I’m under calorie count today because I burned over 500 calories exercising! (I’m learning I can stay satisfied on the amount of calories I eat as long as I earn at least 300 by exercising. That means I actually ingest 1500 or so, but burn 300 so my count stays around 1200.) Today I earned over 500, then didn’t get around to eating them all. Crazy! When I first started this journey anything under 2,000 seemed like torture!
After my surprise prayer adventures, I often start off walking without a plan and ask the Lord to show me where to go. Today, I made a point to walk around the elementary school again now that I know more specifically how to pray for those kids and teachers. I prayed that the 50% hired back would be hand-picked by the Lord to help move the school toward healing, and that those left without a job would be led to the right place for this stage in their life/career. I also prayed for the kids, for the families, for community people who will be a part of the healing.
After I finished I walked past an empty strip mall that was very close to the school. I found myself praying for a church to build there that would know how to care for the needs of the families of that school.
Then I kept wandering, asking the Holy Spirit to lead me, and ended up walking to the nearest high school just as they let out. I mingled in the crowds, praying silently for the kids I walked by, for the school, for the teachers. I also prayed specifically for the baseball team, since my boys play on it.
I still weigh 190 lbs. Ready to drop again. I’m told sometimes you stall out, but I don’t like it. ~December 12, 2012
A recent picture taken about 2 pounds ago. Unfortunately the sun was in my eyes so my face looks a little weird!
Real Time Update:
After I wrote the above I plateaued briefly at 190, then dropped another 7 pounds pretty quickly. Then things slowed again.
I’m now another 60ish days into the weight loss journey and down to roughly 175 pounds, which puts total weight loss of 35 pounds. I gotta tell you, the last ten has come off MUCH more slowly than the first 25! But the point is that it continues to come off!
I don’t know if I can prove this scientifically, but it feels like my body needs some time to adjust in between losses now. I’ll be frustrated for a while, then suddenly drop 3 or 4 pounds. But I’m learning not to get too excited when I start dropping again because it doesn’t last too long before the weight loss slows again.
Tagged: earning calories, losing weight slowly, plateaus, prayer, walking
Paula's Blog 
You’re doing so great, Paula!! I love it that you aren’t cutting calories too severely. That will serve you well on maintenance. The plateaus, I’ve decided, are my friend. They are the place where my body gets nice and used to its new lower weight, where I’m not losing but I’m also not gaining. They last however long they last, and then the scale starts dropping again. Slow is fine. It’s direction that matters!
Thanks, dear Katy! I’m more peaceful about plateaus than I was, but I’d sure like to shave off this last little bit before I start shopping for my mother of the bride dress!
Paula the picture is great, don’t kid yourself. You are doing a wonderful job with all your blogs and your weight. I to have come to a slight haul but dropped one more lb yesterday. I am going to be gone for a while and I wiil lmiss your blogs. Will be with Juli Anna California for part of my vacation so maybe we can read them on her computer. Thanks for all you do For everyone, prayers included.
we’ll keep on keeping on, Rosemary! I think Ben’s post explained a lot, too, about how the body adjusts as it re-shapes. And I’m reading this great devotional called Made to Crave that reminds me that the scale doesn’t need to dictate my emotions!
Oh, I love how you use your walks to pray for those in your community! You are so inspirational to me! It was so good spending time at your house last night. :0)
Thank you, sweet friend. It wasn’t planned; it just happened. And I have several really cool stories I’m going to share as the month unfolds here on the blog. :O) I LOVED having you here, Juliet.