I stood on a scale while my weight was broadcast on television.
[A nightmare. I know.]
Quick recap: in January, I applied for a Nashville version of Biggest Loser. Honestly, I was bored and I saw the commercial and so I filled out the online application. I never intended to actually be picked and then have to weigh on television and then have to exercise and eat right.
Well. Because we all know how God works and we all know that He loves to see our comfortable little boxes and then proceed to shove us out of them, I made it through all the rounds of cuts to the top 10.
So in January, I weighed. On television.
And I weighed again half way through the competition.
And I will weigh again this month.
If you would have asked me in January, I would have told you that my mind was healthy and it was time for my body to catch up.
Now I know that I was wrong.
My mind was weak. My mind was convinced that if I was tired of trying, I could quit. I was a quitter.
But because this competition (called the Subway Get Fit Challenge) was broadcast to every corner of middle Tennessee, quitting wasn’t an option.
And then as days passed, I realized that something was changing– in my mind. I actually began to believe that I was strong. That I could push past those minutes on the treadmill or push past the Oreos in the grocery store. I could push past the times that it felt like the only thing that would heal my heart was ice cream.
Crazy enough, my body listened. When my mind said stop, my body stopped. When my mind said go, my body went. When my mind said, “Hang in there, sister, you can do this!”, my body would actually hang in there.
Trust me. There have been some hard days [that may or may not have involved white chocolate cranberry cupcakes] and tears. This has not been an easy breezy few months.
But all those days, the worst moments, are turning out to be totally worth it.
Now Ephesians 4:22-24 (this is The Message version) has become alive in my heart.
“Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces His character in you.”
Isn’t that beautiful?
I’m trying to live that. An entirely new way of life that starts with a renewed inside.
My body is slowly changing, but that isn’t the part that amazes me. [In fact, my body is changing slower than I would like, but we’ll talk about that later…. grrr….]
People keep asking how I feel. Do I feel thinner? Do I feel stronger? Do I feel better?
The answer is yes. To all of those things.
But most of all, I feel new–body, mind, and spirit.
Leave a Comment
Southern Gal says
He makes all things new.
emily says
You are an inspiration in so very many ways, AnnieBlogs. Love you.
Houston says
Isn’t it amazing how the mind and body work together? He is such an awesome creator! Keep going, I can’t wait to read how good you feel at the end of the challenge!
Lindsey Nobles says
Incredible. Love that translation of that verse. Beautiful. I’ll be stewing on it for awhile. Hope I get to see what’s left of you soon!
Mary @ Giving Up on Perfect says
I am so proud of and inspired by you!!
Shelly @ Life on the Wild Side says
Congratulations!
Kate says
Congrats! What an inspiring story you have.
Anna See says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing your story with us today.
Theresa says
Thank you so much for sharing! I have been struggling to get serious about losing weight for months. Wonderful motivation for me! May you be blessed continually in your efforts.
Dawn Camp says
Annie, you are a brave, brave woman. It sounds like you’re doing great!
Kim Trick says
Congrats, Annie! That’s so awesome. And I love that translation of Ephesians 4:22-24. What a powerful verse and how true it is! God has asked me to make some big changes to my own life in the past. When I was sick I used to beg him to heal me. One day I felt Him tell me, I can heal you but you have to want to be healthy. I stopped fighting my doctors after that and made the lifestyle changes they asked me to make… what a difference.
What a difference a renewed life is! Congrats on all you’ve accomplished!
Makeda says
I loved this post. I love the statement that everything connected with the old way of life has to go. I’m working on making that reality settle into my heart. Thanks for sharing and for the encouragement.
Lisa-Jo @thegypsymama says
Oh you are so beautiful and delicious and real – thank you for this wise reminder. Because we all have scales that tell us we don’t measure up. And it’s hard to make ourselves keep on keeping on.
Thank you for the reminder on how to do so
Ashleigh (Heart and Home) says
Have I ever told you how much I love your honesty and transparency? Oh I have? Well I’m saying it again. You are beautiful… your heart shines.
Julie Kuss says
I couldn’t believe it. I’m 46 years old and the rude comment of a teenager totally blew my heart away. All he said was that I “was big”. Is that all he noticed about me? So here I sit sulking because he hurt my feelings. I know I’m bigger than I should be. So why haven’t I been successful. I think you hit the nail on the head when you said “I thought my mind was healthy and my body needed to catch up. But I was wrong.” So glad I “ran into” your blog today. You’ve given me the courage to try again, and this time I’ll work on my mind as much as my diet and exercise. Thanks for encouraging me. AND keep up the AWESOME work. You’re worth it!
Bianca says
Woohoo!!!! So happy for you 🙂
Keep up the good work!
jordans says
You have officially made my head spin. LOL, have you ever heard of TED? Yep, you should be a speaker on TED.