March 11: Contentment with Your Weight Gain and Loss

CONTENTMENT SCRIPTURES

2Th. 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one. 

1Cor. 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it. 

Jude 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, 

THE EVE OF DISCONTENT

Eve was approached by Satan in the Garden of Eden.  He questioned her contentment.  How could she be happy when she was not allowed to eat from one of the fruit trees?  Satan helped Eve shift her focus from all that God had done and given to the one thing He had withheld.  And Eve was willing to accept Satan's viewpoint without checking with God.

[excerpted from Contentment: A Matter of the Heart by Karen Horsey / Karen's Kreations]

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Women (and many men) will never be content with what the scale shows that they weigh.  I own a scale but I keep it under a bookcase in our kitchen.  My husband is the only one in the family who uses it and I'd swear that his mood changes every time he gets on it.    

I do weigh myself once every week or so at the YMCA --which has a doctor's office type scale-- just to see if I'm on track.  My main concern at this stage of life (mid-50's) is to be heart-healthy and to fit into my clothes without them being snug.  Still working on the middle section, but I am  .7 from the the good weight range according to the BMI chart.   I'm content with that although I do want to keep working on my stamina and keep my bones and muscles strong.  When my husband and I lost weight last year I got out our hand weights and had us each hold the amount we had lost.  What a shock!  And to think we were carrying that extra poundage around every day.  The visual aid stimulus really helps.

If you are overweight or obese try to think ahead to the consequences physically, financially and emotionally for not maintaining a healthy weight.  I'm not talking about looking like the skinny models or the hunks (for men) that you see on TV, in the movies or in magazines.  An average-size person can exercise moderately and is not winded playing with the kids or walking around the neighborhood.  The contentment level comes from what you learn is really best for your body, your family and your long-term plans.  Too much extra weight eventually adds financial burden to the family--heart problems, hospitalization, special clothes and/or shoes, increased medical insurance, grocery bill increases, etc.  Emotionally it can be stressful because we all know we compare our weight to those around us and that our children and family can be embarrassed by how much we tip the scale. We've all seen parents who can't play with their children due to their extra weight or who need two seats at the movie theater.   Self-esteem is often affected by drastic weight gain.  Even women who are pregnant get a little phobic about how much they are gaining when they are SUPPOSED to be gaining weight.  

Keep a level head about you and determine, usually with your doctor, what is a good range to be rather than one specific weight. The ranges are pretty generous and reward yourself with something special (a movie, dinner out, drive to the beach, new piece of clothing) when you accomplish each small weight goal to keep you motivated. Enlisting close friends to encourage you is a great step. I have a friend who has lost  50 pounds over the last several months and keeps us all up to date on Facebook.  Each time he posts, several people including myself, write something to encourage him on the journey. We all want to see him live long with good health and enjoy his young children and lovely wife.

Realize that to keep extra weight off, losing a little bit each week (maybe a pound or two) is better than crash diets and reducing too quickly.  Healthy habits take awhile to develop.  Balance it out. If you splurge on one meal, cut back on the  next one.  20 minutes of exercise 5x a week is ample to help your metabolism and to build up muscle mass. Increase the time as you can.  I walk for 20 minutes 3x a week and over the last month walk 2x for an hour with a friend. Our chatting together makes the time go quickly.  The older you are, the slower the weight comes off which is as it should be. 

For those who have it easy taking weight off, be compassionate and helpful to those who do not.  There are excesses in both directions and be aware if you are obsessive about your weight if you are in a good weight range and what your motives are for exercising and eating what you eat.  I just saw a clip from the movie  The Devil Wears Prada last night where none of the skinny model types would eat carbs. One even said when she got really hungry she would eat a piece of lettuce.  Although a cute movie, that is not the type of advice anyone should follow.

For Christians, remember: 

Romans 12:1  Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.