2. What I am NOT Doing

Before I lay out what I am doing, I need to state what I am NOT doing.

I had been under the influence of the diet and excercise industry for about 25 years when I finally acknowledged that the only thing necessary to lose weight is to take in less food than your body needs to use. I've also heard a doctor say "Eat less, move more." At the time, I couldn't appreciate that food was a real problem for me, so I wasn't committed to eating less or moving more, but I did believe that less food was key. As a result, I just couldn't buy into the diet and exercise industry pitches anymore. Therefore...

My weight loss will NOT INCLUDE exercise or diet food, drinks, or supplements (except for stevia...its natural and I like the taste in my teas).

I WILL NOT concern myself with metabolism, low carbs, good carbs, fat grams, fiber, water, or clean foods.

I WILL NOT reject the food offered at social occasions.

Simple, huh?

Disclaimer: Please remember that this plan is for me. I realize that there are other reasons that  someone may gain weight besides just overeating. So, this may very well be a bad fit for you. I do ask that you don't try to convert me. Just move on or continue following for entertainmet.

1. How It All Started

I've been overweight all my life, as an adult ranging from a size 12 to a size 20. I lost weight before meeting my first husband, gained it when he was diagnosed with cancer and later passed, lost it while single again and later a newlywed, gained it during two pregnancies, lost it when my children became more independent, gained it during my third pregnancy, lost it when my youngest became more independent, and gained it during a very stressful situation at work, then moving to a new town. But, since my husband likes me "round" :) and I was comfortable enough with my size, everything was okay. Until this summer, when on July 26, 2016, I weighed in at 214.4 pounds, my heaviest weight in 20 years. Worse yet, none of the weight control methods I had used in the past were working. Desperate, I went to God for help, and he began revealing some things I needed to accept.

I had to end my affair and return to my first love.

Sure, from time-to-time I'd feel guilty about eating for comfort or entertainment, but it didn't last long. This time I felt true conviction, as God likened it to adultery. I'd been cheating on him in my heart for over 40 years! He showed me that when I experience suffering, disappointment, frustration, or a delay in getting my way, I almost always run to my other lover, who seemingly meets my needs. But, as in any adulterous affair, it was just an illusion. There was no real love or provision coming from my other lover. 

I had to endure in order to gain the discipline I need.
Over the years, I have had many more great beginnings than great endings in my weight loss efforts. The thing that's missing is endurance, The discipline I need comes through enduring trials. I am not to grow weary from them. I am to see them as his love for me and a call to repentance. (Hebrews 12:1-8)

I had to seek God first, then wait for him to provide what I need.

Jesus can provide all the resources I will ever need. Plus, I have lived long enough to know that rarely does a plan or product deliver the results promised. 

The pictures above are actually me six days after leaving my lust for food. Here, I've already lost 7 pounds by following just a few guidelines and, I suppose, by ignoring millions of others. I'll post more about that soon.

I'm so excited about this experience. I feel changed for life and am looking forward to what God's going to do with me once I show him a singular devotion. A particular verse from a song keeps coming to mind throughout this experience...

I am resolved no longer to linger,
Charmed by the world’s delight,
Things that are higher, things that are nobler,
These have allured my sight.
(Palmer Hartsouth)

I am resolved to end my food affair and return to my first love! 

Introduction: My Summer Prayer

This summer, I was challenged in my women's group to spend time with God daily and just develop my intimacy with him, with the intent of loving the Lord with all my mind, soul and strength. We even decorated beautiful journals from composition notebooks in which we were to record our prayers, thoughts, and experiences and then share them when we met together. While I don't have a great history of maintaining a daily devotional time with the Lord, I was really dedicated to this venture! 

Over time, I realized that one request repeatedly made it's way into my daily prayer: "God, please guide me in what I do, think, and say." Yes, I'd prayed that before but never with such tenacity. 

When you pray a prayer like that, it's probably best to live expectant of great things! I'm not sure what I expected, but I tried to be sensitive to whatever it was going to be, and things began happening. Some were wonderful blessings, some were trials, and some were tests of obedience. While I didn't pass all my tests, my heart was sifted for God's glory and my good.

The most notable result of my summer prayer was the realization that I could no longer control my life-long weight problem. My biggest clothes were tight, I couldn't breathe well, and I was depressed. The ways I had controlled my weight in the past were completely ineffective, yet I had no confidence in any man-made, scientifically-proven, or research-based method or product. 

So I prayed. I prayed what I'd been praying every day, but I specifically begged for God to show me what to do regarding my weight. And he did. 

Not only did he tell me what to do, he also gave me a strong belief that I now had the key to losing and leaving my excess weight behind me forever. 

The purpose of this blog is to record my journey, not to educate or judge others with weight problems. Readers needs to inquire of God what he'd have him or her do, just as I did in my Summer Prayer, whether it be with weight, salvation, gambling, etc.