Weight will not be the issue that drags me down. I refuse to let something as small as a bite of food hinder me from my purpose or stand in between me and my relationship with God. I KNOW that gluttony is a sin. I KNOW that eating even one bite outside of physical hunger is gluttony. I know the truth but I still do what I have always done so it should be no surprise that I continue to get what I have always gotten.
It was not always like that. There was a time in my life – a short few years – where I grasped the truth. I ate when I was hungry, I did not life on the scales and I could still fit into my pants. It would be easy to blame my current weight struggles on pregnancy but the simple truth is that I chose to listen to man instead of God. How many of my struggles in life have been caused by that one simple issue?
My weight is not the problem. It is my heart. Any time my heart is not fully devoted to God I end up stumbling over mistakes that I already know to avoid.
What is the answer to weight issues?
The first thing I have to do is realize that there is no easy answer to my weight loss or to any issue that might come up in my life. I could take weight loss pills or follow a diet plan that regulates food but none of those will deal with my heart and eventually that weight loss or eating issue will rear its head once again. I have to face the food straight on and I have to reach out to God every moment of every day if I want to put weight under my thumb.
The second thing I have to do is confess my sin of overeating and of putting other things (food) before God because that is the reason that my weight is where it is. I have to then reach out to those around me. This seems almost funny. You can NOT hide the sin of over eating from anyone because the weight shows, particularly on a five foot frame. But I still try and the only person I am fooling is self. I need to find a group that will support me specifically on my Christian weight loss journey – instead of a weight loss plan that will teach me to control the calories, food or exercise.
The third thing that everyone has to understand is that a walk closer to God is a personal journey even when that walk is about weight. We may be able to share some hints and tips, but we can not share the same path. Every person is drawn along a different way – that is why it is narrow because there is only room for one. A personal relationship with God is just that – personal. There was only one burning bush, only one talking donkey and only one road to Damascus and there can be only one weight loss journey for me.
I am still not sure how I will make all of this come together, but I know that I am eager to try. There are others around me struggling to choose the path that God for their weight and their health has over the ways of man. Helping others lose the weight and deal with eating issues helps me because it keeps me God focused and God centered. With God with me then who can be against me?
Growing up I was always on the go. Watching television was not an option mainly because there was nothing on most of the time. College was all about ballroom dancing. I was on my feet about 10 hours each day – and stretching when I was not dancing.
Having children actually slowed me down some (in addition to the 24 hour television opportunities). It has been hard to stay as active as I was growing up or maybe it is just that the excuses to be a home body are easier to come by. No matter how I got – I got here. Staying station can not be an option if I want to be as physically fit as I was when I was active.
Getting Moving a Step at a Time
1. Pull out the yoga/pilate mat – stretching while I watch the few television programs that I still follow helps to tone and lengthen my muscles. I usually follow a similar routine to what I did when I was dancing although the going is much slower and not nearly as limber.
2. Take a stroll around the yard – granted, my yard is 37 acres, but the concept is the same if you are strolling around the park or around the block. The idea is to get up and get moving first thing in the morning. I tell my youngest (who is usually awake and determined to follow me around) that it is my time to talk with God.
3. Start slow – overdoing it in the first few days will almost guarantee that consistency will fall to the wayside. Painful muscles are not a good motivator. You need to work up to the heavy work outs and for now just concentrate on getting moving.
4. Count the steps – the recommended steps you need to be taking is 10,000. That includes the steps you take walking from room to room, from the car to your destination or any other steps you take during the day. How many steps are you taking?
Movement is essential to a healthy body. I am working my way back to the condition that will motivate me to follow my love of dancing once again.
Weight has always been an issue in my life and in my home growing up. Today it is one of the first subjects discussed around my family even though we only see each other about once a year. We focus more on the newest diet or program we might currently be on and what we are eating or not eating instead of enjoying life and each other.
After the birth of my second child I tried everything I could think of to lose weight. I bought (and actually did) a small library of exercise videos. I cut my fat and calories. Nothing happened. Then I found a Christian Weight Loss Program that helped me view food in a whole new light. I quit dieting and quit weighing and the weight seemed to pour off.
My last pregnancy brought the weight back in spades! Now it’s a fight between doing what I know to do and doing what I’m going to do – which seems to be a recurring theme through out much of my life.
My issue is not with calories or fat grams. My issue is with the heart. It has idolized food over all other things. It would treasure the times alone with food (when the family would be somewhere else and I could eat the meal with no one to disturb it). I didn’t want to share food with any one for any reason. My heart was selfish for food.
I have started retraining my heart to love what is right and to put that above the food. Breaking the habit of selfishness that I have created has caused some painful moments. It can be tough admitting that I am wrong. I choose to make moments to share with others, by making meal time a time together, so that the people become more important than the food.
Like any bad habit that is formed over many years, breaking the food habit is not easy and has not occurred over night. Every morning I am declaring out loud (and with enthusiasm) that the weight is gone and the habit broken. The words are being followed up with action.
With a positive attitude, the right mind set, and action, you can have, be or do what ever you desire!