Weight Loss Update

Since a few months ago, I have lost about 8 more pounds, bringing my total weight loss for this year to 23 pounds. 23 pounds!! Go pick something up that's 23 pounds! That's a lot of extra weight to carry around!
At the beginning of the year, I blogged about how terrible I felt because of the weight issues. Since I started losing the weight, I've had heartburn MAYBE one time (as opposed to every day!!) I have also come to enjoy the feeling of being hungry (it's so much better than the feeling of being stuffed all the time!) My personal favorite is just having more energy!
By the way, did I tell you that my wife is going to do a sprint triathlon (swim 500 meters, bike 15 miles, and run 3 miles) in July?! She has lost about 20 pounds as well. I am SO proud of her!
Now, are there still problems in my life? Yes, losing weight doesn't solve all your problems. Scheduling exercise time is still difficult. Making right decisions on eating is still VERY tough! I still get in bad moods occasionally. Satan has not stopped trying to tempt me just because I've dropped a little body fat.
But God is good, and the physical advantages of losing the weight FAR outweigh keeping it!

Losing Weight and Following God

At the beginning of the year, I mentioned that I was on a crusade to change the way I look at food and exercise. So far I've done pretty well. 15 pounds lost so far and I feel lots better than during the holidays. There are some things that strike me as I look back that I think apply to spiritual life as well...

1. It's easier to gain weight than lose it. Following sin and following Christ are much the same way. Sometimes it just seems easier to give in to sin instead of following Christ.
2. What takes one day to gain might take one week to lose. I came home after the Tulsa workshop and freaked out because I had gained three pounds! It was so disappointing because I remembered how hard I had worked to lose that weight! Sometimes one bad decision can follow us for years. It's not that God can't wipe it out, but the consequences may still be with us. I MUST weigh my decisions and my words.
3. The pressure to overeat is everywhere. Food Network is one of my favorite channels. I know it's weird when you are "dieting" but it's true! I also LOVE to watch commercials to see what fast-food chain has new offerings on its menu! Also, I don't know if you've noticed, but all the donuts and cakes are at the FRONT of the grocery stores! I know that God is everywhere, but so is temptation. God gives us the freedom to choose Him or not, but that does not mean that sin is the same way. Satan won't just let us make our own choice...he'll throw every tempation he can at us!! The good news is that God's help is more powerful than worldly pressure, if we allow God's power to work.
4. My attitude must change, and not just my actions. I've done this many times before, and failed because I felt like I let myself down when I stopped exercising or ate too much. Instead of "getting back on the wagon" I would beat myself up and tell myself that I was a failure. Last week (in Tulsa) I did not work out and ate too much a few times. But you know what? I'm back in the gym this week and I won't let ONE failure define me! In our spiritual lives, we cannot let ONE failure keep us from seeking God! Just because you failed once (or more) does not mean that you are evil and can never follow God again! Get up, dust yourself off, and get your heart for God back in shape!

I'm sure I'll keep learning. I pray I can stay on track, not only in my struggle with weight, but also in my struggle with sin.

Again With the Weight Thing...

A few weeks ago I jotted down how I was feeling so that I can gauge progress and maintain motivation for losing weight...

I feel like I am dying.
The simplest tasks prove difficult at best and leave me huffing for air afterwards. I can only play with my own son (Fischer) for about five or ten minutes before I have to sit down. My wife and I don’t talk much any more. We sit on our rear ends and stare at the TV. Our poor son must feel so neglected by us...
Going to bed proves to be difficult because I have terrible indigestion and heartburn EVERY night. I can’t breathe because I stuff myself at every meal. My heart feels like it’s pumping overtime. I know I have a heart flutter (the doc says it’s nothing) but it feels worse when I’m out of shape.
I don’t sleep right, work well, or relate well to others when I’m out of shape. I seek approval in others when I really need to get to the place where I approve of myself.
What am I afraid of? Last time I got into shape for a while, but then I got sick and stopped working out. When I restarted, I couldn’t breathe and found that I had asthma. I’ve never had asthma in my life! I guess I am afraid that something else will happen or that the asthma will come back with a vengeance if I exercise.
And worst of all, I don’t talk to God much any more. My spiritual life is limping along like my physical life. No direction, no discipline.
But now, I have a chance to get in shape again. Do I have the motivation?
I feel terrible now. My goal is to write again in two or three months and write down the difference in hopes that the "good" feeling from taking care of my body will outweigh the feeling of being out of shape. Let’s see what happens...