Help! Save me from myself! (Warning: Long post!)

Okay, maybe less blogging is symbolic of something else. I have been blogging less and eating more! In yesterday's post I mentioned how I would love to hit the 30 lb. mark at next week's weigh-in. Well, I haven't really been eating like that is what I want.

It all started out last night when I really didn't know what to make for dinner and I really didn't want to make dinner. That led to a pizza night. In this journey, I have made an effort to cook more often and only eat out once a week. I usually reserve the take-out/ eat-out night for Saturday. Not this week.

Anyway, we got Papa Murphy's Take-n-Bake pizza. We ordered two (one large, one family size) pizzas. We basically had a whole pizza left. Why, oh why, do we always order so much? We like leftovers and can't agree on one kind of pizza. I think our days of leftovers need to end. One pizza should be sufficient.

I ate THREE pieces of pizza last night and some bread and I just ate two pieces for lunch. Not good! Oh, and did I mention that I bought a chocolate truffle candy bar at the store today and ate it? It's not even TOM's fault. Help!

I think being brutally honest with myself and with you all about what I ate should hopefully kick me back into gear. If not, Journey Beyond Survival, will you please taze me? :)

On a totally different note....I had some thoughts today regarding what God really thinks of my new lifestyle.

I am cubmaster for the cubscouts in my neighborhood. That means I plan monthly pack meetings, where the boys get their awards. Each month in cubscouts there is a character connection. At pack meeting, I take a few minutes to talk a bit about the character connection.

This month's character connection is Health and Fitness. I have been pondering what to say tonight. Our pack is sponsored by our church so I usually try to relate something spiritual to the character connection as well.

For those of you who haven't figured it out yet, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You probably know it as the Mormon church. Please, don't think "Big Love" here (my husband has only one wife, me! And no members in good standing practice polygamy). Anyway, you may or may not be familiar with the "word of wisdom" that we follow. But basically it is a health code found in our scriptures. We don't use tobacco (or other drugs), we don't drink alcohol or coffee, either. Basically, we are counseled to abstain from any harmful substances, even in moderation. The other part of the Word of Wisdom, and the part that some of us ignore, is that we should eat healthily. Plenty of fruits and veggies and grains and we should eat meat sparingly. Of course, in many ways it is open to interpretation. Some would say, chocolate or caffeine are harmful substances. I eat plenty of chocolate, but choose to stay away from caffeinated beverages.

If we follow this health code we are promised physical and spiritual blessings. I want to talk to the boys tonight about the word of wisdom a little and the benefits we receive when we heed God's counsel to take care of the bodies He has given us. I will focus more on the things we SHOULD do with our bodies (eating healthy and exercising) than what we shouldn't do. And for our activity we will be doing a relay race that includes hula hooping, jumping jacks, push ups and sit ups. The boys may hate me when it is all over. :)

Anyway, this all got me to thinking. I started thinking about how I really want to be a size 10 (believe me that would be quite an accomplishment for me). Then I started thinking, that God doesn't really care if I'm a size 10 or not. He just wants me to take care of the body He put me in.

Apart from my weight, I am in the best shape of my life. I have never exercised so consistently in my life. I have muscles I never knew existed and for the most part I feel great. I know that God is pleased with me in this aspect. It felt good to know that I am taking better care of my body.

I must admit that I started to justify giving up on some of my goals a little. I thought, if I keep up the exercise and don't lose much more weight. That is okay. I will still be healthy.
Help! Save me from myself!

The problem with my rationalization is that I'm overlooking another part of taking better care of my body. I'm sure God would rather I choose fruits and veggies over chocolate and chips. If I heed ALL of His counsel, the weight will come off naturally because I will be making better choices.

My goals have not changed. But I do think my perspective has changed a little. I will try to be a little less worried about looking so great in my size 10 jeans and more concerned with how well I am taking care of this body God has blessed me with.

Anyway, those our my honest thoughts for today. If you made it to the end of this post, thanks for listening to me ramble on. Have a great day!