#Ownit
I haven't posted in awhile. That may or may not be on purpose. Life has a funny way of living, and my life has a funny way of living crazy.
TAX SEASON... and exercise class and Bible study and gymnastics and Girl Scouts and birthday parties and sleepovers and class parties and pacifier weening and baby proofing and laundry and MMA refereeing and dishes and baths and cooking and homework and PAT and PTA and... breathe... and then shower... maybe not - sleep has to happen sometime... Oh, I have a husband? I almost forgot! He needs some attention, too.
And so, I trudge on, crazy and all, trying to keep all the plates from crashing down on top of me.
Because the last thing I need is an unexpected trip to the ER.
And then there's this "lifestyle change" I've been on since the last week of September 2013. Because, you know, I don't have enough going on in my life. I must truly enjoy challenges. I'm a little over 5 months into living the "new" me, and honestly, it hasn't been as scary as I expected it to be. Sure, I've given up bread and pasta and most processed foods and sugars (notice I said most?). But, I don't miss any of that like I thought I would. Sweets are still my main hang-up. I still have a cookie every now and then (moreso lately with the mounds of Girl Scout deliciousness hanging out in the back of my van). And, if there is pie nearby, well, then you can bet I'll be eating a slice.
Just a slice, though. I have made some progress in the sweets department. The old me would have downed the entire pie, complete with a full tub of Cool Whip, then licked the pan until it shined.
And now you know how I got to be more than 200 pounds.
I was in denial for the longest time about how bad I had let my body go. After all, I birthed 4 babies in 7 years. A little extra "cushion" was expected.
But I had more than a little extra.
I also had the onset of Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and hormone imbalances. Not cool.
I tried to hide my bulge behind my kids at the circus last June. I was 204 pounds. And I was clueless. I knew the number on the scale was bad, but looking in the mirror everyday and not really seeing the extra weight adding on, I didn't think it was all that bad.
Or maybe I didn't want to think it was all that bad.
I've struggled with food addiction my entire life. I am a severe emotional eater - any emotion, it doesn't matter. Whatever I feel, I satisfy it with food: Happy - food. Sad - food. Bored - food. Stressed - extra food. Over the years, I've tried diet after diet without much success. In high school, I was borderline Anorexic my sophomore year. But the weight always came back, with a little help from college, marriage, childbirth, work and so many other life events.
I needed to quit dieting and change my entire outlook on food. I needed to get healthy again, for myself and my family.
For a few months, I had been intrigued by my friend's Facebook posts boasting weight loss, more energy, better moods, no more migraines, etc. I watched. Then watched some more. I was skeptical, but still intrigued. I was also still breastfeeding my youngest, so I didn't want to jump into some diet fad that could potentially affect her through me.
After e-mailing my friend back and forth, then meeting with her in person to talk about her "miracle" products, then praying about the commitment, I decided to hop off the fence and give Xyngular a chance.
I'm so very glad I did. These products changed my life in so many ways. Everything is all-natural, so I was not ingesting anything harmful into my body. That's so important to me. And I am healthier than I have been in YEARS. That's also important to me.
I LOVE not only the weight loss results I have experienced with Xyngular, but the increased energy I have, the better moods I'm in, and the added health benefits of no more migraines, lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol and better balanced hormones.
But the point of this blog post is not to be an infomercial for Xyngular. It's about the changes I have experienced these past 5 months.
Remember this girl?
This is when I started my lifestyle change - 197 pounds. Size 18. Blah.
So ready for a change!
I started a regular exercise program. I started eating healthier. I gave up foods I never thought I could live without (self-proclaimed walking carbohydrate, coming through!). I started watching my portion sizes. I started drinking a lot MORE water and a lot LESS pop (or soda, whichever you call it).
And I started this Bible study with a few of my favorite gals:
This has probably been the most pivotal tool in my weight-loss toolbox. I am learning to thank God for my food addiction, for without it, I never would have started this journey to a better me. I never would have started reaching out to God instead of food whenever I was emotional. I never would have learned that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. I never would have realized that I was a Jesus Girl, capable of so much more with my life. I never would have started achieving peace when I stepped on the scale instead of worrying about the numbers that came up. I never would have started praying or looking up scripture when I had cravings, deepening my relationship with God. I never would have realized that I was made to crave God, not food.
I can be less consumed with food and more courageous on my healthy eating journey because I have God to help me. He is always there, I just have to seek Him.
And I just have to own my issues with food.
Which brings me to the title of this post - #ownit.
I stumbled across this video on a fitness site I follow. She is so inspiring to me, and her latest is that she has inspired me to own my shortcomings, own the things I can't change, and move on. She has reminded me to focus on the things I CAN change.
I am owning my food addiction. I am proving to myself and others that food does not have to run my life. I finally have the courage to say, "God, thank you for letting me have this issue, because without it, I never would have discovered so many beautiful truths."
TAX SEASON... and exercise class and Bible study and gymnastics and Girl Scouts and birthday parties and sleepovers and class parties and pacifier weening and baby proofing and laundry and MMA refereeing and dishes and baths and cooking and homework and PAT and PTA and... breathe... and then shower... maybe not - sleep has to happen sometime... Oh, I have a husband? I almost forgot! He needs some attention, too.
And so, I trudge on, crazy and all, trying to keep all the plates from crashing down on top of me.
Because the last thing I need is an unexpected trip to the ER.
And then there's this "lifestyle change" I've been on since the last week of September 2013. Because, you know, I don't have enough going on in my life. I must truly enjoy challenges. I'm a little over 5 months into living the "new" me, and honestly, it hasn't been as scary as I expected it to be. Sure, I've given up bread and pasta and most processed foods and sugars (notice I said most?). But, I don't miss any of that like I thought I would. Sweets are still my main hang-up. I still have a cookie every now and then (moreso lately with the mounds of Girl Scout deliciousness hanging out in the back of my van). And, if there is pie nearby, well, then you can bet I'll be eating a slice.
Just a slice, though. I have made some progress in the sweets department. The old me would have downed the entire pie, complete with a full tub of Cool Whip, then licked the pan until it shined.
And now you know how I got to be more than 200 pounds.
I was in denial for the longest time about how bad I had let my body go. After all, I birthed 4 babies in 7 years. A little extra "cushion" was expected.
But I had more than a little extra.
I also had the onset of Type 2 Diabetes, high cholesterol and hormone imbalances. Not cool.
I tried to hide my bulge behind my kids at the circus last June. I was 204 pounds. And I was clueless. I knew the number on the scale was bad, but looking in the mirror everyday and not really seeing the extra weight adding on, I didn't think it was all that bad.
Or maybe I didn't want to think it was all that bad.
I've struggled with food addiction my entire life. I am a severe emotional eater - any emotion, it doesn't matter. Whatever I feel, I satisfy it with food: Happy - food. Sad - food. Bored - food. Stressed - extra food. Over the years, I've tried diet after diet without much success. In high school, I was borderline Anorexic my sophomore year. But the weight always came back, with a little help from college, marriage, childbirth, work and so many other life events.
I needed to quit dieting and change my entire outlook on food. I needed to get healthy again, for myself and my family.
For a few months, I had been intrigued by my friend's Facebook posts boasting weight loss, more energy, better moods, no more migraines, etc. I watched. Then watched some more. I was skeptical, but still intrigued. I was also still breastfeeding my youngest, so I didn't want to jump into some diet fad that could potentially affect her through me.
After e-mailing my friend back and forth, then meeting with her in person to talk about her "miracle" products, then praying about the commitment, I decided to hop off the fence and give Xyngular a chance.
I'm so very glad I did. These products changed my life in so many ways. Everything is all-natural, so I was not ingesting anything harmful into my body. That's so important to me. And I am healthier than I have been in YEARS. That's also important to me.
I LOVE not only the weight loss results I have experienced with Xyngular, but the increased energy I have, the better moods I'm in, and the added health benefits of no more migraines, lower blood sugar, lower cholesterol and better balanced hormones.
But the point of this blog post is not to be an infomercial for Xyngular. It's about the changes I have experienced these past 5 months.
Remember this girl?
This is when I started my lifestyle change - 197 pounds. Size 18. Blah.
So ready for a change!
I started a regular exercise program. I started eating healthier. I gave up foods I never thought I could live without (self-proclaimed walking carbohydrate, coming through!). I started watching my portion sizes. I started drinking a lot MORE water and a lot LESS pop (or soda, whichever you call it).
And I started this Bible study with a few of my favorite gals:
This has probably been the most pivotal tool in my weight-loss toolbox. I am learning to thank God for my food addiction, for without it, I never would have started this journey to a better me. I never would have started reaching out to God instead of food whenever I was emotional. I never would have learned that everything is permissible, but not everything is beneficial. I never would have realized that I was a Jesus Girl, capable of so much more with my life. I never would have started achieving peace when I stepped on the scale instead of worrying about the numbers that came up. I never would have started praying or looking up scripture when I had cravings, deepening my relationship with God. I never would have realized that I was made to crave God, not food.
I can be less consumed with food and more courageous on my healthy eating journey because I have God to help me. He is always there, I just have to seek Him.
And I just have to own my issues with food.
Which brings me to the title of this post - #ownit.
I stumbled across this video on a fitness site I follow. She is so inspiring to me, and her latest is that she has inspired me to own my shortcomings, own the things I can't change, and move on. She has reminded me to focus on the things I CAN change.
I am owning my food addiction. I am proving to myself and others that food does not have to run my life. I finally have the courage to say, "God, thank you for letting me have this issue, because without it, I never would have discovered so many beautiful truths."
"Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland." ~Isaiah 43:18-19
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." ~1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I am a little over 5 months into this new life, and I have lost almost 30 pounds and 3 pant sizes. I am now a size 12 for the first time in nearly 7 years!! I am also gaining a lot of my muscle definition back after years of flab. I still have a way to go, but I know I will get there! I'm owning it!
~A
P.S. Where has my butt gone? Where has my gut gone? I don't care, as long as they stay gone! :-)
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