NEW Motivation and NEW Journey

I have been doing Jenny Craig since the beginning of August. I started going to Jenny Craig because I needed help losing weight so I could get the pressure off of my spine that has sciolosis. I lost 20 pounds and then hit the holidays of  Thanksgiving and Christmas. I survived with putting on a couple of pounds and then lost them. However, I am stuck at this 20 pounds. I have had weeks where I didn't get exercise in but ate appropriately. There have been weeks where I exercised but had a couple of bad days with my eating. This week has been a week of exercise and eating well. However, I do not see the scales going down. I am stuck at a weight that I have not been able to get past since I had my third child. I think I am stuck at this weight because I am satisfied with the fact I am back in my clothes and feel better about myself. So I am having to find a NEW motivation besides the way I look.

But here is where God heard my prayer of a NEW start to my weightloss! Tonight, I was at choir. There are 5 ladies and 2 men that are called Choir Sponsors. Basically, we are the adult helpers for the choir director and go on the choir tour to Tennessee this Summer. At the end of choir each Sunday, we have snacks for the middle schoolers. Tonight I brought homemade brownies. One of the choir moms was trying to have self-control not to eat a brownie. Her and her husband just started working out. We all started talking about trying to get back into shape. We came up with a very energizing NEW plan!

The ladies are going to weigh each other on Sunday at choir. We are going to each set a weightloss goal. We all need to be able to reach that goal before we go on our choir tour in June (the middle of the choir tour will my 20 year wedding anniversary!). When we all meet our weightloss goal, we get to plan our Ladies Getaway Weekend. We are going to go to Dallas for a weekend and get a spa package and go shopping!!! I definitely have a NEW motivation! One, being able to go on a "girly" vacation and  having a "girl" trip with some really great Christian moms! NEW friendships, NEW motivation, NEW weightloss!!! But the most important reason is my NEW spiritual journey!

I read a book called Made To Crave and loved it. The book taught me that my weightloss journey is more than being about my weight. It is about growing spiritually. Here is a 2011 blog entry from KLOVE that I love! It explains how weightloss is also a spiritual journey.

Day 2: Overweight Physically and Underweight Spiritually

Based on the Introduction of Made to Crave

Thought for the Day: God made us capable of craving so we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only One capable of satisfying them.


My journey to healthy eating didn’t gain traction by counting calories or obeying rules of the food pyramid. The process began in earnest when I admitted that, yes, I was overweight physically. But, more importantly, I was underweight spiritually. I was spiritually malnourished. Tying these two issues together is what opened my eyes to see God in a whole new way.


I’m reminded of the story in the Bible where a rich young man comes to see Jesus. The young man explains that he is following all the religious rules, but still feels something is missing from his pursuit of God. He asks, “What do I still lack?” Jesus answers, “If you want to be perfect [whole], go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:20–21 NIV).


The rich young man then goes away sad because he won’t give up the one thing that consumes him. He is so full with his riches he can’t see how undernourished his soul is. It’s at this point in the biblical story that most of us start to look at all the rich people we know and think, “Well, I sure hope they get this message. Good thing I’m not rich. Good thing Jesus doesn’t ask me to sacrifice in this way.” Or does He?


Jesus meant His comment for any of us who wallow in whatever abundance we have. I imagine Jesus looked straight into this young man’s soul and said, “I want you to give up the one thing that you crave more than Me.”


For me, I was like the rich young man when it came to eating. I refused healthier breakfast options, such as egg whites and fruit, while filling myself with candy-sprinkled doughnuts. I choose soda instead of water, chips instead of carrot sticks. Even when my sugar high crashed and I complained of splitting headaches, sluggishness, and unwanted extra weight, I steadfastly refused to even consider giving up my daily brownie.


God made us capable of craving so that we’d have an unquenchable desire for more of Him, and Him alone. Nothing changes until we make the choice to redirect our misguided cravings to the only One capable of satisfying them.


Paul wrote to Christians, “I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better” (Ephesians 1:17 NIV).


I don’t know about you, but to me this one benefit of knowing God better is worth all the effort and sacrifice that a healthy eating journey requires. It’s easy to feel that our struggle with food is such an unfair deal. But I encourage you to see the process today as a path that offers both physical and spiritual benefits.



I ran across this picture of my spine from my doctor visit last year. Just another reminder why I want to continue to lose weight.

So far I am loving my NEW One Word: NEW!!!

Now I will pray for my NEW lower number to come up on the scale and show my growth in my NEW spiritual journey!

Tonight, Christopher went to eat with a friend after choir and is spending the night out, Andrew went to hang out with my parents and Kevin is hanging out with us! We have snuggled on the floor watching TV and just hanging out with Kevin. Kevin does not get us by himself much. This has been a special evening with our 6 year old! Daniel and Kevin are having Oreo ice cream right now so I left the kitchen and temptation of ice cream to come type about my NEW motivation :)

Here is one of my verses that helps remind me about self-control.

2 Timothy 1:7
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.