Do you struggle with weight loss and fitness?  Have you been back and forth with that same 30, 40, 50 pounds for years only to feel like it comes back with friends?  If you said yes, you are in the right place.  If you said no, you can click back to a Marriage or Motherhood post and give us a sec to chat Faith and Fitness.

Do faith and fitness go together?

Obviously, people can be super fit without an ounce of faith.  Let’s just clear the air here – I am not that gal.  Not super fit I mean.  But I believe God tells us to take care of our body – I just have not been obedient in this area.  Can you relate?

I have fought with my weight since I was a child.  At 11 the word Obese was said and now they say Morbidly Obese – as if adding that will motivate me more.  LOL if only they knew I eat more when I get scared.  So yeah, that’ll show them to scare me about my obesity!

Pregnancy and Motherhood made fitness even harder

1 Corinthians 6:19-20  Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body

To maintain obese (as opposed to morbidly obese) I had to work out hard daily and keep my calory count very low.  It was miserable, but I was determined to keep at it. Then I had kids.

As a high-risk pregnancy (having lost 4 consecutive pregnancies prior) I spent nearly 9 months gaining weight – for lack of exercise and fear of miscarriage adding to my desire to overeat.

I gained 30 lbs and felt miserable.

Motherhood came with the usual lack of sleep, busy mom schedule and work schedule – and no extra time for exercise.  I could not figure out how to lose the baby weight.  And before I knew it Baby # 2 came -with so much sickness I only gained 10 lbs.  But that was 10 lbs on top of the 30 lbs from the first baby 2 years earlier.   40 lbs is a lot of extra weight.  It zapped my energy and hurt my knees like crazy.

Baby #2 also came with 12 months of colic – so no sleep or rest for a year.  Breastfeeding her was crazy because she had food allergies.  What????  More stress trying to learn how to eat completely different. (See this beautiful family below and come follow HopeJoyInChrist on IG if you’re there.)

[instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BmEEr8bA58r/?taken-by=hopejoyinchrist]

When I was free to eat how I chose, nothing helped me lose the weight!  I tried one diet after another diet only to gain more weight.

Last year I hit rock bottom about fitness and weight loss

I was overwhelmed with problems that seemed to have no solutions.

• How can I lose weight if I’m too heavy to exercise?
• What diet will work to help me lose over 100lbs and not put it back on?

Nothing was working – none of my old standbys – and honestly they didn’t work well back then.  So what do you do when you hit rock bottom?

Pss.  Do you struggle with Anxiety?  It is something that I have battled right along with my weight.  I’d love to give you this Free 40 Day Reading and Journaling Guide to help you overcome Anxiety.

I Pray when I hit rock bottom.  So I began to pray about my weight and health.

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

I began asking God to help me want to make the real changes I knew needed to happen.  I asked Him to change my heart about food and help me desire healthy things.  He helped me see so many things about Body Image, How He loves me and the Lies the enemy would like me to believe.  Read about it here – How to Fight the Lies of the Enemy: I am Fat and Ugly.

Enter the idea of Faith and Fitness

It is true you don’t need faith to be fit, but when you can’t get fit – Faith goes a long way.

3 John 1:2 Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers.

I met Sara B of The Holy Mess through a Christian Entrepreneurs and Bloggers group online.  I noticed her in the group, but had been stalking her site for 2 or 3 years prior – just checking out the Free things (#FrugalLivingMomma up in here!).  Her story about losing over 100lbs and keeping it off for over a decade really spoke to me – and it intrigued me to really get to know her a bit.

She talks about faith being the key element in making any lasting changes.  That means that Faith and Fitness can and should go hand-in-hand.  I was ready to start the journey.

My Biggest Problem: I need to lose over 100lbs and nothing helped.

Just to shoot straight with you, I needed to know if Sara’s heart was really about helping women on this journey before I spent money.  Can you relate?  I mean there are a lot of fanatical fitness people out there and they get you in the door then drop you once the check clears.  I work too hard for my $$ to go through that again.

What did I need from a Faith and Fitness program to actually work?

1. I needed a starting place where I could learn without judgment
2. There had to be easy goals
3. I needed accountability
4. There needed to be simple teaching about nutrition and healthy lifestyle that I could understand and modify for food allergies in our home
5. I needed permission to make one small change at a time and not feel overwhelmed with it all
6. Whatever program I chose would have to be online
7. I was looking for a group with faith as the focus
8. There needed to be someone who knows their stuff and would be available to answer questions if I have them
9. The program needed to be simple and repeatable
10. I needed the price to be the price so I could really afford it

Faithful Finish Lines Ticked all those boxes for me and so much more.  Let me tell you about it in this Review of Faithful Finish Lines.  I’ll go item by item.

Full Disclosure: I am an affiliate for this program because I love it so much.  Clicking through any of the links in this post will help support HopeJoyInChrist Ministries.  As an affiliate, I received free access to the program to better be able to help women make the choice.  The opinions in this article are completely my own.  

10 Simple Ways Grow in Faith and Fitness with Faithful Finish Lines

1. I needed a starting place where I could learn without judgment

To be completely honest with you, I have spent too many years as an Emotional Overeater.  I had really lost a general understanding of the right foods in the right proportions.  Food has become something other than fuel for my body.  It’s not healthy but it’s true right now.  I need help taking the first steps.  And I need help without criticism or judgment.

• Sara and Becky of Faithful Finish Lines really get that because they’ve both been there.  There is a welcoming group of ladies also on this journey and they have been nothing but supportive and encouraging!  I believe that is because Faith and Fitness go hand in hand with Faithful Finish Lines

2. There had to be easy goals

One reason so many programs have failed for me is that they set unattainable goals, I can’t reach them quickly and I give up too soon.  I realize that, but don’t know what to do about it.

• Faithful Finish Lines allows you to set a 7-week Goal, but then set weekly goals to help you reach that main goal!  It is easy to have small wins and feel good about the progress so you keep going!

My Main goal was to walk a 5K – this was such a confidence builder!

[instagram url=https://www.instagram.com/p/Bmduxw5g3TB/?taken-by=hopejoyinchrist]

3. I needed accountability

I looked at the shelf and saw over 20 boxes of programs and workouts collecting dust.  Fitness was not going to happen alone for me.  Maybe you can do it and stay faithful, but I just can’t.  Even with the emphasis on Faith and Fitness, I find excuses to give God about why I didn’t get up and work out.  Can you relate?

• Sara and Becky of Faithful Finish Lines knew that too and created a private group for a weekly check-in and accountability!  Faithful Finish Lines really works well because of the accountability piece!

4. There needed to be simple teaching about nutrition and healthy lifestyle that I could understand and modify for food allergies in our home

My life now includes food allergies.  I need simple teaching that I can modify to fit into our real life.  Diets give you meal plans and food lists – and they always have things we can’t have in the house.  As I try to modify them I get frustrated, I mess them up and I end up giving up.

• Faithful Finish Lines is perfect for our family because they teach a different nutritional principle each week.  That’s what I needed – to learn about a general group of foods and see what I should eat more of or less of.  I can work that around our food allergies!

5. I needed permission to make One small change at a time and not feel overwhelmed with it all

Another problem I had with programs and diets was the shock of completely changing my lifestyle.  When the change is so radical I feel overwhelmed.  Honestly, I miss the food I like and feel so much guilt if I cheat on the diet that I get way off track.  Now I am very A type so I can hang with radical change for a while.  But when I go back to life as usual – all those lost pounds find me again.

• Because Sara and Becky of Faithful Finish Lines have both lost over 100lbs and kept it off – they know all about this.  They take time to teach us about making small changes to last a lifetime!

6. Whatever program I chose would have to be online because I had no time to travel

I am a busy homeschool mom with an online business, a marriage and ministry to manage.  I do not have time for extra meetings, traveling here and there or finding childcare.  There was no way I could do a program that took more time away.

• Faithful Finish lines is online!  I can check in while I’m doing life.  Exercise can happen when and where I chose and I don’t have to kill myself to find a babysitter.  Win-Win!

7. I was looking for a group with faith as the focus

God has been revealing to me the sin of gluttony in my life.  He created food to fuel this temple – not to be an idol I run to when I am hurting.  When life overwhelms me I need to turn to Him – not food.  I knew Faith and Fitness had to be hand in hand if I was going to overcome this sin in my life.

• Sara and Becky also speak to this in so many ways.  They prioritize scripture and prayer in every aspect of the Faithful Finish LInes Program.  It was just what I needed.

8. There needed to be someone who knows their stuff and would be available to answer questions if I have them

Because of our special situation of food allergies, I got stuck on so many of the other programs and diets I tried.  I knew if something was going to work I would have to be able to ask questions and get real answers.

• With Faithful Finish Lines, there is always someone available to answer any questions I had.  It has been such a blessing!

9. The program needed to be simple and repeatable

This may seem obvious, but have you seen the fitness programs out there?  They have charts and graphs and steps and containers to measure and the list goes on.  They are far from simple and you need a degree to repeat them without help.

• Faithful Finish Lines is simple.  There are goals, there are tips, there are accountability check-ins.  And I can’t wait to start the next session in a few weeks!

10. I needed the price to be the price so I could really afford it

Alright, bottom line, if you are a frugal gal like me you will relate to this.  Fitness programs and diets never tell you the bottom line cost.  It drives me crazy!!!!!

You buy the book for $40, then you read on page one that you need these containers for $30 and those videos for $50 and you still need to join a gym for $80 a month.  The gym hides fees in there as well. You end up $250 -$300 into the thing only to realize it doesn’t work and you are frustrated.

• Faithful Finish Lines is straightforward.  The program is the program.  The price is the price.  You decide what you need.  You pay for it.  You use it and follow the steps.  You have lifetime access to all of it!  Connect in the community and follow Sara and Becky on their sites for even more tips and help.  That’s it.  The Price is the Price.  I can’t tell you what a relief that is!  And the program is so worth the price when you compare it to other programs on the market!

Still not sure Faithful Finish Lines is for you?  Check out any of their Free or smaller priced courses here and you will get to know and love these women and their heart to help you reach your Faith and Fitness goals!

Space is limited in the program and it only opens a few times each year.  Check out Faithful Finish Lines and keep your eyes open for emails announcing when it will open again.

in HIM,

Tiffany