Happy Thanksgiving blog friends!

I really don’t want to fill up this blog space today with a bunch of words or thoughts. I just want to take a few moments to publicly give thanks for…

My Savior – who died for me and loves me unconditionally and constantly pours out undeserved grace & mercy.
My Husband – who showers me with blessings, speaks words of adoration over me, and lets me know in even the subtlest of ways that I’m his girl
My Daughter – who brightens my day with her laughter, forgives my mistakes, and has gently taught me how a mother is to love her young for the last (almost) 13 years
My Friends – who show love, mercy, and kindness even when unsolicited and allow me to bare the depths of my soul while withholding judgment
My Church – that eagerly opens its doors to embrace the oppressed, the orphaned, and the widowed and has taught me how to worship in spirit and in truth
My Freedom – that enables me to worship openly, study God’s Word visibly, and attend church freely
God’s Word – that arms me with THE knowledge I need to get through each moment, each hour, each day, each week, each month, each year, and ONE lifetime
My Blog Readers – that continue to give me a reason for doing this “blogging” thing, that provide encouragement for me each step of the way of this journey and are willing to journey with me

What are you giving thanks for this day?

Disclaimer: This blog post may be anything but encouraging. If you’re looking for encouragement today – maybe you should check back tomorrow. However, if you want to read the writings of a real woman with real struggles being really transparent, then you’re in the right place.

OK…moving right along.

I just finished watching The Biggest Loser. This is the only television show that I watch regularly, and it almost always inspires me. I, too, have struggled with my weight all my adult life (and even throughout most of teen years). I’ve tried almost every diet out there, I’ve exercised, read nutrition book after nutrition book after nutrition book. As a matter of fact, I’m still waiting on someone to award me an honorary Master’s Degree in nutrition! Anyway…while watching tonight’s episode of my favorite show, I began feeling discouragement. As I watch this season’s contestants get smaller and smaller as they near the finale, I watch myself lose less and less or sometimes gain. I’ve been doing what I know to be the right things, but it’s not happening like I had hoped. I know that I need to exercise more and will do so as soon as my foot injury heals up. But, other than that…I feel I’m doing okay.

Several weeks ago, I began yet another weight loss journey. It was actually working. I set a goal to lose 25 pounds by Thanksgiving. Guess what? I’ve been stuck at an 18 pound loss for over two weeks now. I’m not budging from that mark, and I’m sure I’ll actually gain a few pounds before the week is over. I continue to get discouraged over the lack of success, because I have a long way to go before I reach my goal!

Now, I know there are other issues that can affect weight loss. A sweet friend reminded me that stress can wreak havoc on dieting and weight management. My life has had quite a bit of stress lately. I also continue to suffer with foot issues – affecting my exercise program (or lack thereof). I generally do okay in the food department, but it’s not appearing to be enough.

I really don’t mean to complain. I know that’s all I’ve been doing for the last few paragraphs. But, maybe just maybe somebody else is experiencing a similar frustration right now. If so…please know you’re not alone friend! I promise I’m not going to stay in this pit for long. I guess I just needed to get some of these thoughts of frustration and disappointment off my chest in order to proceed to the next step. I WILL defeat this giant one day! This mountain WILL move! I WILL reach that place that God has purposed for me. While I know these things to be true…today I’m just a bit low. I won’t stay this way, and I hope I haven’t let you down. Please forgive me.