Growing up I never struggled with my weight. In fact, when I got married I was a size 0 (yes zero)! But after the birth of my first child, my struggle with gaining weight began, and I was never the same. So from that point on, I struggled with my weight for 26 years. When I had my fourth child, I weighed over 200 pounds. I am not sure of my exact weight because I avoided the scales.
I began my journey with Weight Loss, God’s Way in October 2017 at 184 pounds. The turning point in my journey with WLGW was when I saw the progress chart created by Cathy. I always got so down and wanted to give up when I gained weight, didn’t log food, or didn’t exercise. But when I saw that chart, it was like a light bulb went off in my brain. The ups and downs are, ‘ok, it is life happening’. Viewing weight loss in that way motivated me to keep pressing on. As Cathy says, “It is a process, not a destination.” Below is the progress chart from Cathy, and then below is my progress chart. As you can see, it is very similar.
My Personal Progress Chart
I am currently 166 pounds. I am slow at losing weight, releasing approximately 1.5 to 2 pounds per month. By December 31, 2018, I want to be 157 pounds. My goal weight is 145 pounds.
What keeps me coming back to WLGW is the fellowship with other Christian women on the same journey as myself, the devotions, scriptures, the Saturday morning calls (I love them), and the program is centered on God’s Word.
When I am afraid that I will revert back to my old ways of eating or negative thinking, I surrender it to God daily. There are days when I totally fail–-as my kids say, have an “epic fail” day. I confess to God my sins and tell my accountability partners. My husband is a huge blessing and support. He is my biggest cheerleader. I start new each day and learn from my failures.
How has your relationship with yourself, with food and with Christ changed?
I am an emotional eater. I am a perfectionist and control freak (these two combinations should be illegal). I was very hard on myself. Once Cathy told me that I was emotionally abusing myself, it really struck home. So I have really tried to change my mindset. I try not to be so hard on myself when things are not perfect and not say negative things about myself. With emotional eating, food had a stronghold on my life. I replaced giving everything to God by putting something in my mouth every time I felt stressed. In one of the Saturday morning calls, one of the women asked, what do you love more–food or Jesus? I thought long and hard about that question, and I want to love Jesus more. I am now more likely to pray and talk to Jesus when I get stressed. It is a process, so I am learning on the way.
What advice tips/suggestions could you offer to your fellow sisters on this journey?
Don’t be ashamed to admit your fears and failures, but most of all celebrate your wins. Even the smallest of wins is a win. Celebrate the wins much more than mourning your failures. I also suggest finding accountability partners. There are three of us that are partners, and we message each other almost every day. Don’t be afraid to think outside the box or ask for help.
I do not like to strength train. So I asked my 14-year-old son if I could strength train with him and his personal trainer (he plays ice hockey and has a trainer). I had never bench pressed a day in my life, but they are so kind to me and have really motivated me to keep training. My last suggestion would be to join the Saturday morning calls. I love the fellowship with other Christian women.
Aside from your physical weight, what other changes/benefits have you received from taking better care of yourself?
I feel so much more alive now and have so much more energy. I don’t hit the crazy cycle or get angry nearly as much because my blood sugar levels are more even. I ran 4.2 miles in May as part of a relay team in the Pittsburgh Marathon. We raised money for a Ugandan orphanage’s medical fund. In September, I signed up to participate in the Navy 5-miler in Washington, DC. I also hunt with a rifle, but one of my goals is to be able to pull back a bow at 35 pounds and be able to archery hunt in the fall. I am having lots of fun and thinking of fun ways to incorporate exercise into my life. Most importantly, I am walking closer to God. I am more dependent on Him every day and giving up control to Him. That is so much less stressful!
Video testimony by Karen
To learn more about the Weight Loss, God’s Way Program, or to sign up to become a member, visit www.weightlossgodsway.com. Try it free for the first 10 days.
Thanks Karen. I’m also a perfectionist and control freak. I’d never thought about it being emotional abuse. With that in mind I think I can cut down the negative self talk.