Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Patience- I Need Some

I am loving these readings on patience. I didn't get to this place quickly so it will take time and I need to be patient.

A lot of the extra weight I'm carrying right now came from times of sadness- the loss of my babies, adoptions falling through, etc. I'm impatient to see it gone because it represents a time of grief and I don't want to be reminded of that sadness any more. God has done so much healing in me. This weight loss journey is just more of the process and it, too, will take time and my patience, especially if I want lasting change instead of a quick fix that will need to be redone.

I thought today I'd just make a list of some of my favorite quotes, phrases, and words from the reading I've done lately:

Patience is an undervalued virtue in the present day.
Concentrating on lasting changes rather than quick fixes
Patience is a virtue born out of faith. And faith is a gift.
We are on a journey that must be traveled one day at a time. (Sometimes even one hour or one minute at a time!
The Lord gives us this day our daily bread. Accept it gratefully. Put aside tomorrow and the next day and the next. Stop hurrying. Relax into the moment.
Experience
Breathe
Lean on God in the now
Gradually
We need to sit still before the Lord and ask him to slow us down and teach us to listen to our bodies.
Goal: Serene and normal life.

Here's how I'm doing after Monday's weigh-in:
Weight lost this week: -1.o lbs.
Weight lost since beginning of book club: -4.0 lbs.
My goal is to lose 50 lbs by March 31, 2009
I've lost this much so far: -15 lbs.35 to go! : )

One of the activities we are supposed to do this week is to set small goals. I need to spend some time coming up with more, but here are a few:

1. I will continue losing between 1 and 1.5 lbs. a week.
2. I'll be back to my pre-pregnancy weight (this most recent one) within the next three weeks.
3. I will make it through Thanksgiving and Christmas without gaining any weight this year. (Need to start planning for that)
4. I will meet my weight loss goal by March 31st
5. I will run in a 5K race I have planned in May.

Your Turn:
Insights?
Challenges?
Prayer Requests?
Progress Reports?
Celebrations?

Hope all is going well for each of you....(even you lurkers out there who don't comment) : )

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, what a great day. Today's lesson on patience really helped, especially when I checked out all that scripture. I wrote all of it down. It stuck with me all day. I did my usual workout at the hotel exercise room and found a local Weight Watchers meeting. Since I have nothing but time, I plan on going to a meeting every day while I am here. I discovered that I have been praying for this to be easy, and it's not going to be. Easy would not be lasting, or life changing. Instead I rejoiced in the suffering, because of the prize if we do not give up. I knew that it was when I was suffering, that I was finally losing. My problem is not with hunger--I get stronger then. My problem is with cravings, which is sometimes worse when I am full. I always want something sweet when I'm full, probably because the fructose helps with the storing of fat!

Anonymous said...

Oh, I also wanted to add that when I got bored in the afternoon I went to the mall and tried on clothes. I wanted everything. Good thing my suitcase is 49lbs. and I can't buy anything new. It was just fun, and rewarding after all my exercizing. It also got me through the afternoon craving time, since we can never go to dinner until 7:00.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for your blog entry! :)
My small goals:
1. Exercise at least 4 times a week.
2. Lose 1-2 lbs a week.
3. Get back down to my summer '06 weight by Christmas.

I was so frustrated last week when I only saw a half pound loss. I had worked so hard. Yes, I also need some patience! I gave God my frustration and kept plugging away at it and lost three pounds this week. My clothes are much more comfortable now and that is a good feeling.
Thanks again for your entry Becky! :)

Marisa

Anonymous said...

Me again. Because I am on the East Coast, my 7:00 is your 5:00 so I am actually on Day 4 now. This was also a great "ah ha" lesson for me. Especially: paragraph 4: "Stop pushing. If you have surrendered your life and your eating behaviors to God (I do) then the process is working. He is at work. If you are staying in his presence in prayer (I am) then you are changing, whether you can see the changes right now or not." I realized I really am going to get there. I didn't believe that before. I needed to surrender again. I need to believe and I need to trust, not in myself and my own efforts, but in him. So, again today and every day that I need to, I surrender.