Press on Toward the Goal

Well,

Goal #1 of finishing raking leaves doesn't seem like it's going to happen. My back was KILLING me yesterday, making me quite grouchy, I may add. OK, my back didn't actually "make" me grouchy, but you know what I mean. It actually feels 90 % better this morning, but hubby won't let me finish raking because he doesn't want a broken wife on his hands. In the past, I would have been stubborn & done them anyway, just to prove I could, but I think I will submit & let him finish them. Which wouldn't be so bad, except I feel like I haven't seen him all week & I miss him & I wanted to be able to enjoy all day tomorrow, NOT doing yard work. Oh well.....such is life. So, goal #1 is kaput.

Goal #2 of waking early to exercise (after raking was done) is also kaput until my back is 100%. But, I am going to try my best to take a walk after hubby gets home so I will at least get some exercise.

Goal #3 I have no excuses, but I am not doing tremendously well. I have been waiting until I am hungry to eat breakfast, which is a start, but I have not been doing so great the rest of the day. There have been other small gains, though. I have been having homemade hot cocoa instead of ice cream or other desserts, which has fewer calories & is actually somewhat nutritious when made from scratch. Not a ton of sugar or calories & lots of calcium. And, I haven't been having a snack before bed. So, I am definitely doing better, but not fabulous. So, today I will concentrate on goal #3...especially since it's the only thing I really can control today because of my uncooperative back. My strategy is to keep very busy, so I won't think about eating as much.

I am reminded of what my small group is studying in Philippians (3:13-14), when Paul wrote: "Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus." Paul is talking about his spiritual growth, of course, but I can apply that to this goal as well. I will never reach bodily perfection, nor will I reach perfection as far as self-control & discipline goes. BUT, I can't use that as an excuse to not set high goals for myself. If I don't set any goals, I will never achieve any of them, right? And, even though I have failed time & time again....I can't fall into the trap of looking behind me at my past failures. I must press on. Today is a new day. For me, for you, for us all. Today, I will do my best to reach this goal. With God's help & much prayer, I will win the victory over food.

Blessings, Dianna

1 Down, Many to Go

Well,

I lost one pound this week. Not too tremendous, but I will take it. More importantly, I have kicked the ice cream habit! Not that I'll never have ice cream again, but I was sincerely addicted to it, which is bad on a physical level, but also a spiritual level. IMHO, anything you feel you can't live without is verging on idolatry. There is nothing wrong with ice cream. There is, however, something very wrong with not being happy unless you can have some very day.

I have been exercising, but mostly in the form of raking leaves for hours. My acre of lawn doesn't seem that big in the winter & spring. In the summer, as I'm mowing it with the hand mower & again in Fall when I'm raking it, it seems HUGE!! We're still not done. Hopefully, I'll get a chance to work on it again today. So, the goal of waking up early is only 1/2 achieved. I knew that if I did my morning work out, I wouldn't have time or energy to rake, too, since I'm pitifully out of shape, so I kind of had to choose. So, my new goals this week are:

1. Finish raking!!

2. Start getting up early to exercise

3. Wait until I'm actually hungry before I eat. May seem obvious, but when I don't, I usually eat breakfast, lunch, a snack, dinner & dessert....simply because that's what I've always done. But, I have learned when I actually follow my body's hunger signs, I eat a TON less & less often. For a lady my size (not just chubb-o size, but my actual frame & height) I don't require nearly as much food as I would think. When I did lose a good amount of weight, I was surprised that eating less actually gave me more energy, so maybe that's something I can look forward to.

So, I am in the race (again). I will persevere! The Lord is with me & He wants me to succeed. All I have to do is agree with Him that I can & cooperate with Him.

Blessings, Dianna