Choices and Goals

by Cindy Hester

 

“You satisfy me more than the richest of foods.”  Psalms 63:5

Okay, I'm going to confess. I have been on a new eating plan for the past couple of weeks, and it has not been an easy endeavor. A few years back, oh somewhere in my mid to late 40's, these pounds just came out of nowhere and attached themselves to my frame. I mean it was like my bones had become magnetized and every ounce of food I put into my mouth stuck. Not only that, as many of you may know who have bravely crossed over the mid-century mark with me, my lower abdomen also developed into a soft little bubble. Oh come on...soft little bubble makes me feel much better about myself than large squishy roll. To make matters worse, the hips expanded, the thighs...well I would rather not talk about them, and my upper arms...let's just say I fear I am getting paid back many times over for giggling at my grandmother's arms as I jiggled them during church!

There were several events leading up to this new resolve. The biggest motivation (no pun intended) came the day my dear, sweet little brother gave me an intervention and asked, "Cindy what can I do to help you get this weight off?" Now I know he is concerned about my health because he followed it up with, "I think you're great the way you are, and if you are happy this way, then I am perfectly happy for you. However you are obviously not happy since you talk about wanting to lose." Aw man, all I could think at this point was I needed to either put up or shut up.

One would think that keeping your caloric intake within 1200 calories a day would not be too tough. I did not realize how many calories I had been taking in within a day's time. I can earn extra calories by exercising, but have you ever noticed how much activity it takes to burn off even a smidgen of what we put into our mouths? Add to this portion sizes. Did you know that a serving of Blue Bell ice cream is 190 calories, and a serving is 1/2 a cup?!

My Paw Paw Moore would never have stood for a 1/2 cup serving of anything. I have seen him come in after church on any given Sunday night and eat a "serving" of cereal. He knew what a serving should be. Take one large bowl - the kind you would serve mashed potatoes to oh, let's say 20 guests - fill the bowl with Kellogg's Corn Flakes, add some "sweet" milk and about 1/2 a cup of sugar, and you've got yourself a serving! It is a good thing he performed so much physical labor and burned those calories all off.

Restaurants must have followed in my grandpa's footsteps. There are enough calories in most portion sizes at restaurants to fulfill my calorie needs for at least a week. Even half portions can add up to the coveted 1200 calories I can have each day if I am not careful with my choices. Which brings me to why I am in this position in the first place, and what will bring me out of it. It is all about choices.

So I am down 7 pounds in 2 weeks, and I'm walking every day. I am excited. I know, however, this is not a short-term fix, but a lifestyle shift and a life-long emotional and spiritual commitment. In the meantime, however, could somebody please tell those people who make those enticing food ads that seem to run every 5 seconds they're killing me?!

 

GOAL PICTURE!

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”  Ephesians 2:10