Change is a 'Comin'

The dreaded scales. Ugh!

The bathroom scales - or any scales for that matter - have never been kind to me. Never.

After experiencing an increasing number of medical issues in the past few months, and KNOWING that they're coming from my being overweight, I promised myself that 2012 would be the year I shed the weight. Once and for all. Oh sure, I've made the resolution to lose weight in the new year every year since I was, oh, 10! This time is different - and yes - I've said THAT before, too. This time, I'm not only losing for MY health, but I'm fighting for the health of my children. The most precious beings that have ever walked into my heart. The ones that I promised to protect. The ones that I would lay my life down for without a second thought. The ones that I am single-handedly leading to a lifetime of obesity, diseases, and self-esteem issues through MY food choices and MY bad eating habits.

I want to be completely open, honest and straight-forward with this topic. It's NOT easy for me to be so incredibly transparent about my constant companion - food - and how my relationship with food monopolizes so many of my daily thoughts, but I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I'm not alone in this battle.

This past Sunday morning while getting ready for church, I was watching John Hagee on TV, like we do every Sunday. He had a familiar guest on the broadcast with him - Dr. Don Colbert. Where had I seen him before? Ah, yes, LAST New Year's this same doctor was on with Pastor Hagee talking about his eating plan for weight loss. I was so motivated that I went out the next day and purchased his book, "I Can Lose This Diet." Where was the book? That's right, it was collecting dust on my night table, where it had laid since it was purchased last year. I'd never even read the first line.

No more dust-collecting. I'm reading that little gem right now, and trying to pin down the REASON for why I'm a food addict. There, I've said it. I'm an addict. You have to know the REASON why you're an overeater, or nothing will change for you.

As I've read through just the first chapter, I've been blown away by the statistics of obesity. Here are just a few that have really rattled me:

• Only 2-5% of all dieters manage to lose weight and keep it off for good.
• Diets fail 80-90% of the time.
• Obesity currently kills an estimated 400,000 Americans each year, and is currently the second leading cause of preventable deaths.
• The obesity industry (fast-food restaurants, obesity-related medical treatments and diet books pull in more than $315 BILLION per year. Folks, that's nearly 3% of the US' overall economy.
• If you are overweight or obese, you increase your risk of developing 35 MAJOR diseases, and developing more than a dozen forms of cancer.

This next statistic really kicked me in the teeth...

• Overall, this is the first generation of children that is not expected to live as long as their parents, and they will be more likely to suffer from disease and illness at a much earlier age.

Wow. If that doesn't make you catch your breath, I'm not sure what would. If I don't lose weight for myself, I MUST do it for my children. Children follow us by example. They learn and live what is taught to them. If you have ever attempted to lose weight before and failed, like I have a couple thousand times, I would love for you to walk this journey with me.
BE TRANSFORMED. BE ENCOURAGED. BE HEALTHIER.

"No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to beat it." (1 Corinthians 10:13).

God bless you all,
Amy