The Journey

A friend of mine is going through a trying time in her marriage that will probably end in divorce. As I sympathized with her and offered a listening ear it dawned on me that sometimes weight loss or lifestyle change can be a form of "divorce" or loss. Each time we go through a loss, we need to mourn. The person I was 50 lbs. ago is different than the person I am today. But I never ever want to forget that person because she is the one that showed strength in the time of life changing events that led to my weight loss. Whether we are leaving an unhealthy relationship or changing our lifestyle to be healthier, we are experiencing a loss or significant change. We go through all the same stages: anger, denial, sadness, and hopefully, peace. I was almost married to that 50 lbs. I lost. Heck, I ate through happiness, sadness, celebrations, during times of great joy and great mourning….and all of that defined me. So when the time came to take care of myself, I had to acknowledge the loss of my unhealthy relationship with food and inactivity. It didn’t happen overnight just like I didn’t gain the weight over night. Sometimes I think I am still working on it and will forever. But, I have come to love the healthy person I am and respect the journey I am on. So as I told my friend, we have to look at this time of change as one where we acknowledge where we were, mourn if needed, and look forward to our next journey! It reminds me of the holly berries that grow out of a branch that is covered with heavy snow. We all have our "heavy snow" that has helped to define who we are and where we came from. But the bright red berries show us that growth is possible and will happen no matter how heavy the snow gets.

Exercise: 20 minutes on the treadmill- 113 calories burned