Tonight I’m wondering about this blog. I knew my journey was inside out weight loss. Not just pounds, but inner stuff, too.
But the early days focused on the journey to fit back into my skin on the outside, even as you and I had some pretty honest dialogue about how the inside junk fought against the outside journey.
Many of you have hung in there with me in recent posts, which are becoming more and more about those interior places. The questions of the soul, not so much the body. That inside weight loss.
But the reality is we are body, mind, soul, and spirit.
I don’t want to let go of the forward motion of the body even as the focus has lessened as I met my weight loss goals.
The crappy truth is caring for the body isn’t a one-time success story. It’s still that every day journey I knew it would be, those every day choices I knew I’d have to make. I knew it in my head. Now that I’m a year and a half into this gig, I’m walking out the hard reality. Sometimes successfully. Sometimes not.
The thing is, I still need you.
I need the accountability of talking with you about this journey. I need your words spurring me on to stay on the path and not give up my hard-earned ground.
Maybe you need me, too?
Today I almost went back to the Fitness Pal app. I’d allowed myself a five pound range where I felt comfortable so I didn’t freak about every single pound, but I’ve let a few pounds creep on beyond that safe zone.
If I don’t pay attention it will ALL creep back: the old habits, the choices not to walk, the extra slices of pizza and chocolate cake, the hours with books and computers and movies and chats at a coffee shop without the balance of fresh air, sunshine, crunches, leg lifts, and movement.
Today when the novel I’m working on didn’t go so well I grabbed a tiny handful of Rasinets (you know
I’ve got a weakness for those!) but stopped myself and grabbed an apple instead of the rest of the box. It’s a small victory, but it is a victory, and great victories are won that way, one small choice after one small choice.
At lunch I put peaches into a BENew shake instead of giving into all the high calorie left-overs in the refrigerator.
The last two days I also chose to walk when I could have driven and chatted with a best friend while hitting the pavement instead of curling up with the phone in my comfy recliner. Another 6 miles or so of good choices.
Choices that have to continue if I’m going to be healthy and strong. I hope these choices will soon show on the scale. It’s crazy how much easier it is for the number to climb than decrease.
So my friends, even as I know this blog is so many other things, I don’t want to stop talking about the needs of the body as we did at the beginning. God made all of me, not just the parts within where a writer can lose herself. That’s too easy for me to forget.
So here’s my commitment to myself and to you. My goal is to write Weigh-In Wednesdays – a consistent once a week reminder that the journey of health is still important.
Please pray for me, that I won’t lose any more ground, that I can return to and stay in that comfort zone where I promised myself I’d live. That empty nest grief and hospital stays and family pizza nights will not derail me. That I’ll walk, breathe deep, and stay strong.
How about you? Do you need it too? This weekly reminder?
We’ve been in this together for over a year now. Let’s stay the course! I’d love your feedback. What are you doing to keep your body strong? To focus on the goals you continue to strive for? How can we encourage each other on our BENew Journey?
Let’s talk about it,
Tagged: choices, losing weight, maintaining weight loss, Paula Moldenhauer, support, walking, weight loss
Paula's Blog 
I’m right with you, Paula. This darn five pounds crept up on me and it made me panic. Trying to work out the emotional side of it, but very frustrated with the physical side because eating clean is expensive and at the moment, we’re on a hot dog and bean burrito budget. Waiting on God for good things. You’re an inspiration to me.
I so understand, Deb! Last summer finances got so tight for us that I couldn’t buy fresh fruits and vegetables. Then the Lord gave my husband a job working for an organics food company and with it comes a weekly box of good produce! I will say a prayer for you, right now, for provision for what you need to stay healthy and strong. Hang in there my friend. Linking arms and hearts!
It’s a lifelong battle isn’t it? That is why it is a blessing to have others on the journey. To encourage one another when one is weak.
Amen!
P.s. how did you get to be an author who writes novels?!? How exciting 🙂
I started writing novels. LOL Wrote my first novel several years ago. It is still unpublished. But from there I started attending conferences and learning more about the craft of fiction writing and the modern market standards. I joined American Christian Fiction Writers. Eventually an agent took a chance on me . . . My first two fiction works released in 2012, one of them traditionally published and one self-published. Then I had two car accidents back to back and didn’t write anything of any length for quite some time. Finished a novel again finally this year. My agent is shopping it. I promised her another that I need to crank out! That story is a little slower coming than I thought it would be.
I can sympathise, having been on a weight yo-yo for a long time, mostly because of putting on too much weight in my pregnancies. I’m working hard to get back to a healthy weight now, learning what works for my body. It’s a challenge to find any time for exercise. It’s discouraging to be overweight again, but I’m thankful that my weight now is nearly 10kg less than at my highest point.
This month I am doing the Whole 30 program, and learning not to stuff myself with bread. On a spiritual level, I’m thinking about gluttony and self-denial – learning to cook something delicious for others without eating it myself. Thinking about the people of North Korea who are hungry, even starving, and how blessed I am to have good food to eat, and enough of it. That is so great that your husband’s work provides you with a produce box – what a blessing.
Health is a life-long endeavor, isn’t it my friend? And when the kids are small taking care of yourself is even harder! Congratulations on losing the 10kg! I read the Made to Crave devotional when I was focused on my weight loss. It really helped. And yes, the produce box is huge. I’m so very grateful. Now even if it is a low grocery budget week we have fresh food.
It really does boil down to those small decisions we make all day long. I still have weight to lose, but have been stuck for months in the same 3-4 pound range. I’ve been maintaining this without counting calories, but by watching carefully those decisions all day long. Sometimes I do well, other times not. I hope you are successful, you worked so hard to lose the weight the first time! I like your idea of the weigh-in Wednesdays. We really are a whole package and all of it needs care and attention.
Thank you Cynthia. My new clothes from the weight loss still fit, I just feel some of the old habits creeping back and have gained a few . . . I’m been really impressed with the cool stuff you’ve done–like that marathon. Impressive! Best wishes on getting past this plateau and continuing your journey and great job hanging onto the success you’ve had!
The keeping it off is the hard part especially when life gets in the way and disasters happen. I’ve struggled recently after the redundancy, the new job and now Commando Senior and his terminal illness. As you say the pound creep on surprisingly quickly and come off so slowly. I’m working on it though 🙂
Yes. Seasons of stress or difficulty or even just “outside the norm” throw us off. You’ve sure been through a lot this year! But you keep walking and writing and inspiring others in the midst. That’s beautiful, Marie. Hang in there, my friend. Whispering a prayer for you right now.