Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Staying Hungry

I lost four pounds this week! (We won't talk about the five pounds I gained last week while I was on the mission trip)

I was pretty shocked when I weighed myself this morning and saw such a big loss. 

How did I do it? I added some extra walking to my morning exercise routine and I stayed hungry most of the week.

We don't like to feel hungry, do we? Usually, at the first rumble of our stomachs we run to the fridge or cupboard to find something to eat.

I have to admit, I haven't even felt hunger very much in recent months. I had gotten into the habit of grazing my way through the day. 

I went to the pantry for crackers, M&Ms, and whatever else caught my eye between meals.

I didn't feel hungry when it came time for a meal with my family, but I ate it anyway.

When I weighed myself on Sunday, I was finally disgusted enough with my bad habits to do something about it.

I thought back to my "Weigh Down Workshop" days (I took the class back in Rock Rapids, Iowa in the early 90s). I had lost weight easily and happily by applying the principle of "Eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full."

So that's what I did this week. I tried to savor my food a little more instead of inhaling it. I was mindful of my hunger, but not bothered by it. I ignored it if it was close to a meal time, otherwise I ate a little something. It felt good to actually be hungry when I got to a meal. I stopped before I felt full.

Gary and I even went to Texas Roadhouse one night. I ate delicious Tater Skins, rolls with butter, most of a salad (I made sure I ate the eggs, croutons, etc. that I love and I left some of the lettuce so I had room for the rest of my meal), my whole sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, and a few bites of my barbecued chicken (I took most of it home like I usually do).

It felt great to walk out of there full, but not uncomfortably stuffed.

Now, I don't think four pounds in one week is going to be happening very often (I don't even think it's healthy to lose too much weight too fast), but it was encouraging for me to see that kind of progress today. It reminds me that how much I move and what I put in my mouth matters.

Another thing that helped, I think, is that I've been spending a little bit of time every morning reading the Bible before I go over to exercise.

I think it has made a big difference in how I'm thinking. My mind is set more on what God wants for me instead of just what I want. I know He wants me to have a healthy body, so it's been a little easier to make better choices about when and how much I eat.

Another thing that's been helping is that I'm reading a great book by Amy Simpson called, "Blessed Are the Unsatisfied." It has reminded me that we'll never be completely satisfied here in this world. We can be content with what we have, but we'll always have that sense of lacking something until we get to heaven someday.

When we run to the cupboard but we aren't truly hungry, it's time to stop and think. Maybe what we're craving is not chocolate chip cookies at all. Maybe we feel that void inside and we need to spend some time filling it with God instead. Grab your Bible and chew on that for a while (Gwen Shamblin says something like that in "Weigh Down Workshop.")

I think I'm going to have another great week, unless someone buys me a box of Peeps. 

"God - you're my God! I can't get enough of you! I've worked up such hunger and thirst for God, traveling across dry and weary deserts." (Psalm 63:1 The Message)

Do you feel hungry when you eat? How can focusing on God help you to get more comfortable with physical hunger and concentrate more on relieving your spiritual hunger?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Getting Serious

I had a bad day this week. I needed a couple of things at the store. I was pretty stressed out, but I felt proud of myself as I passed by the Candy Corn, Junior Mints, and Mild Duds without putting them in my cart. But then this happened:

It was full when I got it, of course, but in my stressed state I popped the lid and began eating as I left the parking lot. One, two, three...I lost count. Around Shell Rock (about halfway home) I began to feel ashamed of myself, but I also had a dilemma. Should I eat them all to get rid of the evidence? I seriously considered it. Then reason kicked in and I shut the box and stopped eating. I put them on the counter when I got home (even though I wanted to hide them!).

I heard about it later. Gary said, "Why did you buy half a box of donuts? You know they sell full boxes, don't you?" (He's hilarious, isn't he?) I encouraged him and the kids to eat as many as they wanted before I had a chance to get back into them (I did have a few more before they were completely gone).

This little situation was a wake up call for me. I've been saying I want to lose X number of pounds for months (or is it years now?). I've been exercising, but I haven't been watching what I eat very carefully. It's way too easy to grab a handful of something sweet and snack mindlessly when I'm bored or stressed. The scale stays right where it's at (and sometimes creeps up a bit).

It's time to get serious! Gary and I are going to hike the Grand Canyon in December, so it would be especially good to shed those extra pounds and not drag them down and up the trails. 

I had finally decided to get serious about my weight loss goals and then I got an email from our insurance company about a new program they're offering for free to all participants: RealAppeal. It's a year-long program focused on nutrition, fitness, and motivation. Sounds like just what I need at just the right time. Look at everything I'll get:

I kind of wish they had just lowered our premiums, but I guess I'll take this since they're offering it.

 I'm kind of excited. I can log my activity and foods I eat, plus I get to talk with a transformation coach and chat with other people to get motivated. My friends at Holy Fitness (my exercise group) have already been doing this for exercise, but maybe this will help with the poor eating habits I've developed.

I fear I'm rambling (and please excuse the many sets of parentheses this week) so I'll wrap this up.

As I think about getting serious about my weight, I find myself thinking about how we need to get serious about so many things in life. We can say we want to change X, Y, or Z in our life, but until we get serious and start doing something, we'll often stay stuck right where we're at.

"I want to read my Bible more." (As we sit in front of the TV)

"I want to have a better relationship with my spouse." (But we keep going on the way it's always been because it's easier and change is scary)

"I want to get more exercise." (As we sleep in and don't make time for healthy activities)

"I want to..." (You fill in the blank and what you're doing instead)

There is room for relaxation and rest and even donuts in our lives, but there is also a need to get serious about our health, our relationships, and our careers. In all of these areas, it takes small changes and the decision to get serious. Then, we'll really see great results.

"So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV)

Is there some area of your life where you need to get serious and make some changes? How can focusing on God help you to be wise about what you need to do and give you the strength to get it done?

Focus Friday: Let's Focus on Delayed Gratification

First of all, I'm happy (yes, really happy) to report that I am feeling very good lately. The medicine is working and I am enjoying life again. That said, I know that I have some work to do as I talk with my psychiatrist and counselor in upcoming weeks.

I can feel anxiety rising when I think too much about how I let the teaching job go. I can feel worry start to nibble at me when I sense that someone may be getting angry at me (and I don't even wait to see if they're really angry, I just assume they are because of the conversation I start having with myself in my head). Yes, I have work to do.

I asked my psychiatrist about dropping one of the medicines I'm on last week and she explained that she wouldn't do that until I'm on it for a month or two. "You're just newly well" she cautioned. She didn't want to mess with anything as long as I was feeling good. In the office I nodded my head, but I'm afraid of what it says about me when I went home thinking about just going off it for a few days to see if it really would make a difference. I stayed on it. I'm learning to trust my doctors.

As I think about all of that, I've become aware of a tendency I have. A tendency many of us have if we're willing to admit it. I don't like to practice delayed gratification. I want things to happen in my life NOW. Not six months from now, not six weeks from now, not six days from now. Today, please God.

I look around my house and see things that need to be cleaned and organized and I want it done right away. I forget that it accumulated over several months or years, so it may take a little time to sort through it and have it looking clean and orderly.

I look at extra pounds I'm carrying around and I want them gone soon. I know they crept on little by little as I made some poor choices with diet and exercise. It's going to take some time to make better choices and get more fit.

I look at the various writing projects I have started and I want them published this year. This is where most of my frustration lies, because I have lots of things in my life like that. I have big ideas, but I don't get some things accomplished because I don't put the time in now that will make those ideas become a reality somewhere down the road.

These are the things I need to work on with my counselor in the next few months. I already feel like I have a little more focus now that I'm feeling better, so I'm hoping I can make some headway in those areas of my life.

As we focus on delayed gratification today, we all need to remember that the choices we make today will affect things in the future. Choosing to sort through a pile of papers for a few minutes every day will lead to less chaos in our home. Choosing water instead of Pepsi and fruit instead of candy will lead to healthier habits and possible weight loss (if only I can avoid buying candy corn during this season!). Choosing to write for an hour instead of watching a mindless TV show may lead to a finished book eventually.

We need to say no to some things now so that we can enjoy wonderful benefits someday. Mostly, we need to keep our focus on God. He's the one who will show us where we are now and will lead us to where He wants us in the future.

Now that is worth some delayed gratification.

(I just have to thank www.jessieclemence.com for teaching me to make this awesome graphic.)

Do you find it difficult to say "no" to something now because you don't want to wait? Can you see how focusing on God can help you say no and enjoy some wonderful results in the future?