30-In-30 Challenge: Weeks 15-16, 171.6 lbs & My NON-Fat Tuesday Celebration

In keeping with our new tradition of not indulging on holidays that embrace and celebrate gluttony (think Thanksgiving), I decided to run on Fat Tuesday and fore go my church's pancake dinner. It was only two miles, but I did it without stopping to walk, even though I had side stitches for most of the run. And I finished around 23:40, well under my low-expectation goal of 25 minutes. Whoo-hoo!

30-In-30 Challenge: Week 14, 171 lbs

So I just realized that I'm not even halfway done with this 30-week challenge to lose 30 lbs, and I've already lost 37 lbs! I had another good week, lost another 1.6lbs. God bless digital scales - it shows progress, no matter how small. The other exciting thing that happened this week - My size 14 dress pants are embarrassingly baggy, so I've started buying size 12 - whoo-hoo! I haven't worn a size 12 since grade school. No exaggeration!

The reason for the picture is that I have to give a plug to YOU: On A Diet, my new favorite book. Don't let the title fool you, it doesn't really push any revolutionary new faddish way of eating to lose weight (yes, it's got an eating plan, but it's mostly common-sense. naturally low-carb stuff I already do anyway, even though the authors take a few jabs at low-carb "diets" throughout the book). Instead, this book delves deeply the body's digestive system and how we process the foods we eat. It has LOTS of fun diagrams and pictures that dumb down all this scientific crap for me so that it's not boring at all. I've read it cover-to-cover now and I already feel like reading it all over again just 'cause there was SO much information, I couldn't possibly soak it all in. I HIGHLY recommend this book to ANYone who wants a better understanding of how every nutrient and bite of food affects their body, and anyone who's looking for a new kind of motivation in their weight-loss journey. And FYI, this book is by the same medical doctors who wrote "YOU: The Owner's Manual", and both books were featured on Oprah. AND, they're the same docs behind the website www.RealAge.com.

Inspirational Testimony?

I had yet another profound moment this past week on this long weight loss journey of mine. I was catching up with my mom over the phone Friday night (yeah, I have no life - sorry Mom - hehe), and keep in mind that I just flew home to visit her, my step-dad, and my brother a couple weeks ago. And I had lost at least 25 lbs since the last time they saw me. Anyway, last Friday night, my mom informed me that she had asked for prayer for me and my struggles with my weight in a prayer group at church last fall (back when I was still binging while my husband was away for months at a Naval school). They were told to get in small groups of three for prayer, so it happened that my parents were paired with a man who had been struggling with his faith. And they asked him to pray for me.

Fast forward to when I went home a couple weeks ago, and I went to church with my parents. I didn't know it at the time, but I was introduced to this man who had been praying for me. My mom later told him that I was the one they had requested prayer for and explained how I used to weigh over 255 lbs, to which he responded, "I was gonna say, I was starting to think you had a different definition of 'overweight'!". Point is, it was a revelation to me that someone was praying for me. I consider myself to be a rather spiritual person, and yet it had never occurred to me pray for help with my weight problems. I've NEVER prayed about it. And it didn't take me long to figure out why: the guilt. I've always felt like if I wanted it badly enough, I could lose the weight. I was a fat slob because of my own doing. So why pray about it if it was my fault to begin with? I should've known better. I see now that it's no coincidence that shortly after my mom asked for prayer that I somehow managed to get back on track. And now, hopefully this man who was struggling with his faith can see that God is really listening! The whole story just makes me feel like I have a higher purpose in this process. It feels like I'm letting more than just myself down if I get sidetracked now..... but it's an awesome feeling.

The other bit of news from my mom is the effect I had on my brother. I wrote about his own lifelong battle with his weight earlier, and how he had gained at least 50 lbs since the last time I had seen him 6 months ago, and how he appears to suffer from the same binge-eating tendencies that I do. Well, while at my parents' house, my brother hugged me and told me how great I looked, referring to my weight loss. It felt really good, and it was so unexpected, given our rather rocky relationship. And now, according to my mom, he appears to be trying to eat well and exercise again. Hallelujah! It feels so good knowing that I might have been the catalyst that got my brother to wake up and realize that he was headed down a dangerous path with his health. Thank you, Lord!!