I can almost hear your silent thoughts. The ones that you think when you see my weight loss photo progress or my latest discovery at Trader Joes. The ones that you think as you scroll past a food photo or my status post in excitement of finding a new low carb dessert. Seriously? Here she goes again. She always jumps on this weight loss bandwagon in January. New Years Revolving Resolution...year after year. She has always been the “fat girl” so why is she worrying or caring about that now?
Yes, that sounds harsh coming from the fat girl herself but it’s all true. I know what people are thinking, I thought it myself too. From as far back as I remember, I was the girl who always had a few extra pounds than the other girls I surrounded myself with. I was the girl who wanted so desperately to wear those cute new designer jeans but instead went with the ones that didn’t create a muffin top. I was the girl who went to the beach in a grandma bathing suit and watched others my age wear cute age appropriate swimwear. I was the girl that in high school decided one year she was going vegetarian (that lasted exactly a week, Mom brought home Sonic cheeseburgers and it was all over after that), once went two weeks eating saltines, carrots, and celery to fit into a prom dress, and contemplated not eating for days on end just in hopes of shedding a few pounds. I had a really horrible self image. What I saw in the mirror disgusted me...for as long as I remember. I remember thinking early on that as long as my face wasn’t chubby and was still pretty I’d be okay….THEN….one day I realized my face had caught up with the rest of me….plan failed.
I’ve tried a lot of “diets”, fads, and miracle products promising to melt the fat off. I’ve done injections, diet pills, low calorie, calorie counting, clean eating, low fat…..you name it and I’ve probably tried it. The bottom line is that none of it worked...which brings me to January 6th, 2016.
It was on this day that I looked in the mirror with tears streaming down my face and thought: You are more than this. There is something beautiful hidden beneath this excess fat. It isn’t just fat. It’s years of low self esteem, days of pinching my sides and sucking in my stomach wishing for a healthier body. It’s emotional baggage that I’ve toted around for far too long. It’s grief that I ate my way through. It’s anxiety issues that seemed to cling to all the wrong areas. It’s so many things that food temporarily cured at that moment in time.
On that night, I vowed I was going to do something to change my circumstances. I am tired of being the tired one, the one who wants to sit around instead of get up and move, the one who constantly thinks ahead to what I’m going to eat at my next meal. I prayed diligently that day and that evening that God would reveal to me what I needed to do and that he would support me and help me.
The bible covers EVERYTHING in case you didn’t realize that. Yes, even when it comes to our bodies, our health, and food.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.
Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you even as the green herb have I given you all things.
3 John 1:2 Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health. even as thy soul prospereth.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Now, I will say that prior to this my doctor had recommended a low carb/ketogenic diet for polycystic ovarian syndrome that I have. Other than losing weight, I need to control sugars because insulin resistance is an issue that parallels with PCOS. I had piddled around a few days with the low carb way of eating and the low sugar or low glycemic diet but I prayed that God would feed me something from his word that would help. Over the next week, the above scriptures helped me map out what I needed to realize and then do.
Romans 12:1 First, my body is a sacrifice to God. If my body isn’t healthy or at it’s best can I serve and worship him to my full potential? When I stood and realized I was more than what I saw in the mirror, I also realized I’m more spiritually than what I’ve allowed myself to be. I find myself not wanting to stand in front of others because of my appearance or my weight. I don’t use my voice as often as I should in praise because I worry about what someone else may think of me. Again, more baggage that’s evident in the weight.
Genesis 9:3 How easy is that? That was the day I realized that what I needed to do was simple. God provided us with all we need to survive. The land and everything that lives off of it is meant for us to sustain life. I then began researching and reading and consulting with friends (Thanks Chad and Amber Bryant) and realized that a wild diet was what I needed to do. I wouldn’t even call it a diet. You eat wild, raw, real, natural foods. Our bodies weren’t meant to process things created in a factory. Like I said earlier, everything we need is right here in front of us! How simple...why must be complicate things?
3 John 1:2 God wants me to be healthy. He wants me to prosper and he is on my side. He’s got me through this. I always said it was hard to change eating habits or exercise habits without someone to hold you accountable….a buddy so to speak. I realize now however that God is my accountability. He’s beside me through this journey and wants me to succeed. What better buddy could you ask for?
John 6:35 Every diet or regime I ever followed left me starving. Not only physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When I come to him and believe in his promises, I will never hunger or thirst for anything. I pray daily that he will sustain me not only physically but that he will satiate my spiritual appetite as well.
Now….why this “tell all” blog post? I know so many have been wondering, some have asked questions, and some want to know what I’ve done to lose 30 lbs in just 42 days. I could go on and on about what a life changing journey this has already been. The epiphanies I have had both about food and about my relationship with Christ. I just want to help someone. The reason I write this is because I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with this. I know I’m not the only girl in plus size clothes standing in front of the mirror envisioning a healthy woman with energy, willpower, and a love for herself. THAT is why I write. THAT is why this post was written (although it did take me a month to work up the nerve).
So my advice to you? Seek God first. He will show you what to do. Include him in this journey to wellness if you choose to seek it. He created each of us and knows the intricate details to our being. He wants to help you!
(If there is an interest, I will do a post a week with recipes, tips, bible verses, etc. to assist any of you on your journeys! I’m excited and eager to share the difference I’ve felt the last 40 days)
Yes, that sounds harsh coming from the fat girl herself but it’s all true. I know what people are thinking, I thought it myself too. From as far back as I remember, I was the girl who always had a few extra pounds than the other girls I surrounded myself with. I was the girl who wanted so desperately to wear those cute new designer jeans but instead went with the ones that didn’t create a muffin top. I was the girl who went to the beach in a grandma bathing suit and watched others my age wear cute age appropriate swimwear. I was the girl that in high school decided one year she was going vegetarian (that lasted exactly a week, Mom brought home Sonic cheeseburgers and it was all over after that), once went two weeks eating saltines, carrots, and celery to fit into a prom dress, and contemplated not eating for days on end just in hopes of shedding a few pounds. I had a really horrible self image. What I saw in the mirror disgusted me...for as long as I remember. I remember thinking early on that as long as my face wasn’t chubby and was still pretty I’d be okay….THEN….one day I realized my face had caught up with the rest of me….plan failed.
I’ve tried a lot of “diets”, fads, and miracle products promising to melt the fat off. I’ve done injections, diet pills, low calorie, calorie counting, clean eating, low fat…..you name it and I’ve probably tried it. The bottom line is that none of it worked...which brings me to January 6th, 2016.
It was on this day that I looked in the mirror with tears streaming down my face and thought: You are more than this. There is something beautiful hidden beneath this excess fat. It isn’t just fat. It’s years of low self esteem, days of pinching my sides and sucking in my stomach wishing for a healthier body. It’s emotional baggage that I’ve toted around for far too long. It’s grief that I ate my way through. It’s anxiety issues that seemed to cling to all the wrong areas. It’s so many things that food temporarily cured at that moment in time.
On that night, I vowed I was going to do something to change my circumstances. I am tired of being the tired one, the one who wants to sit around instead of get up and move, the one who constantly thinks ahead to what I’m going to eat at my next meal. I prayed diligently that day and that evening that God would reveal to me what I needed to do and that he would support me and help me.
The bible covers EVERYTHING in case you didn’t realize that. Yes, even when it comes to our bodies, our health, and food.
Romans 12:1 I beseech you brethren by the mercies of God that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God which is your reasonable service.
Genesis 9:3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you even as the green herb have I given you all things.
3 John 1:2 Beloved I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health. even as thy soul prospereth.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life. He that cometh to me shall never hunger and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Now, I will say that prior to this my doctor had recommended a low carb/ketogenic diet for polycystic ovarian syndrome that I have. Other than losing weight, I need to control sugars because insulin resistance is an issue that parallels with PCOS. I had piddled around a few days with the low carb way of eating and the low sugar or low glycemic diet but I prayed that God would feed me something from his word that would help. Over the next week, the above scriptures helped me map out what I needed to realize and then do.
Romans 12:1 First, my body is a sacrifice to God. If my body isn’t healthy or at it’s best can I serve and worship him to my full potential? When I stood and realized I was more than what I saw in the mirror, I also realized I’m more spiritually than what I’ve allowed myself to be. I find myself not wanting to stand in front of others because of my appearance or my weight. I don’t use my voice as often as I should in praise because I worry about what someone else may think of me. Again, more baggage that’s evident in the weight.
Genesis 9:3 How easy is that? That was the day I realized that what I needed to do was simple. God provided us with all we need to survive. The land and everything that lives off of it is meant for us to sustain life. I then began researching and reading and consulting with friends (Thanks Chad and Amber Bryant) and realized that a wild diet was what I needed to do. I wouldn’t even call it a diet. You eat wild, raw, real, natural foods. Our bodies weren’t meant to process things created in a factory. Like I said earlier, everything we need is right here in front of us! How simple...why must be complicate things?
3 John 1:2 God wants me to be healthy. He wants me to prosper and he is on my side. He’s got me through this. I always said it was hard to change eating habits or exercise habits without someone to hold you accountable….a buddy so to speak. I realize now however that God is my accountability. He’s beside me through this journey and wants me to succeed. What better buddy could you ask for?
John 6:35 Every diet or regime I ever followed left me starving. Not only physically but mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. When I come to him and believe in his promises, I will never hunger or thirst for anything. I pray daily that he will sustain me not only physically but that he will satiate my spiritual appetite as well.
Now….why this “tell all” blog post? I know so many have been wondering, some have asked questions, and some want to know what I’ve done to lose 30 lbs in just 42 days. I could go on and on about what a life changing journey this has already been. The epiphanies I have had both about food and about my relationship with Christ. I just want to help someone. The reason I write this is because I know I’m not the only one who has struggled with this. I know I’m not the only girl in plus size clothes standing in front of the mirror envisioning a healthy woman with energy, willpower, and a love for herself. THAT is why I write. THAT is why this post was written (although it did take me a month to work up the nerve).
So my advice to you? Seek God first. He will show you what to do. Include him in this journey to wellness if you choose to seek it. He created each of us and knows the intricate details to our being. He wants to help you!
(If there is an interest, I will do a post a week with recipes, tips, bible verses, etc. to assist any of you on your journeys! I’m excited and eager to share the difference I’ve felt the last 40 days)