Failure

Yesterday I was filled with excitement. So much that I could hardly sit still most of the day. The frazzzledness of mom taxi took over after school and we were off and running like always. As my mom taxi duties ended and my husband took over I remembered that the Biggest Loser was on. I didn't watch last season. I had pretty much tuned it out and thought I wouldn't watch this season either. But 2 of the children were gone and so was my husband so I decided to tune in. I was in need of a little motivation.

Over the past two years I have worked to change my habits. Our diet got a major overhaul and I work out 6 days a weeks. During those two years I have manages to lose 60 pounds and keep it off. But as I watched the HUGE numbers that the contestants put up on the scale I felt like a failure. I didn't feel motivated instead I wanted to eat chocolate and drink Diet Coke. (both of which I will never give up completely)

Dot-to-Dot

I am currently going through a bible study with First Place for Health. Last week during the bible study we talked about being obedient to God. We talked a lot about what it means to be obedient to God with our bodies and our food choices.

During the discussion one of our ladies talked about how she saw the journey as a dot-to-dot. Think about how a child does a simple dot-to-dot picture. If they have completed the dot-to-dot accurately it turns out as a picture of something. If, for some reason, they missed a dot or didn't follow the order of the numbers the picture isn't always clear.

There have been times in my life where I felt like I could skip a dot and move onto the next one. Little did I know that God would present me with that dot all over again. Because just like that child's picture, if I missed a step my life would look like that scribbling.

Our God is a great God that allows us to go back and try again. Many times in my life I have had to get a lesson more than once. Sometimes I was just to stubborn to admit that God was right and I needed to change or do something different. Trust me when I say that God and I have been working on that! I often have felt like he would take a frying pan and hit me gently on the head as if to knock some sense into me. That is what I call my "Ah HA Honey moments." I have those moments all the time.

Before those "ah ha honey moments" my picture would be all frazzled and out of sorts. I am usually out of sorts too. But after that moment where I finally get the lesson my picture starts to come back into focus.

Don't lose sight of your masterpiece picture. God designed you to be a great military wife. You were called here just like your husband was called to serve our great country. God knew you would marry a man in uniform. He has equipped you with the tools you will need. It's your choice how you use them.

I still stumble and get bruised knees. I won't pretend to know it all but I know we serve a great big LOVING God that holds us military wives close. Chose to connect with God today. He's waiting for you right where you are.

Wrapping

Today is a new day! I'm thankful that each day is new and full of surprises. Sometimes I don't like the surprise that the scale gives me but it's still a surprise.

As I was getting ready to run errands today, I got out of the shower dried off and did the normal stuff. I stopped for a second when I saw myself in the mirror. My hair was pulled back in a pony tail(cause I girl can't wash her hair everyday:) and I had a towel wrapped around me. To my surprise I had a regular towel wrapped around me. I had to do a happy dance right there in my bathroom.

For so long I have carried this extra weight. I really felt like it was my battle scar from having children. I never had an easy pregnancy and ended up gaining tons of weight. I have tried several times to get healthy but life always got in the way. At least until I asked God to help me with my weight loss.

Today as I did my happy dance in the bathroom I was so thankful to God. I knew that I had done some hard work and I still have hard work ahead of me but without God I wouldn't be this far.

When you are the 'fat' girl and you start to lose all those extra layers of stuff your outside and inside change. Being able to wrap myself in a regular towel is part of my outside change. Loving me right where I am and thanking God for helping me have success is part of the inside change.

As Christmas approaches remember to ask God into all areas of your life. As I open the door of my heart wider He amazes me each day with new things. All things are possible with God the Father. What are you going to ask for help with?

Weight Loss Journey

I'm not sure who said "Weight loss is a journey" but they are right. It is something that most of us struggle with. I don't think I have met many people that don't want to lose weight, get in shape or simply eat better.

Since I have had my children my weight has been a struggle. I never really did much about it until recently. Last year about this time I was going to Weight Watchers meetings. I like the support of the meetings and I enjoy different tips and tricks on what to eat or not to eat. But in February of this year I brought the boys home from school and started home-schooling. Then life happens and we had to move. Not a PCS move just a move to a different house. All weight loss efforts went out the window. Up until the chaos had started I had lost about 40 pounds. Which I was trilled with.

We moved into our new house and our TDY and deployment schedule went crazy. I wasn't sure how I would fit in Weight Watcher meetings and a healthy lifestyle when I could barely find time to shower. Having 4 children involved in activities and the only driver proves difficult some days.

After my annual trip to Women of Faith I had a renewed sense of purpose to get in shape and be healthier. I wish I could tell you what they AH-HA moment was but I really don't know that it was one moment. It was a sense of I can do this. I can do this with God's help. Last year I was completely self reliant. I didn't ask God into my weight loss journey. I felt like I had failed in this area of my life and I had to fix it. I did okay, but still felt like I was missing something.

This time instead of relying on myself I am looking to the Lord. Before I started my current program I had little to no will power. If we had junk in the house I would eat it. If we went out to eat I would order whatever looked good because I felt I deserved it. Truth is, my kids deserve a healthy mom and my husband deserves a healthy wife. The Lord deserves a healthy servant. Not one who hated to be outside or doing little to no physical activity. I deserve to love myself right where I am.

A few weeks ago I purchased a BodyBugg. It's the device that the contestants on the Biggest Loser wear. You can't lie to about how much you moved with this great invention. If you sit all day it says you sat all day! It is a great tool to help on your weight loss journey. One of the things I have learned over the last year is that truly all things are possible with God. He can give you strength when you don't have any left. Some days are still a challenge but instead of looking to food for comfort I am looking to the Lord.