As I have shared in a previous blog, my doctor said it was time to get serious about losing some weight and changing my diet - forever. I have had to really shift my mindset to make this "forever" idea fit. I have lost a significant amount of weight before, but through this experience I discovered I did not have an end of game plan. When I was done losing weight (40+ lbs.) I simply thought I would go back to eating "normally" but in smaller quantities. No. I gained it all back and then some in about half the time it took to lose it. Not good.
So, I have set my mind to the path that this is the way it will be for life, the rest of my life. When I reach my weight loss goal, I will maintain my weight by staying on my diet. I will allow myself some variation on occasion but for everyday life, it will be the new routine. When I gain weight, I will go into loss mode until my target is reached and then maintain it again.
Right now I am still in the loss mode. I recently reached a plateau that has been very difficult to break through. For over two weeks, I have remained at 20 lbs. lost. Now don't get me wrong, I am loving being down 20 lbs. As I said before, it is its own reward. However, I am not to my goal yet. So, each day for two weeks, I have said to myself, "better be 'good' today" to no avail. Day after day I would see no progress. It was feeling like my plan was no longer working. Questions raced through my head, "should I do something different?", "should I quit this?" "If I'm not losing weight, why am I depriving myself?" I fought through all of that temptation to quit and stayed with the program. Then I lost two more pounds, and seemed to reach another plateau. The whole mind game returned, it quickly felt hopeless again. Frustrating.
So, the status quo with my new routine didn't seem to be working anymore. What to do? I upped the exercise end of things in addition to "being good". My reward? I was down an additional pound this morning. Wow, hanging in there does work.
I don't know why most of us, myself included think that when we hit a barrier that we just want to quit. Like when many people read their Bible. If they miss a day, they feel disqualified and want to quit. Why not just pick it up where you left off and keep reading? It isn't going anywhere and there is not use in quitting or feeling like you have to start over. Just get back on track and keep reading.
So it is with my weight. If I quit I will just go back to my slide toward diabetes, tight fitting clothes and feeling badly. So, why not just keep hanging in there and see what happens? As I found out again this morning it is worth it. I am a total of 24 lbs. down from the first of the year. Yes, it does feel good. No more mid afternoon blood sugar drops and loss of energy. No more acid reflux. No more wondering if the button on my waistline is going to make it attached to my pants at the end of the day.
So why quit? What is there to go back to? To be honest, there is nothing worth going back to. That is often what I tell a new believer who is discouraged. What do you want to go back to? What was working for you so well before you were saved that you want to return to? Nothin'.
So, if you hit a hard place in your life, an obstacle, a struggle, a barrier, discouragement, just keep hanging in there, your breakthrough will come.
