Humility and Weight Loss

If something is worth doing once, perhaps it is worth doing again. This may not be true of many things, but I know it is true for weight loss. I am unhappy with myself as I am. I spend days in dark pits knowing I take up too much room in the world and my clothes are too tight. I get frustrated with diet plans that either don't work or do damage to my body making it even harder to reach any goal. Little success are quickly lost to major losses and I find myself even further behind. Its difficult to stay on track and everyday another company is claiming some miracle to make it easy.
I'm tired of throwing money at the problem with little or no help. I don't believe God wanted us to do it this way. Each day we find ourselves looking for the next remedy, while I believe that God shows us how to manage this in his word. "By His stripes we were healed". Where Lord is my healing?
I just spent this morning reviewing my weight gains and losses for this year Mostly they were gains; 15 pounds worth.In the last few weeks I have been pleased with a few losses and pray that will continue.
In the mean time I have come up with 10 steps I am trying to follow. I pinked these because they were easy and would have the most impact on my success and on controlling my diabetes. They are as follows:

1). Get 8 hours of sleep every night
2) Drink 8 to 10 glasses of water a day.
3) Take a multivitamin and other supplements
4) Reduce stress.
5) Exercise at least 30 minutes every other day.
6) Journal your progress: what works and what doesn't
7) Make good food choices and exercise portion control
8) Partner with your doctor, especially if you have any medical issues
9) Be consistent
10) Look for positive support.

I will clarify each of these 'rules' in the posts that follow and how I am managing each of them.

The Problem with Starting Over

I am sitting in Starbucks drinking an Iced Skinny Latte. These things do not taste as good as the real thing, but if I am going to accomplish my goals I don't have a choice. We know life is just a series of good and bad choices. If we consistently make good choices we have a greater chance of living a happy and fulfilling life. It is the continual string of bad choices that pretty much guarantees a life like mine. This is not to say that my life over all is bad. In fact, my life is pretty good, but because of my past decisions and self indulgence I am unable to fully enjoy what I do have. That's a tough thing to admit to yourself, but here I am.

I could list all the aches and pains and the uncomfortable life I live, but if you are also overweight you already know what I am talking about. But what now? Is my life over because of where I am or what I have done? Absolutely not!!! Today is a new day. I decide that as long as there is blood, heartbeat and warmth there is hope for a better future. I can change my future beginning today and make a difference in who I am and the person others see me to be.

You people that are repulsed by even the slightest level of obesity, we see you. We see in your eyes what we see in our own each time we look into a mirror. You are affecting our vision of our self but not in a way that is helpful. We look into your eyes and are drawn back to the very thing that makes us run for the comfort of food. Food doesn't judge. And while it's pain occurs overtime, we push that pain back upon ourselves. Your attitudes of pity, disgust and contempt become part of the problem. Remember none of us is perfect, just because your dirty little secrets are not so obvious to the world there is something there you are not proud of. How would you like the world to judge you with regard to your least favorite weakness?

For me, my problems with food are related to my attitudes or (as discussed above) my changing attitudes about food. These must change before I can change my eating habits. I am trying and every day is better but I am still stumbling and suffering set backs. I must to continue to make those life changing decisions each and every day, consistently. And one day I will look back and see a new me.

God Bless you and may your decisions be good ones for you.

New Year New Beginnings for my Weight-Loss

Well, a New Year and a new opportunity to hop back up on that weight loss horse. I feel like I’ve said those words so many times they don’t carry much emotional weight. Each time, each New Year, each new beginning brings with it memories of past failures and past victories that were simply predecessors to failures. But I know that each new beginning can be the birth of something great.

I hear so many times that all it takes is Will Power. Who is this Will and what is his Power? I can’t look at this as an attempt to crush my cravings. It needs to be a journey to learn the benefits of self control. Because it is ‘self-control’ that brings about change. It’s a sign of maturity: The realization of the consequences of your actions and responding appropriate to that knowledge. Is this wide spread problem in our society today? Are we lacking in basic self=control?

For me, I am making my resolution this year, to learn to lean upon the Holy Spirit (self-discipline is part of the Fruit of the Spirit) and exercise self-discipline in the form of healthy lifestyle changes. You might say I am taking dominion over my own body. “Well, it’s about time!”
So I begin this morning with no test strips for my meter, but a willingness to begin anyway. My husband just left for work, so now it’s time for me go to work. First with a high fiber, high protein breakfast of ‘high fiber’ tortillas and scrambled eggs (one egg & equal amount of egg beaters) a little salt and one slice of Havarti Cheese; with one cup of coffee. I’ve already started with my first serving of water. The breakfast will be followed with a round of vitamins which includes a multi-vitamin and an Alpha Lipoic. Then I follow breakfast with my daily reading (another habit I’m trying to form) and finally a minimum of 10 minutes on the exercise bike while watching who got chopped last night. Now all I need to do is get this computer out of my lap and get out of this chair.

I’ll let you know how it goes. In the mean time, I’d like to know how you jump start your New Year resolutions, what you do to make them work and why you think they fail.

God bless you and Happy New Year!