Where to start for weight loss

Luke 21:18 Even so, every detail of your body and soul - even the hairs of your head! - is in my care; nothing of you will be lost. –The Message

What does God have to do with my weight loss journey? Does He even care about such a trivial subject?

Let’s dive into those questions..

So many nutrition books I’ve read start with the following basic formula. There are 3500 calories in 1 pound of weight loss. To lose 1 pound, you must cut out 500 calories a day. Eat less, move more. Burn more than you take in. Sounds simple. Yeah..not so much. But one thing I did do early in my weight loss journey was to find out how many calories a day I was eating by keeping a food diary for 7 days and write down everything (I mean everything!) that goes into your mouth including how much of each food item you ate.  At the end of the 7 days, you may be very surprised. I was! When I thought I was only eating 1200 calories a day, I was in reality eating about 1800! Yikes!

Now in all honesty, this plan will work for a lot of people because there’s a disconnect when it comes to portion size these days. Supersized fast food and the like, have ruined our concept of what a portion looks like. Well, sure, I’d love to double the amount of food I’m ordering for just a dollar more, but seriously. What quality are you possibly getting for that buck? Put simply, we have to get back to knowing how much is a portion of each type of food we are consuming. And entering in your portion sizes and quantity in a free app like Lose It or My Fitness Pal can be eye opening and more than enough information to allow us to lose weight.

But for some of us, myself included, that have health issues that complicate what should be a simple calories in versus calories burned, this formula is only a beginning point. As I researched how to holistically heal my thyroid and adrenal issues, along with hormone imbalances after my hysterectomy, I realized it wasn’t just that I had no willpower. There were foods that were working against me in several ways. What foods I ate had an impact on my goal to feel better and keep my weight in check.

There are so many great books on nutrition out there but which one is right for you? It can be a daunting, confusing and overwhelming process. One nutritionist or doctor says fat in our diet is the enemy while another says the culprit are certain enzymes in fruit and vegetables, while another says sugar and carbs will cause every disease known to man. What is a girl to do?

For me, I had to take a breath, and get back to the basics. This scripture in Luke 21 reminded me that God cares about every single hair on my head, meaning He cares about what I care about. What keeps me up at night. So I asked Him for wisdom because let’s face it. He knit me together in my mother’s womb and knows every fiber of my being, personally, according to Psalm 139! Who better to ask then the One who created me?

That’s when I started taking all the knowledge I had accumulated and put it into perspective. There were great truths in every book I had read, every website I researched and great wisdom to be gleaned. But what those people didn’t know was, well, me. I’m unique in every way, including how my body works. So I started taking bits and pieces of all this wisdom and making it my own. Trying this plan, than that one, crafting what worked for me, my lifestyle and my health goals.

Wait, you say..so you’re not going to tell me what to eat to lose weight and be healthy and fit into my jeans every time I grab them?? Well, I can tell you through my blog articles what worked for me. But just like those great experts I studied, I don’t know YOU. But, guess Who does?

So sit down and write out specific health goals for yourself, whether it’s losing a certain amount of weight, sleeping better, having more energy or all of the above. And then ask God to guide you to the right books and websites and how to make it your own. The basics are simple. We all feel and look better when we eat whole foods, the kind that come from a plant or a farm or the ocean and wasn’t created in a plant or factory. In other words, skip the processed food aisles and shop the parameter of your local grocery story. Produce, lean healthy protein choices, whole grains. Pass up the fast food places and get in your kitchen and start cooking! You’ll find great satisfaction from eating a beautiful meal that you created.

Gather some online recipes that look like they will fit your style and taste, budget and skill set. Shop at a local farmer’s market, if you have one available to you. Try a new fruit, vegetable or grain. Nothing inspires me more than walking the aisles of my local markets or even eating at new restaurant and wanting to recreate my meal at home. No time to do all of this? Look into some of the great meal services that are now available. It may cost a bit more, but even if it’s for a short time, you can get some great ideas on where to start.

There’s so much more that I’d love to share in later blogs but let’s start here! Like my goal to lose 50 pounds, I couldn’t begin there. I had to begin with smaller goals. So do the same. Set some long term and short term goals. Plan out a few meals for this coming week and experiment with one or two of them. You’ll be surprised how a simple recipe, executed well, can give you the confidence to keep going!