WW – Joyfully Clamoring

The Good Fight

February 17, 2022February 17, 2022by Becky Dye1 Comment

There’s a move in the workout I did this morning where we have one hand holding down our imaginary opponent while the other hand pounds up and down, punching this invisible enemy. And the motivating question from the red haired trainer is this…

“What are you fighting for?

And I stand there in my punching stance and think. What is it ? Who or what is my enemy today? What deserves my “wrath” to fall upon it right now? Is it a situation in my life I wish was different? (I am rather mad that my newish expensive dishwasher is making angry noises for the second time in it’s short life!!! GRRR!!) Is it a person I’m super mad at? (Nah, that’s not it. Hard to make me that mad!) Is it the stinky stanky devil getting all up in my business? (That could be! I DO like to punch his imaginary snaky face!) Is it simply an attitude about anything that could stand to improve?

Can we settle THERE for a while? As hard as it is to face our own poor attitudes, don’t we need to? A bad attitude hurts nobody but ourselves. A crummy mindset holds us back from the greater amazing things we truly want. Sometimes we forget that “greater good” thing when our minds are bogged down with the negative. So basically, who has time to mess with a giant chip on the shoulder?? NOBODY,I SAY!! NOBODY!!

So let’s look at ways we can improve here. Things we can punch away at and throw back down into the pit it belongs in!! These are things I’ve lived and mostly conquered. That’s the extent of my expertise here!

1.STOP SHAMING YOURSELF

“I just can’t stay out of the cookies (or the potato chips). I am just gonna be fat forever!”

“I try to make the right food choices, but it’s useless. I’m not worth the effort”

“I’m just too lazy and too weak. Not sure why I even try to work out”

Add your own shaming comment. I’m sure you have one. We’re all guilty of feeling less than from time to time. Shame is an award winning self stopper. But that script can be flipped. If you’re just not sure what to do to change those shameful actions and words, find help. You don’t have to do any of this “getting yourself to a healthy place” stuff by yourself. And there’s no shame in saying you need help. That “easy” place may be continuing to wallow in the shame you’re used to. The STRONG AMAZING thing to do is admit you need some help. So many weight loss groups are available whether virtually or the old fashioned way…live and in person! WW is my fave for weight loss but the choices are endless. Do your research and find a group that will be a good fit for you and offer you tons of encouragement. If you need help with making exercise a part of your life, search out walking groups in your community. Join a gym. Find a great at home workout plan that comes with a “coach” who will support you and encourage you online. We are people who need people. Cue the classic Barbra Streisand song here! According to the song, if you’re a person who needs people, you’re pretty darn lucky. So cast away the pride that might be causing you to hold on to your shame and just ask for help!

2. STOP WITH THE EXCUSES!!

Some excuses I’ve used….

I don’t have time to workout. My hip hurts. My toe hurts. My back hurts. I don’t like to sweat. I just put on my makeup. I don’t have the right clothes. I just need to rest more. I don’t have the right deodorant. I need leg warmers. Exercise is boring. Exercise it too hard. I’m too old. I’m too out of shape. I don’t know what to do. I don’t have any equipment. I can’t afford a gym. I don’t have a a workout buddy.

My list of excuses could cover pages and pages and we just don’t have time for all that. But you get it. I’ve used an excuse or two to get out of exercise. Maybe you have too??

Instead of living in the excuses, try making adjustments .

We all have the same 24 hours in a day. Those folks who manage to do all the things and still get a workout in? 24 hours just like you and me. So what can you adjust to make time? Maybe you can get up 30 minutes earlier and workout before the day starts Maybe you can find some free time where you’d normally sit and read or binge watch a show. Exercise instead. My favorite streaming at home workouts have programs that are as short as 20 minutes a day. Come on! We can all find 20 minutes in a day to workout instead of just sit!!

To answer a few more of my own excuses, modify the exercises if you can’t do them or something hurts. Walk instead of jog. Toe raises instead of leaps in the air. Squats at whatever level of lowness you can get to. Just move. Find something you like if you think exercise is boring (see my previous post about fun and exercise). Shorts and a tee shirt are fine to work out in. Shoot, exercise in your underwear or naked if you must. Just please be at home if this is your solution to the clothes issue. Nobody needs to see your nekkid hiney at the gym or running around the track!! And oh yeah, leg warmers are no longer necessary. Goodbye 1983!

If food is involved in your excuses, know this. IT’S OK TO THROW ALL THE JUNK FOOD IN THE GARBAGE!!! What you spent on it is irrelevant compared to how much easier it will be to avoid if it’s not in your pantry! Better yet, control what you allow in your pantry. Don’t buy the ding dang junk food in the first place. There are zero people in your family who will actually benefit from it. You know I’m right!

On to the next thing…

3.STOP STRESSING OUT

If all the healthy eating and exercising is just causing you to stress and worry and fret and shame yourself, do this instead. Take a break!! Sometimes we just need to reset . Chill. Do nothing. But with this advice to take a break comes this sweet little, love filled warning. Don’t use this break to be an excuse to backslide . Don’t let the break be your new normal. It’s just a “mental health” break. Don’t let it become a “Welcome Back to the Dark Side” party! Maybe give yourself a set number of days for this little vacation away from eating right and exercising. Mark your calendar with a restart date then plan to celebrate that day!

4. STOP COMPARING YOUR REAL SELF TO SOMEONE ELSES BEST MOMENTS

Comparison is a joy killer!! It can give you a sad, unworthy attitude. You don’t need that. You don’t deserve that. You are a unique, beautiful, capable person in your own right. Every person…even the ones who seem to have it all together…have their struggles. If you’re just getting started and it all seems hard, don’t compare yourself to the friend who’s been at this for a hot minute. I guarantee when said friend was where you are, it was every bit as hard. Instead of killing your joy, fuel you spirit with compliments! Every day find something amazing to say about yourself.

“My hair look great today!” “I am a kind, compassionate, loving person!” “I’ve done great things to better myself!”

You get my drift! Be nice to yourself!! Those things you admire in someone else are within you as well. You are WILDLY CAPBABLE!!

On the tail of all these compliments, finally do this…..

5. STOP ALL THE CRITICAL SELF TALK

Why are we always our own worst critics?? WHY???? There’s a saying in the church that goes like this...”GOD DOESN’T MAKE JUNK!!!” YOU, my friend, are fearfully and wonderfully made. Just like that person in point 4 that you, for some reason, like to compare yourself to all the live long day! You are every bit as able. Every bit as worthy. Every bit as loved. Every bit deserving of being celebrated! So instead of all the negative self talk, celebrate your small wins!

The wins in your journey will be many. Hitting that “finish line” by reaching your goal weight or completing the long workout program isn’t the final victory. In fact, let me stop right here and say if you’re striving for that final achievement so you can be done and get back to life as it once was, you’re setting yourself up for a bigger failure. Your “big goal” truly needs to be a changed life. Not just a few changed moments in time where you did the right things. A LIFETIME of putting your health and fitness at the top of your priority list. A LIFETIME of fueling your body properly so it will give you a lifetime of being able to move and groove and love and serve and enjoy the beautiful life God gave you!!

So celebrate all the small victories along the way. You bypassed the dessert table….YAY!!! You walked during lunch instead of going out for fast food …SWEET!! You finally were able to lift the 8 lb weights through your whole workout…TREMENDOUS!!! You’re a pound down!….HURRAY!! You slept through the night…(alright I’m just jealous now!)…but THAT’S SO AWESOME!!

Celebrate like a 7 year old who just won a dance contest with her grandmother at a 4th grade football game!!

Y’all, we may feel like we don’t have control over enough things in our lives. But we always have control over our attitude. We have the freedom to choose how we’ll behave, react, treat ourselves. What we’re not free from is the outcome of our choices. So make sure you’re fighting for the better things. You’re worth it!

Until next time, keep joyfully clamoring!!

Encouragment, Healthy Living

Food Pushers I Love You, But Please Stop It…

September 1, 2019by Becky Dye2 Comments

Several weeks ago , I stopped and had lunch at the wonderful “Christian chicken” restaurant my son works for. It’s always fun to sorta sneak in there amongst the crowd of famished travelers, shoppers and parents entertaining their preschoolers and just watch my youngest do his thing. I had a hard time being sneaky that day though. He saw me as soon as I graced the side door entrance with my presence.

Now for my fellow WW friends, the Lord’s chicken palace is a great place to get a super low point meal. The grilled chicken nuggets have ZERO POINTS! That means GIVE ME ALL THE GRILLED CHICKEN PIECES…..PLEASE! They really are yummy! Plop them on top of your side salad and tada! You’ve got yourself a nice and healthy fast food meal for 3 measly points. Now isn’t it odd that the salad has more points than the chicken? Darn you cheese !!!

Speaking of c h e e s e, you may have heard about this new Mac and Cheese that God Himself created and gave to CFA. My son came home with a bowl of this deliciousness one afternoon after he got off work. Because he’s smart, he added a spicy chicken filet and some bacon pieces into it. I sat across my very own kitchen table from him and was in some sort of trance as I beheld his holy creation. I couldn’t move. Mainly because I was afraid Six Months Ago Me would take over and demand every bite of my kid’s food. I sat there and prayed (of course I did!), came to my senses and calmly asked if I could have one small bite of his Mac and Cheese Delight. He glared at me for a second, probably going over in his mind if he wanted to be a good son and fully support my weight loss goals OR be a good son and hand over a single bite of his food before I bit off one of his arms. There was a thin line there! I got the bite. I don’t know if this was a win or not because that one bite was so dadgum amazing it left me wanting to steal food from a baby. Hmmmm…..I behaved. But hey? Is it stealing food from a baby when said “baby” is a 6 ft 4 grown man?

Anyway, back to my original story before I got distracted by the Mac and Cheese of Jesus. On this particular day I was feeling mighty and strong in my resolve to eat well and make good choices. I got my grilled chicken nuggets and my well-done fries (I needed Points SOMEWHERE in this lunch) and topped it off with a refreshing diet lemonade. My sweet son came over and gave me the excellent news that his boss wanted to give me a gift….a peach milkshake!

Oh! My! Word!

A P E A C H M I L K S H A K E!! I’m certain this is what I’ll ask for on my death bed and I’m pretty sure that my mansion in heaven will have a milkshake machine that only makes peach shakes…oh and banana pudding!

I smiled at my precious son , my heart full of such love for this man-child of mine who had the power to bring me the gift of sweet , creamy, Georgia-peachy joy! Then he looked at me , shrugged his shoulders and said, “I told her you were on a diet and probably wouldn’t want it, though. She’s pretty insistent. What do you think?”

Oh the dilemma!!!! So I pulled out my WW app and like every great weight watching person diligently seeking their best and most well self, I looked up the Point value of a large peach shake. Because I COULD just have it and count the points and go about my day. But my jaw dropped flat to the ground because it became pretty evident that the “powers that be” did not clue in to the fact that all dreamy ice creamy treats at the Christian chicken place should NOT count as a a full day of Points plus some! Oh my gracious sakes alive!

Suddenly I was singing “let the devil know not today!” in my head and looking in my purse for the holy water to sprinkle all over this temptation! But my precious son was right….I did, in fact, no longer want the delectable treat I had so kindly been offered.

I sent him back to work, feeling strong and good about my decision to skip the shake. As I sat there proudly munching on my ZERO POINT chicken nuggets, she came to my table. TheFood Pusher. The really sweet and with great intentions Food Pusher. He was right, though…she was pretty insistent on gifting me that day. She offered me a small instead of a large…thank you but still no. Then I told her about my weight struggles and how far I’d come to overcome those obstacles. Our banter went back and forth for many minutes and it became clear to me our thoughts on getting healthy in our 50’s were a bit different. I also began feeling I needed to accept something from her so I asked for a lesser of the ice cream evils … a frosted DIET lemonade. That satisfied her need to gift me and I felt like I was still in control of my choices. For the record, I could have THREE small frosted diet lemonades for the same points value as that large peach milkshake! Jesus take the wheel!!!

Truth is, I should’ve passed on the ice cream treat altogether. I walked into lunch that day strong and with great resolve. I knew what I wanted to eat. I had my plan. But I let someone else’s plan for me break through and rule for a minute.

Friends, we will all have to face Food Pushers as we work towards our health and weight goals. It’s just inevitable unless you live under a rock or in a far off space station orbiting a distant planet all alone. People generally like to share food. It’s a means of entertaining. Of saying “Hey I like you…join me”. Sometimes we’re gonna feel weak and give in. We’ll believe the lie that we “deserve” this treat. We’ll believe the lie that one bite won’t set us back! Believe me….ONE BITE can absolutely wake up a sleeping sugar monster inside you and remind him he’s famished!!! We’ll believe for a minute depriving ourselves of the treat in question is bad and giving in to it is our due reward.

You know what you truly deserve, though? Not the brownie or the milkshake or the 61 point Texas sized nachos!!! Yes, they DO exist! You certainly don’t deserve the massive amount of guilt you’ll feel afterwards either! You deserve believing YOU ARE WORTH MORE!! More than the”here now , gone in a flash” satisfaction of a few guilt-ridden bites . You deserve to feel amazing about your decision to eat healthier and to take control of what you put inside your body…no matter what anybody says!! Stand firm in YOUR convictions. Don’t let them be swayed by someone who doesn’t believe in you like you do!!

Let me take a minute and speak to anyone reading this who may be an unknowing Food Pusher. Please stop it!!! It’s nothing personal when someone politely tells you no thank you when you offer them something to eat. I promise!! Speaking from experience, I normally always want whatever someone is offering me . If I could eat all those delicious brownies you made and take them home with me and eat them in the bathtub full of bubbles I would. But what I really need is simply your support of my decision to eat healthy and be healthier no matter what your own opinion is !!

Now I just wanna speak to the person in the mirror. Can we just stop a minute and admit that we are way too often our own worst enemy? We can self sabotage like it’s our job some days. What then? What if the food temptations around you are so strong you just know you’re gonna crumble?

Walk away! Go outside. Take a walk. Just go into another room!

Bring to mind or pull up an old “before” picture or a picture of yourself at your goal weight!

Eat something better! I always have fruit around to grab in hunger emergencies. If the temptations are in your own kitchen, throw them out! It’s OK! If you just can’t throw out food because of all the starving children in the world and all that, I get that! Give it to a neighbor or box up all the tempting delicacies and donate them to a local food bank.

Pray! I’m serious!! Lord give me strength is a great little “flair prayer” even if you have to repeat it a dozen times before you feel an ounce of strength.

Repeat encouraging phrases. Write them on note cards and keep them at your fingertips. Words like I am strong! I can do this! I am worth more! Being healthy will feel better than this will taste! Whatever works for you!!

One of my favorite things to remember when I feel weak is simply a verse from scripture. It’s this…

I remember I can eat that brownie. Or that bowl of cheese dip. Or that ice cream. It will always be available for me. I’m allowed to have it. It’s not taboo! However, it’s not necessarily beneficial for me. It’ll make me feel bad. I’ll probably feel a twinge of guilt. Really, nothing good will come from it! So I decide to not let any food be the boss of me…and trust me I know some pretty loud and bossy food!! I think about all the years food mastered me. When I lived to eat and eat some more! When food was a great source of entertainment for me! And it makes me mad…and sad…and determined to be the master of what I eat and drink and not the other way around!

So Food Pushers, I love you! But I’m gonna choose to love myself more!

Until next time, keep joyfully clamoring!

Encouragment, Healthy Living, Testimony

The Muffin’s In the Bag

March 29, 2019April 22, 2019by Becky Dye2 Comments

Why did I just eat that?

How many times in my life have I said these words to myself? How many times have I caught myself with a child’s leftovers in my mouth? Because you know, nothing screams “Eat Me I’m Yummy!!” more than pasta or a muffin or a cookie that’s been poked, prodded and used as jewelry by a toddler.

How I’ve survived all these years as a “food addict” with a house full of messy toddlers is beyond me! Because the germs alone should’ve had me curled up in bed, clutching my achy stomach on the daily! I don’t know how many times I got to the end of the day and realized all I had for lunch was a few bites of the one year old’s spaghetti and a couple Goldfish off his tray. Thank You Jesus for the germ protection when my own inner toddler seemed to be screaming, “If you have it , it must be good enough for me! Gimmee! Gimmee! Gimmee! ” (insert gigantic eye roll here…or maybe a good old toddler foot stomping tantrum because if the shoe fits and all that! )

Bad food habits obviously include way more than just eating three desserts after a pizza feast! Or sitting down with a full bag of a chips while you watch a movie and the chips are gone before the movie is over !

I love how 1 Corinthians 6:12-13 reads in The Message. And by “love”, I mean that it steps all over my toes! If you need your bad eating habits stomped on , continue reading. If being convicted over your poor eating habits isn’t in your plan today, skip over the next paragraph!!

“Just because something is technically legal doesn’t mean that it’s spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I’d be a slave to my whims. You know the old saying, ‘First you eat to live and then you live to eat’? Well it may be true that the body is only a temporary thing, but that’s no excuse for stuffing your body with food…”

As I move further down the path of improving my health and losing weight, I’ve found that confession is just good for the soul. Putting a voice to all my secret bad habits causes them to lose their authority over me. So yes, I’d eat toddler leftovers right off their tray. I’d eat a dozen cookies without blinking. I’d fill my pantry with complete junk food and somehow convince myself it was somehow healthy. I’d put sugar plus sugary, extra creamy creamer in my coffee . I’d stand in the kitchen with an open container of ice cream and a spoon and blindly eat it while standing over the sink and watching TV. And all the exercise I ever got while destroying myself with all this garbage was basically walking from the living room to the kitchen. Gosh,I should count it a blessing I only gained 80 lbs and not twice that!

Over this last 4 weeks of living in the loving conviction that God threw in my lap, I’ve discovered and overcome many things…

1. My morning coffee was a major culprit in my weight gain game. A month removed from drippy sweet coffee has made me see that all that sugar and cream in my coffee just wasn’t necessary! A protein shake added in a decent portion size does wonderful things for my coffee. I can get my coffee my preferred shade of light beige and enjoy the fact that it doesn’t taste like dessert! And now the thought of the coffee of my past makes my teeth hurt. Yikes!!

2. I can bypass brownies, cobbler, cookies and cakes without even feeling a twinge of desire for them. There is nothing God can’t do!!

3. I LOVE cottage cheese and fruit! Like I crave it now! Also, fat free Greek yogurt. Same story! I eat this now and instead of regular ice cream. And I’m OK with that!

4. A carton of blueberries is more delicious than a bag of chips. I can sit down with my blueberries in front of the TV and if I eat them all before the movie is over? So what? No biggie!

5. Exercise can be fun! My preferred work out right now is good old Leslie Sansone Walk at Home videos. THERE ARE SO MANY!! While I used to make excuses that I couldn’t exercise with a house full of kids or at the end of the day or because something was achy, I can say now that I’ve thrown those excuses out the window. It delights my heart to watch the one year olds work so hard to get all the moves right as they exercise alongside me! And all those aches can just take a hike!

6. No more toddler leftovers! This week I actually bagged up their leftover muffins instead of mindlessly stuffing them in my mouth!! And God as my witness, when they still hadn’t eaten them by the end of the day, I threw those rascally scraps of deliciousness in the garbage!!

Coffee with 1/2 cup or so of Premier Protein with my morning bible study

So toodleloo LIES I’VE BEEN TELLING MYSELF AND BELIEVING! I am leaning into TRUTHS now!! I AM able to do this because “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Phil 4:13) When I feel weakened by old cravings or by my desire to just sit on the couch, I know “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in Him and He helps me.” (Psalm 28:7a) . When I feel unworthy, I know that I can praise Him “because I am fearfully and wonderfully made: Your works are wonderful. I know that full well.” ( Psalm 139:14)

If you are believing any lies about your own abilities to overcome weakness and you need help finding the truths to grasp on to, grab your bible and start pouring God’s truths about you into your heart and soul! If you need help, let me know!

Until next time…let’s keep eating to live and not vice versa!!

ps…in 4 short weeks, this 55 year old, with the weight loss obstacle of menopause firmly in my path, has lost 10 lbs! And for that, can I get a big old Hallelujah!!

Healthy Living, Testimony

The “Hmmm” of God

March 13, 2019April 23, 2019by Becky Dye11 Comments

I’ve heard from God about my weight problems exactly twice in my life now. The first time was in January of 2003. 7 months before my 40th birthday. I knew I didn’t want to be “fat and forty”. I hate the word “fat”, coincidentally, but I was distressed about approaching my 40th birthday and being overweight so I wasn’t thinking in nice terms! And I was frustrated because I hadn’t exactly had a great amount of luck losing weight in my past. I could look in the mirror and the size tag on my clothes and knew I had quite a bit to lose. This wouldn’t be pretty. Or fun. But I was lost as to where to begin.

So one day as I was driving home…probably with a giant cheeseburger and fries in my lap…I began crying out to God. I knew I was hopeless trying to tackle this giant in front of me without Him. And I knew that whatever approach I took to losing the weight would literally have to come from God’s lips to my ears. So I opened my ears to hear Him, hoping He’d have something to say. Like “Becky, you are so amazing . When you wake up in the morning, you will be 80 lbs lighter. You won’t have to lift a barbell or ride a bike or walk 10 miles a day. You won’t have to eat broccoli or salads every day . You’ll just wake up fit and thin. And you’ll stay that way forever! You’re welcome!”

But you know what? He didn’t say that. He’s not a genie in a bottle handing out three wishes to every one who calls His name. He’s also not Santa with a bag of goodies to pass out.

I didn’t hear anything.

But in that moment , I looked up from my drippy , greasy cheeseburger and on the side of the road was a billboard. It was bright and flashy. Like literally flashing! And in neon green letters were two words….Weight Watchers. My first thought was “Wow, Weight Watchers has gotten so fancy with their billboard advertising!” My second thought was “Maybe I’ll try Weight Watchers. There’s a meeting in town on Thursday night.”

So I joined Weight Watchers on a cold January Thursday along with hundreds of other New Years Resolutioners. I was determined to make it work but I wasn’t terribly hopeful. Until my first weigh in. I had quite a large loss in that first week ….and in the second. And suddenly I was a Weight Watchers “super star” knowing with full confidence that I would lose every pound I needed to. And I did. My before and after pics were up at the local gym. I’d be stopped in the grocery store by people who recognized me from those pics and they’d offer their words of awe and encouragement. This happened back in the day when AOL was still a great thing. Their Lifestyle and Health people contacted me for permission to share my pics and a few words about my journey in their little corner of AOL. I paid all this forward and worked for Weight Watchers as a leader, helping other people to achieve their goals.

Why was this time different from all the other hundreds of times I attempted to lose weight and be healthier? Hmmm…BECAUSE GOD. I became certain my bright green neon flashing sign was from God when I was driving down the same road a few weeks after that January day and it wasn’t there. Oh it hadn’t been replaced with another company’s advertising. The billboard itself wasn’t there. It didn’t appear that it was ever there based on what I did see there.

Yes, I know it sounds weird. We often wish for God to speak to us in obvious , crystal ball, flashing billboard ways. But that doesn’t happen often. Why He chose to lead my path and speak to me in that way is beyond me. I know this though…

“I, too, give witness to the greatness of God, our Lord, high above all the other gods. He does just as He pleases – however, wherever, whenever.”
Psalm 135:5-6 (The Message)

God can do whatever He wants, however He wants, wherever He wants. He can be big and flashy. Like when He gave me the literal flashing sign. Or He can be quiet and whispery. He can come in like a marching band or He can gently tap you on the shoulder to get your attention.

I mentioned at the beginning of this that God had spoken to me twice about this one subject. The second time wasn’t so big and flashy. In fact, it was just a still , small whisper.

A couple weeks ago, I found myself praying about our upcoming 25th Anniversary Vacation Extravaganza. I’ve already been praying for nice west coast weather and calm, smooth seas. I’ve already been praying for the provision to make this trip financially easy for us. But when I realized how out of shape I was…how overweight I truly was AGAIN…and how much walking would be required to get the most out of this trip, I added a few things to my prayers.

It went something like this…”Lord, you know how hard it is for me to comfortably walk or stand up for extended periods of time. You know how out of breath I get with too much activity. You know how wimpy I’ve become with a weak back and bad hips. So Dad, could you please make sure our cabin is near the exit of the ship so I don’t have to walk too far to get off the boat to begin our adventures each day. …..” I had much more to add to this oh so eloquent prayer but in that moment, I felt it. God’s answer was nearly immediate.

That Still, Small Voice was whispering to me. I felt it in my spirit and I knew exactly what the “Hmmmmm…” I felt meant. I could just imagine God standing there, arms crossed, giving me the side eye. Then looking the other way and getting a good laugh out of my oh so humorous request. That “Hmmmmm” said so much to me. And as the voice of God so often does, it changed me. Right then and there I felt the inner conviction I’ve been begging to feel for years. All the failed attempts to keep the weight off since it started creeping back on in 2006. All the weak efforts to be at a healthy weight again as I approached my 50th in 2013. Nothing worked for me because I did not feel that inner conviction that only God can give me. But with that holy “Hmmmm” , that conviction came rushing back to me.

I knew exactly what I needed to do. God had helped me do it before. I knew it was time to return to where God had lead me in the past. It was time to let go of the old frustrations in overcoming my weight battle and remember that God is always in control!! That I do so much better when I GIVE GOD ALL CONTROL!

“And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will Himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.”
1 Peter 5:10 (ESV)

My “suffering” has been gaining every bit of that 80 lbs back. My “suffering” has been joint issues because of the weight…bad back, bad hips. My “suffering” has been feeling like an 80 year old every time I get up out of a chair or have to walk more than several feet at once. I’m only two weeks into my God lead journey back to better health and I’m already feeling a difference. I have a long way to go. But I know that HE will restore me. He will make me strong and firm. And I will be steadfast on this road far beyond reaching my goal.

I try to only share head shots of myself. My weight isn’t as obvious from the neck up! But to stay transparent and honest here, I share this photo that is now my “before” shot. I like my dress. But I cringe a little when I look at this and can see how far off goal I am. I trust, though, that God is leading me . I trust that He will hold me tight to this road. My good health WILL be restored. I can’t wait to share my progress over the next many months!