Plateaus Are Hard To Tolerate (And A House Full of Germs Doesn't Help!)

The Hughes family's quest to get fit and healthy in 2009 has hit a bit of a snag this week as Jaci is down with a case of severe bronchitis and I have not been able to keep up with my workouts as much as I'd like.

The weight loss combined stands at almost 30 pounds now for the two of us, but it is only a minor additional loss for this past week. That can be frustrating. I am the kind of person that needs to see results immediately and if they slow down I can get down and out!

Also, there have been some developments in our life this week that are really causing us to seek the Lord for what He is calling us to do. It almost seems like He might be calling us to make some drastic changes that will up-end our entire life. Only time and prayer will tell if this is the case or if he is just testing us to see if we are willing to give certain things up, but we find ourselves in a tough spot that calls for a lot of prayer. We just need to make sure that we follow the plan God has for our lives and for our children. Our first priority is to be serving God and creating a safe environment and strong spiritual foundation for our children who will carry the banner of faith for the next generation. Already there are some good signs of that as Noah has indicated that he is interested in getting baptized this year and as we just reported, Reagan has accepted the Lord at not even 4!

Too many times Christians put ministry first and their children second, and I believe that is wrong biblically. We are to put God first, but part of what He has called us to do in our lives is to raise our children. He entrusted this kids to us and so yes we have to serve God, but we need to get out of the mentality that says being a good parent imparting a strong and lasting faith to our children is not part of serving Him because it is! So for us, the choice is clear. Any direction that God will lead us will be in the best interests of our children.

We will keep you posted on our Biggest Loser challenge as we weigh in again later in the week. Hopefully the next week will be kinder than this week!

God bless friends!

Reagan Gets Saved...And the Hughes' Lose 23 Pounds!

Our little girl, Reagan, accepted the Lord on the way to church this weekend. Jaci was in the van talking to Noah about getting baptized this year and they were talking about how old Noah was when he got saved (almost 4) and Reagan told Mommy that she wanted to ask Jesus into her heart too. Jaci explained it to her and walked her through the prayer and Reagan was quite excited about her choice! She especially liked when we told her that the angels in heaven were having a party about her. Big brother Noah is anxious to be baptized, so that is something that we will be scheduling at the church later this year.

In other more worldly news, the Hughes Family Biggest Loser Competition is off to a great start! Just a little over a week into the competition I have lost 15 pounds and Jaci has lost 8 pounds! Praise the Lord for helping us to be so focused on our diet and exercise routine!

January 2009 Biggest Loser Begins!

Well folks, it's that time of year for resolutions. My resolutions are the same this year as they usually are:

1. Get more organized
2. Somehow make more money to keep up with bills in NJ
3. Lose weight

This year, the focus is definitely on accomplishing them. Especially the weight loss. Jaci and I are going to start our own Biggest Loser competition starting Jan 5. I will also be competing in a Biggest Loser competition at school. Our goal is to work out every day and to create a healthy menu plan that is low-carb and low-fat.

Once we get started, we will be posting updates on the site every week. That will help keep us accountable! Maybe I can even convince my excellent photographer wife Jaci to take the before photos this weekend and then take a new photo each week to track our progress!

Please pray for us during this challenge! The main reason we are motivated to do this is because we don't want to hand down weight issues to our kids.

So a healthy and happy 2009 to all of you!

God Bless!