Spirituality and Weight Loss

Ok, so, I consider this my before picture. Let’s get that straight. I will post another one when I hit the 30 pound lost mark. I promise you, it won't be long!

I am one of those stubborn people that sticks to their New Year’s Resolutions. Is anybody reading this doing the same? I decided to lose weight this year. Not a little bit, I consider it a whooping amount. I’m down just about to the 20 lb. mark after 6 weeks. It feels great but there is a lot more to go. I have been gaining and then losing the same amount of weight for years, since child-bearing really. 

4 years ago (and I can’t quite believe it’s been that long but that’s what Microsoft Word says so I have to believe it) I started a book that is a spiritual guide to weight loss. Considering my battle and my use of magic it seemed a fitting premise. Finally, I got the courage to submit it to a few places. It is being considered but so far nothing has happened with that. I will keep you posted.

I just finished eating that dieter’s classic, cottage cheese and a half grapefruit. Ugh! Can anything in this world be worse? Nothing at all spiritual about that, no matter how I look at it, though the pink grapefruit was quite good, cottage cheese remains abysmal, except for when it's hidden in a smoothie.

The journey of weight loss, especially losing a lot and having that weight loss stick for good, is no easy journey. It is fraught with setbacks, temptations and yes, fear. Any big change presents challenges, not just for you but for those around you.

Yesterday I watched an episode of “My 600 Pound Life.” I don’t know why exactly, but it inspires me. The people on that show have swelled themselves up to an enormous proportion. Still, they have the courage and steeliness to battle their weight and lose 100's of pounds over the period of a year. Most of us can only imagine what that must be like. The word struggle doesn’t even begin to describe their way of being.

I have been watching that show as a part of my research for the book. The stories presented there are truly touching and they stick with me for days. There is so much more than food intake that makes a person overweight. The psychological issues that surround the person play an important role. Spirituality can also enter into the picture. Through a deepening connection to Mother Earth, I find that my spiritual beliefs help the cottage cheese go down a lot more smoothly.