Boasting in Weakness

I was reading my Bible this morning and came across such a great lesson from Paul.  At one point Paul found himself with a very frustrating and uncomfortable thorn in his flesh.  He asked God three times to remove it, but God refused replying, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  Now Paul could have been frustrated, mad at God, felt sorry for himself, etc.  But Paul so beautifully responds, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me." 
In my book this week I also read "Many make the mistake of approaching weight loss armed with sheer will-power and self-determination.  Even though they have committed Philippians 4:13 to memory, the emphasis and enthusiasm is directed toward, 'I can do everything.'  Unfortunately, the part of the verse that says 'through Him who gives me strength' becomes little more than an afterthought."
Instead of boasting in my weakness and admitting that I am incapable of self-control and self-discipline while relying solely on His strength, power, and grace I tend to beat myself up and throw in the towel at the first mistake.  God created us to be dependent on Him, but all too often we either become dependent on other people or things that will certainly fail us or at the opposite end of the spectrum we pride ourselves in being completely independent not needing help or support from anyone or anything.  I tend to swing back and forth between the two and neither has led to happiness or success.  I am looking to stay in that happy balance smack-dab in the middle where I am wholly dependent on Him and admitting that I cannot do this on my own will and determination.  Why is it that we would be so quick to pray over cancer in our body or an alcohol addiction, but we feel weak praying over our eating and exercise habits? 
Whatever your "thorn" is, seek God and His strength at this time.  Ask Him what lesson He is trying to teach you by allowing the thorn to cause discomfort and frustration.  Let's boast in our weakness so that we may fully understand and experience Christ's amazing power! 

Start and Stop... Week 1

One thing I have learned from years and years of dieting is that I tend to set myself up for failure if I try to cut out and/or start too many things at one time.  For example, if tomorrow I cut out all carbs, caffeine, and sugar AND also decided to start working out for one hour a day five days a week, I would most likely last until tomorrow around 9:00 a.m.  Which is why I have learned that baby steps are the key.  That being said, I am going to tackle one thing a week to start doing and one thing to stop doing. 
For this first week I have decided that my "START" will be to start tracking again using the myfitnesspal app.  I know it works.  I have used it pretty consistently over the past 20 months, but have fallen out of the habit these past 2 months. 

My "STOP" this week will be to stop drinking anything other than my morning coffee (can't give that up... my 7:15 class would agree) and water.  I have slid into the habit of looking for an afternoon pick me up with a Diet Coke and an evening calm me down with a (large) glass of wine.  Neither of these things are awful, but I have become too emotionally attached to both :)

Accountability

I'm back.  Yes, I know it's been about a year since I have blogged, but here I am.  And I'm prepared to be uncomfortably honest, transparent, and real with you.  So get ready! 

As you all know I have a constant battle that can frustrate me to no end.  Over the past two months I have unfortunately been losing this battle, but I am tired of losing, so I am waging war and calling on you to help.  My battle may look different from yours because mine comes in the form of cupcakees, cheese dip, and chocolate.  Since puberty when my body totally turned on me and started collecting pounds like a hobby, I have struggled with my weight.  I have been as heavy as 271.4 pounds (yes, that is the exact number that was seared into my brain when I vowed that come hell or high water I would NEVER see that number again) and as low as 175 pounds and everywhere in between.  My weight constantly fluctuates based on whether or not I am putting forth effort in the battle or giving in to the temptation of Gigi's and vowing to start again on Monday. 

I worked my butt off over the summer.  I was at the gym pretty much daily and tracked my food and calories... and lost about 3 pounds, which only discouraged me.  Then I had my birthday and school started back and football season came and the excuses quickly piled up and now here I am welcoming back those 3 pounds and about 7 of their closest friends. 

But, today I am putting my foot down and resolving to go back to what I know... eat well, eat less, and move more.  I have started reading a book that provides 50 days of encouragement, challenge, and renewal of the mind.  The first thing the book recommends is finding an accountability partner.  That is where you come in to play.  I figured why just one, why not as many people as I can round up to challenge, encourage, and push me toward my ultimate goal of being healthy, strong, and victorious in winning this battle.  I would appreciate your accountability, especially over these next 50 days.  A text to ask if I've been to the gym.  An email to remind me to put down the donut.  Encouragement that the Lord has given you in your own battle.  Whatever it may be, I would appreciate it.  I will also use my blog as an outlet to hold myself accountable by sharing successes and challenges.  Please feel free to share this with anyone else you know that struggles with their weight. 

I am proud of how far I have come over the past 20 months, but still have more to go!  The picture on the left was taken in September 2011 and the picture on the right was taken in August 2013.