Faithfully Fit day 37

Day 37 "Unlike the drug addict who realizes that he or she must totally walk away from all narcotics, we who struggle with our eating behaviors cannot give up eating entirely, for obvious reasons.  Our struggle is more subtle than that.'

When I realized that this journey was different from the previous I decided to look ahead.  As I considered the day that I would be at a 50 lb loss, then a 60 lb loss and now almost 70, I pondered what I would do to keep it off.  Would I manage to beat the horrible statistics of those that gain it all back and then some?  Is that because they didn't plan ahead?  Did they forget that there is discipline needed to keep it off?  In my thought processing about this I decided to plan ahead.   I opted to do something I had only dreamed about...never believing I would be in a position to pull it off.  I wanted to teach aerobics.  Zumba to be more specific.  Knowing that at some point I would waiver in my desire to exercise on any given day, I opted to teach.  After all...I couldn't just call in sick every time I didn't feel like it.  No stubbed toe, belly  aching excuses would be acceptable to an employer on any given day.  Nor would the participants be happy if I just decided to take a day off for every whim and lack of desire I had.  I know my personality and it isn't in my character to just not show up to something I have agreed to unless it is a big reason.  Teaching Zumba would be my obligation to myself to keep up the work required.

Looking ahead to our pitfalls, those things that cause us to lose ground we need the guidance of God.  My heavenly Father knew I would need discipline to keep the weight off.  Daily communication with Him helps me keep this forefront in my mind.  Teaching requires me to have discipline.  This is where I need God most.  I need that discipline to stay on track.  To take the time to learn the new choreography.  He is there teaching me and warning me of pitfalls ahead.  Trust!

What is your pitfall?  Have you thought ahead?  How can God help you avoid yours?

Faithfully Fit day 36

People have asked me over and over "How much weight do you have to lose?"  "What is your goal weight?"  I realize that these are important questions.  It is important to set goals for ourselves to stretch us and give us incentive   However...this journey, unlike my attempts in the past is not driven by a specific weight goal.  One of the things  that set this journey apart from past failures was that I only wanted to be healthy.  No specific weight or size.  No unattainable expectations this time.  Only to be healthy; ready to live a life free of limitations caused by excess baggage and bad choices.

Today as I read about the attitude we should have for our bodily temple I realized that my thoughts on not setting a final weight/ size goes right along with the fact that God knows where he is taking me.  I highly doubt that at the   finish line of my journey I will have small thighs.  I'm pretty sure that despite a massive loss of weight I will still have hanging skin.  Though I would love for Him to deliver me from this leftover mess I will accept myself right where He takes me.  He made me, He knew me before I was born.  I trust Him to deliver me to His acceptable goal weight/size.

Faithfully Fit day 33-35

As I finished out my week on choosing I was thinking about something my pastor said in his sermon a few weeks back. Staying in God's will and following his directives, laid out clearly in his word is like staying under the protection of an umbrella. Under His umbrella we can experience protection, promotion and blessing. If we make the choice to move out from underneath it we are may find ourselves open to the elements. The poor choices we make have consequences. 

It wasn't long before I was reflecting on how this can be applied to my food plan and exercise. Staying under the umbrella by making good choices, I find promotion (establishing a better self esteem), protection (from disease and weight gain) and blessings (too many to write). When I step out from beneath it I will experience the effects of my poor choices. 

Why then do we constantly seek to fight against what we know to be the right thing to do? Human nature....selfishness...??? I hope for more better choices in my future. One at a time!

Faithfully Fit day 32

While reading day, 32 one of my favorite sayings came to mind. "Touch it once." I used to say this all the time to myself to help me keep from letting my house become too cluttered. As I would go through my day I would make the choice to "touch it once". Use it and put it away. Over time, the accumulative effect of this was a tidy house and no need to spend endless hours searching for things that I had somehow misplaced. 

So...reading about Richard constantly making the choice to eat the right thing or do the exercise I thought about how this had given him quite a nice cumulative effect. When we keep our choice making in the forefront and in prayer we really can make better choices.

Well...I have decided to take the "making the better choice" challenge for myself and also...to re-institute my "touch it once" policy.

Faithfully Fit Day 29

Day 29:


http://youtu.be/3wzkKs0TOTs


I posted a link to the Yoplait commercial. When I saw this last night on TV I thought about how I do the very same thing when it comes to making choices. Every scenario she thought of I would have thought of. It is amazing to me how much power food has over me. I like day 29's reminder to pray about the day ahead. Praying over my food choices will not only bring help from God but also further implant in my psyche that I want to make good choices.

Have you ever thought..."well....If I had a lot of money, a personal chef and trainer (like Oprah and other superstars) I would be thin too"? 

How many times have you asked your spouse to be your accountability? Then...when he/she questioned your choice making, did you get angry? I did!!

It still boils down to my every choice. Oprah and I can both get into our cars and go to the corner market to SNEAK in a bad choice. I can certainly sabotage myself out of the view of others. It comes down to me, acknowledging the fact that I got myself into this mess and it is only MY choice-making that can get me out.

Faithfully Fit day 26

Keep on keeping on: 

As Paul was moving forward to be more Christlike and follow Christ at all costs be told us:  Phil.3:13-14  "I know that I have not yet reached the goal, but there is one thing I always do.  Forgetting the past and straining toward what is ahead, I keep trying to reach the goal and get the prize for which God called me through Christ to the life above."

This would be a true statement for me and hopefully all Christians.  It led me to consider this striving in regards to my weight loss journey.  What is this race I'm running?  What is the prize I am pursuing?  What am I willing to do for it?  

When I was young my answer may have easily been to look good; to be thin; to be a size 7; to be considered pretty, dateable, worthy of attention.  Wow....as I type this I realize just how far I have come.  Now this race has a much more noble finish line.  I  race for my health, my life.  My prize will be much more than the end result of a thin waistline, nice legs, smaller  clothes or unmerited attention from shallow people who look only at the outer shell of my being.  Now I pursue a healthy life in which I can be used more readily for the service of God.  That He would use our (His and my) successes to encourage others.  Not only on their weight loss journey but also in their walk with Him.  

Before the journey began I wanted to go on a mission trip to a foreign country.  I had a desire to do more, see more and understand more about the love of Christ to a world less rich (monetarily speaking) than I.   What held me back was my weight.  I was sure I would make it to the location and not be able to perform the  work due to my physical limitations.  That I would find myself sick and in a foreign, less than adequate hospital.  Surely, I know now, that my lack of faith in Christ keeping me safe along with the weight is truly what held me back.  Now I see that I can add this prize to the journey.  Not necessarily the end because I see that it was the faith part that I needed in this.  A lesson taught on His timeline and not my own.  

So....what am I willing to do for it?  To reach the prize....what am I willing to give up, start doing or change?  I know I have to change my behaviors into ones of diligence in the areas of prayer, eating, exercise and trusting in Him.  Onward and UPward I go.

Faithfully Fit day 22-23

Day 22:

So I must admit that I was a bit freaked out that this week was based on patience.  Yikes!   We all know what praying for patience brings.....initially.   Well...at least it will be better in the long run right?!

As with just about anything worthwhile, losing weight should take time.  I don't think I have ever appreciated anything that was handed to me on a silver platter.  The things in my life I have striven for with passion, integrity, persistence and diligence are some of the things that mean the most to me.

After years of trying all the tricks in the book to lose weight...find success...back to failure...new gimmick...success....failure, I find that they didn't bring a lasting result.  It was when, with the help of God, I decided that one pound a week was a worthwhile, attainable goal that I was able actually stick with my new food/exercise lifestyle.  It was a short term goal that I could do with the simple changes I had made.   It also freed me from the constant barrage of  unrealistic goals unmet.  God promises us that if we just rest and trust in Him all things are taken care of.   He taught me I only had to get through today.  Tomorrow...with it's challenges...would come soon enough and we could conquer that; together.  As one day led to another, one week to another I was able to see the accrued result of my patience and trust in Him.

Day 23:  When my  girlfriends daughter was just a baby she had a peculiar craving.  Being just at the age of finger foods,  all she seemed to want was cheerios.  Occasionally she would add in another item but went right back to the cheerios.  Concerned, my friend mentioned this to the pediatrician.  She responding by letting     my friend know that the child's body was needing something in those cheerios and just to be sure to give her anything else she would eat when she could.  The child eventually moved on and grew up quite normal.  God has designed our bodies to know what we need when we need it.  Too bad we aren't very good listeners to our body.

Yesterday I started counting weight watcher points again.  I went about my day with what I thought was an appropriate amount of food stretched across the hours.  As 3:00pm rolled around I felt the forgotten feeling of hunger pains.  What was this odd feeling?  I felt sickly...a bit nauseous or weak.  It took me a few minutes to realize that I wasn't truly sick...I was hungry.  In the days and weeks prior I obviously hadn't been listening to my body in the area of its need, or lack of need for food.  God created my being.  He has designed me, us, with a body that let's us know its needs.   I, for one, need to be a better listener.  I need to respond to it's needs knowing full well that the Holy spirit is right there encouraging me.  Access, PRAY, respond.  I want to respond in a way that pleases the Lord.  I may not get it right every time but I do believe there are blessings for those who respond appropriately to the creation God has made.

Philippians 2:13  God is working in you to help you want to do and be able to do what pleases him.

Amen!!  God grant me not just the help but the desire to do what is pleasing to you.