One Year

One year ago tomorrow (January 24, 2011) God gave me the strength and courage to start a battle I never thought I could win; my war with food, my weight, and the person I had let myself become.  The past 365 days have been filled with ups, downs, highs, lows, and several plateaus.  Many of these have been on the scale, but have reflected in my daily life as well.  God filled me daily, and He allowed me a chance to turn many aspects of my life around; one year later I stand proud, and grateful towards a mighty and loving God.  I have a long way to go in many areas of my life, but I have come so far in the past year that I needed to recognize God for all He has done thus far.  Since January 24, 2010, I have lost about 110 pounds (haven't weighed in in a week or so); God has brought me this far, and He continues to carry me. 


I have not talked with many people about the struggles I faced with food, but they were hard to overcome.  Only through Him was I able to beat them, and begin this journey.  Several have asked me how I did it, and to that I simply say healthy diet and exercise.  I didn't cut out any foods, I simply cut back; I eliminated second, third, or fourth helpings (for those of you who know how well my mom cooks, this was a huge task) at meals and really watch the amount of calories I am drinking in a day.  I still enjoy any food I want, I simply watch how much of it I am eating.  As far as exercise goes, I started out year ago doing 15 minutes on an elliptical at the REC center; it took all of me to do that much.  I slowly worked my way up to more minutes, to more incline, to more resistance, to further distances.  I now enjoy running outside or on the elliptical and lifting some light weights to tone up.  I was able to run a 10k (6.2 miles) this past fall, and have hopes of running a half marathon this spring/summer.


It is amazing how to see how far He has brought me in one short year!  I thank you for your kind words, your prayers, and your support, and ask that you continue to pray for me in this lifelong journey; as many of you know, a battle with food and weight is continuous, and I never want to get back to where I was one year ago.  My hope in writing this, in confessing these things to all of you, is that it could inspire you (even if it is just one of you) to go after your goals, to enter into prayer and trust that if He could get me through then He could bring you through as well; whether you struggle with weight, addiction, or anything else, I pray that these words get to the very core of you and stir within you a spirit of change.  It is never too late or too early to make a change for the better, and I pray that today could be your turning point as well.


May this verse inspire you; Hebrews 12:1 states, "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us."


Looking back on this year I am grateful for the progress, but know that He is not finished with me yet.  I can feel a stirring and a longing for more change in my life, and I am excited to see what I could be blogging about on January 24, 2012.  Your prayers are coveted, and know that as I write this I am praying for each and everyone of you.  You are loved, you are amazing, and He is not finished with you yet! 




Photo proof of the progress

Me a year ago (far right)

Me a few weeks ago