Back to the Basics

Today, I am striking out in a new yet old direction. My travels around the mountain of weight loss and discipline have taken on a life of their own over the years. Starting at age 16 I began the life altering "battle of the bulge." I've been at it long enough that one might say, "Hey I bet you got it right at last." Not! At age 67 the battle still rages and frankly I'm just about fed up with it.

In my e-mail today there was a prophetic word that I am taking to heart. The e-mail comes to me daily from Marsha Burns at Spirit of Prophecy. Today there was a phrase that totally caught my attention... "back to the basics."

A friend of mine is waging the weight war, and successfully I might add, by doing exactly that. With some roots in 12 Step recovery, this woman is simply taking control of her eating habits to maintain a sizeable weight loss. I don't have more than 30 pounds I'd like to shed, or "release" as one of my books refers to it. [Not nearly as daunting a task as my friend faced.] But it doesn't matter how much I have to remove from this 5'1" frame so much as how dedicated I am to change to be disciplined and to plan my meals and eat what I plan. It's about attitude, and simplifying my life. It's a matter of finding that which I must avoid eating and what it is that will be "abstinence" for me. When one quits smoking, or drinking for that matter, one just goes "cold turkey". But as they say in OA, those who seek abstinence in their eating plans have to open the lion's cage three times a day. We MUST eat to survive. We don't need to overwhelm our bodies with chemicals or with junk, but we must treat the "temple of God" well, and fuel it so that we can fulfill that purpose for which we were created. That is my focus today. My friend inspires me to move in that direction. I thank her here, publicly, should she happen to stop by at some point to see if I'm back blogging. I thank her for her inspiration and want to let her know I admire her chutzpa, her moxie, and her faithfulness and most of all her perseverance. I see victory written all over her testimony and when I grow up, I'd like to be just like her. Thanks "California" you go girl!

Katie