Elaine's Story

I have nothing but the highest Praise for the Grace and Strength program. I've done countless other diets and I lost weight on many of them but when I reached a good weight my attitude turned to thinking I was "done dieting". I never dealt with the root issues – my wrong thinking, the idolatrous desire for immediate gratification, the emotional garbage that drove me to eat when I wasn't hungry! So it was always just a matter of time before I returned to old behaviors.

The last program I was involved in was very helpful and Christian based but I quit too soon thinking "I can take it from here!" Independence and pride are other areas of struggle for me and that is why I want to praise coach Bekah for the accountability and the Thursday night online meetings with others. Struggling with weight can make a person feel isolated and alone. Opening myself up to the supportive help from others has been an enormous blessing.

Something else that God has made clear to me during my time on the Grace and Strength Program is that He expects me to accept the boundary limits that He's established for me. Ultimately God is in control- I can't make my heart beat. One of the things God helped me to see is that I have control issues. I would jog several miles- weigh and measure foods, stick to the program and the next morning the scale might be the same. Some days I would be so angry I would want to take a sledgehammer and smash that scale to bits! My thought was "if I do THIS – then THAT has to be the results!" It doesn't always work that way though. Life isn't about me getting what I want. It's about God- getting what HE wants- glory- gratefulness- praise and surrender!! Ultimately God is the only thing that can truly satisfy my emotional hunger. Food or shopping never truly satisfies but I've been a slow learner! My full satisfaction is never going to be found in this life.

Gradually, I'm finding peace in not opposing God in any way. He decided how many calories my body needs and He is pleased and glorified when I accept the limit.

I have also learned that humble, dependent prayer, admitting need for God's help is my first source of strength and self-control. While I was trying to lose weight whenever I stumbled and sinned with food I would ask the Lord "why did I behave that way? Help me to understand my behavior, Lord. What was I thinking?" God is on our side and He wants us to be victorious over this behavior. Many times He opened my eyes to see my wrong thinking. Ideas like "I worked hard today- I deserve a treat- I am entitled to eat this- everyone else is having some." I realized how that sort of thinking lead to overeating- obesity- high blood pressure. So what was I saying? I deserve to ruin my health?? God opened my eyes to see that it was wrong thinking and it came from the enemy of my soul who wants to destroy my health. G&S is the best thing that has happened to me in a long time.

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* Individual results may vary.