Justin Willoughby Blog

Examples

Your the example... no matter what you do, no matter how you act, all them times you blow up, all them times you say things are okay, and people know there not, all them times you act different in one place, than the other... your being a example. No matter what you do, people will be watching you. If you are a christian, people will be watching you. You might not think they will be, but they end up watching you. I know this for a fact. See, I have a reputation where I suppose to be on a healthy diet the rest of my life. If I walk into McDonalds, and someone I know is attending, and eating there. They will walk up to me, and ask me.. "Justin! What are you eating!?!"

Im like.. "A salad.. whats it look like?"

Its even harder, because I am in the media.. Bradford is watching me, whether I realise it or not. Right? Right!!... they are.. people coming up to me, and telling me that im such a inspiration. Now what if I ruined that? I tell them, I am a follower of Jesus Christ... they look at that. They wonder if I am active as I say I am at Open Arms.. they wonder if I still pray before work outs.. they wonder if i am still losing the pounds. When I say I gained, they look at me like why?

So just be prepared.. no matter if you think your being watched or not.. the truth is, you are! You are the example.. you are the "christian" the Christ like follower. So act like it. Be Christ like, keep life Christ centered..

Much love brothers/sisters.

Be Prepared

Hello folks.. nothing really much to say today. Except that today, I spoke at Dickersons (aint sure) Mental health institute. It was about 14 people all together, that were present. Anyway, most of them were slow on things, but I was explaining my testimony to them. They were all amazed. I shared my pictures, and shared my faith. God was really working through me today. I could tell they were really getting into talking about Jesus and spirituality.. Anyways.. sometimes its hard to explain, and tell people about Jesus. So before we do it, we are too pray, and know what we are going to say. Sometimes we dont know what will cross our paths, but other times, we can have a general idea. Its pretty awsome just to know God will never leave us or forsake us. He says so in his word. I didnt come here to preach at the moment, nope.. I came here to talk about how it is possible to preach the gospel.. just like Jesus says. Even tho it can be hard, it can be done. Stand in the face of adversity, and never let it over power you. Be prepared at all times. :-D

So Much We Can Do

Guys, hey its Justin. Yeah yeah, this blog is suppose to be about my weight. haha! too bad! Well here is some info! I gained 6 pounds! BOOYA! lol!! hahaha.. it will come off tho. So now.. together, I lost 446 pounds.. :-( I wish it said 451 again! AHH MAN! anyway..

Look look look! The summer is coming up! And as teens, yeah! We are sooo close! I mean, sure we have our problems every now and then, but hey, who doesnt. But look how close we all grown together. The summer is soooo near! And there is sooo much stuff we can do. Number one.. Creationfest 2006! Guys, this is a very good idea to check your scheduel, and be able to go. I mean, tons of Christian bands, and so on! The info about this, its just amazing.. I understand that it brings us so close to God. So I urge you all..lets save, do fundraisers, and so on to earn money for this trip. Its about 90 bucks a person, the later it takes to pay, the more expensive it will get. Its going to be a awsome event. Daily devotionals, and just spending time together. Smelling each other's farts! WOOO! What can be better? lol!! hahah! sorry had to add that in. But we also need adults. Yup.. to chaparone or however u spell it. More can be found on the forum page on the Open Arms official website.

Also, Kingdom Bound 2006 will be this summer! Its at Six Flags Darien Lake, and I know a few people who went last year, i hear this is a good event as well. Im sure we can just bum our own money for this event.. but it would be nice to actually have money in the youth box for it. Its a bunch of Christian bands.. and its at a theme park, so thats all good.

Youth For Christ will be having a camp for kids to get closer to God. Volunteers will be able to go most likely for free.. but you need to be a volunteer for the youth for christ ministry. This camp will be about a week, games, devotionals, hiking, lots of other things. I will post more about this later.

There is alot going on, i can name more, but its not in my head right now. Anyway, I am speaking to the youth, but also to the adults. This will be fun if we all just work together, to raise money, and be there for each other. Well, Im off.. ha.. Love you all.

So much we can do..

Too Open Arms Youth

Hey guys, its Justin.. yeah its my blog, so ha!! I can type, and write. I have some time on my hands to type it.. yes.. okay.. anyway, just wanna give you a quick update on my weightloss.. 442 pounds has been lost!!! Can u believe it!? GOD IS SOOOO GOOD! He has been helping me sooo much!

Now.. to the youth of Open Arms. I wanted to say thank you for being fun, thank you for being awsome friends.. thanks for everything!! You guys keep me on my feet hahaha! Especially u Kai!! ha! Thanks tho guys.. Love ya..

NEW RECORDED BLOGS!! I UPDATE CONSTANTLY!

http://justinwilloughby.podomatic.com/

Hey guys, this is the link where u can go listen to my blogs. Check them out, and I update almost everyday, if not every other day. So check them out, if u wanna see whats going on in my head. lol. Love ya

Dec11th05 Blog

http://justinwilloughby.podomatic.com/

click Blog 1, and check it out. I hit record, instead of typing it.

Emotional...

You ever been like, this life is ahhh!! Getting flustrated. One thing that hurts.. is like.. im longing for a relationship.. I want a christian girlfriend, and what sucks is.. nobody around here my age, and I like feel so bad, its like.. "Well Lord, what next? Do I stay single all my life? People I am interested are taken, and blah.. junk.. Anyways.. yeah.. I was on Channel 7 News last night, and they cut out so much! I mean alot!! it was like, dang. All stuff about Jesus was cut out. I just asked myself now.. "God, if its for you, why do they cut you out of my words?" *Sigh* hmmm, and I just heard in my head "Its there option to reject me" or somethin..

Teen People magazine came today, and the girl interviewed me, and she was Jewish. I started talking to her about God. I asked her "What do you believe?" she told me she dont believe in a God. I told her since she was Jewish, I talked about the Old Testament, saying the first attempt of human sacrafise.. explaining how God instructed Abraham to show his faith, and take Isaac and sacrafise him for a offering. I then went on saying "this is God's first showing, that one day he will send a Savior, his only Son." I then went on and explained how Jesus matched all the prophesies that the Old Testament prophesied. I then went on to say that when Jesus was on the cross, God the Father turned his back on Christ, because he took upon the sin of mankind. " She said this "Please stop, I dont want to talk about this, I am biting my tongue right now. I could argue, and this is just worthless, because I am not listening."

I felt weird, im like.. ahhh man.. okay. Then we went on with the interview. So guys, the moral of this is, dont keep God in the closet no matter what. Yup. there we go. Love ya.

Fast Week

Fast week has not been doing me justice. It has been screwing up my metabolism and weight loss like whoa. I want to go a 40 day fast, but I am afraid to because it will mess up my weightloss. But other than that, I have been doing really well. Been drinking some juices, water, and some soup. Other than that... yup.. still doing the same old stuff. Go to the ymca everyday. Friends, you got to remember. Losing weight is a struggle, but we can do it. Jesus said "Come to me!" I have, and its working. I look at people in stores and junk, and right there i tell them how Jesus has changed my life. Its amazing, and a very awsome experience. Jesus Christ is Lord guys. There is no other way to explain it. He is who He says He is! Good luck tomorrow, try to get through. I know we can pull through using Jesus as our support. I love you all. God bless.

Never give up.. I tell myself that at times. Dont give up, look how far you have come? But.. it just so hard sometimes to stay on a strict diet. Strict meaning counting calories to me. lol. Anyways, a few days ago, ive been struggling from feeling the love of Christ. But when it comes down to it all, I have been experiencing the love of Christ through the body which is Open Arms community church. What a wonderful church family we have going. We represent the body of Christ, and we follow his walk, and his ways. God is awsome. Its my birthday today, lol. And guess what.. NO CAKE! How can I go through a birthday without cake? I have no clue. But im gonna try. Food has no authority over me. I take control of it, in Jesus name. Jesus says "Anything is possible in my name." I thank Jesus for such words. I thank the disciples for writing down his words. God is awsome. There is no denying his awsomeness, his majesty, his faithfulness. Jesus Christ loves me, and I love him. I am no longer going to doubt his love, I am no longer going to let Satan make me doubt. We have a enemy, and if the enemy had control of my life, I would still be bigger, as in over 800 pounds. I could possibly be dead. But by the grace of God, and the power of his name. I am released from the captivity of the enemy, and am no longer a slave to food, anxiety, or lazyness. I thank you all. Keep pluggin.. cause there is far more on the road of recovery. love ya, pray for me. God bless. :-)

My Sermons

God is so awsome. This weekend was church. I witnessed God on a more personal level. I was asking myself. Am I really giving it all to God? I could answer that with a no. I then felt it on my heart to bow down and worship him in the sanctuary during praise and worship. It was then when I broke down, and felt him on a more personal level. Is he more real now? Yes, but he has always been real to me. God is awsome guys, nothing like him. I have come up with a sermon series online called "The Lies Of The Enemy" and i have the first part done. The first part is called "God Doesnt Love you" that is the first lie, that many people who have done wrong cannot get out of there heads. Its so unbiblical. Jesus Christ was put to death to die for you. What makes it hard tho, is that many people choose to fulfill there own desires, and they seek false religions.. such as the New Age/Witchcraft/Paganism. That leads me to the next part of my sermon series. "False Religions". God is awsome tho, and he is faithful and just to forgive you for even putting him in last place. All we have to do is ask for that forgivness. Jesus is awsome. Check out my podcasts on this Sermon series. Oh, and by the way, so far, I have lost 418 pounds. IN YOUR FACE DOUBTERS! WOO!! I GOT THE ONE WHO IS WALKING WITH ME!!! AND HELPING ME BURN THEM CALORIES! I DONT NEED SURGERY!! I GOT THE GREAT PHYSICIAN! AND HE IS MY DOCTOR!

http://justinwilloughby.podomatic.com/

two years two months.. its amazing guys!

Evening brothers and sisters. I find it totally amazing what 2 years and 2 months can do in a single person's life. I mean, life is so fast. Just two years, and two months ago, I was 799 pounds, laying in a hospital bed in Pittsburgh, just feeling like this will take forever to change things around. I remember thinking "is this possible?" I mean, it was hard enough to grasp the fact that I have gotten up to a weight level that was just very unrealistic for a 16 year old. But today, I am living proof of success! I am a firm believer in prayer, and in faith. I choose to follow Jesus Christ, because this relationship (NOT RELIGION) is the only one that makes sence to me. I find it odd, that many can lose weight on there own, without God, but still cant grasp the fact that God exists. What is odd about that? Good question, here, I will give you a good answer. I find it odd, because through there hard work of losing weight, they still didnt take time to notice "wow! my body is absolutely amazing!" I did that to my own body. I am like, "WHOA! I gained all that fat, and my skin stretched out just to hold that in." People, this creation (our bodies) isnt just a accident. Noway! Our bodies were developed very carefully. Every cell functions with the other, and so on, and so forth. Its just so interesting how our bodies function. If we eat "CREATION FOODS" such as fruits, and veggies, and whole grains, we tend to notice our bodies increase in metabolism, and our immune system functions 100 percent. The heart actually holds as much strength as your body weight. I mean 799 pounds moving, and the heart, about as big as your fist, keeps pumping blood to meet the extra strain your body is taking. ITS AMAZING!!! How can we ignore our bodies? Its just so amazing. From the little details of your skin having pores, to your brain functioning along with our nerves. WOW! Its hard to comprehend it all. God is so awsome. Its just so hard to think that just alittle over two years ago, I was not even walking 20 feet, and now I can walk (FAST- UPHILL) over 2 miles. And if I wanted to, I am sure i could do 3 miles.

Its possible, did I do it on my own? Let give you a honest answer. No I d idnt. I have had tons of support from the church family of Open Arms Community Church. This is an amazing, exciting, flippin SWEET family! All the way from The Hatchers, to the Campbells, to Pastor Mike and his family, to my family, to Dave and Sandy Norgrove, and even the people who are single. THEY ARE SO AWSOME! Very friendly, very loving. I cant think of you all, but you mean so much to me. Even if you just say hi, it still touches my heart. I will be here all day naming names. haha. Back on track, I have had alot of support from my church family, the ymca (ymca family), my own family, my friends, even Instant Messenger friends. Its awsome, that just little words like "You can do it buddy" can have an impact on your progression to your goal. Speaking of my goal, through Jesus Christ, I know I will get down to it. My goal? haha.. 200 pounds. Thats just goal 1. I want less, that leads me to goal number 2. Which is 180 pounds. From there, muscle time. From there, trying to stay fit, and in shape, and helping others who need/want help. After that is all said and done, my final goal, is the end. Meeting my Lord and Savior, face to face, and bowing down, and worshipping him.

Wow.. i just got myself in tears. This is pretty emotional guys. I thank you all. I cant wait until that day when I hear "Well done my good and faithful servent." and I enter his kingdom, to be with him forever. And even if someday I dont reach my goal.. even if someday some freak thing will happen in my life, I know what I have accomplished is more than enough proof that you can do it. But if anything ever does happen to me. I want you all to promise me, no matter what, you will reach out to the community of Bradford, and you will tell them "This young man, who loved the Lord with all his heart, lost this much weight, and he did it all through Jesus Christ." I love you all, everyone!! God bless you. I gotta get going now. More to come next week. -Until soon (Much love your way) -Justin

Teen Loses more than 400 Pounds

http://www.timesleader.com/mld/timesleader/12917056.htm

JASON BURT
Bradford Era

BRADFORD, Pa. - A local teenager is not himself these days. In fact, he's half of what he used to be.
Justin Willoughby - who has lost more than 400 pounds - has been working out vigorously for the past three or four months at the Bradford Family YMCA. In that time, he said he lost about 60 or 70 pounds. Over the span of about two years and two months, he has lost 401 pounds and now weighs 398 pounds.
At his maximum weight, doctors told him that he should see a cardiologist to make sure his heart was in good condition. After losing about 300 pounds and beginning his exercise, he went to see a cardiologist to make sure it was OK for him to begin the YMCA workout.
"I've basically tried everything," Justin Willoughby, 18, said, adding he's tried diet and weight pills, high-protein diets and Slim Fast. He said there was no surgery involved in his weight loss. Out of all the weight loss efforts he's tried, he said the YMCA workout seems to be working the best for him.
Willoughby is not alone in his effort to lose weight, however. His family, which includes his father Ron Willoughby, 58, his mother Diane Willoughby, 49, and his older brother Chad Willoughby, 22, has been supporting him by joining his workouts at the YMCA.
"He is the key," Diane Willoughby said. "He's the reason we started to go there. And everybody needs exercise to stay healthy."
The Willoughbys decided to make the workout a family affair. The family works out from about 10 to 11 a.m. every day except on Sunday.
"We spend a couple hours there every day," Diane Willoughby said. "It also helps me with my arthritis, and my husband's got a bad back."
"With more than one person, we have a lot more success," Justin Willoughby said. "We're doing things as a family."
Basically, the family spends time on weights, the treadmills and the bikes. However, they change things up each day.
"I switch it up every day, but I do walk and bench press every day," Justin Willoughby said.
Some days he rides the stationary bicycle, but other days he doesn't. Some days he works on his legs, while others he works on his arms and chest. He said he walks about 2 to 2 1/2 miles each day.
"He's trying to build muscle now," Diane Willoughby said about Justin Willoughby.
Justin Willoughby said his father just began to lift weights with him, and sometimes they make it into a competition or a game to make it fun or interesting.
"When we go there, it doesn't have to be boring. It can be fun," Justin Willoughby said. "Sometimes, we compete against each other on the treadmill. You don't have to be a robot on the treadmill."
"Everybody's doing really good," Justin Willoughby said. "Our clothes are fitting looser. We got a better attitude and are more outgoing than before."
Besides the workouts, the family has changed their eating habits.
"I've changed everybody's eating habits in the house," Justin Willoughby said.
He said they no longer eat white breads. They eat wheat breads and wheat pastas. They have a salad with most meals. They eat a lot of low-fat and fat-free foods.
"We cut out on a lot of stuff," Justin Willoughby said. "We still can eat anything we want to. We just eat it in moderation."
Even though Justin Willoughby said he was never really made fun of in life, he has had some embarrassing moments because of his weight problem.
"I was about 650 pounds and would go into Wal-Mart all the time," he said. "And little kids and older people would look at me. All they did was look at me. It was embarrassing."
However, he also said he's got a lot of support from his family, friends and church family.
"I've had good friends and support along the way," he said.
"He's a miracle," Diane Willoughby said.
Justin Willoughby said when he's having a hard time getting through his exercise, he quotes scripture and is able to complete his workout. He is a firm believer in prayer.
"My crutch is Jesus Christ," he said.
He is a member of the Open Arms Community Church. He said the church has been behind him, and he gave testimony there that he is losing weight through the help of Jesus. He said he's going to be a minister and will be starting a weight loss ministry at the church.
"It's really something how far I've come," he said. "There's a lot of heavy people in Bradford, and I can make a difference. And my family can make a difference."

Welcome

Welcome to Justin Willoughby's Blog