Reshaping It All

by Candace Cameron Bure, Darlene Schacht

Overview

Candace Cameron Bure first became known to millions as a co-star on the hit ABC television series Full House. Today, like her brother Kirk Cameron (Growing Pains, Fireproof), she is the rare Hollywood actor who is outspoken about her Christian faith and how it helps overcome certain obstacles.

Bure’s healthy lifestyle has been featured in US Weekly and People magazines as well as national talk shows including The View and NBC’s Today. In Reshaping It All, she continues the story, inspiring women to embrace a healthier lifestyle by moving faith to the forefront, making wise choices, and finding their worth in the eyes of God. Candace shares a candid account of her struggle with food and ultimately her healthy outlook on weight despite the toothpick-thin expectations of Hollywood.

More than a testimony, here is a motivational tool that will put readers on the right track and keep them there. In addition to practical advice, Candace offers a biblical perspective on appetite and self control that provides encouragement to women, guiding them toward freedom.

Includes 16-page black and white photo insert.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781433673276
Publisher:	B&H Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
Sales rank:	410,064
File size:	8 MB

About the Author

Candace Cameron Bure starred for eight seasons in the hit ABC television series Full House (still syndicated in more than 100 countries) and is now a featured cast member of ABC Family’s popular drama, Make It or Break It. She is also active among several charities and speaks to women nationwide about her faith-based weight loss success story. Candace lives with her husband, National Hockey League star Valeri Bure, and their three children in Los Angeles, California.

Darlene Schacht is founder and editor of Christian Women Online. She and her husband have four children and live in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Candace Cameron Bure, actress, producer, New York Times’ bestselling author and inspirational speaker, is both outspoken and passionate about her family and faith. Known to millions worldwide from her role as “D.J. Tanner” on the iconic family sitcom “Full House,” Candace continues to flourish in the entertainment industry as role model to women of all ages. She lives in the Los Angeles area with her husband and three children.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER 1

A Full House of My Own

Two nights ago Mom was in the kitchen when she heard Lev screaming, "Grandma, Grandma!" at the top of his lungs. Actually I think the entire neighborhood heard him. Startled, she ran outside to find Lev, standing on the front porch with tears streaming down his face. Meanwhile, Samson, our friendly canine giant, was proudly standing by, displaying his latest hunting trophy — a Muscovy duck. Make that a dead duck.

It was a little too gruesome for Mom's liking and Lev's sensitive soul too for that matter, who had just witnessed the aftermath of the hunt. Samson's tail didn't skip a beat as it waved a flag, announcing his victory.

Arriving at home, I was addressed by three children and one concerned Grandma who relayed each detail in color. Upon further investigation, we discovered that Samson had tangled with the wrong duck, leaving five orphaned ducklings waiting in a nearby drain for Momma Muscovy to come waddling home.

Now three kids and five ducks were crying, which put a whole new spin on the once cheerful tune, "Six Little Ducks Went Out to Play."

The next morning my daughter Natasha and the neighbors rescued the ducklings, packed their feathered bags, and moved them into our guest room. After all, Val and I only have three kids, three dogs, one hamster, a tortoise, and two busy careers on our plate; what's five more beaks to feed?

After looking into the persuasive eyes of my youngest son, Maks, I agreed to take them in for a week or so but also thought it best to give the Wildlife Center a call. They said to bring the ducklings into the center where they would care for them until it was time to introduce them back into the wild. I got the feeling that their idea of "the wild" was as far away from the Bure family as possible.

We packed the ducks into a cardboard box, along with some grass, a bowl of water, and one of Samson's favorite chew toys (no, not their mother) and made our way out to the car.

Natasha, being the drama queen that she is, cried the entire way there, but once she saw the ducks settling in, she agreed that it was the best plan.

I'm glad we rescued the ducklings, disappointed that my doggie annihilated their mom, and thrilled that I'm not adding five ducks to our already full house. We all miss our feathered little friends, but as cute as they were, that chirping had started to ring in our ears! So there you have a glimpse into the life of a Hollywood star; glamorous, huh?

Life can be glamorous at times when I'm traveling to far-off places, shooting a movie, or meeting fellow celebrities, but behind the scenes I live what most would consider an ordinary life:

• I drive my kids to and from school most days.

• I participate in classroom "mom stuff."

• I'm on the board of our school's annual auction committee each year.

• I take our dogs for walks and feed them.

• We eat dinner at home almost every night.

• I work out with friends — not a personal trainer.

• I take an exercise class on Monday mornings in our school gym with a bunch of other moms.

• I'm in charge of paying the bills, writing checks, and filing each month.

• I fly economy most of the time — not first class.

• I shop for our groceries.

• I don't have a nanny, a chef, a personal trainer, a driver, or even a personal assistant (and boy, do I wish I did some days)!

• I mop my floors often because our dogs like to swim in the pool then come in the house wet with mud on their feet — and let's not forget the feathers!

• I'm a stain-removal fanatic, and I'm good at it!

• And like everyone else — I hang out at Starbucks!

Yes, in many ways my life is ordinary, but it's also EXTRAordinary because of my relationship with the Most High God.

I pray this book will be more than a weight-loss book and far more than my testimony. I pray that by it faith will be your compass in this journey through weight loss to freedom, as it has also been mine. Not only is God wanting to walk this journey with you; He is ready to equip you to handle the job. Why? Because He is "able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us" (Eph. 3:20 NKJV). And besides that, He cares so deeply for you that even the hairs on your head are numbered.

I've known God since the age of twelve, but even though I called myself a "Christian" and said the "sinner's prayer," I wasn't living like one. It's different now. Today, rather than just walking alone under the umbrella of grace, I desire to walk there in fellowship with Him — a fellowship that has led me on a journey to freedom in Christ.

I've made many decisions about work because of my Christian walk. I've turned down several TV series to stay at home and raise my children. I've also turned down other roles because of content issues I feel strongly about.

I never thought I'd be someone who'd have the opportunity to speak at churches and share my testimony with thousands of people, but I can see now how God is using the success of Full House to reach millions of people for Him. How cool is that?

It's not every day that an opportunity like Full House comes along, but it did, and I'm glad that I was there to be a part of it all. I loved every day that I spent growing up in front of the camera and working on the set with the others. Acting always has and always will be a passion of mine. However, once family came along, I felt a desire to adjust my priorities.

Marrying an NHL hockey star and having three kids will change anyone's life, and it changed mine immensely. Suddenly I went from being a television star living in Hollywood to starring in my own role as a wife and mother at home with my kids. Because I love my career, the decision to be a stay-at-home mom was a tough one. We were living in Calgary, my oldest child Natasha was born, and I had started meeting with agents in LA again. After being in LA for a week and a half, I realized I was miserable. I hadn't seen my husband Val in ten days, and by the time I'd get home each night, Natasha was already asleep. Anyone who's a mom knows how tough that can be!

Shortly after returning home, Val and I sat down for a talk, and I poured out my thoughts.

Val's response was more than sympathetic, supportive, and encouraging, which was exactly what I needed to hear. While he had been fully supportive of my dreams, part of him quietly hoped I'd come to this conclusion. This reassurance that we were on the same page was great. We both looked forward to the opportunity it offered me to attend his games and keep cheering him on.

Both Val and I have never had a single regret in making our decision. I love working, but I also love the fact that God nudges us along through the seasons of our lives into unexpected places.

That season of my life was wonderful in so many ways; I was a young woman ready to open a new chapter in my life as a wife and a mom. The smile on my face went a long way, but at times it was covering a lot of insecurities and unknowns in my life. It was a season of blessings and a season of struggle, and during that time I took my first steps into the cycle of bulimia.

It started in Montreal. I was nineteen, engaged, and living with Val — as a good Christian girl ought not to do. Perhaps if I had been living and walking in faith, I wouldn't have started the cycle of binging and purging. But I did. One would expect that my situation had everything to do with the pin-thin expectations of Hollywood — the desire that so many starlets have to be thin. After all, I did fit the role of DJ Tanner, the sister with the Charlie Brown cheeks, who once went on a crash diet herself. But no, that wasn't me.

It had nothing to do with body image or trying to lose weight but had everything to do with adjustment and fear. As I prepared for marriage, had stopped working (as I had been since I was five), and was living in a foreign city, I felt that I had nothing left of my old life to turn to for balance. I was thrown (albeit, happily) into a world I knew nothing about — a housewife, a hockey wife, and soon after, a mom.

Loneliness set in during those years when Val was on the road, as it does for most hockey wives. We enjoyed wonderful summers together, but his time with the NHL essentially felt like a six-month road trip, at which time I was alone. Had it not been for our telephone calls two to three times a day, I don't know what I would have done.

What I did do is binge. There's something oddly comforting about food or, better said, the thought of food that tricks our minds into believing that it can and will fill our void. And so I listened to the lie hoping that it too would fill mine. In the beginning I only did it when Val was on the road — when I was by myself: me, the TV, and my food. One bite, one mouthful, one spoonful, then two ... until I was disgusted with the amount I'd consumed. Hoping to undo my discomfort and guilt, I would purge.

With all things bad, the more you do it, the more you get wrapped up in it. Thus it started happening when I wasn't alone — until I finally got caught.

There it was, out in the open. I stood face-to-face with my dad, watching him tear up as he discovered my shame. I knew he was afraid and worried for me. And since I love him so much, it broke my heart. I never wanted my actions to hurt the people I love.

English writer, Monica Baldwin writes, "What makes humility so desirable is the marvelous thing it does to us; it creates in us a capacity for the closest possible intimacy with God."

Humiliation depicts mankind as broken and weak before God, yet it holds power and freedom to those it affects. Getting caught, embarrassed, and ashamed was finally the turning point for me. The shame of admitting the lie in my heart was the truth that set me free.

What I didn't realize at the time is that my heart was longing for the things of this world. I ran to comfort food instead of running to God. I discovered my sin, but I hadn't discovered that my heart was in the wrong place. I sought moral reformation instead of a spiritual transformation. I had known who He was, but I still hadn't grasped who I was in His sight.

After reading a book my brother Kirk gave to me, The Way of the Master by Ray Comfort, my life and walk with God changed forever! It spoke of the Ten Commandments and revealed my sin in its true light. That day in church — way back when I was twelve — I had prayed the "sinner's prayer," asking God to forgive my sins, but I didn't even understand what my sin was. After holding my life up against the standard of the Ten Commandments, the law revealed my sin, and I went through every commandment, realizing that I had broken them all.

I also realized that God was going to judge me by this standard — not by the world's. If we break even the least of His commandments, we have broken His law (James 2:10). It would have been easy had I been able to go on measuring myself against the lives of other Hollywood child stars, but if I had, I wouldn't be walking in the peace and freedom that I am today. Seeing who I am in sin and who I have become through Him has caused me to drop to my knees and ask for forgiveness. I have come to the realization of how amazing God is by sending His Son, Jesus, to pay for my sin. That's why I choose to live a life pleasing to God and bask in the grace He gives to each and every one of us.

God has changed me in ways that words cannot describe. He has transformed the way I think and live my life. Things that were once important to me no longer are. I can't help but share that good news with you, how it has set me free, and how it can also free you!

My desire stays strong each and every day because of the gratitude I have in my heart for His selfless work on the cross. I'm so thankful for His sacrifice that I ask Him every day, "How can I be used? What can I do for You, Lord?" Perhaps writing this book and sharing my journey with you is one small way I can serve.

Leaving the past behind, I began a new walk with Christ, and I pray you will as well — no matter what stage you are in your journey. Whether you suffer with a constant pull to the fridge, have discouragement over failed weight-loss attempts, sense an empty space that you are filling with food, or you are hoping to glean motivation, this book is for you. I often receive letters from women who tell me they have lost twenty, thirty, forty, and even ninety pounds. Weight they could never lose before is finally coming off. What's their secret to success? It's the same as mine. We've finally moved faith to the forefront, which includes putting God first in our plan to lose weight.

As I take you with me on the journey through weight loss, I'd like us to step out of the box and step into a better understanding of our complexity. God's Word teaches that we consist of a physical body and a spirit. And yet it also speaks of our "flesh." Now our flesh in this sense doesn't refer to our actual physical flesh or skin. It refers to the innate desires or gut instincts that may be immediately satisfying but are ultimately destructive. Our physical body and spirit both play an important role in forming who we are but must be kept in line from our "flesh." If either our physical body or our spirit is out of alignment, we'll feel a spiritual imbalance.

Oftentimes we also feel a physical imbalance, which results in annoying symptoms such as a tightening waistband, lack of energy, or a disagreeable scale.

In order to recognize these separate components of your being and empower you to train them effectively, we'll discuss these three elements and how they work together throughout the pages of this book.

Starting a diet or buying a new shade of lipstick won't put you on a path to freedom. It might make you feel good on the outside, which is a natural part of your womanhood, but the change must begin with the transformation by the Spirit — the renewing of our minds.

In the next eighteen chapters, I'm going to teach you how to fill that empty space that calls out for food. I'll encourage you along the journey like a personal trainer that's cheering you on. I'll share ideas that will help you put down the food when it's time and later wisely pick it up again, and I'll offer practical tips on eating well and getting fit.

At the end of the following chapters, you'll find a section called "The Pantry: Chocked-full of Food for Thought." The pantry is organized for readers on the go, who want to flip open the book and grab something to chew on. There you'll find "A Slice of Advice," which is my response to personal fan mail. You'll also find "A Pinch of Practicality" offering practical application ideas and a quote in "The Candy Dish." And if you are looking for a recap of Scripture used in each chapter, check out "Food for Thought."

In a recent interview with US Weekly magazine, I was asked, "You're not starving yourself, right?"

The truth is that I love to eat, and I don't mind putting out the energy to stay fit. I enjoy wine with dinner, and I love my dessert, but the difference is that I've become accustomed to making better choices in the way I eat. Do I count calories? Not a chance. Do I make good choices with faith-focused determination? Absolutely!

Finally getting it right, I'm twenty-five pounds lighter than I was on Full House, I have a full house of my own, and I feel better than I ever did!

CHAPTER 2

The Inside Scoop

While many of you were enjoying the summer heat by the pool, I was enjoying an early Christmas in Chester, Vermont, filming the Hallmark movie Moonlight & Mistletoe, where I starred alongside the adorable Tom Arnold.

Once the movie was wrapped, I answered the usual questions like:

• What is Tom Arnold like?

• What is an average day like when you're working on set?

• Can you tell us about your wardrobe?

• How did they keep the snow from melting?

• Did you pick up any makeup tips that you can use at home?

• Do you have any upcoming projects in the works?

I can tell you that most days started around 7:00 a.m. and we shot twelve to fourteen hour days. Some days were really hot, which was difficult when you have on five layers of T-shirts, sweaters, coats, gloves, and scarves! I was pretty much in every scene so there wasn't a day I didn't work. And after my long day was done, I'd have another hour of work back in my hotel room learning the next day's lines. That was an average day.

I can also tell you that Tom Arnold was wonderful to work with; I loved watching him work. His creativity in delivering everyday lines is inspiring! He was generous on the set, buying the crew ice cream and pizzas on long days, and he respected my faith.

In this chapter I'm going to give you the inside scoop, but it won't be about television, movies, or magazines. This one will be about you. When we fully understand what is really going on inside us, we can then understand why we're inclined to make the choices we do. We'll also understand why the transforming of our bodies must begin by the renewing of our minds. Our bodies aren't making these detrimental choices for us; they are simply animated by a mind that needs a mental makeover. Let's get started, shall we?

(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "Reshaping It All"
by .
Copyright © 2011 Candaché, Inc..
Excerpted by permission of B&H Publishing Group.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Table of Contents

Acknowledgments,
One: A Full House of My Own,
Two: The Inside Scoop,
Three: Grab Wings and Soar,
Four: Dad's Infinity and Beyond,
Five: Heads Up, Eyes Forward, Shoulders Back,
Six: Dressed in Designer Genes,
Seven: Unlock Your Freedom,
Eight: Live an Adorable Life,
Nine: Don't Feed the Lions,
Ten: Hey There, Delilah,
Eleven: Reviewing My Script,
Twelve: Life Is a Glass Jar,
Thirteen: Discover Contentment,
Fourteen: Learn the Art of Dining Out,
Fifteen: A House Swept Clean,
Sixteen: It Is Well with My Soul,
Seventeen: Is Meekness a Weakness?,
Eighteen: Leaving a Legacy,
Nineteen: Being Good Isn't Good Enough,
Notes,