Getting What You Want, and So Much More

Yesterday morning I talked about the importance of identifying what we really want and why we want it. I hope you're all making time to do that, because it really will help you as you continue on your journey towards your weight loss goal and beyond.

What's really wonderful is that as you move towards what you really want, so many other things happen, too, as we take our lives back one day at a time.

Yesterday morning I received an e-mail from a friend of mine who has lost 100 pounds (and counting) on Take Shape for Life/Medifast. She's not at her goal yet, but she's making steady progress. Her e-mail included a photo of her on a horse - something she hasn't been able to do for a very long time. Her big "why" didn't include horseback riding, but here she is, 100 pounds lighter and able to do something that she loves to do once again. It brought tears to my eyes as I looked at that picture, and the look of joy on her face was amazing.

Last night I listened to my 6-year old granddaughter play in her very first piano recital (she played "Jesus Loves Me" in a duet with her mom, who is also her piano teacher). Tears filled my eyes as I listened to my daughter and granddaughter playing together, and I was thankful that I could be there. I then thought about all of the other "firsts" that my granddaughter will experience, God willing, and realized that by losing 126 pounds, I will most likely be there to share those firsts with her. By losing the weight and reversing my diabetes, I have greatly increased the likelihood that I'm going to live longer, and healthier.

When I started this program, one of my goals was to be able to dance at my grandchildren's weddings. That is still a long time off (they are 6, 4, and 2-yr. old twins), so I have to keep making healthy choices and choosing to pursue optimal health. That means that I will have to continue to do some things that don't come naturally to me, like exercise, and that means that I will have to continue to make healthy choices, whether I feel like it or not. And guess what? I don't always feel like making healthy choices!.

Like you, I have to recommit every day to making those healthy choices, whether I feel like it or not, because there are things that are more important to me than eating sludge or vegetating on the sofa. Praise God, I have gotten my life back, and then some, but it requires commitment every day to not let it all slip away through mindless eating and careless habits.

Today, as you commit to staying on plan, you are moving one day closer to the goals you've set for yourself. But don't be surprise if you find other wonderful things happening for you along the way!