The Plan and How it Works

Just a quick post (you know better than that) , since I already posted today. I'm not feeling great today so far, but I'm hopeful it will turn around soon. I just have to share this with you.

I have been on my healthy lifestyle plan for almost 4 weeks now. I haven't said too much about it, as I was making sure I could be more "do" than "talk". Well, it turns out, I am a "do-er". ( I like to talk too) Finally, after years of yo-yo dieting and unhealthy body image, I am "getting it" in my spirit.

I have lost weight, I have built muscle, I have increased my energy level, and I am on my way to double digit weight loss. I am losing about 2 pounds a week, a healthy amount by anyone's standards, and I am not starving! I am not on a fad diet, nor any "diet" at all. No offense to anyone, I do not "count points", "drink weird shakes", join gyms, or anything else that to me, is not of a normal lifelong lifestyle. Food is meant to be enjoyed, not counted and tallied. It is up to us to have discipline, not the food. Food cannot have that much power or we will be powerless to stand up against it!

A non-conformist, I developed my own way of eating and moving that fits with my personality, my lifestyle, and my abilities. I have simply found things I enjoy eating, and I've adapted them so they are healthier for me. I have found the exercise that I don't dread doing, and I do it as often as possible. I make exercise fun, and eating is something to look forward to, not something you do mindlessly and carelessly. Food is meant to nourish and enjoy, not to comfort and heal.

Something has finally clicked in my spirit that is enabling me to stick to it this time. I can tell you from past experience that I have lost weight before, knowing it would be back. Scary thought, and I realize now that I set myself up for failure. This time feels much different, and I know it is, because I have entrusted God with my plan. He is the power, I am the "do-er"!!

When I step on the scales now, it is not with worry or regret, it is with a genuine desire to see where I'm at. It's not a measure of how good or bad I did the week before. It has no power over me. While I've always had the "head" knowledge of how to lose weight, I often did it in a robotic way, self-denying, and over achieving. It didn't stick because as soon as I lost it all, I lost the motivation as well. When the desired result is the way you feel and not the way you look, your motivation will certainly still be as strong as day one. When you make it all about the way your thighs jiggle (and mine do) or how your butt looks (no comment), it is doomed to fail. You can't base all of your personal motivation on outward appearances alone. That is "surface thinking" and it will get you nowhere and leave you depressed. Who has time for all of that nonsense?

Steve put my spreadsheet together so I can type in my weekly weight loss, and I have a goal date in mind for a total loss of 40lbs. Seeing that chart gives me hope that I can stick with it and not give up. So while my desired goal is certainly to lose weight, I'm already feeling I'm there because I have made peace with my body as it looks right now. Simply doing what I know is good for me is enough. It's like reading the Bible. You can't possibly read the whole thing in a day, but if you put the knowledge that you have read into practice, it is good enough even when you don't see the end result yet. There's no need to lament about what you don't know if you're doing what you do know and preparing to learn more!

Confused? It really isn't confusing to me at all. I can look in the mirror and see where physical improvements would be nice, but I also look in the mirror and say, hey, not too bad, girlie. Not your old body, but it will do. See, attitude about your own body is of most importance to your success or failure. If you love it, others will too. God sure loved it, and he loves it the way it is now. But, he wants what is best for us, and I'm sure eating well and moving are on the list of the things he wants for us, among many other things.

Don't catch yourself cracking jokes about your big --whatever, or worse yet, let your kids hear you talk that way about yourself. My husband caught me saying something negative about myself, and he said, "hey, don't be talkin' about my WIFE that way!" So cute, and he's right! "Love who you are....always", as one of my daughter's tee shirts says.

I am on the path to success, and I really can't fail this time. It's in me to do this thing and do it right! Whether I succeed or not depends on my dependence upon God's strength to get me through any challenge. If I do give up, I will start over. Plain and simple.

More benefits of exercise include: increased energy, improvement in mood, increased confidence, muscle definition, physiological conditions--heart, lungs, joints, etc... all improve, stress relief! There are romantic improvements too, as feeling good about yourself is imperitave to a healthy physical relationship. Nuff said, this is a family blog!

Take care of you, and learn from my mistakes! don't give up and if you feel like giving up, call me and I'll talk you down! If you need an accountability partner, let me know, because I could use one too. Stay tuned for more news on the weightfront!