Healthy lessons I'm learning through sickness

I don't know about you, but 2025 has gotten of to an intense start.

Our family has faced everything from my husband and I getting the stomach bug and knocking us down for a few days to some more serious, life changing health concerns with other family this year. 

For those who don't know, this past Christmas, I asked many of you to pray for my sister. Your love and prayers carried her and her family through a very difficult diagnosis of bladder cancer at the end of December. She doesn’t fit the typical bladder cancer patient mold, but here we are. This diagnosis came out of nowhere. She is currently undergoing treatment for the next couple of months and will likely have surgery this summer. Treatment of course brings with it a lot of side effects and battles. Please continue to pray as her life has been turned upside down.

During this time, my other sister went for her annual mammogram and they found something of concern. She was called back for another mammogram and an ultrasound. While this is not uncommon, it of course is still concerning. At her ultrasound appointment she was told she would need a biopsy. We are waiting on some follow up appointments, but current reports leave us hopeful the results will be benign. Please pray for these results as well!

Throughout all of this I have prayed and cried many tears with God and I know he hears me, he answers our prayers. Sometimes the prayers are just for him to be near, because really there is nothing I can do to fix anything about sickness. And I am a fixer. This is unfixable by me.

It is not unfixable by God.

While admittedly, none of my sisters battles are my actual battle to face, I feel like God is teaching me a lot about him in these days and I wanted to share a couple of those things today.

Sickness is the result of sin. Not on a personal level, not as punishment, but as the result of a fallen world. Every single one of us are vulnerable to sickness at any given time, without any warning. And we don't have to and should not hold any of our troubles on our own. Whether you are the sick one or even just someone close to the one who is sick, don't hold it alone. Stress can make you just as sick. I pray you have community in your life. People to do life with. Let your people help hold the hurt, pain and sick days. Let their prayers, their kind words, their thoughtful gestures lift you on the difficult days. We were never made to do this life alone.

On an even more personal level, God is speaking to me even louder about my own health. The importance of caring for my body. The importance of good nutrition. Even the importance of not making it all about the healthy choices, but enjoying life and all the get to's on the journey. While none of us are capable of preventing all illness, ever. The healthier your body is when you face an illness or injury will probably matter. I shouldn't wait until a doctor is face to face with me with a diagnosis to start caring for my body in the best way. 

Practically, I'm reminded to stay on top of screenings. Listen to your body. Advocate for yourself.

God uses sickness and difficult times to remind us of his love, his kindness and his goodness. Even during a short illness like the stomach bug, we were so grateful for friends and family who offered help in many ways. God uses people to spread his love. I needed to be reminded to be that for others. In other more serious illnesses, like my sister's, it has been comforting to all of us to hear from so many people who are praying, who are filling in gaps with meals, gift cards, gas cards, friendship, listening ears and more. This is what it means to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Thank you. Your generosity and kindness does not go unnoticed.

I think mostly though, he's reminding me of my need for him.

Dependnce on him is the healthiest thing I can do for myself and for those around me.
I pray that you know him.

If you are struggling with something difficult today, I hope these verses can help bring you some comfort:

Isaiah 40:29: “He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.” 
Psalm 147:3: “He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.” 
Deuteronomy 31:6 “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you.” 
2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you.”

Let me reintroduce myself

Hi friends, I’m Mandy, the face behind Faith Fueled Wellness, and my journey has been one of transformation—physically, emotionally, and spiritually. For most of my adult life, I struggled with my weight, self-confidence, and a deep sense of guilt and shame. I’ve used alcohol in the past as an attempt to fit in, I've battled poor body image, and at times I've felt distant from God. But in 2013, everything changed.

At nearly 300 pounds, I knew it was time for a shift—not just in my body, but in my heart and mind. My faith was reignited through a small church my son began attending, and as I drew closer to God, I began healing from the inside out. My weight loss journey was never just about the number on the scale; it was about becoming a healthier, stronger version of myself so I could serve God, be a better mother, and step into the purpose He had for me.

Over the years, I lost over 130 pounds, faced setbacks gaining some of thebweight back, navigated major life changes, and ultimately found my calling in helping others. I became an ACE-certified Health Coach and Group Fitness Instructor, as well as a Revelation Wellness fitness instructor and the Wellness Revelation facilitator. While I never imagined myself leading others in this way, God made it clear that this was the path He wanted me to take. And through it all, I’ve learned that true wellness isn’t just about diet and exercise—it’s about surrendering every part of the journey to Christ.

I know how hard this path can be. I understand the struggles, the doubts, and the desire to give up. But I also know the freedom that comes with trusting God in the process. My heart is to encourage and walk alongside other women, reminding them that they are not alone and that their journey is uniquely their own. Whether you’re just starting or have been on this road for years, I want to create a space where we can pursue health—body, mind, and spirit—without shame or judgment.

Wherever you are in your journey, I get it. And I’m here to walk with you. If you’re new around here there are a couple of ways we can connect. I come here, to this page, a few times a week and share some things on my heart. I also share about our Saturday morning workouts here. If you’re local, you are welcome to join my women only, faith based workouts. I also have an accountability group where I share more of my journey. I share devotionals, education, workouts, encouragement, and more! Send me a message if you’d like to join!

Defeating the lies

 A common saying around Revelation Wellness is "God want to love the hell out of you". What does that even really mean? Just that we want people to get to Heaven? Well, of course the answer is yes to that, but it's way more than that.

Part of the goal of the ministry of Revelation Wellness, who I am certified through, is to love the lies right out of you. The lies straight from the devil. The fear, the guilt, the shame. Another popular saying is "Shame off of you"! Maybe it's the need for perfection. The belief that you have to get it just right, hit every target, or you aren't going to do it at all. Or maybe you fall in the complete opposicit category, procrastination. Thinking there is always tomorrow, Monday, a new month or maybe after the next holiday.

The truth is, whether you're putting off a decision or feel like you've messed things up. You get to choose again at the very next choice. obedience is doing what you need to when you need to do it. Delayed obedience is really disobedience. 

How do we defeat the lies? They can be loud. They can be deep rooted. Some of them may have been lingering around for a long time.

First things first, you absolutely have to be in God's Word, the truth, the only truth, that's how you defeat the lie. (Add scripture)

Second you have to recognize the lie. Once you recognize it, you have to challenge it. Find scripture you know that disproves the lie. Put it on repeat.

Something else that might be helpful is journaling through the following questions:

1. A defining moment in your life that led to that thought, that lie.
2. Words that remind you of the moment.
3. Specific people involved in the moment.
4. Any additional events that led to or have furthered the hurt and continued belief in the lie.
5. Pray for God to reveal the truth to you in regards to this lie. The truth about you.
6. Jot down any verse you can pull to your memory quickly when the lie tried to gain traction.

You can't control what thoughts pop in your mind. You can help them by being mindful fo the things you put in your mind, but you can't control what pops into your mind. You can only control your response to the thought. Respond to yourself in love. 

Take a verse below anytime you need a reminder. Draw close to God, remain in Him.

Isaiah 40:31

Romans 8:37

Jeremiah 29:11

Psalm 23:4

John 10:10

Psalm 139:14

John 16:33

1 Corinthians 10:13

Share some of your own verses us with us too.

Sacrifice, Weight loss, an Apology & More!

Friends, I don’t know why I stopped talking about weight loss. I've really done a disservice to people and myself by stopping talking about it. I've really felt the Lord speaking loud to me about this topic lately. So here we are.

I kind of feel like the fitness, health and wellness industry has made weight loss a no-no, something we don't talk about. I think, possibly, for the right reasons, but I think it's kind of backfired. We moved to talking strictly about health and wellness and if weight loss happens it’s a bonus. Please note: if you struggle with eating disorders, this may absolutely need to be the approach taken. Nothing is a one size fits all solution. But weight loss in and of itself is not a bad word or phrase. I just think it somehow got linked to "quick fix", therefore we avoid the topic and steer in another direction.

So let's talk more about why I think many professionals have separated weight loss from fitness and health and wellness. But, first, let's be clear you can have an abundance of wellness and no weight loss, nor a need to lose weight. I do not believe there is a magic number everyone should weigh. Personally, if I didn’t have health problems due to my weight, I would not be talking to you about weight loss. I would be focused on fueling and moving my body. I would not care what the scale said. So it's ok if that is where you are. The outward appearance of your body does not dictate your health. But that’s not the case for me right now. I have pain and inflammation that impact my daily life. I need to lose pounds. 

Strength training has become huge lately. Which is fantastic! I love picking up weights. I love the challenge of trying to reach new goals and keep lifting heavier. Here's the deal though, weight loss and strength training kind of work against one another. Let me be clear, you can strength train and lose weight. It will happen at a much slower pace. But the reality is you can’t really eat in a deficit and build muscle. To gain muscle you need to fuel the muscle with more calories, specific calories. And to lose weight you need to be in a deficit. Make sense? 

Now, fat loss and strength training coexist well together. That’s different from just weight loss. It’s much harder to see these results, and that is fine, 100% fine AND a healthy way to approach the journey. Seriously, it’s a great healthy option. 

I apologize if I solely took this stance and stopped talking about weight loss at all. We can have mulitple healthy routes to our goals. I am committed to talking about more than one route from here on out.

Now, personally, for me, right now, 2025 me, I’ve shifted my priority. The beauty of this journey is it can have seasons. What I need right now might not be what I need next year. Weight loss is my current priority. Let me be clear. I still plan to pick up weights, I want to retain the muscle that I have, I do not want to lose that, but I do primarily want to lose pounds currently. So I won’t be lifting heavy trying to set new PR’s. I just want to do the best I can to maintain the muscle under there that I do have. 

I feel my body, currently, needs me to lose pounds. The arthritis, in my knees especially, is desperate for me to lose weight. I have no goal to lose a ton of weight, my goal is 38 pounds this year. In January, I lost a little over 3 pounds. If I can keep that pace I'll reach my goal by the end of the year. Then I can reevaluate my goals. And I DO plan to get back to strength training more as my body definitely needs that too. Strong muscles help with arthritis too… as well as aging. It’s just that trying to do both, for me, was just not working. 

Let's be honest, strength training is my absolute favorite, aside from walking. So this is an adjustment for me, a bit of a sacrifice for me. I'm trying not to push my body as hard to relieve the inflammation. I'm trying to be kind to my body, yet still move. I’m also reminding myself that this journey isn’t about me. It’s about caring for the body God gave me. It’s about glorifying Christ. A couple of scriptures I can focus on are:

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Romans 6:12-13 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. 

The Contemporary English Version says: Don’t let sin rule your body. After all, your body is bound to die, so don’t obey its desires or let any part of it become a slave of evil.  Give yourselves to God, as people who have been raised from death to life. Make every part of your body a slave that pleases God.

Don’t obey your fleshly passions. Hello, food, my passion, my desire, the sugar, the excess, it’s a real struggle.

We are alive through our body. The body God gifted us. Our body is part of us, we are part of our body. What we feed it, how we treat, mind, body and spirit really does matter.

It’s really not about me. It’s not about you. It’s about Christ. It’s about glorifying Him. It’s about being willing to sacrifice. We might have to sacrifice the types of food we want to eat to fuel our body, the amount of food we want to eat. We might have to sacrifice time, so that we make time to workout. OUR BODIES WERE NOT MADE TO BE STILL. There are studies that say sitting is the new smoking. It is really unhealthy for us. (As I sit here writing this.)

So, weight loss. I'm going to talk about it more. I think pushing it down, ignoring it makes it feel more shameful. Talking about it more makes it healthier. Demonstrating how to do it in a healthy way helps.  I’m going to share about the ups and downs of the journey again. The boring mundane daily ins and outs of the journey. I’m going to take measurements too, because that can tell a story too. It's impmortant to note, the scale doesn’t have a hold on me, so I can weigh regularly. I can take it at face value, a measurement that tells me when to pivot if need be. That has not always been the case, it's taken work to get to this point. If that's not where you are right now, please DO NOT step on the scale.

I'd love to hear some scripture that encourages you to make healthy choices.

Go be a light! Matthew 5:14-16