What the Hell Are You Eating?

A few years back I started on a weight loss journey. I had injured my knee at work and the 2 1/2 year battle with workers comp had kept me from doing much. So in turn I gained weight and ended up the heaviest I had ever been in my life. When I saw my vacation photos from that year, I about fell over because I didn't realize how I looked, it was a big wake up call.

I had never been a diet girl, so when I got on a weight loss program I learned very quickly that I had to change the way I ate and my lifestyle. By getting more disciplined with what I put in my mouth, I not only lost the weight but I was amazed at how good I felt. Overall, I had more energy, me knees felt better and my body functioned better.

After a while, I went it on my own away from the program and ended up gaining some of the weight back, I felt junky and my knees started hurting again. All of that came from the fact I just wasn't watching what I feed myself.

I think the same things happens depending on what we feed our spirit. If you feel bitter, hopeless or angry, what have you been feeding yourself? Are you feeding yourself "junk food" that causes you to grow negative and nasty feelings?

I know some of those feelings came come from other sources that are outside our control (bipolar disorders, depression, etc.) but even then we have to be aware of what we take into ourselves. Those disorders also have catalysts.

We live in a time where we can see and hear just about anything we want to. And though we may be desensitized to such things, that's not a good thing. That is the same type of effect really junky, sugary food has on our bodies. Our receptors are dull and we need more and more stimulus in order to feel right. So we keep chasing the high and we end up feeling worse afterward. Things we have seen and heard we cannot undo,and we injure ourselves the more we feed off of it.

Often times, we surround ourselves with people who reinforce our behavior. That's why for a lot of people who are battling their weight, it can be hard to make a healthy change because the people they are around are not reinforcing that chance and encouraging it.

The same goes for our attitudes and the spiritual things we feed ourselves. If you are battling an addiction and want to make a break from it, more than likely you are going to have to meet with people who are also trying to break away from it. You don't want to continually surround yourself with people who will drag you back to that addiction.

It doesn't even need to be as severe as addiction. It can even be as simple as an attitudinal change. If the people around you are nasty and bitter people who don't want to grow, you more than likely are one of them or will become one of them. The things they continue to feed into themselves are not moving them to a place of hope or affirmation.

In order for me to lose the weight again, I had to get back to the good things I had been doing.

Examine the things you are "feeding" yourself. Are you filling up on spiritual junk food or being choosy?
And if you are filling up on junky things, maybe it's time for a weight loss program of the spirit. I know that will look different for everyone, but move towards health. Maybe it;s time to go back to therapy after not going for a while, maybe it's time to get back to church. Find what ways work for you or have in the past. And know, that it may feel wierd, it may feel like you cannot return to that place of health, but it's not too late.