As I sit here and ponder all that the Lord has done in my life over the last six months, I am amazed at how He used Grace and Strength to change me.  God has worked in my life through this program to change me not only physically but both spiritually and emotionally.  I have spent my entire adult life feeling trapped in an oversized body.  I developed insecurities that I didn't even know that I had until this journey. I used to laugh about my weight and being a ‘big girl'.  That was me on the outside but I was dying on the inside. I tried all the popular diets and have read all of the books.  I always did well for a few weeks and then some kind of stress would hit and I would cheat. I would believe the lie that "I deserved to cheat."  I never would get back on track until the next time I decided that I was determined and well, it was vicious cycle and I felt trapped.

At the beginning of 2012, I was on one of my determination streaks and actually lost 55 pounds in five months.  It was great! I thought I had arrived.  I broke a point that I hadn't broken in 15 years.  I even kept that weight off for a couple of months.  But then life got busy and stressful and I began to eat all the junk that you eat when you are busy and stressed.  In three months, I had gained back 27 of those pounds.  I knew I was headed in the wrong direction.  I felt hopeless.   This is when I contacted Monica.  I had watched her journey through Facebook and knew that she was successfully keeping the weight off.  I began praying that God would change me.  I knew that Monica had found something that I never had.  She had found a way to keep the weight off.  She had found peace. I wanted that!  I began praying that if this program was the answer to all my pleading with the Lord to help me change, that He would make a way for me to begin this journey.  God opened the door for me to be able to make this journey and I remember telling Monica, "We are going to have faith that God will see us through."

At the beginning of this journey, I started out with the optimism that comes with starting a new journey.  I was ready and determined that this time would be different.  Boy, I didn't know how different it would be.  Monica encouraged us to really get in God's word and dig deep instead of just reading on the surface.  I have been encouraged to do this before but this time I really did it.  God began revealing to me my bondage to food and the way that I had made food an idol in my life. I wanted to change. But, how do you change a mindset that has been ingrained in you for so long? I began searching for a devotional that would help me. I chose the book Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer (one of the recommended books on the website).

Wow! Along with God's Word, this book helped me realized that not only did I have a bondage to food but I really needed to work on taking every thought captive.  It helped me realize something I already knew but I don't think I really, really believed it to be true when it came to the food I was eating or the reasons I had for cheating on a diet.  Satan is constantly attacking in me in this area.  I began changing how I think.  It was amazing! It was like God was opening my eyes to all the attacks that Satan had been attacking me with since I was a kid. It is a constant battle but I know who wins the war and I am holding on to that!  Coach Monica kept stressing that staying on protocol was choosing to be obedient to the Lord.  I took that to heart.  I would not cheat this time.  I was going to be obedient to the Lord and I was going to be aware of the attacks of Satan and was going to fight him with scripture.  I used the scripture 2 Corinthians 12:9 " But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me." more times than you can imagine.  I hung to this promise like my life depended on it.  You see, God revealed to me that in my flesh, I am weak. Yet, He is enough!

He is enough! And He has set me free!  I give all the credit and glory to our God for my weight loss.  He changed me body, mind, and spirit.  I have lost the excess weight, grown in my relationship with the Lord, and learned so much about myself.  I am still getting used to this new body.  There are so many things that I can do now that I was afraid to even attempt before.  I am such a different person than I was six months ago.  I lost 88.5 pounds while on Grace and Strength.*  I am blessed beyond measure!  Thank you Grace and Strength team for making this possible. Thank you Coach Monica for always being there to encourage and uplift me through the low moments and teaching me the truths of God's Word!   Glory to God!  I have been changed!

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* Individual results may vary.