So Long Circular

Happy Sunday! In addition to being a pretty regular blogger for the past 2-1/2 years, I have also journaled for the past 14 years. I don't journal every day (that's my ultimate goal, but I fall far short of that), but I journal often enough to have a written record of a lot of the happenings in my life over these past years. Yesterday I spent some time re-reading some of my writing from 14 years ago and laughed when I came across something from September 9, 1996.

My son, who was 9 at the time, came to me and told me that he didn't want to hurt my feelings, but he wanted to let me know that he noticed I was kind of circular. When I asked him what he meant, he said, "Circular . . . you know, kind of stout." He then asked me if I had ever thought about going to Jenny Craig :-). As you can probably guess, my son was (and is) very sweet and very funny, but he was very serious when he talked to me. As I journaled about this conversation, I wrote, "How do you tell a 9-year old that his mother knows all the right things to do, but for reasons she doesn't herself quite understand, she chooses not to?"

Choices . . . that's really what it all boils down to. My journaling over the past 14 years chronicled one weight loss attempt after another, recording my excitement every time I lost weight and echoing my frustration every time my eating spun out of control once again. It was never a matter of me not knowing what I needed to do, but never being able to move past the "I know what I need to do" stage to actually doing it.

To be sure, some of the programs I tried weren't sustainable over time, and with over 100 pounds to lose, I needed something other than the quick weight loss plans I tried. I know that a key component to me finally getting to my goal weight was finding the right program - Take Shape for Life/Medifast . It was sustainable over time because it provided the variety and the nutrition I needed, I felt great, and I saw consistent results.

However, even with the right program in place, making the choices I needed to make ultimately resulted in me reaching goal. When I placed my first order (a 4-week variety pack), I made a commitment to myself to stay on plan for 4 weeks. I couldn't justify the expense at the time unless I was actually doing the program, so I took it one day (and sometimes one meal) at a time, asking God daily to give me the strength I needed to stay on plan. There were many times when I didn't feel like staying on plan, times when I was tired of the meals and missed not eating some of my favorite foods, but I had reached the point where I knew one thing for sure. It really didn't matter if I felt like staying on plan or not - it's what I HAD to do.

I am no longer circular, and I never will be again! Staying on plan when we don't feel like it isn't easy, but it's a choice that leaves no regrets. Choose wisely :-)