Fat War Diaries Part 2

It has been 4 months since going down the sawdust trail and committing myself to weight loss.

Over 19kgs have been shed from my mortal frame. I pray they will never return.

Matt, my PT told me that the first month or so would be the worst. Never have truer words been spoken.

Commencing the weight loss campaign in late October 2009, was both a relief and a big step forward. At least something was happening, or at least appeared to be.

After the first week of feeling good about finally trying to address things, I came up against my biggest obstacle to change: MYSELF.

I could no longer blame:-

1. My wife’s cooking (will I ever see another apple & cranberry pie; blueberry waffles; or coffee cake again?);
2. My church (who love to feed their pastors when they visit);
3. My family (obesity is not entirely unheard of in our ranks).

No, the problem was with me, and it was a painful reality to embrace, probably more so than the hunger pangs themselves.

Change did not however come easily.

As Matt said while we were on a bush walk  in response to my complaints and groanings, “Unless there is pain there will be no change!”

The truth was that after trying to eat less and exercise more, frankly, I just wanted to find the first patisserie or fast food outlet and eat like old times! Food can bring a person much comfort but it also adds something else to your waistline.

I neither enjoyed exercise nor eating right but in fact preferred physical slothfulness and indulgence. I secretly wondered if I could keep turning up at 6am twice a week for Matt to push me beyond my pain barrier (which he normally did in the first 3 minutes of our sessions).

There were so many mornings when I woke up hoping those extra kilos had all miraculously disappeared! I soon learned that the monster of over-indulgence would not be slain in a week or so.

Instead, this beast would have to be beaten, kicked, cursed and body-slammed every day for the foreseeable future for lasting change to take place. I had not become obese overnight nor would I return to a healthy size at lightening pace either.

There were innumerable temptations to quit.

I had told quite a few people that I was training and trying to lose weight. I did this deliberately to make it harder for me to back out when things got hard. I also had a real sense that it was time to lose weight and so let’s take no prisoners trying! When the temptations came to quit, I didn’t want to retreat and look like it was all talk and bravado.

Some higher motives were also at work. I did come under conviction that my general health and size did not bring glory to God. This was a real resolve strengthener to just try and hang in there.

So for the month of November I did more exercise, though it was still pretty lame. I ate less food than I did in October, but still more than necessary.

Well, I jumped back on the scales after four weeks of training and found out that I had lost 3.3kgs! I am not sure if Matt was more shocked than I was. I thought I may have lost a kilo or so, but certainly no more.

This bit of progress gave me something that I had not hitherto possessed: hope. The heavy door of change had been pried open, even if it was only an inch.

Weight could be lost. It was hard, but not impossible.

Bring the Almighty God into the picture and things were looking much brighter.

To be continued…..

Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:13

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