I got here how??

I got here how?? Only by the Grace of God I'm certain. It doesn't seem right to launch into this blog without giving you just a glimpse of my journey leading into BTWG so here goes.  I am a Christian believer serving the God of the Universe, and I’m married to an amazing man, John, who is my biggest fan and awesome encourager. He brought into my life 2 wonderful sons who have wives (that I consider daughters) they adore, which gives me the privilege of being Grammy to 4 of the most adorable, precious grandkids!  I am 52, I work full time, sitting at a computer 9-10-11 hours a day. I am at least 60 lbs overweight and not in great shape at all.

Many have tried to encourage me over the years to get healthy, but rarely was my head in the game to push myself enough to make any kind of commitment to permanent change.  Over the years I would find myself in, what felt like, an endless cycle of ‘dieting’. I would commit, I would be good for a short time until I started failing with choices, and then that little voice over my shoulder started in with the head games reminding me I’d messed up again so....I would give up. I would then eat what I wanted, when I wanted it, and gain weight, usually more than I lost....all the while beating myself up for failing yet again.

I have struggled with weight and fitness since I was a teenager into all of my adult life. I was really athletic through school years, but by my late 20's, I'd had some sports injuries & clutsy moments that put me in several casts. Mid-30’s brought marriage and freedom from a 15 year smoking habit (which were both awesome events!) but....that’s when the pounds really packed on! I've tried, what feels like, just about everything over the years to lose weight. 

That describes who I was. Now let me try to describe what has happened in the recent past few months to help you understand why I really feel like it’s my time to embrace the change!! In early 2012, I found myself again at that point of my usual cycle of being fed up, tired of the extra weight/feeling crappy about myself, “must get some of this weight off again” mode so I again decided to jump back into a popular weightloss program. “I can do this online” I told myself. Well I signed up, paid the money and I was good for about only 3 weeks this time. Then I started the all too familiar sliiiiiide. In the midst of all this, though, my husband and I were searching for a new physician. We found Dr. Miller (led there really we believe by the Holy Spirit) and since then our lives have been impacted in such an amazing way! She practices a blend of traditional medicine with whole health focus. Through what Dr Miller considers routine blood work, we both learned that we have several IGG food allergies, which has completely turned our food choices upside down. But in a very positive way! We have embraced our allergies to wheat, oat, peanut, casein and egg whites by totally eliminating these foods from our diet. By no means has that been an easy process of change, but another glimmer of the Holy Spirit’s involvement is that John received this diagnosis a few weeks ahead of me. While we both committed to it fairly quickly, John was truly the leader. He embraced it the 1^st day…while I dragged my feet a bit longer. It was by John’s example though and my own diagnosis that has been a key to my early success. Since April we have worked together to discover new choices and recipes, and believe it or not, it has almost been fun!  

Funny anecdote, I heard myself telling someone the other day how I’m sometimes shocked that, as a carb addict, going gluten free hasn’t really been all that difficult!  Lolol  A year ago? Even 6 months ago....I NEVER would have believed I would be eating celery and almond butter for lunch! :-) and enjoying it!  I have felt remarkably better since eliminating these foods.  I’ve dropped almost 30 lbs and I’m really feeling strong in all of this. The gap for me though has been the fitness aspect which was my initial draw to BTWG.

Now here's the really cool part.....when my friend Sonia posted on her FB wall that BTWG was open for enrollment in June, I was intrigued. I poured over all of the information that was available that very night and when I was finished reading through it all, I looked up at my husband teary eyed to explain I truly felt this was a gift from God! HE knows me inside and out, knows exactly what I need and when (His timing is perfect!). I am confident God’s fingerprints are all over this experience. So I guess I do know what is different about this journey.:-) BTWG is the next step for me to now be able to focus on all aspects of my wellness, and I thank God for placing it in my path!

A friend recently posted Psalm 139 as a guiding force on her journey to wellness and thru that I was reminded of how God cares about and is in the midst of the details of each of us.

Psalm 139:1-6  ¹ You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. ² You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. ³ You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. ⁴ Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. ⁵ You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. ⁶ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.