I.M.A.G.E

Are you ready for a makeover?  I know I am.  I want to be the best me I can be.  I want to be faithfully seeking God on a daily basis.  I want to see His truths more vividly.  And as I prayerfully seek these truths I hope that the lies that I have listened to over the years will fade.

Image is big deal.  And the more women I talk to the more I realize that I am not alone in believing that I am just not "all that".  And just like a lot of other women I have a tendency of picking out every flaw in my body.  And it just makes me feel horrible about myself.  So, what am I going to do about it?

The past few months I have gotten into the routine of reminding myself that I am a princess.  And that my Heavenly Father created me in His image.  Each time I find a flaw in my image I am decreasing the beauty of His image.  I am Made Alluring as God Envisioned I.M.A.G.E. And with that being said I have been waking up and having a sweet conversation with God.  Before my feet hit the floor I say, "Kathleen, you are created in God's image.  Yes I am made alluring, adorable, appealing, and amazing just the way God envisioned me to be. I.M.A.G.E.

I have been on many diet roller coasters and beauty regimens over the years.  I once did a costly wellness diet and was quite successful. But it emptied my pockets. I tried a few other things like the 7 day diet, The Master's Cleanse, and many others.  At first the pounds rapidly fell off.  The only down side was that once I went back to eating normal foods, that I liked, I gain the pounds back.  And I think those pounds brought a few extra ounces along with them. Needless to say I wasn't too successful. Like I said the one "diet" that did seem to work was too costly.  And let's face it I am cheap.  I needed to do something that didn't cost me extra money.  And I thought to myself, "what would happen if I gave up the cow?"   I was never much of a milk drinker or beef eater.  So, the thought of being completely cow free wasn't too alarming.  I went "cold turkey" so to speak.  And for almost two years I read labels, asked how meals were prepared, and the cow was never to be found on my plate or in my cup.  I lost a lot of weight.  My body was toned.  And I felt great about me.

Well, the trend was broken.  I started working at a desk job.  And along with the sedentary job I formed some pretty bad eating and other rotten habits.  I sit for 99% of my work day.  I walk about 100 steps to the lunch room, chat and chew for 30 - 40 minutes and head back to the desk.  My diet consisted of easy and on the go foods and that is how I reignited my passion for cheese.  And here I am today almost one thousand bricks of cheese later (enjoyed one delicious creamy brick at a time).  And now there are few pounds more of me to love.  

Let's start at the very beginning.  A very good place to start (hope you are singing).  The question is, "Where is the beginning"? Well, for me I thought it was going to be this past January.  I was getting ready to leave for vacation and I needed to weigh my luggage. I stepped on the scale and almost passed out.  In total disbelief I stepped off and back on again.  No change.  I was 143.6 lbs.  OUCH!!!!!  I cried and decided that once I returned home I was going to change my eating habits.  I absolutely need  to make that change.  Change is good!! Right?!?   Well not so fast.  Bad habits are hard to break.

In the past weight was never an issue for me.  I didn't need to exercise.  I could eat my weight in food every day and not gain an ounce.  But now that I am older my metabolism has slowed down greatly. And I find myself on the roller coaster of weight gain and loss.  After our vacation I got home and started walking every day.  By the end of February I was diagnosed with Shingles and Kidney stones.  I found myself pacing the floors to help alleviate the intensity of the pain.  This wasn't the exercise program I had in mind.  But it did get me moving.  I made some dietary changes and by April 1st I was a feeling thinner. So, I stepped on the scale and I was 138.6 lbs. I started doing the 21 day fix with my daughters and my body was changing too. By May 27th (Alyssa's wedding day) I was 127 lbs.  Yeah me!!  Hold on.  hold on.  It didn't last long.  I hopped right back on that roller coaster.  And started eating whatever and whenever I wanted. Yep, as of this morning I am back up to 132 lbs. You might be thinking that I am nuts right about now.  But hold on for a second.  On March 11th 2013 I weighed 112.4 lbs. In three years I gained a toddler (figuratively). That one thousand pounds of cheese turned into a 26 pound barnacle around my stomach, butt and thighs. This was not a change for the good. 

No better time like the present for me to make some better choices and make a good change. Yep, pick a date and stick to it. No matter what!!!  My start date is today! July 10th is the first day of the rest of my life.  It's not going to be easy. But, I will consume a lot less cow products over the next few weeks.  And hopefully I will kick the cheese and cracker snacker habit for good. I pray that I finally picked a date that I would truly commit to making the change.  And I am not doing this alone.  Praise God that I am part of a challenge.  Yes, a group of nonjudgmental, healthy lifestyle seeking individuals are taking this journey with me. And more important than those people I have asked the Holy Spirit to be my 24 hour a day coach.   Accountability, along with a plan, is the key to success.

Failure to plan is the plan to fail. So my plan is simple.  I will start each morning prayerfully seeking God.  I will remind myself, before looking in the mirror, I.M.A.G.E I am Made Alluring as God Envisioned.  Yes, I am made in His perfect image.  I will prep and measure my foods for the day (meals and snacks included) And stick to what I prepared. I will exercise each day for 10-30 minutes.  I plan to weigh myself every Wednesday and Sunday morning.  I will cheer myself on in all the ups and forgive myself in the downs. I will prayerfully slow down and eat only until I am full.  After-all my body is a temple.  I will hydrate and take supplements to maintain the inside of this temple too. 

You might be asking why I decided to share this with all of you.  Well, it's simple. We all took a journey together recently.  We discovered together how God relentlessly pursues us.  I pray, if you are riding that same roller coaster that I am, that you will make a decision to take this next ride with me as well.  There are going to be a lot of ups and downs.  But I know that by God's grace and His amazing love we will be able to accomplish our goals. It is for His glory, His honor and His praise that I want to make this temple, my body, the healthiest and strongest it has ever been.  And if you want to do this together let's lift each other in prayer and remind each other daily the we are made in His IMAGE.