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The 700 Club

CBN.com – JULIA'S JOURNEY

Julia Griggs Havey lost 130 pounds and successfully kept 120 of it off for more than 12 years. She describes herself as a wife, mother, volunteer at her Catholic church, room mom, carpool driver, author, spokesperson, motivator....a person just like everyone else.

For years, Julia struggled with overeating and weight gain, always losing the battle. In 1989, she found herself pregnant and eating for two. She gained 65 pounds during that pregnancy, 50 more in the next one and managed to add on about 20 more pounds with no such excuse.Like many women, the baby came out yet the weight stayed behind. Julia says soon her "fat" became a personality trait rather than just a physical condition.

Losing weight opened a whole new life for Julia. She sent her story to a women's magazine and started helping other people to lose weight. She started to pursue new dreams and even became Mrs. Missouri in 1999.

BUSTING VICES
One night, as she stopped by a gas station convenience store, she had a turning point. There was a drunken man on the curb and as Julia passed by him he said, "You have too much food in you." For some reason, this statement resonated in Julia and it became clear what she needed to do – curb her eating. One of the ways she did that was to give up the ½ gallon of ice cream she had every night. Just by doing this, she lost 30 lbs. in the following 2-3 months.

After ten years of unsuccessful "dieting," Julia tried this different way of losing weight that actually worked for her, and surprisingly, it didn't cost her hundreds of dollars in pre-packaged foods. It allowed her to lose the 130 pounds that consumed her for years, and as a result she got control of her life. She became happier, more productive, stronger and more creative than she ever knew.

Her message is simple, yet powerful, when you truly believe it! You are NOT your body! If you realize this and start immediately to treat yourself with respect some pretty amazing things will start to happen! The last thing that Julia wants to do is say that, "starting 'tomorrow' you are going on a diet, counting calories and grams of fat, beginning a harsh exercise regime and depriving yourself of all the things you like to eat." She knows we have all tried that type of dieting and we know it doesn't last forever. You 'cheat,' and then binge. Lose the weight, only to gain it back, and the cycle continues.

What she wants to teach is an attitude of success and to provide you the tools to rebuild your self-esteem, tools that will carry you far past this current "self-improvement" project. She wants people to realize losing weight is no different than that much needed home remodeling project. It needs to be planned, completed, and maintained. You don't want hammers and tools lying around your house for years, and the projects left unfinished.

IDENTIFY YOUR VICE
As it happened for her, Julia says if you just "bust" one of your food vices and start to drink water you will start to see great improvements in your health. You need to keep it simple, because if it becomes overwhelming, you won't do it. It is also good to do one thing at a time. When you identify your vice, you must totally stay away from it. Julia doesn't believe in moderation because the reality is it is too much of a temptation to go back to the old habits.

INTERESTING STATISTICS

* 75 percent of our population is overweight
* 33 percent are considered morbidly obese
* 300,000 people died directly from obesity-related causes
* More than 30 percent of children considered obese
* #1 selling product in the grocery store chain, accounting for $11.7 billion in annual sales
* use of high fructose corn-syrup has gone up 1,000 percent in past 20 years, obesity has risen 100 percent in the same time