Friday Status Report

First let me say thank you.

Last week was hard emotionally, and you all rallied around me with words of encouragement and hope.  And most importantly with prayer.  

So to review last week: I was up a few pounds last Friday and was discouraged. So when I’d make healthy choice in a restaurant, deny myself tater tots or white knuckle it around a stack of pancakes, there would be a small voice in my head saying, "It doesn't matter.  It's not gonna make a difference, so why try?"

Then, while I was fighting this feeling, I attended a family party that was an Italian feast.  I was afraid that it was going to be a perfect storm of failure.  I felt like I’d inevitably go off course. Like it would happen without me knowing. I’d just black out and wake up surrounded by the shells of cream puffs, lamenting "What have I done? What have I done!?!"

But it was fine.  Great, actually.

I made good choices and I had help.  My sister brought a huge salad.  My mother brought chicken parmesan but only breaded the chicken with ground almonds and parmesan cheese.  And although there were plenty of desserts, there were also fresh strawberries to dunk in chocolate.  Although chocolate is not a regular on my diet plan, I was ok with that small allowance, and all in all the night went great!

Besides the food choices I had the prayers of friends and the strength of the Lord.

And I had all of you.  All of you who have invested in this journey of mine.  All of you rooting and encouraging.  And I knew that whatever happened I would have to report it to all of you.
  
I was surrounded by the power of accountability and community.  Thank you!

And what is the status report you ask…I am down 3 pounds!

Now if anyone is keeping up with the “Boot-scootin' Boogie” that is my weight loss over these past few weeks, here are the stats.  It was 3 pounds down - then 2 pounds up -and now 3 pounds down. (heel, toe, dosey doe...).

And that is 1 more pound to the running total. (This might be new math.)  

So the totals are 18 down since last November and 10 since the first of the year! And one more pom in the weight-loss jar.
 
This process of getting on the other side of one of my first major hurdles has given me a little taste of something, and it’s not chocolate or Lorna Doones.  I think they call it hope.