Congratulations on 44 lbs lost!

I wanted to congratulate our group on a sucessful Fall 2008! With Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas holidays we still managed to lose weight.

Of all of the members who lost weight - we had 44 total lbs lost from the start of the session. Week to week it was much more, but I decided to just take the inital weigh ins and subtract the final weigh ins to determine how much total was lost this session. The average weight loss was 7.43 lbs per member with a weight loss range of -.2 to - 15.2 lbs. You should be very proud of your accomplishments, but most of all for your faith walking with the Lord.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Stay tuned for our 2009 Kick off announcement!

January Bible Study Announced!

I am so excited to announce the our next bible study! Here is the bible study that we will begin on the 1st week of January. It is currently available for preorder via the links below. The cost of the bible study this session is $20 which is the retail price of the book. The $20 fee includes your book (sales price $15 + shipping $4) and a nominal fee to cover any replacement items/consumables that we need this session (folders, batteries, etc).

If you are purchasing your books youself - here are some online stores that offer a discount:
Amazon.com




Christian Book Distributor

First Place 4 Health: Daily Victory, Daily Joy, Bible Study with Scripture Memory CD

By Gospel Light

Wouldn't we all like to experience daily victories and daily joy? What is stopping us? This study will guide readers to discover the importance of daily prayer and Bible study in their pursuit of victory over the everyday trials and temptations of life. Participants will learn that they have spiritual weapons available to fight their battles against temptation, discouragement and other tactics meant to throw them off course.

All First Place 4 Health Bible studies contain 12 weekly studies to help participants prepare, day-by-day, for the weekly group meeting, as well as providing a handy method for tracking daily and weekly progress. Also included are inspirational and motivational Scripture memory verses, 2 weeks of Menu Plans with macro-micronutrients listed, a walking chart and a coordinating Scripture Memory Music CD for training the mind while training the body.

Fitness Games To Help You Lose Weight!

I have to say it...Fitness games to help you lose weight are sooo awesome. My kids received a wii for Christmas one year and they have such a great time playing many of the games. I love that they have to get off the couch to play them.

But...the Wii isn't just for my kids (hee hee). I use it as a way to get in some extra excercise. While, I do play video games with them...I also play games by myself too. I purchased a WII fit this year and love it! I love that it tells me when I am balanced during the yoga poses.

I think the video game makers of the world are starting to tune into getting fit with new software coming out more frequently. I've compiled a list of "games" that seem to have prety decent reviews on Amazon. I encourage you to check them out if you are interested in trying out a fun way of exercising. P.S. I also have dance dance revolution for the xbox 360 - I'm not too shabby!

Here are some games for the WII:







Games for the Xbox360:

No Meeting on 11/26!

Just a reminder - there is no meeting on 11/26/08 due to the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday. Happy Thanksgiving! We'll see you on Dec 3rd!

Free Snapfish Photo Book!!!

****Well - it looks like this promo is over.  If you were able to get one - remember to create it by November 22nd (Snapfish extended the deadline)!****

I love digital scrapbooking!  I can create book after book after book...if only I had the time and the money!  Well...I am so excited to share this news with you today because if you are looking for a free Christmas gift this year...then read on...

Snapfish is giving away FREE photo books today on Oprah.com.

Did I say free???  Oh yeah I did!

Just click on the Oprah link under the messy house segment and create your book by the 16th of November.  This book is a $30 value - so get cracking on this book immediately!  You will have to pay shipping - but who cares!

Ok...gotta go...got a book to make!

America’s Healthiest Food Buys 2008
From Health Magazine

A good friend sent me the healthiest food buys from Health magazine so I summarized the article for quick reading. If you would like the full article visit this site:
http://living.health.com/2008/05/13/americas-healthiest-buys-2008-food/

BREAKFAST
1. Grab-and-go breakfast item: Planters Daybreak Blend, Berry Almond Trail Mix. Blend of almonds, raisins, cranberries, and granola clusters. (It’s also good stirred into vanilla yogurt.) Each portable pouch has 180 calories and 3 grams each of fiber and protein. ($3.49)

2. Frozen breakfast item: Morningstar Farms Veggie Sausage Patties. They only take a minute-and-a-half to zap in the microwave and give you 10 grams of protein per patty. ($3.99)

3. Hot cereal: Quaker Simple Harvest Multigrain Hot Cereal, Maple Brown Sugar with Pecans. Oats are great for your heart, but a lot of instant oatmeal is packed with sugar and sodium. Not only is it a whole-grain bonanza (it has oats, whole wheat, and barley), but it also packs half as much sugar and sodium as most instants. And it only has 160 calories. ($3.89) I personally have about 10 boxes of this stuff stocked piled from a recent sale at Frys (Hey when it's on sale and you have coupons making it .50 each...how can you not stockpile it?)- It is excellent!

4. Cold cereal: Barbara’s Bakery Cinnamon Crunch Shredded Oats. Delivers more than 80 percent of your daily whole grains. Plus, it boasts 4 grams of filling fiber per serving. ($4.99)

LUNCH
1. Frozen lunch: Helen’s Kitchen Thai Yellow Curry with Tofu Steaks & Vegetables over Rice. This vegan dish is a tasty mix of organic broccoli, red peppers, tofu, and basmati rice. All this for 280 calories, less than 5 grams of fat, 1 gram of saturated fat, and 30 percent of your daily calcium needs. ($4.89)

2. Cheese: Kraft LiveActive Cheddar Cheese Sticks. Get more bang from your Cheddar: These on-the-go snack sticks—with 120 calories, 10 grams of fat, and 20 percent of your daily calcium needs—have live, active probiotic cultures that help promote digestive health. ($3.99)

3. Sandwich bread: The Baker Organic Pomegranate & Blueberry. Each slice has 15 grams of whole grains, 3 grams of fiber, and only 100 calories. ($4.99)

DINNER
1. Pasta sauce: Bertolli, Sun Ripened Tomato & Olive Pasta Sauce. Just heat the whole thing up for 90 seconds. Plus, the yummy (preservative-free!) sauce gets its hint of sweetness from a natural source: carrot juice. ($2.89 for a 13.5-ounce pouch)

2. Quick-and-easy side dish: Marrakesh Express Mango Salsa Couscous. This all-natural mix (less than 200 calories per serving) brings on the tangy-sweet flavor of mango salsa.($2.79)

3. Frozen entrée: Weight Watchers Smart Ones Dragon Shrimp Lo Mein. This skinny entrée racks up only 240 calories and 4 grams of fat, so we suggest pairing it with a side salad and even a small dessert. ($3.19)

4. Frozen pizza: Kashi All Natural Five Cheese Tomato Pizza. One-third of the pie is less than 300 calories and 10 grams of fat. ($5.99). Kashi makes many great products - I wouldn't be surprised it this was very yummy although I haven't tried it.

5. Meal kit: Annie Chun’s Peanut Sesame Organic Noodles & Sauce. It has just 280 calories with 9 grams of protein and a reasonable amount of sodium (390 milligrams) for something so flavorful. Toss in cooked chicken strips or cubed tofu for a protein boost. ($3.99)

SNACKS
Snack barWeil by Nature’s Path Goji Moji Pure Fruit & Nut BarGoji berries are the new “it” fruit this year, showing up in lots of health foods. These tart Tibetan berries are superhigh in antioxidants and add a touch of chewiness to this organic bar. Dried fruit, cashews, and other natural flavors add up to a tasty snack with 5 grams of fiber and just 170 calories. ($1.99) You can get many of these products on Amazon.com.

Chips Popchips Original Potato Chips The chips are air-popped instead of fried and seasoned with a bit of sea salt for a great clean flavor. Each single-serving bag has just 120 calories and 4.5 grams of fat (no saturated or trans). ($2.99) I snagged a bunch of these (cheese flavor) on Amazon - they were very yummy!

NutsBlue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds, Vanilla Bean The brilliance of this new product is its flip-top canister, which shows you exactly what a serving is so you don’t go overboard. ($3.99)
YogurtRachel’s Refresh Pink Grapefruit Lychee YogurtIt’s made with evaporated cane juice instead of high fructose corn syrup. The added DHA omega-3s (important for brain health) only sweeten the deal. (99 cents)

Fruity snackPeeled Snacks, FigSatedFruit-and-nut mixes are often lacking in flavor because the nuts tend to get soggy while the fruit gets dried out. Not so with this wondrous little 150-calorie-per-serving snack. The nuts are packed separately, so they’re perfectly crunchy when you mix them with the plump dried figs, apricots, and dates. Drop it in your gym bag and go. ($2.99 per bag)

Meal-replacement bar ProBar Superfood SlamIt’s made with wholesome ingredients like organic oats, peanut butter, and sunflower seeds. Plus, it features açaí for extra antioxidants and flaxseed for omega-3s. This 350-calorie bar is a meal—it’ll keep you full for hours. ($3.29)

Week 8 - Radical Transformation

This week we are studying Radical Transformation, page 108 (8)

MEMORY VERSE: Romans 12:2 - Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will.

MEMBERS GUIDE READING: Read "Cardiovascular Exercises" 193

Have a great week!