Weight loss challenge

First off, you have to read this post by Tasha!! Ummm, timely? I think so! It coincides so nicely with my post a couple of weeks ago about joy and depression.

I started a new challenge on Tuesday.
A friend posted a friendly weight-loss competition on facebook.
We all send in our weight each week and at the end of the 4th week, whoever's lost the most percentage of weight will get a $25 gift card from each person competing in the challenge. There are 10 other people in this challenge. That's $250 for those of you who don't want to do the math.
I decided this was a great motivator and just the jumpstart I need. :)

What am I doing to lose weight? Nothing new. It's the same old stuff we know works. I'm exercising and eating healthily. That's it. No new-fangled diet. I know this works, folks. I've done it before and I've seen others do it before and I've seen it work.
Why don't I do it all the time? I will let Paul's words in Romans 7 explain this:
¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.
¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.

And that explains that.
I can only live a healthy lifestyle when my eyes are focused on the Lord.

Psalm 121
¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

I might as well just repost this from earlier in the year. Funny how I've come full circle...

If you're looking for ideas on how to lose weight or how to be healthier, I wanted to share some foods I try to incorporate daily for weight loss. I hope this is helpful to you.
Lemon water
Green tea
Oatmeal
Almonds
Green smoothies
Yogurt
Small amounts of bread (some days none at all)
Keep these foods in mind and on hand

As for exercise, I'm pretty boring. I like the treadmill. It's climate-controlled. It's convenient. It's in my home, which is a must right now as getting to a gym takes much more time and work to plan out. I can set up an iPad and watch (or listen) to a TV show. I can push myself as hard as I want and no one's watching me :). Plus I can wear my ratty old workout clothes and no one sees them but me.
At the start of the year my family is getting a YMCA membership. I'm excited about this because I want to start incorporating other types of exercise - group fitness, swim and weight lifting. They have childcare options, so I won't have to worry about what to do with my kiddos. They also have options of classes for my kids at reduced member rates: gymnastics, dance, soccer, basketball, etc.

And let me add this as an aside:
I know I've only been doing this for three days, but I already feel better. My mind is clearer. My body is less sluggish. My heart is happier.