When I first got on the program I was a little defensive, because I had just had a baby and knew that I could lose the weight on my own. I felt that Ron Welsh was the perfect consultant, because his wife has had 3 children in the last 4 years and completely understood where I was at. He was very respectful and very knowledgeable. If I had a question that I emailed to him, he always followed up with a phone call to make sure I got the question answered correctly. I really appreciated his help. Even though I have lost weight on my own in the past after having my first child, I am thrilled to say that this time around, I weigh what I weighed in high school! I don't think I ever would have taken it that far on my own. I probably would have lost just enough to get by and went on my way. Just recently I had to buy all new clothes, because I couldn't fit in to any of my clothes anymore! I am very thankful for that!
I thank God for Christian Care Medi-Share and their Restore Program! As a very active home school mom of 3 children I was shocked to receive the diagnosis of breast cancer at age 47. After a lumpectomy and lymph node dissection, and much prayer and research, I chose not to participate in the conventional post-cancer treatments (chemotherapy, radiation, or hormone therapy). I knew I needed lifestyle changes but did not know where to turn. As I cried out to God, knowing my cancer was the "health wake-up call" I needed, He provided the Restore Program and a wonderful Health Education Consultant (Danielle Pichette) who encouraged me and held me accountable on a 6-week journey that has transformed my life forever! Praise God! The daily/weekly charts and assignments (and recommended books like "Eat to Live"), the web-site with phenomenal information, and most of all the concern for my whole-body health (spiritually, physically, emotionally), has blessed me beyond measure. Nine months ago I never dreamed my entire family would choose healthy fruits, vegetables, and green smoothies, over our previous frequent fast food, junk food, sugar/sweets, and heavy meat and dairy diets! My husband and I are 30-pounds lighter and feel great. Exercise is fun! Truly our bodies, taste-buds, desires, and cravings have changed. We thank God for our "health wake-up call" and providing Christian Care Medi-Share programs to educate us so we can be good stewards, responsible Christians, and take care of the gift of our bodies in a way that honors and glorifies our Great God.
I felt like I was doing an ok job and that I had a lot of knowledge before I started the program, but it gave me the push to be more consistent and to be more drastic in my choices. Accountability and challenge are good for me and I tend to rise to the occasion. This time it really paid off. My cholesterol level went from 222 to 172 in 3 months and I am in better shape than I have been in years. My doctor told me that my results were dramatic and exciting and he did not want me to lose any more weight! Which, by the way, was not my main goal, but was a great side benefit to being more disciplined in my eating and exercise. It was well worth my time to be involved in the program, because it raised my awareness of everything I put into my mouth and what I was or was not doing with my body. Praise God for giving us the ability to get stronger and healthier with His help!
I had tried losing weight before Restore. I didn't have much success at all. I have now lost over 20 pounds in less than three months! It is very helpful having someone who keeps me accountable to eating healthy and to working out very consistently. The materials are very helpful in re-structuring the way I thought about food, and eating healthy. I am very grateful for Restore and the healthier place it has helped me to achieve. I still have a ways to go until my ideal weight, however, I know I will get there and that I will be able to maintain it because of the new habits I have formed.
I started out a skeptic in the program and did not believe I could feel this much better, or lower my cholesterol. Katie Kolb did an outstanding job in working with me to improve my goals for a healthier lifestyle. The resources made available to me, along with the coaching every two weeks, was invaluable. I believe the fact that I was accountable to a professional and obligated to Medi-Share gave me the extra incentive to continue the program. Now that I feel so much better I am hooked on the healthy lifestyle. Thank you for the life changing experience I now enjoy after completing this program. I don't have the cholesterol result yet but can't wait to see them. Thank you again for being such a blessing to myself and part of my family.
The accountabilty and the encouragement that this program offers is just what some of us need, to begin moving in the right direction. As it's been said, "The direction your moving in is as important, if not more so than what you are accomplishing at the moment." I needed that little extra encouragement to begin to move in the right direction once again. Even my family doctor was excited to hear what was taking place with the accountability. Thanks for your help.
When I started the Restore program I was very nervous since I had always had difficulty losing weight. In addition, I had trouble exercising due to an old ankle injury and I wondered whether this program could work for me. I was also nervous about working with a consultant, fearful of being judged or of not having any say in what I ate. All these fears were unfounded, I discovered, as I watched the Lord work in my life through the Restore program. My consultant was patient, prayed regularly with me, and had an uncanny ability to quote just the right scripture at the right time. I benefited greatly from her knowledge and from the accountability for my eating choices through keeping a food diary. As I began to lose weight and inches I was relieved and felt more confident that my body could actually let go of excess pounds. I wasn't destined to be fat, as I had often felt.
But my most important loss was not physical. I lost some of my deeply held attachment to food. Even before Restore, the Lord had begun to deal with my idolatry of food. Now through the program he worked in my heart to love Him more and to see that His love for me will not allow me to eat myself to death. His heart-cleansing deepened my discernment and has changed my walk with Him. Now, the Lord has given me opportunities to share these things with friends who are changing their eating habits as well. One of my friends has even been able to get off diabetes medicine!
I hear God calling his children to bodily stewardship and I have personally experienced the blessing of answering the call. I pray that those whom God leads to read my testimony will be encouraged to follow Him, knowing that "The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him" (Psalm 25:14) I've heard it said, "Those who fear the Lord fear nothing else, but those who do not fear the Lord fear everything else." I started the program with fear of failure, judgment, weight gain... But I'm graduating with a deeper fear of the Lord and renewed excitement to learn the secrets He illuminates as we walk together.
What a blessing my health coach, Becky, has been to me. What a wonderful opportunity she has to help people in need of change in their life. You get someone to be accountable to, to help “push” in a loving way… May the Lord bless you and Medi-Share abundantly! Thank you for all the prayers! They are truly felt and appreciated!
I really appreciate all of the phone calls and encouragement from Angela. At first, when I found out I had to do this Health Partnership, I was embarrassed and it hurt my feelings. However, I knew I needed some accountability and now I am so glad I have lost weight and have this lifestyle change. This has been a blessing in my life and I appreciate that Christian Care has this program.
I was sharing with Angela how much my attitude has changed since the start of the program. I signed on because I knew the changes in the program goals would be good for my body and for my family. Making the changes and being accountable is tough. I had just had my baby (she was a couple of weeks old) so I could have used that as an excuse for my weight, but I was convicted that I wanted change, not excuses.
The book Eat to Live was great! It was a big motivator because it answered any concerns I had with this new eating style. For any parent Disease Proof Your Child is essential because it relieves concerns commonly raised about feeding your children a diet without (or low in) milk or meat.
I want to point out that I used to dislike salads (takes too long to chew and I am a busy mom; now I slow down and enjoy the taste).
The bottom line is, we are now all eating the food we knew we should be eating all along. I feel better, I look better and we are really starting to enjoy it!
My advice to others starting out is that changes are challenging and they disrupt your schedule. Sometimes you will feel overwhelmed and depressed by the effort (at first). Don’t worry if you can’t figure it all out (how to shop, prepare for the food and enjoy it) all at once. Keep praying about it and don’t give up!
I just wanted you to know that your encouragement and guidance have been awesome! Knowing that you were there praying for me and that you really care about my wellbeing means so much to me. I also knew that you would be calling me to ask those hard questions that accountability always requires. The Bible tells us to “speak the truth in love to one another”. You would, in love, ask for the truth, and that quality of caring helped to keep my motivation up. It’s true that I was already working on doing some things to become healthier before I joined the Restore program and Christian Care Medi-Share. However, there were times when you were the wind in my sail that kept me moving. Many thanks!
I am very thankful for the Restore Program. Before, I had given up thinking I couldn’t lose the weight that I so desperately needed to lose. When I would “diet”, I would lose a few pounds only to gain back more than I lost. I would feel sick and would suffer from headaches and I told myself I needed meat proteins all day long. If I did not have them I would suffer from headaches. I have learned to eat so much healthier. I have lost 35lbs and the exciting thing is that I have felt great doing it – no headaches and no hunger. I actually find I am very satisfied eating less because what I am eating is meeting my body’s nutritional needs. The Restore program also got me exercising – a very good thing! I did not realize how out of shape I was until I began. It was so good to have the consultant hold me accountable and encouraging me to keep pressing forward. I am very grateful! Thank you so much!
I admit I felt aggravated when my application to CCM resulted in an invitation to enroll in the Restore program-especially since I had my own routine and had already made significant progress towards my goals of losing weight and shrinking my middle. But I felt the Lord led me to humble myself and acknowledge that continuing to pursue those goals even further with walking and targeted core exercises, as well as more attention to diet would be a great long term benefit to my health and my self-image.
I am pleased to report that the rewards far outweigh the effort I had put into reaching the Restore goals. Seeing the pounds come off and especially noticing firming up has been energizing.
So I am thankful for CCM’s insistence on compliance-not only has it been a blessing to me, but it is bound to keep all of our health care costs down in the long run.
Thank God for Eileen and the Health Initiatives programs. She set reasonable goals for me each week. She taught me how to have a healthy lifestyle and encouraged me each step of the way. She prayed for me. When progress stopped at one point, she encouraged me to read Eat To Live again. That and the video “Diet For All Reasons”, filled me with enthusiasm again.
There was a nagging doubt in my mind about how well I would be able to continue with this new lifestyle after my time with Eileen ended but God reassured me by delivering me from an addiction to sweets. Eileen reminded me to guard my heart by not having sweets whenever I wanted them. She gave wise counsel. It kept me from falling again into dependency on sweets. God has also made to possible to have accountability with a Christian friend who is also a certified personal trainer. Praise Him for supplying all of my needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus!
My approach to food is completely different since being part of the Christian Care Health Initiatives Program. During a grieving process due to the loss of a baby I gained over 50 pounds and found myself completely addicted to food, mainly sugar. Since being a part of the CHIP program the way I look at food has drastically changed. Although, I have not reached my goal weight, my eating patterns are totally different. Instead of dairy and meat products, vegetables and fruit, legumes and beans have become what I reach for. That in and of itself is somewhat a miracle because I grew up in a home where meatloaf and mashed potatoes, ice cream and cake, chicken pot pies were "comfort foods". With the help of weekly then monthly accountability (and at the beginning, most of the time I had to do a lot of confessing), my health consultant helped me to understand more and more the benefits of "raw" eating. This program has been life-changing for me because I know my overall health has improved. I have gained great foundational principles of healthy eating and exercise that will carry me the rest of my life. The pedometer is part of my daily clothing now. Fruit and vegetables are now part of everyday eating as well. Meat is now something I can pass on when it comes to my weekly diet. I would recommend this program to anyone how wants to reach optimal health.
We wish to give testimony to the past 6 month experience of seeing a reversal in our general health condition, but more importantly, an improvement in our attitudes toward our health thus our enthusiasm for the years that lie ahead. My wife, Joann, loves to tell others we are enrolled in our own personal "NHPP" (Nursing Home Prevention Plan).
Our desire to do more "full-time ministry", having my wife "retire" from the nursing home where she worked part time (at close to minimum wage, but with full benefits including our health insurance), provided the motivation for my qualifying "unconditionally" for the Christian Care MediShare program. The nursing home cafe that Joann managed, (where she was constantly requested to make chocolate malts for overweight residents and their visitors) was an added incentive for both of us, as we witnessed the multitude of health issues resulting from lives wrapped around unrestrained consumption of the very foods that put those people in the nursing home in the first place.
We desired before the Lord to not follow the "way of the world" in lifestyles that led to such pathetic endings. God led us to Christian Care Medi-Share and broke our "bondage" to medical insurance/medical treatment addictions. To be accepted into the MediShare program I was required to enroll in the Health Initiatives program, Restore, which literally realigned my eating and exercise habits to that which supported my biblical convictions of how I ought to be living.
Bill became my Health Education Consultant and prayer companion. Every two weeks I would receive a phone call wherein we would review the degree of short term goals achieved and set goals for the next step. When needed, Bill would have health consulting Doctors and/or Physical Therapists CALLING ME, to provide top notch guidance to my specific needs or questions. I think Bill would have had President Bush call me if the need was there!
Bill assured me that the numbers would be there if I simply stuck to the program outlined in "Eat to Live". In faith, convinced that God's hand was in this guidance, I trusted the results to Him. Today, six months later, with my total cholesterol down over 60 points, and my blood pressure at 118/72, I was congratulated in a phone call from Bill for having graduated out of the class of "Conditional Approval"into full participating membership in the MediShare program.
We are thanking God for His direct intervening hand in matters of our disciplined, (not self-indulging) healthy life-style outlook. We thank the MediShare and Health Initiatives Staff and Board-of-Directors for their obedience to God's teachings, enabling the many members, now including my wife and me, to incorporate those principles into our daily life.
I will try to explain what the Restore program has done for me so far. It is hard to know where to start.
At the beginning of this program, I weighed around 145 pounds and had a serious problem with RLS (Restless Legs Syndrome). I took St. John's Wort to keep me calmer and never went to bed prior to 11pm and never got up until after 8am (had to tape my program, Simply Quilts, which came on at 7:30am). Also, I could only wear two pairs of my size 10 shorts and all of my size 10 capris were tight on me.
I currently weigh 138lbs and only once in a while get an ache in my legs. This is the calmest I've been in years! I now go to bed around 10 or 11pm and get up between 7 and 7:30am. It is currently 8:25am and I have had breakfast, visited with my husband, and went for a half hour walk so far today.
As for my clothing, I'm walking on air I am so happy! I tried on some size 8 shorts that I had purchased several years ago (still have the tags on them) 2 of the pairs fit great. In fact, I plan to put on a pair this afternoon. I have more energy which is very good as the grandchildren want me to play tag with them and I will be doing that.
Another effect of this program is that my husband is also losing weight. We both enjoy all of the new recipes that I have been trying. Our daughter-in-law is our sidekick in this. We are having fun trying new things and passing ideas back and forth. We have planted a herb garden, 6 different pepper plants, tomato plants, we put in a raised bed garden, a raised bed strawberry bed, 2 blackberry bushes, a raspberry bush, 2 blueberry bushes, and a lingonberry bush. We have 2 grapes to plant (just got them in the mail yesterday). We really want to eat better.
I want to thank you for this program. I know that I am the one who let my body get into the shape it is and I have to change my lifestyle to get back in shape. We also want to start taking some hiking vacations.
I would not be doing as well as I am without an accountability partner. I know that I could be doing better but with our son on his way to Afghanistan, we spent a lot of time doing things with and helping our daughter-in-law and 3 grandchildren.
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