Everyone knows that eating and sleeping are normal activities to do, but what happens when they become your enemies? My life had become a habit of eating and sleeping. They had me fooled and they were in control. The eating took over my body and mind which caused me to sleep and feel sluggish, or should I call it like it is– just lazy. I had become a couch potato.
Unhealthy eating also caused health problems with my knees, blood pressure and cholesterol. One doctor wanted to perform surgery on my knees and another doctor wanted to put me on medication, but I declined and told them to let me try to lose some weight first. Thats when I knew I had to do something, so I joined the YMCA again. But this time, I was serious because I could see myself becoming my mother who died with some of the same problems that I had been diagnosed with. My mother’s sickness started with pain in her knees which lead her to start taking lots of medicines, and the medicines started a domino effect. Her major organs became weak from all the medicines. However, the real problem was her eating addiction, which caused my mother to weigh 357 pounds. I knew I had to do something.
I joined the YMCA (Y) on January 30, 2009 because I, too, was addicted to food. However, joining the Y was not going to help me if there was no control over my mind. Food was controlling my thoughts. My mind was convincing me and introducing me to all the foods that I loved. I was out of control.
I was not consistent with my attendance at the Y, but one day at the Y, I read on their billboard they needed someone in housekeeping on the 5:00 a.m. shift. I went and talked to Erin, the manager, and the rest was history. I would work from 5:00 a.m. 8:00 a. m. every day and would work out for 2 hours after work every day. The YMCA saved my life.
God used a broom and a mop to motivate me to get up early for the responsibilities of cleaning the Y. No longer was I thinking about my condition because I had to do my job, and this job gave me hope because I was up and moving and had a made up mind that I was not going home until I exercised. The tools that were given to clean the Y kept me moving and that’s when I realized if you eat you have to KEEP MOVING.
The Y presented a program called Scale Back Alabama that needed 4 people to form a group and all 4 people had to lose 10 pounds each. The name of our team was called Victory and our team was chosen to represent the YMCA. Times Daily came to interview the team, and we all made promises of what we would do to lose the weight. When I weighed in that day, the scale said I weighed 258 pounds. I remembered thinking “that’s 42 pounds from weighing 300 pounds.” Nevertheless, I was not discouraged after my eyes were open about those 42 pounds.
I became more determined to lose the weight after that weigh in. Many times I had gotten on the scale, but this time was different. I did not know that I was that close to 300 pounds because I could still get into some of my clothes. I worked hard for 10 weeks and lost 11 pounds. I was so happy because, for the first time, I was losing it the right way– slowly. This mountain was not built in one day; therefore, this weight loss was not going to be a quick endeavor. Jesus was getting ready to show me how to endure this race. He gave me favor with the trainers at the Y and even some of the members began to encourage me. I had learned through this experience that if I just kept moving that I would eventually lose all the weight. Jesus had already set me up to win.
In 2009 at a conference in Alabama, I met Etta D. Hornsteiner, the author of The Ten Guiding Lights to Health and Wholeness , Etta gave me her card and I called her. It was then that Jesus and Etta took me on a 12 week journey of the correct concept of why food was created for the body. I must eat to live, but I do not have to live to eat. Every Saturday at 6:00 a.m. via telephone, Etta took me on a journey of deliverance.
This journey has kept me aware and alert. I have gone through two Thanksgivings and Christmas’ and have not gained any weight back. I have lost 52 pounds, with no sagging skin and looking healthy by lifting weights and doing cardio every day. It has been a long and slow process, but I have enjoyed every second.
This journey is like a roller coaster that takes you up and down, but with God’s help, I have continued to persevere. Thank you JESUS! This Walk is God’s ability in me to win. This Walk is God teaching me how to live a lively life.
This walk is Kingdom life for His child. Every step that I make is advancing me with knowledge to obtain victory with power and strength. Every step advances me to demonstrate active living for the Kingdom, advancing me to safety and to triumph. I keep moving because I am motivated to move the spirit of obesity that has vexed my body with food and depression. I no longer want the imprisonment of negativity that is causing me to be greedy, which also is causing my body much grief. God has motivated me to obey, to walk in victory, and be an influence of inspiration for others to notice His gift. Keep Moving! There is a gift at the end. My gift at the end is being a mature lean 171 pound woman that is no longer considered obese but who is a woman on a mission!
