Day 1 on my journey to healthy living...

Hello everyone,

My name is Nicole and the purpose of this blog to document my Journey to Healthy Living! God placed this on my heart sometime last year and I kept putting if off to find the right time to begin. The time is now! I just finished a 21 Day Daniel's fast with my church, Victory World. I prayed that God would give me a revelation in regards to my physical health. I don't  know how many of you know that when you seek God he will answer and it may not always be the answer you want but it will always be the answer you need. He revealed to me that in order for me to have the outward appearance I desire I would need to allow him to do an inner work in me. 
* The first thing that needed to change was my dependency on myself. He showed me that just like He helped me get my finances in order, healed me when I was sick, delivered me from smoking that He would help me get rid of this excess weight that I was carrying. 
* The second thing I needed to change was my comforting mechanisms. Using food to fill voids that only God could fill. I never realized that I was an emotional eater because I didn't get sad and eat a pint of ice cream but rather I comforted myself by filling my belly when it was already full or eating because I was bored and the more that I ate when I wasn't hungry the more I wanted to eat. If that makes sense?
* The third thing I needed to change was my denial about the choices I made in my diet that hinder my weight loss. I really thought that having a small bag of chips during lunch, drinking soda with dinner, and having some ice cream at night was all perfectly acceptable because it was in small amounts. I didn't factor in all  the other things I was eating during the day, all refined and processed food, artificial sweeteners and sugar, fast food, etc. I just wasn't looking at the bigger picture in the foods that I consumed.
During my Daniel's fast I ate only fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and seasoned my food with seasonings and drank only water and I began to shed the pounds quickly and started feeling better about myself. God gave me a word through my Pastor and the word was WILLPOWER! I would need willpower and consistency to reach my desired weight loss and to begin to live a healthier life. So that is where my Journey to Healthy Living Begins where Willpower and Faith meet. (Hebrews 11:6 and James 2:26)
Today, I weigh 178lbs and I am 5.0 tall and my BMI is 40%, nearly half of my body weight is fat. I will change all that today by removing bread, meat, diary,  white rice, white flour, deep fried foods, and shortening, margarine, lard and foods high in fat until I reach a healthy weight and can enjoy these foods in small amounts on occasion. Please join me in by holding  me accountable, walking this out with me, and encouraging me as I share my story.

I give God all the glory and praise for everything He is and all the He is doing in my life and I pray for all those that will join me that God would give you a fresh revelation and anointing about your calling whether it is about healthy body, mind, soul, finances, marriages. I pray that He meets you where you are and give you exactly what you need. (Luke 11:11)