Made to Crave Book Review Part 2

So I realized I never finished my book review on "Made to Crave" by Lysa TerKeurst - well, here it is (finally).

The second have of "Made to Crave" was more of the encouraging words of the the first half. Lysa discusses so many different issues tied to weight including overindulgence and learning to portion control.

One of the chapters discussed identifying what we tie our "happy" to. Often our happy is tied to the number on the scale or the size clothes we fit in or even the food we eat. Lysa explains that our happy shouldn't be tied to these things because it sets us up for failure. We need to find our identity in Christ and tie our happy to him and the fact that we are his.

Lysa also talks about continuing to make good choices. Every good choice you make, no matter how small, will add up to big change. She emphasizes the importance of the "next choice we make." If the next choice is a good one, it can lead to more good choices, but if it's a bad choice, we will be more likely to continue to make bad choices. Obviously, we will not always make the right choice, but we always need to be thinking about the effects our choices have on future decisions.

This is a quote I especially loved:

"So, I'm not on a diet. I'm on a journey with Jesus to learn the fine art of self-discipline for the purpose of holiness."

What a great perspective to have! Yes, we may change the foods we eat for the purpose of weight loss or to be healthy, but the focus doesn't have to be on our diet. The focus should be on the journey to learn self-discipline. When we develop self-discipline, we will make better and healthier decisions for our lives and our families.

Although there was new information that I hadn't read before, a lot of what Lysa wrote in "Made to Crave" I had heard before. However, she wrote it in a way that just made sense to me. She was putting words to jumbled thoughts that I couldn't get organized. She described things in a way that, although I may have heard it before, I really understood it now.

This book is definitely geared to women who are looking to lose weight, but really, its a great book for anyone who wants to learn self-discipline and learn to crave God above anything else. Everyone craves something - sometimes lots of somethings. But what would it looked like if we all craved God, and truly sought him to fill us - cravings and all?

one year later

Today {October 18, 2011} is one year since the beginning of my weight loss journey.

Wow - I have come a long way.

Last month I blogged about wanting to lose another 5 pounds by today, and I'm happy to say that I have lost over 7 pounds this last month!

That is a total of 43.2 pounds in the last year!

To be honest, I have mixed feelings about that number. I'm STOKED about the weight I've lost, but I do also wish (and expected) to have lost more than that. I know I can't focus on what could have been, but rather, I need to focus on what I've accomplished.

I've also grown a lot emotionally and spiritually. even today I had yet another "breakthrough" during my devotions. I'm doing the Bible study, "Breaking Free" by Beth Moore, (which I highly recommend). I've learned a lot and continued to work through my weight loss and food issues through this study. Today, I read Psalms 45:1-15, and verse 11 really hit me.

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord."

(reread that if you didn't catch it).

The KING OF KINGS thinks I'm beautiful! Also, I need to honor him. I don't always honor him, especially when it comes to my weight because I'm often eating things I shouldn't or putting myself down for not being better, thinner, more. But he thinks I'm beautiful, so the least I can do is honor him with my actions, thoughts, body, words, all that i am. and no matter how I feel, no matter what the scale says, no matter what I look like, no matter what size clothes I wear - HE thinks I'm beautiful and I am His Beloved. I don't always live my life like I'm a beloved daughter of the King. It's definitely easier said than lived out, but I'm making strides to believe this truth even on my bad days - I am His Beloved.

So, I have set some new goals for this next year - some short term, some long term - all of them a bit overwhelming. But I've lost this much, so I know I can keep going and keep losing and keep improving.

Thanks to all of you who have supported me thus far on this journey, and for your continued encouragement and support. You don't know how much I appreciate it.

Love,

{a smaller} Lauren