Scale ~ Friend or Foe?

So my friend Trish is pretty much my hero. I'm just going to lay that right out here. She also did the Made to Crave study followed by the MTC Action Plan. She has not weighed. She has not stepped on the scale at the beginning of her changed life. She has not stepped on the scale in all of the weeks of changing the inside of herself. The outside IS changing though. She can tell by the fact that her clothes are getting looser and her husband has noticed. She truly is living the thing that we all say but often don't truly mean "my worth is not determined by a number of the scale".

I am happy to tell you that I am not judging my "progress" of a changed life by the scale either. What I am measuring it by is the peace that I finally have. The fact that food no longer has unlimited power over me. The fact that I'm not thinking about food and counting every morsel and planning what I am going to eat next (healthy or not). I do weigh throughout the week. One of the issues that I have had since a teenager growing up on the farm was that I have no portion control built into my eating. The Weight Watchers Simply Filling eating plan that I follow works extremely well for me BUT it is based on eating when you are hungry, stopping when you are full. That is something that I am still learning. The scale is a tool that I can use to help me measure my obedience to God's direction in my life and my correctly interpreting my hunger/full signals.The scale no longer has power to make me feel successful or worthy. It no longer can make me fall to a depth of despair or rise to a euphoric high.

Worried about the number? The scale might not be moving because you are gaining muscle!

Use your scale wisely. If it's a good tool for you, then use it! If it becomes where you are finding your happy than step away from it.

 Certainly it feels good to fit in smaller clothes. It feels good to see the number descending on my weight chart. It feels awesome to have the beginning of muscle instead of just "flabs". It is nice to have markers along the way that help us to see our progress in tangible ways. More importantly it feels amazing to hear God's still small voice guiding me to the apple when I'm thinking about the pop chips. It feels incredible to finally be listening with my heart when God says "I made you. I love you. You are beautiful".

Love yourself. You are worthy. God loves you more than you can ever imagine! You are defined by being a child of God, not by a number on the scale.

The Myth of Magical Success

How many times have I, have we, sought a quick and easy fix to our weight loss problems?
 I have to admit that I have looked for magical success in this area of my life. I once even sunk low enough to buy a "weight loss program" that was achieved through how you BREATHED. (blush)

The Made to Crave Action Plan Online Bible Study recently concluded and today while I was working out, between gasping for breath and sweating wildly, I was pondering my changed attitude. In the past I have successfully lost large amounts of weight only to reach a certain point, get discouraged and quit. When I didn't get the results that I wanted I threw in the towel rather than stay the course.

During the past months I have taken 30 lbs of fat off my  body. I have also shed some foolish ideas such as "once I lose this weight I can go back to eating like I did when I was 20". In the past I have even fallen prey to those thoughts of "I don't want to deprive myself today, I will do it tomorrow" and "I'll wait until after the holiday, the occasion, the end of the year, etc. to begin eating healthy". Once I admitted to myself that there WAS no "going back" my thoughts towards food changed dramatically and I am embracing the new, healthier way of life! I am enjoying what I can eat.

A few weeks ago I became convicted that although I was working out regularly I had fallen into some sloppy habits of just trudging through. Really, how seriously was I working out if I was texting while I was doing it? Although I am, and will always be, a firm believer that consistency of exercise is the key (as in, don't burn yourself out trying to do too much) I definitely was not working hard enough to get the results that I wanted. Part of the MTC Action Plan was exercising in our Target Heart Rate Zone. Can we say "oh. my. heck."? Sweaty. Breathless. Happy. I am working towards the results I want and not just expecting "Magical Success".

At the end of the day I would rather look back and know that I gave it my all rather than be stuck in a rut and wishing for magical success to fall my way! That pretty much holds true with everything in my life. Set your goal. Make it realistic. Then be willing to work hard for what you want!

Joy markers of my path

It all started with an ordinary brown bag, filled with 4 ordinary river rocks. What God did is extraordinary. The retreat I attended was titled "Unstopping the wells that the enemy has stopped up".
When I went I never dreamed of what God was going to do in my life! It had been months in the making but that night I finally opened up my heart to what God was trying to do in my life. We used our rocks to build an "altar" to lay burdens on and give them to God. I knelt praying with tears rolling down my face. By the time I reached the point of going up for prayer I was a sobbing mess. Through my mess, God made beautiful. God spoke words through a woman praying over me and I walked away with "Determination" and "Deliverance" resounding in my heart. When I got home I wrote those words on the rocks from the conference. Those marked a night of being set free. Great joy!
                                                                         
A couple of months later God gave me the word "Victory" to add to my remaining rocks. That was the point in time when he was calling me to fast from soda.
                                                                             

"Determination" marks the jar that has stones in it representing the pounds that I need to lose. "Victory" marks the jar that has the pounds lost, but more importantly the obedience that is happening in my life.
                                                                     

Since that time I have other words that mark occasions and joys. Loved. When I finally started to love myself. "Crave God" as I journeyed through Made to Crave and watched him change my life! "Peace" as I made choices that were in the center of His will. "Friends" to mark the times when life was turning upside down and he sent fellowship, laughter, accountability and Christian women to walk beside me.

As I continue to live more fully in his will I will continue to fill up my Joy Jar with markers of what he is doing in my life.
                                                                      

I have a remaining rock from the conference waiting for the next turning point that He has for me.
I have the feeling it's going to be a big one and I can't WAIT for it!