Let Freedom Ring! - Day 5

Today I want to introduce you to the person who became my mentor, someone who gave me hope, even though she didn't know me yet. About a year ago I came across Diane's blog Fit to the Finish and when I read her story I was so encouraged that she had not only lost 150 pounds, but kept it off for 12 years. It gave me hope.

Soon after that we began to correspond and she has been there with me through many ups and downs of this past year of my weight loss journey. I know she has found a freedom in regards to her weight loss journey and so I've asked her to tell you about it.

I’m so honored to have Leah ask me to write for her today. I have admired Leah since I first “met” her in blogging world. We have become Internet friends and I hope maybe one day we can meet in person!

She asked me to write something about Freedom From . . .

I immediately thought about being free from bondage to food. But the more I thought about that topic the more I felt dissatisfied. Was I really in bondage to food? When I weighed 300+ pounds, did food hold such sway over me that I was unable to break the chains? No. In my opinion, if food had me in true bondage I never would have been able to lose 150 pounds.

So Instead of freedom from bondage, I wanted to talk about freedom to choose. When I began gaining all my weight after I got married, I was free to choose how to live my life. And I chose to live my life in an unhealthy manner. I sat on the couch and ate ice cream. I choose not to exercise, and I chose to gain weight.

I chose.

When I turned my life around, I made another choice. I made the choice to stop my unhealthy habits, quit eating junk food all day long, and get out of my comfort zone and exercise. I chose the right path for me.

Every time I stood in front of my pantry, I had the freedom to make the right choice or the wrong choice. Every time I made the right choice, I felt myself get stronger and felt more in control of my fascination with food.

Every morning when I got up, I made the choice to put on my ugly exercise clothes and walk slowly down the road. I chose not to worry about what my neighbors thought, and chose to focus on what I knew would help me reach my goals and objectives.

Now, 12 years later, freedom means that the choices I make everyday keep me free from obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle. Those choices keep me free from guilt and keep me free from worrying about certain obesity-related diseases.

If you are struggling with your weight and sometimes feel like you are getting bogged down in the overwhelming number of choices there are along the weight loss road, take heart. Instead of getting bogged down, try and think of your choices as a way to gain freedom in your life. Diane