I'm getting very close to reaching the half-way point of my long weight loss journey. So, in light of that (and to help me keep my focus and determination as I continue working towards the goal), I thought I'd share some of what God has taught me so far on this journey.
First a brief recap of how the journey even began...
Last summer I was thrilled to be chosen as part of the studio audience for the filming of Lysa TerKeurst's "Made to Crave" Bible study series. The very funny - and very God - thing about that, is that when I got chosen to be part of the filming I had ZERO idea what the Bible study was going to be about. I just knew it was Lysa TerKeurst...and it was going to be good. Imagine my surprise when I find out the title is "Made to Crave" and it's all about: "finding your satisfaction in God, not food."
Still makes me laugh about it today. God knew EXACTLY what I needed to hear. He had some BIG things in store.
But I didn't want to accept them. I sat in on the taping of the 6 sessions and was excited about everything Lysa was sharing. I knew she was speaking what I needed to hear. But I wasn't ready to do anything about it. I basically came home from that DVD taping and proceeded to argue with God for about 6 weeks. I so did NOT want God to make my overeating and overweight issues to be a spiritual matter. It made me mad. It scared me. It threw me for an emotional loop. Why? Because I knew if I allowed God to have this...it was going to require a lot of hard work and discipline on my part. It was going to change a lifetime of poor habits. And I was scared to death about just how much this was going to shake my world!
Well, shake my world it has. But only in the BEST kind of way.
I was just telling someone last night that I'm amazed at where God has taken me. I've been given freedom in some very specific strongholds that I never dreamed possible. Never mind that I'm almost to 45 pounds lost total...this journey has been way more about the emotional healing than the physical so far. God has shown this broken self-esteem girl how to love myself. How to offer up grace and forgiveness to myself. How to fill my thought life with positivity and truth. How to daily make some very tough choices for the betterment of my physical body. How to gain freedom and victory one day at a time.
Now that my weight loss is reaching a point where people can really notice it, I'm getting asked regularly: "How did you do it?". Well...here's how (get ready for some real mind-blowing thoughts....NOT!):
I laugh as I think about what I'm doing to lose the weight. None of it is rocket science. None of it is the least bit surprising. Yet somehow, I had turned the whole process of losing weight into this completely unsolvable mystery. I'm here to tell you it is NOT complicated. It's simple. It is, however, not easy. It is hard work to stay disciplined and do all the things that you need to do. But with God...even this is doable.
If you're out there still trying to get started, I hope you can find some encouragement in this. I'm actually thinking that sometime in the next few months I want to start a weekly accountability phone call with anyone interested in joining me on the journey. I certainly don't have it all figured out, but I do think God has taught me a lot over the last 8 months. If you would be interested in doing a call like this, let me know. I'm just starting to pray about it...but would love to know who's already interested.
Happy 4th of July weekend to you all! Remember: it's not about the food...it's about the fun. So enjoy!
First a brief recap of how the journey even began...
Last summer I was thrilled to be chosen as part of the studio audience for the filming of Lysa TerKeurst's "Made to Crave" Bible study series. The very funny - and very God - thing about that, is that when I got chosen to be part of the filming I had ZERO idea what the Bible study was going to be about. I just knew it was Lysa TerKeurst...and it was going to be good. Imagine my surprise when I find out the title is "Made to Crave" and it's all about: "finding your satisfaction in God, not food."
Still makes me laugh about it today. God knew EXACTLY what I needed to hear. He had some BIG things in store.
But I didn't want to accept them. I sat in on the taping of the 6 sessions and was excited about everything Lysa was sharing. I knew she was speaking what I needed to hear. But I wasn't ready to do anything about it. I basically came home from that DVD taping and proceeded to argue with God for about 6 weeks. I so did NOT want God to make my overeating and overweight issues to be a spiritual matter. It made me mad. It scared me. It threw me for an emotional loop. Why? Because I knew if I allowed God to have this...it was going to require a lot of hard work and discipline on my part. It was going to change a lifetime of poor habits. And I was scared to death about just how much this was going to shake my world!
Well, shake my world it has. But only in the BEST kind of way.
I was just telling someone last night that I'm amazed at where God has taken me. I've been given freedom in some very specific strongholds that I never dreamed possible. Never mind that I'm almost to 45 pounds lost total...this journey has been way more about the emotional healing than the physical so far. God has shown this broken self-esteem girl how to love myself. How to offer up grace and forgiveness to myself. How to fill my thought life with positivity and truth. How to daily make some very tough choices for the betterment of my physical body. How to gain freedom and victory one day at a time.
Now that my weight loss is reaching a point where people can really notice it, I'm getting asked regularly: "How did you do it?". Well...here's how (get ready for some real mind-blowing thoughts....NOT!):
- Don't eat past 7PM
- Have my Cinch bars/shakes at least 1 meal a day (preferably 2)
- Eat smaller portions (brilliant, I know)
- Don't eat until my stomach growls (really novel idea, huh?!)
- Stay away from processed foods as much as possible
- If I'm going to eat something less than stellar, I try to only eat it early in the day (before 2PM) and only eat a little bit.
- Eat lots of RAW fruits and veggies
- Exercise regularly! (and my exercise of choice has been running)
- Because this is a lifetime change for me and not a short-term "diet", I have not been cutting anything completely out. It's just not realistic. Plus it brings on that whole deprivation feeling, which leads me to self-sabotage. So...all things in moderation is the key!
I laugh as I think about what I'm doing to lose the weight. None of it is rocket science. None of it is the least bit surprising. Yet somehow, I had turned the whole process of losing weight into this completely unsolvable mystery. I'm here to tell you it is NOT complicated. It's simple. It is, however, not easy. It is hard work to stay disciplined and do all the things that you need to do. But with God...even this is doable.
If you're out there still trying to get started, I hope you can find some encouragement in this. I'm actually thinking that sometime in the next few months I want to start a weekly accountability phone call with anyone interested in joining me on the journey. I certainly don't have it all figured out, but I do think God has taught me a lot over the last 8 months. If you would be interested in doing a call like this, let me know. I'm just starting to pray about it...but would love to know who's already interested.
Happy 4th of July weekend to you all! Remember: it's not about the food...it's about the fun. So enjoy!
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