Total Surrender

In this life, it is so easy to get caught up in your own little world. I have recently become aware of how self-absorbed I am. I am not talking about self-absorption in the traditional sense. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a very giving person. I am talking about the kind of self-absorption where you are so consumed by your own merits, expertise, resources and know-how that you begin to live life on auto-pilot.

I have fallen victim to this way of life. Instead of being as prayerful as I should be and consulting the Lord as I deal with the challenges of life, I have become very dependent on my own resources and reasoning. I have become very wrapped-up in my own plans, dreams, goals and desires. I have become way too driven by my financial security and stability. And I have even become too wrapped up in my educational status and intellect. In many ways I have been living my life as if I have "arrived".

Certainly, there is nothing wrong with having plans for the future, financial independence and education. There is also nothing wrong with recognizing how far I have come and how much I have accomplished. But, never should all these things drive my life. More importantly, none of these things can cancel out my need for the kind of wisdom, direction, provision and peace that comes only from the Lord.

As I strive to continue on my weigh, I am making the decision to surrender everything in my life to the Lord. I mean everything--my weight loss efforts, my career, my plans for the future, my finances and my family. I have once again been reminded that I cannot do it all on my own. My reasoning and resources can only take me so far. True success for me will only come through total surrender to the Lord.

Mission Accomplished

I did it! I ran my first 5K! Back in April, I started training to run a 5K in September. But, by June, I was ready to go so I ran the Baltimore Women's Classic on June 27th. It was intense but I finished in a little less than an hour.

I am so proud of myself and I am encouraged to continue on my weigh as a runner. So, I invested in some good running shoes, some other running gear and I have been running every day.

Life, Death and Faith

It has been a while since my last post and trust me when I tell you that life has been chaotic. In a span of six weeks, I lost both my grandmother and my uncle. Both losses were pretty sudden and unexpected. Both losses left me feeling empty and incomplete and to some extent just plain old angry!

You see, I have a long and sorted history with death. My first experience with death came early in life. I was only seven years old when my little sister died from cancer. She was only six years old and she died at home. I remember every detail of that day as if it all happened just yesterday. While my youth and innocence spared me a great deal of the grief that comes with such a loss, my life was profoundly effected by that experience.

Over the years, I have lost countless family members, friends and acquaintances. Some deaths were expected after long illnesses but far too many have been sudden and unexpected. No matter how "prepared" I have felt to lose someone, I always feel blindsided once they are finally gone. There is something about the finality of death that I do not think I will ever come to grips with. Death hurts and the thought of moving on with life after losing someone is so much to bear.

Perhaps more than any death that I have experienced, the death of my uncle left me so angry. He passed away suddenly, unexpectedly and with absolutely no warning. There was no time to prepare and no time to say goodbye. When I got the news I was angry and offended that God would allow this to happen. I know that He doesn't make mistakes but this loss sure felt close. I know that God will not give me more than I can bear but I felt like God had completely overestimated my strength. I have always heard that we shouldn't question God but I had lots of questions. And since He is all-knowing, I figured He would definitely have the answers.

On the day of my uncle's service, my anger, offense and frustration seemed to come to a head. As we lined up to enter the church, I felt like I could burst! I mean I was furious...I was "cussin' mad"! I felt like I was being bullied by God. After all, He is all-powerful and I am just human. He allows things to happen and all I can do is deal with it. It all just felt so unfair!

As I sat through the service, I was amazed at the peacefulness of my aunt. She was calm and full of praise. She clapped her hands and she worshipped the Lord as if we were at any Sunday morning service. How amazing is that! I mean here is a woman who just lost her love of 47 years. If anyone should be distraught, she should be. But instead, she was peaceful.

Through this experience, I learned so much about life, death and faith. I realized that life can go on even in the face of loss, pain and grief. I learned that death is a part of life. It can't always be anticipated and it definitely can't be controlled. I learned that faith does not dull the pain of losing someone you love. Instead, faith gives you the strength to make a conscious decision to trust God even when you are hurt, confused and offended. Faith gives you the strength to move forward and to accept God's peace. Faith reminds your broken heart that God has a purpose and a plan and that He has your best interest in mind.

So in memory of all those who I have lost, I am letting go of the weight of trying to figure God out. I am letting go of the anger that, if unkempt, would totally weigh down my life. I am letting go of the places in my mind that would doubt who I have come to know God to be. I am clinging to my faith and I am surrendering to the sovereignty of the Almighty God. In the words of one of my favorite psalmist, I am holding fast to my belief that " all things are working for me, even things I can't see, God's ways are so beyond me. But He said that He would let it be for my good. So, I'll rest and just believe".

Diet-to-Go(ne)

About two months ago, I decided that it was time for me to stop ordering Diet-to Go and start preparing my own meals. This was an intimidating decision because I was not sure that I had the discipline or the know-how to come up with nutritious, calorie-controlled meals that would also be delicious and filling. Well, so far so good and I am doing it on my own. Here are a few things that I do to keep myself on track:

• Always read nutritional labels. Before I buy or eat anything, I investigate the nutritional facts. I even go online to view the nutritional information for restaurants. In most cases, if something is too high in calories and/or fat, I avoid it. To some, the thought of getting so caught up in counting calories, fat grams and the like, maybe daunting. Even for me sometimes all I want to do is just enjoy a meal without having to be so technical. But, living a healthy lifestyle is about making informed choices. Having an understanding of what is in the foods I eat allows me to do so.

• Stick to a serving size. When I am preparing my meals, I limit myself to one serving size. If twelve sweet potato fries will keep me at 130 calories, I literally count out the twelve. It can be tempting to throw in a few extras, but that would throw off my calorie count. Being the type A person that I am, the thought of things not being just right is enough to keep me in line.

• Keep low calorie, low fat snacks handy. I do not let myself run out of fat-free yogurt, string cheese, fresh fruit and Special K protein shakes. These items are great on the go and they keep me from feeling so hungry that I end up in a McDonald's drive-thru!

Of course, I could go on and on. It seems that every week, I discover a new trick to help me to continue on my weigh. I am so excited and proud of myself for initiating and maintaining these lifestyle changes. I hope that you too are finding success as you reach for your goals!

Running Along...

I have been running for over a month and I am making great progress. I am now at the point where I can run two miles non-stop. This is a huge leap from a few posts ago when I could only run .10 miles before having to take a walking break. How on earth do I manage to do this, you ask? Well here are my secrets:

Lifestyle Changes--if you have been following my blog, you will recall that I started this journey back in July 2009. I did not go on any fad diets or start any fancy exercise plans. I simply made drastic, yet sustainable lifestyle changes. I have reduced my caloric intake to about 1200-1400 per day and I exercise regularly. These changes are the foundation for my running.

Read, Read, Read--one of the most important things I do is read about running. I found a great website, active.com, that has tons of information on any aspect of running that you could think of. The saying that "knowledge is power" is spot on in my case. Advancing my knowledge of running has contributed greatly to my growth as a runner.

Practice Pacing--at this point in my running journey, I am most concerned about distance. I simply want to be able to run the entire 5K in September. Speed is much less of an issue for me right now. I realized that I failed at my previous attempts to run because I was running too fast! Now when I run, I focus on pacing myself so that I can complete my run. I have found a pace that challenges me but doesn't defeat me. I am currently able to do a 15-minute mile--not bad for a beginner!

Relax, Relate, Release--I allow myself to rest! I only run on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday mornings. This gives me plenty of rest days in between. During my rest days, I still do some form of exercising. I just don't run on those days. Eventually, I would like to increase my running days but I will have to work up to that point.

As you can see, I am well on my weigh and I hope that your are too!

Thanks...But No Spanx

About a year ago I was introduced to Spanx and it revolutionized my life. I could put on an outfit that was a little too snug, then put on my Spanx and look stunning in that same outfit. For those of you who have joined the Spanx revolution, you are very familiar with the magic I just described. Spanx has a way of taking the inches off, smoothing out the bulges and keeping the jiggles to a minimum. The best part about Spanx is that, unlike traditional girdles, they do all this without making you feel like you have a giant rubber band wrapped around your body. Needless to say, my Spanx has become the staple of my wardrobe.

Imagine my surprise on Easter Sunday when I put on my outfit and didn't need the Spanx! You see, this is an outfit that I purchased several years ago when I was a much smaller me. But even then, I needed a girdle to feel comfortable in it. The outfit I am referring to is a tricky one because it is a bias-cut, linen skirt with a side-zipper. The zipper alone is difficult enough. I don't know what it is about side-zippers but they always seem to cause trouble! To add in linen, which is an unforgiving fabric that has no elasticity whatsoever, adds insult to injury. But the bias-cut...that is a recipe for disaster for anyone who wears larger than a size 5 and has even a little "junk in their trunk". So, to be able to pull off that outfit without a Spanx is truly a miracle!

Well, I am a witness that miracles still happen! What I realized from this experience is that I am doing this thing! I am making huge progress in my weight loss journey! So when I get discouraged and tired on my weigh, I will simply recall this past Easter when I was finally able to say, "thanks...but no Spanxs!"

Running Until I'm Tired...

Spring is here and I am once again feeling inspired! The past few months of this weight loss journey were very difficult. It all felt so mundane, monotonous and down-right pointless at times. I was persistent but not without great struggle. Nevertheless, I have found fresh inspiration and I am once again going hard and going strong!

I did my second 5K last weekend and I decided that would be the kick-off of my working more intently to become a runner. If you recall, in my New Year's post, I stated that one of my goals for this year is to add running into my weekly exercise routine. I ran my first mile back in January but did not continue with it until this week. It is amazing that in such a short time, I am actually able to run more than 15 seconds without feeling like I am going to die. I am not even close to where I want to be, but I am taking it step by step.

My long-term goal is to be able to run the entire 5K in September. This is a huge leap so I decided that I will devote this next six months to training. I have done a lot of reading on running and I have found a very manageable training plan. The best advice for beginning runners that I have come across is to "walk until you're bored and to run until you're tired". I am not sure why but when I read this advice, something in my head clicked. My dream of becoming a runner somehow became so much more feasible.

So that is what I have been doing for the past few days--walking until I am bored and running until I am tired. At this point, I walk .10 miles and run .10 miles. until I complete a mile. I usually continue power-walking for an additional mile. My goal is increase the distance that I run and decrease the walking. I will do this until I am able to run a complete 5K. At that point, I will set an even greater goal.

Having this goal of becoming a runner has put purpose back into my workouts and weight loss efforts. I feel so driven and excited to continue this amazing journey. Perhaps you are looking for fresh inspiration this spring. I would encourage you to think about your goal and find a way to work intently towards it. I guarantee that once you do, you will find yourself like me...back on my weigh!