Hello all!
It's been forever since I did a blog! I promised myself that I would keep up with it after I started it, but as is the usual course of things for me I started something and didn't keep up with it. That is pretty much the story of my life, except for one little, well, not so little thing. My weight loss! :)
So I began this journey on May 5th, 2010. It has, honestly, been a roller coaster ride. I've had some really good weeks, and some really low points and some spots where I hit a bump or just plain stalled. The biggest thing I've learned is weight loss is NOT EASY! ANYONE who tries to tell you that weight loss can be easy is a BIG FAT LIAR!!!! Okay, I'll stop yelling now ;)
But honestly, that is the truth. It's not easy, no matter how you do it. My hard work has really started to pay off in the recognition that I'm getting from people. People I don't see often, former co-workers, church members that maybe I don't interact with that much on Sunday's. People from face book and twitter that I speak with. People are taking notice of what I've done and the most astonishing question I get is..."So how are you doing it?" I think anyone who loses a lot of weight gets asked that question. The funniest thing is people's reaction when I say in return "Calories and exercise, that's it." Because it's like they're searching for this magical formula and since I've visibly lost weight they want to know the secret I've discovered. It's only the secret that nutritionists, and trainers and doctors and health experts have been trying to drill into our heads for years and years.
I was talking to my Mom the other day about my weight loss. And about my relationship that I have with my husband as opposed to the one I had with my ex. The other big thing that I've learned about weight loss is that you have to be ready. That means a lot of different things to different people. When I met my husband I was at about the lowest point a person can get in their life. And struggling through this separation we've had to deal with has been really hard. He is worth every second, but it's been difficult to be apart from the one person in this world that you know God made just for you. I've slowly begun to change, to go back to who I used to be before my bad marriage. In the light of Kevin's love I've been blossoming, and growing and learning about myself and the world and about how love, true love, can change you and make you better than you were alone.
But after Kevin left to go back to England after Christmas last year, I sunk lower than I ever have. The despair was palpable. And I tried to drown it out with food. I spent nearly two hundred dollars eating out in a month, all on myself. I tried to hide away from the world. I didn't want anything to do with anyone. Church, my kids, work. Kevin was the only thing I was anchored to solidly at that time and it hurt to see the pain in his face as he watched me grow larger and larger. The one other thing I had besides Kevin was the Easter musical. It brought me closer to the my savior than I ever felt before. Like I was a part of his story. I felt his pain as he was hung on the cross. The despair of his followers at his death as we mourned him from below, clinging to each other like sailors on a storm tossed sea. And the jubilation that he returned, that he came back for us, because he will bring us to the kingdom of heaven someday. :)
But when I watched that life changing episode of the biggest loser, everything changed. It was like a light came on, and though it has dimmed occasionally in the months since, it's never gone out again. The point of all that is to say this, if I could give you any single piece of weight loss advice, it would be that you have to be ready mentally and emotionally for the battle. Because a battle it is. YOU are fighting for your life. Your weight is a matter of LIFE or DEATH! You may not believe it, but it's true. You cannot be obese and be healthy. And while being overweight might not be too horrible in the short term, it's only going to set you up for worse things in the long term if you don't work on it now. It's a whole lot easier to drop 30 pounds than it is to drop 130. I've lost almost 55 pounds to date and every pound has been hard fought. It comes off slowly, sometimes a lot slower than I would like. But the point is, it's coming off.
As American's in this fast-paced society we live in, we need to toss out the instant gratification mind set we've been taught is okay. We need to slow down and focus on what is important in life. Our God, our families, our health. Those are the things that are important.
Life is stressful sometimes, my job is stressful most of the time, my kids stress me out occasionally (okay, that might be a little fib, but don't tell them I said that) ;) but you just have to find a way to look past all that and change your attitude.
One of my favorite people in the whole world, after my husband of course, is make up artist Kandee Johnson. She recently said in one of her blog posts, that your attitude determines the alititude of your happiness. She's right. It's about attitude and it's about choice. CHOOSE to be happy. CHOOSE to be positive, CHOOSE to make a change for the better. CHOOSE what you want from life and God will give it to you if you work hard enough! I've been in a mood for inspirational quotes lately, so those of you that follow me on facebook will notice those have been popping up in my status recently. I feel the need to inspire and motivate and see people be as happy as I am. :) I want to make a difference to people and as they've said on the Biggest Loser this season, I want to pay it forward.
So I'm challenging you. WHAT can you DO to change your life, right now? Send me a comment, here or on facebook and tell me about one positive change you'll make in your life TODAY! One, that's all. Baby steps, they'll take you anywhere that big steps will, you just need more of them.
Love you all and have a great night!
Dawn
