I was preparing for this evening’s online support group chat meeting and looked at a chat transcript three weeks into the support group that Pam Sneed led that I joined starting in early January. This week talks about beliefs and how what we believe affects our behaviors. In that chat, I had said that there were two beliefs that came to my mind that I believe:

1.) That I would get to my natural God-given size

2.) That once there, I wouldn’t stay there.

#1 is obviously one that is a good belief to have. I have found that believing God was doing a NEW THING in my life and that it would show up in my releasing all the extra weight…well, it really has made a difference. God said it and I believed it and I began to live as if it was true because it was.

#2 comes from years of dieting where once you get to your goal weight you then stop the diet and live in fear (it was a matter of time) that you would gain all the weight back and then some. I remember when I did Weight Watchers and lost 100 pounds. Once I was at my goal I remember writing about it…”NOW what?” It was a very difficult place to be. There had been no positive mindset change. In fact, the new body had been formed and shaped around a heart that was even more attached to food than ever. The “arrival” at “goal” felt empty and hollow. My problems seemed loomed larger than life…in fact, some of the things that I thought would no longer be issues once I lost all my weight were there bigger than ever. It was devastating.

With Thin Within, God has been forming, shaping, and renewing my mind. It continues to be worked on and will be worked on for all of my life. There is no “diet” to be done with, so there is no need for “fear” to kick in. I find that old diet habits die hard, though…as fear is prowling trying to take me captive.

So, what strategies will I embrace for this place in my life to which I have come? How will I not fall prey to fear? How will I be sure that I not regain the weight?

1.) Continue to post gratitudes on my Gratitude Blog. Not just posting, but fostering and nurturing a heart of gratitude that I might never get my eyes on anything other than the Lord, who has done so much for me.

2.) Continue to practice the Keys to Conscious Eating. I am pretty diligent with these as I think it has made a lot of difference for me. I sit down and make a “meal time production” out of any eating occasion–no such thing as a “snack!” I focus on my food and try to remain somewhat prayerful through it, being aware of my body and the signals it sends. I do not read, watch videos, TV or anything like that when I eat. I try to be sure the environment is calm. These and the other keys (obviously waiting for hunger, stopping at satisfied and eating what I feel the Lord says is going to taste good and adequately fuel my body) make a huge difference for me.

3.) I need to commit to building a prayer life of dependence on the Lord. I need to do this NOW. In the beginning of this journey I prayed much more unceasingly…now, I seem to act like it is such a bother or something. What a hard heart. I must continue to practice having a SOFT heart in ALL things…not just in food.

All for now…