73 Days | It's Sunday...Be Encouraged!

I'm sharing something I wrote on my personal blog on January 13th last year.  I hope you find it powerful and encouraging.  Motivation to keep going!

Maybe today is the day you'll have a conversation with yourself...

Conversations with Myself

January 13, 2013

I'm discouraged today.  So, today is good time to go back and remind myself of how far I've come.  Recently, these commercials were released by Medifast meal replacements entitled "Conversations with Yourself."  

So, today I had a conversation with THIS girl--the girl on the beach in 2009.  This was not my heaviest weight.  I would gain about another 30+ pounds before I called my health coach and started my journey toward optimal health.  Here's what I would say to her, if I could go back and talk to her now.

"Your smile is beautiful, Julie, but I know how sad you really are. I know how painful this beach trip was for you, both physically and emotionally. I know how badly you wanted to play with your kids and run in the sand, but how hard it was for you to even walk to the place where you could sit. You're scared to try one more thing and fail--I get it. We've tried so many times to be free from the burden of obesity. But, you CAN do this! There IS hope. You WILL find it through friends who will tell you about their health coach and a program called Take Shape for Life. It will be the easiest plan you've ever done. You will LOVE it. And what you will really love? That it will work. And you'll finally experience the freedom you've wanted. You WILL run on this beach. Crazy, huh? But true. Don't ever give up. Give yourself this one more chance."

I DID run on that beach this summer.  Our daughter got lost in the mobs of people and was missing for about 5 minutes.  When I was told she was found at the next life guard station I RAN to her.  Down the coastline.  Through the difficult shifting sand.  And I didn't collapse or feel fatigued.  I felt like a healthy person, running on the beach.  There is ALWAYS hope.  But...even I need to be reminded of that some days! 

We have 73 more days together...please, don't give up!

76 Days | It's Not About A Number

I thought this was an appropriate post on Week #2 Weigh Day.

This can't really be about the numbers. It's tempting. But, that can't be the final ending.

The day to day goal can't even be about a number. Sure, the scale can be a helpful tool for us, but at the end of the day I have to ask myself:

Have I made all the best choices today to move toward optimal health and honor God with my body?

Have I done the best I could do and all that is required of me?

If I am being faithful to the habits of health, then the number on the scale is not the greatest measure of satisfaction. Moving toward my REAL goal is what will be satisfying. And, when that is in proper focus, then I think the weight WILL come off and will stay off. 

One of the things I've appreciated about my own journey with Take Shape for Life, is that I haven't had to worry about whether I will or will not lose weight.  As long as I take the proper action steps, the weight comes off.  Consistently.  I have only simply had to think about "Am I acting in a way that supports my goals?"

Have I Stumbled?
Oh my!  YES---BIG TIME!  

So, what would happen if I were to stumble and I had minimized my journey to the number on the scale?

I would inevitably get discouraged over even the slightest little stumble or smallest gain, and then that little stumble would become a downward spiral which would lead to more significant weight gain.  Kind of counterproductive, don't you think?

Has that ever happened to you?  You do really well for awhile, then fall, the scale doesn't move in the direction you want and so you just quit.  In the quitting, three months down the road you actually weigh more than you did when you started and the vicious "dieting" cycle has you in its clutches once more.

Well, what if you were to think like this instead?
What if, our daily choices were to become about walking the best path, practicing the best habits--moment by moment, day by day, month by month?

What if the measure of our success were in the action steps we've taken?  What if we celebrated the choices we made, the day-to-day accomplishments we achieved? (Like, walking through an airport with the smells of tempting foods smacking you in the face--and you keep on walking!  Great job, Freddy B!)

When these things become the measuring stick for our success, then and only then, will a little stumble just briefly trip us up. We'll just get back up and keep on walking.

Ask yourself today, "Can I feel good about the action steps I took this week?  Did they lead me toward my goals and dreams for a healthy body, healthy mind and healthy finances?"  

If you say yes, then the number on the scale today doesn't really have any power over you, right?

If you say no, then ask yourself, "What can I do differently in the week ahead to be faithful in my actions, so that my action steps support my goals?"

I'm here for you!  Just give me a shout if you need to chat!