Where did these extra pounds come from?!!
I haven’t stepped on the scale for a while, probably a couple months or so. No big deal. Surely I’m just holding at the same weight. Maybe even slowly shedding a pound or two along the way. After all, I really want to lose about 30 pounds, so surely that counts for something, even if I haven’t been doing much lately to reach my goal. So, yesterday I went to the YMCA for my second workout inside a week (impressive, I know!). On the way out, I noticed the new fancy scale and hopped on just for the sake of it. When the results popped up on the digital screen, I immediately thought, “All that money they spent on this top of the line, do everything scale, and it isn’t even accurate.” Later that evening, I got on the “official” scale at my house to see just how badly the scale at the Y needed to be recalibrated.
To my horror, my back-stabbing, good for nothing, self-esteem stomping scale in my own home verified the weight I had earlier dismissed from the scale at the gym. I wasn’t holding a steady weight from a couple months ago, and I sure wasn’t inching my way to a smaller waistline. In fact, I have put on over 10 pounds. Ouch!!! How did this happen? I mean, I really do want to get down to an ideal, healthy weight (now about 40 pounds away), so what could possibly be causing me to put on weight?
The answer is pretty straightforward, and I will share a quote from Hal Runkel, of ScreamFree Living, to put it as simply as possible:
Recipe for failure: Sacrifice what I want most, for what I want right now.
Well, Hal – you hit the nail on the head! Ouch!!! The truth is, it doesn’t matter how much I want to weigh less, or get that room organized, or improve this relationship, or stop that nasty habit, or whatever else, if I am not willing to keep that desire as a higher priority than my feelings of the moment. I will reach my goals in life only when I am willing to surrender my momentary whims (which are often nothing more than the desires of my Flesh, in direct opposition to the desires of the Spirit living in me) in self-discipline and self-control, and do those things which will actually bring me toward my goals and healthy growth.
So today’s message is: It’s time for Dr. Butner to take a dose of his own medicine, and sacrifice the momentary pleasures of second helpings, rich deserts, mindless candy-munching, and the like, and experience the momentary unpleasantness of self-control so he can reach some healthier goals and places in his life – starting on the scale.
6 Comments
BigJosh80 · June 9, 2008 at 8:24 pm
Too weird that we would write on similar topic and reference that same guy. But I hear ya. Saying “no” hasn’t really been my problem lately with food, it has being saying “stop.” I will keep eating beyond full. If there is food left on my plate, I will keep going until gone. Not good for the old temple. Good entry.
Roger · June 9, 2008 at 8:38 pm
Yeah, “no” and “stop” have both been problems for Dr. Eat-to-Feelgood here lately. I am glad to say, in keeping with your post, that I am motivated by a self-respect / self-love and a desire to glorify God with my temple. We’ll see how well my actions reflect my desire. I’ll keep you posted.
meg3450 · July 8, 2008 at 1:04 am
One big thing I took away from my time with you was “delayed gratification,” which my son hates to hear (and hears repeatedly). But, when it comes to food, delayed gratification is a hard one. I had been doing so well, lost over 25 pounds in a couple of months, then saw the Jelly Belly jellybeans at the grocery. They are my downfall. Still, not many calories, if spaced out over time. However, just that little act of submitting to Jelly Bellys has destroyed my resolve. Now, I rationalize about everything I eat. I have gained 2 pounds back in as many days, and find it even harder to stop or to deny myself that treat. It is all in a state of mind.
Roger · July 8, 2008 at 10:29 am
meg3450,
I’m glad your time with me provided you with some practical insight and guidance for life. I can relate to your Jelly Belly experience. At one point in my life (it may have been during the time you were seeing me), I lost about 60 pounds in less than a year – essentially through just working to develop a strong, healthy level of daily self-discipline/self-restraint. Then I went to camp! I went to go cook at a church camp for a week, and they are well known for their wonderful food. I was told that it was expected as part of the volunteer work for cooks to help themselves to the goodies along the way. I didn’t go wild and gorge myself, or anything like that, but I did make a conscious choice to move into a mode of “deserved” self-indulgence. That turning point marked the beginning of me slowly putting back on every pound I had lost.
I am grateful to say I am no longer at that max weight, but I still have not returned to my ideal weight, and the progress has come much more slowly for me since that time. But progress of any kind is good – regardless of the pace. Remember, when the Jelly Bellys (or any other food indulgence of the day) catch your eye – it isn’t about the calories in the snack (or second helping, or dessert, etc), it’s about the motivation and condition of your heart as you choose whether or not to eat it. Do I trust God to take care of my every need, or do I believe it is up to me to find my own source of provision, comfort, etc?
With Hope in Him,
Roger
Lori Thacker · July 29, 2008 at 9:30 pm
Dear Dr. Butner,
Sometimes, Hal Runkel really gets on my nerves. Especially when I have to humbly go pick up his book after I’ve just screamed at it and thrown it into a corner. But I see your point. I’m pondering it right now as I stare at my treadmill while eating a peanut butter cookie. God is greater than this cookie, I know it. Greater even than my fat clothes which are so comfy. Oh the arguments I wrestle with, and their mediocrity.
Keep on writing on, in His Name,
L. T.
Roger · July 30, 2008 at 8:03 am
🙂