SGM Auction and Made to Crave Session 2 (All in...and We Weren't Meant to Walk Alone)

Reminder: The SGM Auction will be held this week, so make sure you visit and bid on some of the items on the Caring for Carleigh  Facebook Page. You will have to "like" the page in order to be able to leave your bid in the comment section under the picture of the item you wish to bid on. Make sure you keep checking back between April 6-8 in case another person bids on the item you want. Highest bidder wins. Holly's goal is to earn $1,000 or more for Sufficient Grace. Will you help her meet that goal? Spread the word on your blogs and facebook, and don't forget to place your bid on some of the over 100 items available, including a Vera Bradley bag, baby items, handmade items, books, jewelry, and much more. Please prayerfully consider supporting this ministry that reaches out to encourage women and offer comfort to grieving families.
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Now, on to Made to Crave Session 2.
We are covering chapters 2, 3, and 4 this week.

Before I delve into this session, I wanted to ask that those participating would consider going back to the comment section from Made to Crave Session One and read some of the comments from those participating. I was inspired by your raw honesty and transparency. I think it would be a great encouragement if we could make sure that we re-visit the comments on each Made to Crave post and encourage each other in the comment section. I noticed not many are using the blog frog for discussion, so maybe using the comments to encourage each other is a good idea. Accountability is so important...as well as prayer and encouragement. We are not meant to do this alone. And, please remember to pray for each other (and me, too)!

Several of you shared what you weigh last week, and it inspired me. Part of this journey to freedom means setting aside all that we hide behind, laying down our fleshy vanity, being humble. So...here it is.

I started this journey at:

148 pounds

My current weight as of this morning:

142
(according to my scale minus clothes and shoes...the doctor's scale said something different this week, with clothes and shoes...but I'm picking my at home, no clothes, first thing in the morning weight!)

One pound up from last week's weight of 141. There... I'm all in. I'm with you in this. And, I'm ready for freedom.  My goal is to get back to 120 pounds. I was there a few years ago...and I was free. I want to be free again.

I loved Lysa's description of weighing herself each day without anything on...then removing her pony tail and stepping back on the scale. I wondered if she had been peeking in my windows, watching my own morning routine, listening to the thoughts in my head! I could relate to her discouragement...her self-defeating thoughts....her moments of giving into temptation and then just indulging in food, hoping to start again tomorrow.

Lysa talks about replacing our cravings, and these words really hit home:

I had to get honest enough to admit it: I relied on food more than I relied on God. I craved food more than I craved God. Food was my comfort. Food was my reward. Food was my joy. Food was what I turned to in times of stress, sadness, and even in times of happiness. ~ Made to Crave, pg. 29

I love what she did instead, to resist the cravings:

I determined to make God, rather than food, my focus. Each time I craved something I knew wasn't part of my plan I used that craving as a prompt to pray. I craved a lot. So, I found myself praying a lot.
~ Made to Crave pg. 29-30

Lysa talks about the struggle, even to the point of tears, to resist the food she craved. I have been there. It can be painful to feel all the feelings we have stuffed away in the past, reaching to food to relieve stress, to feel comfort. But, her words are true, that each victory she experienced tasted better than the food she craved.

She waited in expectation for God to hear her prayers and deliver her. And, He was faithful.
(Psalm 5:1-3)
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Chapter 3 is all about making a plan and working at it. She talks about how much effort goes into making a beautiful garden. You have to sacrifice, put forth effort, day after day, seed by seed, determined, investing energy and effort...and planning your efforts in advance.

One of the problems she shared is also the cry of my own heart:
I wanted to eat what I wanted, when I wanted, in the quantities I wanted.

I want, I want, I want....yikes. Can you hear the fleshy desire of those words. Blech.

Another important bit of wisdom on page 39:

Getting a plan is the first crucial step; getting a friend to join you is the next.

The Made to Crave study guide I purchased to go along with the book asks the question, what is your reaction to the words "food plan"? Which movie title would best describe your reaction?

Psycho
Leap of Faith
Mission Impossible
Life is Beautiful
High Noon
Do the Right Thing
Les Miserables
Saving Grace
A Time to Kill
Independence Day

Although there have been times in my life when I would have said Psycho or A Time to Kill (because I'll admit I can get a little testy when trying to resist cravings for the sweet yumminess of chocolate and the goodness of some hearty breadsticks or Doritos and Pepsi...yes ma'am), right now I will pick Independence Day...because I'm craving freedom. Saving Grace...because His sufficient grace will get me through each moment. And, a Leap of Faith...because I am trusting Him for victory over this struggle. Not that some of the others may not seep in along the way, but I hope to resist those urges, and expect to...with His help!

Since we have the friend part covered with each other...we need a plan. What food/nutrition plan do you use?

The nutrition plan I have found that works is Weight Watchers. Although, I have not enjoyed the new Weight Watchers plan. So, I am using the tools I used several years ago on the "old" Weight Watchers plan. The philosophy is to lower calories, eat fruits and vegetables, foods that are high in fiber and protein and low in fat and calories, and drink plenty of water. It is important to stick closely to the plan you choose, and next to find someone to walk with you on the journey.

Commit your actions to the Lord, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3 NLT

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Which brings us to Chapter 4 and the subject of accountability.

We need each other, and we were not meant to walk through this life alone. In fact, we were created to need the Lord...and one another. It's one of the beautiful ways He works!

Two are better off than one, for they can help each  other succeed. If one person falls, the other can reach out and help. But someone who falls alone is in real trouble. Likewise, two people lying close together can keep each other warm. But how can one be warm alone? A person standing alone can be attacked and defeated, but two can stand back to back and conquer. Three are even better, for a triple-braided cord is not easily broken. Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 NLT

We need a friend...and not just any friend. As Lysa writes, "A friend who will hold you accountable, speak the truth in love, and pray for you."

In her study guide, Lysa shares some powerful statistics on accountability:

The probability of achieving a goal is...
10 percent when you hear an idea
40 percent when you decide you will do it
50 percent when you plan how you will do it
65 percent when you commit to someone else you will do it
95 percent when you have an accountability appointment with the person you've committed to

So...will you be that friend? Will you stand with me...with each other so that we can pray for one another and not be defeated?

I hope so. Together is way better than alone.
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Don't forget to encourage one another in last week's comments if you have time, and share your heart in this week's as well. I will be praying for each of you this week, as we find a plan and stick with it...and I would appreciate your prayers for me, as well. Also, I'm not going to include a Linky yet, unless others are interested in linking up, but Kate from Called Out One is blogging and reading along with us on Mondays, and her posts always bless me. Stop over and read her thoughts and leave her some love in the comments this week, too. If you blog about your Made to Crave journey, please leave a link to your post in the comments...and if you're reading, please visit those posts and leave some words of encouragement.

Next Monday for Session 3, we will be covering Chapters 5 and 6.