serve Him.

The book explains what mammon is and how to avoid its influence.  Derek highlights how offerings are an important part of worship and reveals that God keeps a record of our giving – financial and otherwise.

He addresses tithing – how it started, why it is not an offering and why it is still applicable to Christians today. Indeed he concludes that the tenth is but the minimum Christians should consider giving. In addition to the tithe, there are six different types of offerings as well as the giving of alms or charity all of which determine our attitude to riches and prosperity.

Finally Mr. Prince gives advice on how giving is sowing. He uses the analogy of agriculture to show how God blesses us when we give freely to Him and to the building of His kingdom. Practical guidelines are given to help Christians figure out which ministry or organization to support financially and Derek also advises against impulsive or emotional giving. Sound advice for anyone today!

The book shows that God has His own interest rate of return, given in His time when we give in faith and stick to His principles. When we give we begin a process, the end result of which is abundance. So that in all things at all times we may have all we need to thrive and joyously flourish as we do good work. (2 Corinthians 9:8 paraphrased).

God takes note of our giving and provides over and over and over again. Is that not refreshing? Instead of having to pursue money and having all the frustrations that goes along with it, if we follow God’s principles then money pursues us. Like your boss suddenly gives you a raise (my experience).

Derek Prince’s perceptive little book is easy to read and full of advice that you can implement today. If you are serious about finding a way to manage your money, finding a way out of debt or simply finding God’s will for the financial areas in your life,  then this is the best and first solution you should try.

After reading numerous articles, watching countless youtube help videos, 6 prayers and two tries at the installation, I finally got WordPress 3.0 installed by myself. Yup After 2.5 hours. I did it! Go ahead and laugh… I am.

Now the fun really begins as I try to figure out pluggins, taxonomy  and seo while remaining sane.