My girls...can I really call them that? Who knows, since they really aren't my girls but God's! I am just so thankful He has placed them in one of my groups I'm coaching. I am so honored and blessed to be able to help these ladies, however the Lord shows me to, to help lead them to freedom with their food issues and weight! Some of them have shared with me what it means to them already in this short amount of time, to be part of a group when losing weight and so I wanted to share with you all their thoughts. I won't put their names just in case they don't want people knowing but I will say they are amazing and I am so excited to see what God is doing in their lives. I am SOOOO inadequate for this job and for helping them as I myself am so newly out of this journey BUT I remember it's not me, daily I'm praying for God to equip me and to use me as His vessel to lead these girls. He is the one who knows their hearts, He is the one who knows how their next week is going to be and He is the one who knows exactly what they need to hear, to help them through this program. So I rely TOTALLY on Him and seek Him about how to pray for them and how to help them and what to say to them!

~Coach April

"I love being a part of the Skype group because I don't have to leave my home to get some amazing support and encouragement. I look forward to my small group chats and I know that I could not have done this without the wonderful group I've connected with. Having April coach me through this journey has been the #1 factor in my success--knowing that she is just a phone call, text, or email away is so reassuring. If I need to be talked away from the chocolate, she is there! I have failed at so many diets and lifestyle-change plans, and finally I am succeeding with Grace and Strength!"

"I am so thankful to have this program to guide me on this journey. The skype program has been great for me. Being able to listen to other ladies who are on the same journey helps tremendously. Also having a group helps to give encouragement and get encouragement! Our coach connects us together as a group but with skyping and facebook we have been able to build our relationships. Thank you April for being a great coach. Because you have done this journey, you can relate to us. I am grateful for this program!"

"It has only been a short time I have been on the program, yet the changes in myself are big. I have lost weight, but more than that I have gained new friendships, walking beside me on this journey. I have gained self-control, disipline and patience. All 3 of which, came from the Lord Jesus Christ doing a work in me. A work that is NOT by any means complete, but ongoing! I have gained an appreciation for those that have gone before me in this weight loss journey. I have gained a bit more self-confidence (which I know will grow as I continue to be obedient). I have gained an awesome coach and friend in April, she keeps us going with encouragement. Having been there she can relate. That is very significant, because only someone that has been there can help us. Though the weight loss was my primary motivation, what I have gained has been a huge blessing!"

"I have never been one to be interested in diets. I never thought that a diet would be something that would be a complete transformation for me. I felt like it would just be a phase, and then I would go right back to my old ways. I've seen countless friends go on and off diets and nothing ever lasted. I still feel the same way about diets ... but the Grace and Strength diet is 100% different. I don't even like calling it a diet because it's more like a transformation than anything else. I first discovered the Grace and Strength diet through my coach's blog. Like her I am an extreme emotional eater. Food has always been my go-to thing when ever I was going through something emotional or a difficult time in my life. Food has held me captive for my whole life. I ran to it instead of to God. I thought food was my comfort .... but instead it provided nothing but bondage. When I saw the results that my coach was experiencing I felt for the first time like there was hope. I felt like I too could experience the freedom that she now had. I decided that I was tired of hiding myself. I was tired of hiding behind a mask, I was tired of making excuses to do things because of my weight. I was tired of being trapped inside my own body. Being a part of the Grace and Strength diet has already provided me with so much empowerment, so much strength and so much freedom. I can't even imagine what I will feel like once I reach my goal. I am so thankful for what I have gained through this ministry, I am so thankful for my coach and the team of women that I have had the privileged to share this journey with. I know that I am never alone in this journey. It's comforting to know that I have my team to help keep me accountable, to encourage me through the hard days and to share in my victories. This journey is not just about losing weight ... it's about discovering a new relationship with God, it's discovering how to run to Him instead of my own selfish desires. I am so excited to continue on this journey towards freedom and discover the Lindsay that God intended for me to be!"

"A small group provides me with the support and accountability that I never knew I always needed to really commit to a weight loss program. Having made some great girlfriends along the way really helps too!!"

"What I love about our in-home group and meetings is being able to sit on April's comfy couch and celebrate in each other's successes and encourage each other in our struggles. One of my favorite things to hear April say when I share something is "girl, I remember feeling the exact same way." I know that she is being sincere because I have known her for a long time and known that she has had similar struggles with her weight as I have. I love that we can share anything without worry that it will be repeated or that we will be judged. I love the group of girls in the skype group and being able to give encouragement to one another even though we are all over the country. I have learned so much in the short time that I have been on the Grace and Strength program. I've learned a lot about nutrition and a LOT about my abilities. All that I have been able to accomplish on this program has been because "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Boy is that true, every day I feel stronger, every day I feel like I can be a better wife, mom, and nurse. As a nurse in a cardiac ICU I see many patients who's lives are hanging in the balance from heart attacks, diabetes and other conditions that could have been avoided or reduced by healthy lifestyle changes. As I am becoming healthier in all areas of my life I believe I will be able to educate patients better and set a good example. As a mother my new healthy lifestyle will help me to have more energy to play with my young children and someday my grandchildren unlike my mother in law who passed away in her 50's from complications from diabetes. I won't go through all the diets I have been on in my life but I will say that there were enough that I felt surgery was my final resort so I had Lap Band surgery 4 years ago and lost some but I must say that since I have been on the Grace and strength program I have lost more weight in 3 weeks (36 pounds) than I did in 3 months with my lap band. If I had known about the Grace and Strength program before having surgery I could have saved myself a lot of money, labwork, 6 months of medically supervised diet, sleep study, EKG, xray, insurance approval, waiting, waiting, waiting, SURGERY and then feeling almost abandoned as soon as surgery was over. I didn't have someone that I could communicate with regularly that knew what I was going through or even a group of people that were going through it with me. I have learned that God doesn't think that my feelings are trivial and talking to Him about my struggles are much more effective than turning to food. I'm not done with cravings or struggles, but I feel like every day I get stronger and stronger."

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* Individual results may vary.