The Road

We've gone down this road sooooo many times... Before any of the 3 of us met, and then several times in combination. "I mean it this time" we'd say. We'd make this incredible, detailed plan of what we were going to do. We'd be exchanging all those little diet tips you see in random articles. We'd exchange food journals. We'd exercise together. Talk about the trends in our weight day to day. But we never seemed to get there. There was success sometimes--sure. But it was always short-lived. The results just weren't sustainable for some reason. Then, we took a different road. God literally laid on my heart what I was supposed to do--a variation of a diet I'd tried years ago that had worked phenomenally. But it was SUCH a big step. HUGE. It meant facing my food addiction head-on, looking it in the eyes, and saying "I'll fight you no longer." The truth is we don't have the strength to fight something so powerful. Addictions are in the mind, so how can we use the mind to fight them? It would take handing it over to Him who provides all sources of strength. That's what's different this time. I'm not "trying" anymore--I'm DOING what He's asked me to do. To look at food and exercise and all manner of things related through His eyes. Most diets have a list of foods you can and can't eat. But the truth is the God I've come to know created pizza in the mind some of genius years and years ago--and He meant for it to be enjoyed! His way is ALWAYS better than any set of plans, rules, and routines we could manufacture. Hunger & fullness speak of His very personality--a still small voice we need to listen for. I don't ever want to stop listening again. I want to become a healthy size and know food is just another element of my life--like driving, showering, working, sleeping, and any other manner of things which have the capacity to be enjoyed without obsessing or overindulging in them. We CAN do this, and we CAN sustain it--but only with Him at the wheel!