Babysteps

I'm trying to pick myself up, shake off the (figurative) snow from the latest avalanche, and start climbing again. I want to face victory and the top of the mountain, instead of laying here feeling sorry for myself and focusing on my failure and defeat.

I'm tackling this mountain again with babysteps. One new step a week.

Last week, I took Babystep #1: I started the "Couch to 5K" running plan. I printed the plan, put it on the fridge, and wrote the race date on it. My favorite part is marking off each workout with a big x. I'm proud to say, the first three workouts are checked off.

Today, I began Babystep #2: Deal with my sugar addiction.

I'm going sugar free from now until Easter to get it out of my system. This week's focus will be getting through my sugar cravings and thinking about how to deal with this issue.

For breakfast, I had oatmeal sweetened with raisins instead of brown sugar and added a handful of peanuts for protein. Feeling great about it so far.

I'll begin Babystep #3 next week.

Avalanche on the Mountain

In this journey I call "Climbing My Personal Mount Everest," I've come to the conclusion that this is going to be a continuous battle.

I have so far to go in figuring out how to have a consistent fit lifestyle and to have right thinking about and control over food.

The term yo-yo dieter could not be a better way to describe me. Or maybe an accordion-

Chubby, thin, chubby, chubbier, thin, than chubby again. In-out-in-out.
Up and down the scale.

My most recent attempts to climb the mountain have been a similar story-

• October 2008 - October 2009: Lost 50 pounds of post pregnancy weight.
• Wanted to lose 10 more before Thanksgiving, but then AVALANCHE!!! Watch out below!Gained 20 by the end of the holidays instead.
• January 2010, tried Nutri System again and lost 10 pounds. Yay! Only 10 more to get back to where I was in October.
• Oops... : ( Another avalanche on the mountain- 10 pounds are back on already.

Ugh! The winter blues and stress struck and food became a comfort and escape once again.

(Next year I will not begin the Fall and Winter season without a plan! The same thing happens every year! I'm tired of it.)

I know there are so many resources available to me as a Christian to win this battle, not in my strength, but His. That's my most recent prayer, "Show me how to tap into the strength, grace, and victory I have in You in order to overcome me."

I've made a positive step in the right direction- I started the Couch to 5K plan again. The two mini jog/walks I've been on so far make me feel like I'm coming out of hibernation. I love to run! I've got my eye on a 5K race in May and then hopefully more races over the summer.

Anyone still out there? : )

Ten Pound Tuesday: It Will Happen

Before Thanksgiving, huh?

Has anyone else come to the realization that all ten pounds might not be off before Thanksgiving?

I had the greatest of intentions- Lose 10 pounds before Thanksgiving. Instead, I gained a few and then maintained. And now it is only two weeks and a few days before Thanksgiving. It would take a serious grapefruit diet or fast to get ten pounds off by then, and that would be contrary to my "lasting change" goal.

I still want to encourage those of you who worked hard to get there by Thanksgiving. Here's me cheering you on, "YOU CAN DO IT!!!!" I'm so impressed by your ability to stick with it and stay focused. You're awesome.

And for those of us who aren't going to make it by Thanksgiving, I want to cheer us on, "WE CAN DO IT!!!!" Just not by Thanksgiving, but I'm determined. If I don't QUIT, it will happen. So my Ten Pound Tuesday is going to keep going until I get there. I hope some of you faithful readers will keep at it with me until we reach the finish line.

All of the encouragement and cheering me on last week helped me more than you can know. I'm working on getting my head back where it needs to be.

Here's some quotes from The Dieter's Prayer Book that have been an encouragement this week:

The most impacting chapter was number 7: "The Trouble with Denial."

The author quotes Dr. Phil in this chapter, "You cannot afford the luxury of defensiveness, and you cannot afford the luxury of lies and denial. Denial after all, is what kills dreams. It kills hope. It kills what might have a real chance to overcome a problem had the solution just been pursued in time."

I had to face again that I am my worst enemy. Not in a beating myself up kind of way, but I had to ask myself, "How am I getting in the way?" It's funny. Every time I want something or ask for something from God, His answer seems to be that I need change at the heart level first.

Ask God if there is any corner of your heart that you keep in the shadows of denial.

Is denial denying me success and health? (pg. 24)

I've just been trying to honestly look at what I do and think and feel that keeps me from crossing that finish line that I've been working so hard to cross. What barriers have I put up myself.

Chapter 10 was awesome, too: More Than Conquerors

Do you feel like a conqueror today? You are! Even if you feel defeated and victory seems far away. If there's one truth you cling to in the coming months, let it be this: Nothing- no amount of fat or failure!- can separate you from God's love or rob you of the conquering power you inherited from Him. (pg. 30)

Remember- It Will Happen!

Here's to a successful, more than conquerors, not letting myself get in the way week! : )

Thank You

Wow. All of your comments were so encouraging and helpful. You each gave me something to think about.

God is doing a lot of work on me from the inside out again. : ) I think I've made a good turn in the right direction again when it comes to this struggle with eating. I've decided it is something that will never be easy for me, but will be something God uses in my life to refine me and keep me close to Him.

I'm winning again in the battle of Becky vs. the Halloween candy, too, which is a big step! I thought it was a hopeless cause there for awhile. : )

Hope you all are having a great weekend.

I'm Really Struggling

When I thought up the idea of Ten Pound Tuesday challenge, I was so excited about the possibilities. I imagined how we could encourage and inspire each other, and how much easier it would be to get those last 10 pounds off. Then I...and I don't know what happened. It certainly has turned into a CHALLENGE for me. Instead of being easier, it got harder.

October disappeared in a haze of sickness, and now it is November, and instead of losing 10 pounds I've gained two.

I'm not only struggling to lose weight, but struggling just to get the blog post up on Tuesday. I'm so sorry. I do have some thoughts for a post that I hope will be more inspiring than this whiny one. Thank you so much for being patient with me.

I really like the book I'm reading. I'll be back soon with a new post. How's it going for all of you? Challenging? Successful? This is a tough time of year on the willpower, isn't it?

My Inspiration for the Day

Does the object of your desire support the weight of your desire?

I just posted a video on my personal blog by Jennifer Rothschild that spoke to me today. When I finished watching it, I found this other devotion video. Wow, did it hit home! I knew I wanted to share this other one with all of you over here. (You can pop over to Everyday Becky to learn more about Jennifer and to see the other video.)

Here's our question for the day- What would our lives be like if we lived this way?

I'm lifting all of the prayer requests from yesterday's post. This is a tough season when it comes to food. But you have a strength greater than yourself to make it through. Other Becky- I'm lifting your mom and asking God to give you peace and comfort while you can't be with her.

Cheering you all on!

Ten Pound Tuesday- Inspiration Just in Time

I'm going to give myself a week of being back in the land of the living before I do a progress report.

It's funny- most people stop eating when they are sick. As usual, I turn to food for comfort when I don't feel well. I did it again this time. I kept thinking, This might settle my stomach or This will give me energy or This will just feel good to eat! Then when it doesn't work, and I still feel yucky, I try something else. Dumb. : )

So, I need another do-over. : )

Thankfully, my new book, The Dieter's Prayer Book by Heather Harpham Kopp, arrived just in time for the inspiration I need. So far, I'm really enjoying it and grateful for the insight.

I thought I'd share some of my favorite quotes and my thinking from the introduction with you:

Spiritual Transformation

Slowly I came to realize that I needed more than just information and determination to conquer my own weakness. I needed daily inspiration and help- and a power greater than my own inadequate will. (pg. 3)

If there is one thing I've learned over these past 13 months, it has been that I have met the enemy and it is me. Within myself I am not strong enough. I have an inadequate will and inadequate ability to deny my own cravings and weakness. Instead of needing another diet plan or another exercise routine, I needed to start at the heart level. At the spiritual level. I'm learning that everything stems from the condition of my heart. That's why I agree with this-

Ultimately, I believe the struggle to gain control of our eating habits and to accept our own body involves a spiritual transformation. (pg. 4)

If lasting change is my goal, I need to be aware of this and to remain aware of it because:

For those of us who live in a culture of plenty, convenience, and excess, eating can become a substitute for soul tending. (pg. 5)

AND

Because none of us can stop eating altogether, the struggle to master our eating habits is ongoing- and always at risk of being derailed. (pg. 5)

Boy, I've proven that this month. Even after all of my success. Even after climbing so far up my personal Mt. Everest, the danger of avalanche is always there. I need a strength greater than myself to make it.

Does God Care About Dieting?

I'm really learning that He cares the most about the condition of my heart. Dieting draws me to where my heart is the healthiest:

With every hunger pang that has little to do with our stomach, God is calling us homeward, reminding us that He alone satisfies...As we do this, the same empty longing that makes us want to overeat will, if we let it, become a spiritual opportunity. (pg. 6)

Perhaps we think that these issues are too superficial, too vanity driven to merit a consciously tended conversation with our Creator...When we call on God to help us with our eating, we are not trivializing God's role in our daily life, but enlarging it. (pg. 7)

I'll share more later this week. I'm thankful I have this book to help me get my head, heart, and mind right so I can succeed.

I had a prayer request: Will you pray that I will get my strength back? I'm still feeling yucky, but it has been two weeks and I just don't want to keep laying around being sick. I want to get back to this and other goals in my life. Thank you!

How can I pray for you?

Let's share in the comments how things are going- you can share your success so we can celebrate with you and cheer you on, or you can be honest about challenges so we can pray or maybe even offer some ideas for solutions.

Hope you are all well!