The Results Are In

Before I share with each of you the results of my weight loss goals, you must first enjoy this. It just so happens to be Twodles latest YouTube request, which is also very fitting for this post :)



On August 12th, 2013 I finally decided to get serious about losing baby weight. I'd tried earlier in the year, but because I was still nursing Goob, I had zero success.

Here are my stats from my first weigh in and body measurements:

144.2 lbs.                                         

Neck: 14"

Chest: 38"

Waist :33"

Hip: 40"

R. Arm: 13.5"

L. Arm: 13"

R. Thigh: 23"

L. Thigh: 22.5"

R. Calf: 13"

L. Calf: 13"

And after:

124.8 lbs.

Neck: 13"

Chest: 35.25"

Waist : 31"

Hip: 37"

R. Arm: 11.5"

L. Arm: 11.5"

R. Thigh: 20"

L. Thigh: 20.5"

R. Calf: 12.5"

L. Calf: 12.5"

In 15 weeks I've lost 20 lbs. My goal was to lose 2lbs a week, and most weeks I did.  The weeks that I didn't lose wasn't because I didn't try. I never worked out less than 5 days a week (sometimes 6 days a week, and even 2x per day) I did really well with portion control, and not eating as much sweets. It seems like I'm trying to excuse my occasional failure, but in all honesty, I did everything I said I would.  Let's just say being a woman is obnoxious!  No matter how hard you try, sometimes you just can't fight mother nature!   

I must thank so many people for keeping me motivated...

My sweet husband who knew it was important to me and therefore made it important to him.  My mom, who complimented and encouraged me all along the way, and even watched my boys so I could work out.  My awesome friends, who inspired me to get going again, after seeing their weight loss journeys.  And so many more!  I love you all, and couldn't have done it without you...THANK YOU! 

I'm feeling great about where I am at (124lbs being my realistic goal) I will still continue to work hard to see if I can make it to my target weight of 120 lbs. It may never be possible...my mom pooch loves me too much, but I will try.

What I need from all you lovely people is your best tips on those problem areas.  No matter how much weight I lose, I always have love handles and a baby gut.

What tried and true exercises really work?

I really like Jillian Michael's 6 week 6 pack, but it's pretty tough. I don't think I can do that AND run every day.  I fear that if I don't keep running, I will quit all together.

So what say you smart, intelligent, people?  What's a girl to do?!?!?

Fortified

We always keep a budget, some months more loosely than we should, but we still try to keep tabs on what is coming in and what is going out.  That said, July was a wretched month.  With two birthday's and summer fun, our expenses were far more than necessary.  Mr Medic and I have spent the entire month of August buckling down and practicing self control.  It's been such a rewarding experience, and quite exhilarating too.  There's just something about making a plan and sticking with it.  It almost makes me feel superhuman when I can accomplish what I set out to do.  I'm proud to say August was much better for us.

I'm going to throw us under the bus to show that improvement is possible, but no judging k?

In the month of July we ate out or got treats 20 TIMES.  That's almost once a day folks!  As I went through the bank statement and counted it all up, I felt sick.  I had no idea we were spending that much time outside of the home eating.  I knew it wasn't good, but not that bad.  In my defense I do have a pretty full plate with other responsibilities, so it's been easy to let the meal-making responsibility slip and go the quick and easy route.  But, enough of the excuses.

At the beginning of August after we'd bought a Hot n' Ready Pizza on a busy night, we decided that we were not going to eat out at all.  So, along with that one Hot n' Ready and one other treat Mr Medic had with the boys (paid for with money I got from selling something) we ate out a total of 2 times.  That's a 90% improvement from last month.  Not only is that money saved, but I was able to make meals that were definitely more healthy.

Along with our budgeting goals, I've been working hard at my own weight loss goals.  From all this recent practice making and achieving goals, I've had time to really think about why it is so satisfying to me.  I came across a couple scriptures that made sense to me:

"He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls."  -Proverbs 25:28

When I don't work to control my actions it's like having no protection when and where I need it.   But, governing my natural desires builds self control and strengthens my ability to withstand difficult or harmful experiences.

This is an example of a city(spirit, in my case) that does have walls and is fortified

"Yea, he had been strengthening the armies of the Nephites, and erecting small forts, or places of resort; throwing up banks of earth round about to enclose his armies, and also building walls of stone to encircle them about, round about their cities and the borders of their lands; yea, all round about the land.  And in their weakest fortifications he did place the greater number of men; and thus he did fortify and strehgthen the land with was possessed by the Nephites.  And thus he was preparing to support their liberty, their lands, their wives, and their children, and their peace, and that they might live unto the Lord their God..."  -Alma 48:8-10 (The Book of Mormon)

Having self restraint or 'ruling your own spirit' provides protection and ironically liberty.  The equation control = liberty doesn't make sense, but I know that it works.  I like how it said that the most support was placed at the weakest places.  Wherever it is that I am weakest requires to most effort to fortify or control.

It's been so rewarding to be more in control of myself and I'm grateful for the strength I've gained.

Setting Goals

In March I spent 5+ weeks working out every day, sometimes even twice a day.  I never consistently lost weight, just yo-yo'd up and down, never dipping below my starting weight.  At the time I was nursing and eating like a horse just to keep from having hot/sweaty/shaky/weak/irritable hypoglycemic crashes.  Basically I wasn't able to cut back my daily calorie intake without getting more sick than normal.  You can imagine my frustration and how unbelievably easy it was to give up.  So I did!

My sweet Goob is 14 months now, and he's finally more interested in other things than nursing...HOORAY!  Do I seem more excited than I should be?  I am!  Don't get me wrong, I loved nursing, but there were things that I was ready to do for myself and I knew he was close to being ready to move on too.    

So I'M BACK, and I won't stop till I've reached my goals.

A couple weeks ago I started crunching the numbers (my FIL and BIL would be proud) to see how much I needed to lose, and about how long it would take to lose that amount.  Here's what I came up with:

I had 24 lbs to lose and have found that if I stick to my guns I can lose 2 lbs per week, which is a healthy rate.  At the time my birthday just so happened to be 13 weeks away.  This would give me 1 week or 2 lbs leeway and still be able to reach my goal.  Perfect timing to get in gear! 

I planned to do a quick workout first thing in the morning, before eating breakfast, and one other later in the day if I could squeeze it in or deal with Goob crawling all over me while doing a DVD at home. 

I try to run 1 mile a day, 1 workout DVD, and then do some free weights or abs. Nothing ever ends up being more than 1 hour.  I just don't have the time for more.  

I follow a 1200 calorie diet, but not necessarily counting.  I eat a certain number of portions from each food group, which works out to be about 1200.  I also do portion control.  My food scale is my best friend right now :)

This is what the tracker I made looks like, 1200 cal of course (so less servings)

I started my second lifestyle change (the first being after I had Twodles*) 2 weeks ago on August 12th, and I've met my 2 lb goal each week.

I will be posting periodically about my progress on the blog, but plan to give a weekly weigh-in via FB.

After my favorite run thus far (it was raining)  

Fastest time for 1 mile

I am excited to feel better...and look better.  

*It's hard to imagine that the first time I went through this process I was almost 20 lbs heavier than I am now!  I'm so glad I started out right when I got pregnant with Goob, and will choose to feel blessed that I must take this time to lose weight rather than be pregnant again like I want.  

Retraining a Sweet Tooth

It's been one whole week since I indulged in a single delicious morsel of sweetness.

It was hard the first couple days, but I've gotten to the point where I am ok to say no.  I'm sure there will be moments when I really want something, but I will wait to face that challenge when the time comes rather than fret about it now.

I know in a previous post about regulating media I mentioned that it is extreme to cut things out completely, but I think I will maintain that stance for some things, but not all.  In my case right now, it is best for me to have no sweets whatsoever.  I am better able to jumpstart my weight loss goal this way, but more importantly I get to reset my palate.  I am probably as close to a treat-o-holic as one can get.  It's what gets me through tough days and brings me to my happy place. My threshold for tolerating sweets is much higher than it should be.

I cannot say how long I will go without sweets.  I may even indulge on occasion, but for now this is working well.

Not eating sweets doesn't mean I have to feel neglected from enjoying food.  Fruit is often a good replacement for me, but I'd like some more ideas.

What do you eat as a more healthy alternative to satisfies your sweet tooth?

Prosperity and Progress

Scripture of the Day:  "Therefore as they were unfaithful they did not prosper nor progress in their journey, but were driven back, and incurred the displeasure of God upon them; and therefore they were smitten with famine and sore afflictions, to stir them up in remembrance of their duty."  -Mosiah 1:17, The Book of Mormon

*Note: bolded words refer back to verse 

Each of us is on our own journey toward some goal or aspiration.  Our journey may include finishing school, seeking a career path, having a family, losing weight, overcoming illness, mastering a new skill, overcoming bad habits, completing a project, etc.

Occasionally on our journey we are driven back, smitten with famine and sore afflictions and it's easy to feel like an outside source is the cause of these setbacks.  This may sometimes be the case, as we cannot control others or take away their agency in acting how they wish.  But might I suggest from this verse, that more often than not, we are our own stumbling block to obtaining our goals.

Our journey in obtaining goals is easily thwarted when we lose faith- faith in ourselves, faith in God, faith in others, etc.  Loss of faith prevents progress or prospering.

There is a reason for being driven back.  Personally I believe it gives us opportunity to take ownership of our situation and make changes that will allow us to begin to progress again, in other words, it helps us to remember our duty.  Are we doing our part?  Are we doing all that is in our power to achieve the results we want.

Being driven back and experiencing trials or being smitten with famine and sore afflictions also requires humility.  We cannot accomplish anything without the help of Christ, therefore we must have faith in Him.  Only then are we able to do all things.  It is so easy to become prideful, relying on our own knowledge, strength, and abilities and forget in whom we must trust.

A Day in the Life...

I wake up and immediately put on my workout clothes, with intentions of shredding (Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred) as soon as Goob goes down for his morning nap.  I'd like to think the capris are getting baggy because I am losing weight, but I think they just need washed and will fit snug again.  Drat!

I send Mr Medic off to school without making breakfast or packing a lunch like a "good wife" might, and immediately go to work finding my friend a ride to her dr apt and calling girls from my church congregation who are expecting babies or are are moving to find out what help they need.

This span of semi-unsupervised time allows for Twodles and Goob to pull out every.single.toy which  creates an olympic size "obstacle course" (aka mess) for me to dance through when I go from one room to the next.  I do pretty well dodging most toys, but occasionally step on the dreaded army guy land mine.  Thank goodness we don't own any legos...yet.

The dishes are piled a mile high from last nights meal, both boys are still in jammies, and before I know it, it's 1pm and I haven't even had breakfast.

I pour myself a bowl of Cinnamon Toasters and shovel spoonful after spoonful into my mouth like I've been fasting for days.  I give Twodles a couple choices for his lunch, but of course he wants cereal too. I explain that he already had cereal and we only eat that for breakfast (while ravenously devouring cereal myself) and try to convince him he wants something different.  Finally, I determine that I can't tell him cereal is only for breakfast while I'm clearly eating it for "lunch" Defeat...the boy gets another bowl of cereal.  Goob on the other hand eats what I make...sort of.

I clean the boys up (still in jammies) and get them off to naps.

Now it's game time!  I still haven't done my workout and I've got to get everything back in its place prior to Mr Medic getting home from school for his one hour break before work.  At least I can make it appear as if I've been productive.  But wait...I feel like I have been productive!  It doesn't look like it, but I know I have been busy all day.

Just my luck, he comes walking through the door before I can even lift a finger.  I immediately give him a look of death that says "why are you coming home before I have everything put back together?" as if its his fault.  He doesn't say a word, but I quickly find myself getting steamy and defensive while trying to explain myself.  I rattle off everything I have done hoping he will overlook what I haven't done.  I tell him I sure hope no one comes knocking on our door this very second, because it will appear as if I've done nothing.

Like the amazing man he is, rather than look at me like I am lazy crazy, he simply helps me shift my perspective.  "That crock pot sitting on the counter means you fed your family and provided a meal for someone who's wife is out of town.  Same with the dishes.  And the boys are in their jammies because you are super proactive...they are ready for bed early!  Who cares what anyone else thinks."

What a stud.

We have a good laugh and enjoy a quick lunch together (yes my second meal within an hour of each other) and as soon as he leaves I totally shred it up and indulge in a nice warm shower.

I take advantage of a little more quiet time and get the dishes done.

Everything is in order once more!

When the boys wake I don't bother dressing them, but have fun being their mom.

I make them some food for dinner, then we do the usual bedtime routine.

The boys are in bed a little early so I wait for Mr Medic to come home to me.  We talk about our day and finally decide on something to make for dinner at 9:30.

I kiss him goodnight and ask him if he remembered to brush his teeth (he usually never forgets, but I think our late dinner together threw him off) He doesn't feel like it, but heads toward the bathroom anyway.  All the while I'm chanting "don't do it...don't dooooo it!" Makes him seem more human if he forgets one time, or better yet is reminded and chooses to fall into a deep coma sleep without brushing.

He asks me if I'm coming to bed with him, and immediately I think of a talk given not even a few days ago about chastity and marriage and how husband and wife should go to bed together.  Even so, I decide against it and get some more work done for my church responsibilities (and let's be honest, some leisure facebooking, blogging, and amazon-mom deal finding)
-----------------

What I've learned from recounting my day:

-Goals can help you do things you didn't think you could do, but sometimes need to be adjusted to fit
your life and be sure you are doing what is most important at the time.
-Wearing workout clothes all day in hopes it will motivate you to exercise doesn't always work, but this day it did!
-Eating for the first time at 1 pm is probably not the best way to help rid your body of excess fat.
-My kids are still fine even though they were in their jammies all day, and ate cereal for two meals in one day.
-I should listen to Mr Medic more often.  He's a pretty smart cookie
-Helping other people always makes me feel better, no matter what is going on around me
-Today I'm not really feeling down on myself for what I didn't do, but more-so worried about how I appear to others.  If my performance is "graded" solely on what others observe, then I'm in big trouble.  I say, heck with that!  I'll be the judge of my own success or failure.  I know when I've done enough or when I've given it my all.  And I also know when I haven't.

I choose to see today as a success.

*sorry, no pictures!

Daily Doubles

One of my weight loss goals, to do a short morning workout and then a longer one in the evening every day- is what I will refer to as Daily Doubles.

As Jillian says, she's "TV's toughest trainer"  hahaha

Yesterday was the first of many more.  I have to be honest I didn't want to do it.  I tried to do a workout video yesterday morning, but Twodles kept yelling at me "NO MOOOOOM, WE ARN DOIN DAT!"  Apparently he doesn't realize that I've set some goals!

Today was even more difficult with Goob crawling all over me.  In order to work up a sweat or elevate my heart rate without having to stop every five seconds to fend off the "extra help" I've decided that I will have to wait till Goob is down for his morning nap.

You see, the whole idea behind doing a morning workout is to exercise before you eat.  You burn more fat that way.  There is much talk over whether this is a valid method or not.  In the articles I have seen, exercising in a "fasted state" is not beneficial for athletes (as they probably don't have much fat to lose, and need the fuel to reach optimal performance) But for those looking to lose weight it seems to be legit.

For one, as has been known for some time, exercising in a fasted state (usually possible only before breakfast), coaxes the body to burn a greater percentage of fat for fuel during vigorous exercise, instead of relying primarily on carbohydrates. (source found here)

Seems easy enough right?  Well, my only problem is that Goob doesn't go down till around 9am.  That has proved quite difficult since I am up for at least an hour or more before I can even start the workout.  Not only will I be so super hungry, but it gives me ample time to convince myself I don't need to do it.

Good thing I have such an awesome cheerleader. Twodles always encourages me to exercise, and even does it right along with me most mornings, for a few minutes anyway.  He has even settled into the little routine we have of exercising first and then getting to watch a short PBS show while I hop in the shower.

Love his little tongue sticking out

The Little Engine That Could

I'm slowly making progress towards getting back to working out/ losing my baby fat.  I'm not sure why it'S taking me so long, but I do know anything I could say would only be an excuse.  I've spent a couple days the last few weeks putting on my work-out clothes in hopes it might motivate me to get there, but all that came of it was a neighbor asking me if I'd already been to the gym.  Don't worry, I didn't even lie!

I'm a bit bummed that it's just now clicking in my brain that I only have access to a FREE gym till April 13th.  Why on earth have I not got with the program sooner?  Now I'm gonna have to figure out which gym to join or how to run my jiggly bum in the great outdoors.

I will resume my usual public humiliation accountability route because it seemed to work before.

As of March 18th I weigh 144.2 lbs which means I need to lose about 20 lbs.  My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week.  At that rate I should reach my goal weight in 10 weeks.

MY PLAN:

• Portion control, track calories, monitor food groups, and keep treats to very few, if any.
• Start going to the gym on Monday the 25th.  We'll see how that goes!  I found that one quick workout every morning before breakfast followed by an hour workout later in the day or once everyone is in bed for the night, just about does the trick. 

WHAT I'VE DONE SO FAR:

• I've started gathering my running playlist, but feel free to shoot me your must-have songs.  
• I "splurged" and bought some new socks
• I purchased some good second hand running shoes since my feet have grown since having #2
• Had a friend come do my body measurements in order to track inches lost (will share later)
• I have already cut out treats, except on special occasions. (I ate my last Nutty Bar one week ago today, and ate one brownie during ladies night last Saturday) 

Now all I have to do is get going and see if my body responds the same way it did before.  

WISH.ME.LUCK

In His Presence

Scripture of the Day:  "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways and we will walk in his paths..." - 2 Nephi 12:3, The Book of Mormon

The mountain of the Lord is understood to be the temple.

There are many reason why we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints go to the temple.  This verse explains just two:  the temple is a place we can be taught of His ways, and we can walk in his paths.

Each of us, like the primary song suggests, is trying to be like Jesus.  By going to the temple often we are taught about His ways, and in turn can be more like Him.

The phrase "we can walk in his paths" seems very literal to me.  The temple is His house.  He is there. We are walking where He is walking, it is hallowed ground.

In the past Mr Medic and I have tried to attend the temple once a week.  If we wanted to we could walk to the temple, it is that close.  Since having children our attendance has not been so frequent.  But I would like to change that.

An online reference titled: "How Can We Make the Most of Temple Attendance?" tells us this:

When a temple is conveniently nearby, small things may interrupt your plans to go to the temple. Set specific goals, considering your circumstances, of when you can and will participate in temple ordinances. Then do not allow anything to interfere with that plan. This pattern will guarantee that those who live in the shadow of a temple will be as blessed as are those who plan far ahead and make a long trip to the temple.

Ideally I would like to be going every week, but I think we may have to work back up to that.  So, with the help of Mr Medic we will be setting a goal of how often we will go and on what day.  I believe that when we make a specific plan we are more likely to stick to that plan.

If you know you have a birthday party to attend on a specific day, you do whatever it takes beforehand to be there, right?  Same principle is true for attending the temple.  If you set a specific day, you are more likely to plan your week or month around that special day that has already been set.

And, as if being able to learn of the Lord and walk in His paths isn't blessing enough from attending the temple:

...when we keep the temple covenants we have made and when we live righteously in order to maintain the blessings promised by those ordinances, then come what may, we have no reason to worry or to feel despondent. (link here)

What a comfort to know that I have no reason to worry, no matter what happens.  I know that if I attend the temple I can have that peace and reassurance.

Two Words

I know we all have them!  That one deep dark flaw we just can't overcome.  I'm not talking about something trivial like chomping your food or biting your fingernails.  That does not even come close to my most loathed personal character flaw that I am about to reveal.


Why I would be so inclined to talk about something so personal...something that I genuinely cannot stand about myself?  It does seem kinda crazy, but I believe that sometimes being completely open and honest can bring about greater change than hiding things away in secret.


Just to show my "theory" in action, I'll share a little of my upbringing.  Because of a series of events that would take way too long to explain, both my siblings ended up living outside my single mothers home.  From the time I was in 6th or 7th grade I was basically an only child.  Our family was constantly under the scrutinizing eye of others, and because of this we chose to be very closed off and private about our lives.  I got used to not talking about anything that went on at home.  Normally teenagers rant about how unfair their parents are or arguments they had, but for me I worried that anything I said would be to our detriment.  What I didn't realize is that I was creating a very lonely and depressing barrier between myself and others.  It brought me down big time.


It wasn't until I went to college and had the best roommates ever that I learned to be open and share what was going on in my life.  I learned that I could be real, that I would still be loved, and that my trials became a lot more manageable because I didn't feel isolated and alone.

This isn't even the whole crew.   We still love each other this much!

At some point in my college career (which is STILL going on almost 10 years later)  I became a very passionate person about odd things.  I expected everyone to be just as passionate as I was.  I often was outspoken and got myself into trouble.  The thing is, at that time in my life I didn't care if other people didn't like my opinions or if they were hurt by my abrasiveness.  (Writing this makes me actually wonder if my previous tendency to be closed off and private and then learning to be more open and honest was me going from one extreme to the other.  Here's to me learning a good middle ground, I guess!)


Eventually I left college to go on a 18-month proselyting mission, and this is where I received my wake up call, my slap in the face.  I was in a personal interview with my Mission President (my mentor of sorts) where we talked about a how I was doing or concerns that I had and he shared with me these two words:

ve·he·ment

  [vee-uh-muhnt] 

adjective

1.

zealous; ardent; impassioned: a vehement defense; vehement enthusiasm.

2.

characterized by rancor or anger; violent: vehement hostility.

3.

strongly emotional; intense or passionate: vehement desire.

4.

marked by great energy or exertion; strenuous: vehement clapping.

im·pet·u·ous

  [im-pech-oo-uhs] 

adjective

1.

of, pertaining to, or characterized by sudden or rash action,emotion, etc.; impulsive: an impetuous decision; an impetuous person.

2.

having great impetus;  moving with great force; violent: the impetuous winds.

Think something like this!

At the time I had no clue what they meant.  He said these were words that described me, and gave a brief explanation of what they meant.  I was cut to the core...how could someone I respected and even loved so much, point out this HUGE flaw.  For some strange reason I wasn't offended.  I think I knew he was right.  He went on to tell me that I had spent 21 years obtaining these habits and characteristics and that it would probably take that long to overcome them.  That's a daunting thought right!  The only advice I remember him giving is to take time to think before I speak.  If I think I need to say something, wait 10 seconds and if I still feel like it should be said, then do it.  I went home and looked the words up in the dictionary reading them over and over.  If I could, I probably would have tattooed them onto my forehead or arm as a reminder of just how long they would be expected to stick around!  I cried and cried, probably for days even.


When I came home from my mission I'd like to think that others may have noticed a bit of a difference in me.  Whether that is the case or not I do not know.  I did try really hard to manage my flaws and felt pretty good about how it was going.  Then I got married!  hahahaha  What I have learned since being married is that I tend to reserve my worst habits for those I love and care for the most.  Why is it that I treat complete strangers and acquaintances better than I do those that mean the most to me?  Is that normal?  Do other people do that too?  I think about what my mentor said all those years back again and again, and yet I still fail!  I say unkind things without thinking, things that are hurtful, things that can definitely go without being said.


Side note: I am so thankful that I have a husband who is just about the complete opposite of me in most every case. He has such an amazing ability to know exactly what to say and say it in a way that is not offensive and mean.  I am glad that I have him as an example of what I should do.  I am lucky that he puts up with me and that he stands by my side even when he is usually the one that sees me at my worst. 


I keep wondering how am I going to change this?  How am I going to remember to think before I speak?  I even asked Mr. Medic if he could remind me, but obviously that wouldn't work so well.  He can't do the work for me.  Maybe if I ran to the public library and checked out all the self help books known to man, I could really make a dent in this transformation.  But then I am reminded of a quote I once read:


"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior. The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than a study of behavior will improve behavior" -Boyd K. Packer


I guess I know my answer, but knowing is only part of the solution.  What that quote means to me is that if I am to overcome my nasty flaw then I need to study the gospel of Jesus Christ AND understand it.  Once I understand what I study, I would naturally act in a better way.  I would be able to access many of the Saviors attributes within myself because I have learned of Him and know how He would want me to be.  


Easier said than done.  Not to mention what my mentor said about it taking just as long to break a habit as it did to make it.  I'm in for a long transformation, and sometimes that keeps me from even trying.  But now is the time...I really want to make it happen before I see the same characteristics develop in my children.  


I am working on setting some goals to help me get this process going instead of just thinking about it.  Here are a few ideas I have so far:


-Of course I will be working on the think-for-10-seconds-before-I-speak thing


-Amp up my study of the scriptures  


-Incorporate some kind of study journal in addition to scripture study


-Study from the manuel "Preach My Gospel" published by my church.  
(The manuel has a section that is all about Christlike Attributes.  There is even a little quiz at the end of the section you can take and see what areas need improvement.) 


I will be adding to this list as time goes and may be expanding on them a bit.  I hope that by writing them down I can hold myself a little more accountable.  I may even give an update on how things are going.  




Without sharing your flaws, unless you feel so inclined, I would love to hear some suggestions or ideas on how you have made changes for the better in your own life.  Even those silly ideas like snapping your wrist with a rubber band when you do something you shouldn't.  I say it all the time, but I honestly believe that we can learn from one another and I am totally willing to give anything a try.  And its not just for me,  I think that everyone can benefit from new and different ideas.