Weight loss and the pursuit of it, has been like a part-time job for me for many years. Maybe even more than part-time. On top of all my other jobs and activities, obscuring any joy I may feel about myself or any accomplishments, stealing my confidence, and my attention and shaming me for failed attempt after failed attempt.
If you know this struggle, then you know what I mean. How many tears have you cried because you felt so bad about your weight? How long have you felt powerless to do anything about it?
As a Christ follower, I believe I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Phil. 4:13) But this battle has beat me up so much that I had nearly given up hope that I could ever change. Yes, I knew the Lord was able, but clearly I wasn’t. Or so I thought.
Losing weight is a very personal thing and the way it happens for people is as unique as their struggle. For me, a lack of self- control and feeding my loneliness and hormonal depression with loads of carbs, and sugar, meant that I needed structure and discipline. Accountability with results to keep me motivated. No wiggle room.
This program was exactly what I needed. It has helped me identify the real reasons I would eat, and to discern when I am actually hungry. There were so many times when I was stressed or upset about something and my first inclination was to feed myself. And I couldn’t. Not only would it mess up my weight loss, but I would then have to admit it on the air, that I had “cheated”. Talk about accountability!
So I persevered. I set a goal and I persevered. Through parties, nights out with friends, holidays...I never wavered. And on Christmas Eve, I hit my goal. 145 lbs! Now it’s January 10th and I’m still going. Turns out, I could actually go all the way with this program and get.. dare I say it...thin. Me! I never thought it was possible.
I am 140 lbs today and I’ve lost a total of 46 pounds. But what I have gained is so much more. The feeling of accomplishment that I have set a goal and even surpassed it. The confidence that I can do ministry and reach out to others without feeling self-conscious, but instead, focused on them. The belief restored in me, that I really can change. Transformation is possible. And I can glorify God in an area that I have shut Him out all these years.
It is with fear and trembling that I say, I am an over-comer. By God’s grace that is what I am. I will never underestimate this struggle and I will never think I have it all figured out. But I have learned so much and I am different than when I started back in September. Different on the inside. You can’t see that change as clearly, but trust me. When you see how different I look on the outside, it is just a small hint of how different I am on the inside.
Thank you to my friends at A Better Weigh and thank you Lord for giving me the help I needed. I’ll be 47 in April and Lord willing, I’ll be the leanest I’ve been since.. well… a long, long time. And speaking of time, what will I do with all the time I'll have to myself when I quit this part-time job of losing weight? Can’t wait to find out.
Humbled,
Tracey
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Dear Tracy, Congratulations! It is indeed a challenge and a triumph. I hope your example will remind others that our bodies are a gift from God and we need to treat them as such. When we are both physically and spiritually healthy, we are truly fit to take on God's mission for us.
Thank you for sharing!
Jan
Tracey,
Well done! So glad you discovered the mechanisms behind your weight loss struggle. I've undergone a similar transformation myself, losing 85 pounds over the past 21 months. Several friends of mine have seen my progress and decided to make a go of it themselves, so I get to do a little coaching, too. :-)
Anyway, congratulations again, and may it truly be a permanent change for us both!
-Mark