Failure

Who here begins something, trips up, and stops trying? One euphamism I happen to like goes something like this: "The only way to fail is to stop trying."

We went to Walmart last evening, amidst the hurricane craze, to grab some non-perishables. Just in case. And... those Chips Ahoy are calling me now. Seriously. They totally have my phone number. Will I have some in the next couple of days? I don't know. Many people are evacuating the area. I personally am believing that the storm will turn out to sea. But... back to those darn cookies I'm stuck in the house with...

Mark Ballas said something last year that put it all into perspective for me. He said "practice." He was talking in reference to his own journey with quitting smoking. Until then, I'd always thought of practice as in getting better at sports, or math (yuck!), or public speaking. But, Mark spoke of it as getting over something, even like eatingly poorly. In other words, if you do end up having a cookie, that doesn't mean you have to slip back into poor eating. All it means is that you have to keep practicing to get better at it.

Reward?!

The mind messes with you. "C'mon, you've been doing good yesterday and today. Surely you deserve a reward!" The reward, of course, being some kind of bad snack that I am not eating anymore. Keep your reward. I'd rather have pants that fit me rather than a Snickers ice cream bar! (Now, I gotta keep telling myself that LOL)

HaLf

Some people say the proverbial glass (or coffee cup! ) is half full. Others perceive it to be half empty. It all depends on one's perspective.

It is easy for me to pop on here, write a few things, and press "Post." But I can type anything I want, not necessarily the truth. But! If you know me, then you also know I do write the truth. Yesterday, everything was great. Until evening. When I wanted a soda. With popcorn. And anything chocolate. Anything.

It's night time when the battle is stronger. I'm used to snacking while I chill in front of the television. It's what I have always done. When I was a kid, I'd visit my Grandma for a few days, and one of the first things we would do is go out shopping for goodies for me to eat during my visit. Really! Candy, ice cream, pretty much whatever my little ♡ desired. It was awesome. Bless her heart, I don't think she ever told me "no" to anything. And nowadays, I do the same thing. If I have extra money? BOOM. Order pizza! Go out to eat! Go shopping and grab tons of junk! It's who I've been forever. And I'm not really active, at all. Thinking about it, I'm surprised I'm not heavier than I am.

So, last night, the glass was looking a little on the empty side. I wanted to eat some junk. BUT! I grabbed a much healthier snack instead :) I ate a banana with yogurt and some Grape Nuts. And, it totally satisfied me :)

So, this morning I woke up, and cooked a little kale, brown rice, and broccoli in chicken broth. It hit the spot, and I made certain not to make more than I needed, else I would eat it all, and I am focusing on portion control, too. It's going to be a fantastic day! Thank You Jesus!

All of my life I have heard about standing. "Stand on the promises of God." "Stand up for what you believe in." "If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." Yet, I have spent my life sitting down.

In only a few days, I will turn 41 years old. I have had an issue with my weight since I was 19. That is more than half of my life. Half. And I think that's insane. Why? Because I haven't done anything about it.

I weigh 179 lbs. That's about 20 from 200... frightening when put in perspective, considering I'm only around 5'4". Yeah.

If something doesn't change, I could easily be 200lbs by next year, sooner if you factor in holiday junk food. I realize this is no longer about not fitting into clothes or hiding when a camera is pointed my way. It is about my health, and I have to take that seriously. If I don't now, it may be too difficult later on.

So, as of today, I have decided to change my eating habits, lose weight, and get healthier. But I can't do it alone. The Bible says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I believe this, but have never applied it. I've been doing things my own way, and all that has done is wound me up with Reeses Peanut Cups and Suzi Qs. Amongst various other junk foods.

Today, I am changing my life with the help of Jesus. I hope you'll come along with me. It is going to be wonderful!