Philippians 3:12-14 (The Message Bible)

I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

The thorn in my flesh

Some of you may be familiar with Paul's writings in Corinthians where he discusses the "thorn in the flesh." Well, I'm SURE he was speaking of things spiritual and much more "deep" than this...but I just couldn't help but use his words to title this post.

For the Operation Fat Blaster Special Mission #1, we are supposed to post about the one thing that keeps getting in the way of us achieving our weight-loss/fitness goals. Well, I almost took a picture of myself, because in all reality and truthfulness, it's me and my stinkin' stubborn head that gets me in trouble about 99% of the time...BUT...I opted for a more practical take on the subject--which is why I am showing you a picture of my pantry and fridge. Literally...in the same corner of my house stand the 2 biggest speedbumps in my weight-loss journey. What can I say? I LOVE FOOD!!! Not just eating it...but cooking it and experimenting with it and even decorating with it. Ironically, through my P90X Journey and over the past year of extreme eating-habit changes, I've come to love it even more because I've been forced to try things I never would have touched before. There's hardly an item in the produce section at the grocery store that I don't at LEAST know the name of...and very few that I haven't tried. It's like I'm a kid who likes to color and I just went from the 8 basic primary colors of crayons to the jumbo box of 64 crayons with the built-in sharpener! What could be more exciting?? and tempting!!??
So there you have it...my thorn in the flesh. Very tasty, succulent, scrumptious--yet nevertheless---STILL a thorn---and we all know you can't mess with a thorn without getting STUCK!
Even this morning, as I sat eating my breakfast, I browsed through a new cooking magazine my mom gave me the other day and I came upon recipe after recipe that I couldn't WAIT to try. That was UNTIL the hammer of reality smacked me in the head and reminded me that NONE of these recipes is in any way healthy. Oh ya. I forgot that Pork Baby Back Ribs smothered in BBQ sauce and brown sugar aren't in the P90X nutrition guide. Dagnabbit! {{big sigh}}
Such is my life, I suppose. Those meals aren't meant to be the norm---they are meant to be the exception.
I love what I heard Tony Horton say one time. He eats healthy and carefully 90% of the time...but the other 10% of the time he throws caution to the wind and eats what his tastebuds tell him to.
I think many of us do that exact thing--but in reverse. YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE! (I put that on there for when I read this post back to myself! :o)
No more 90% junk and 10% healthy. Let's get that thing switched around!
Okay, so that wraps up my post for special mission #1. If you just read this and are going "what in the world is she talking about?" just click on the words Operation Fat Blaster and see for yourself.

4 comments:

Kate said...

so true . . . . . I'd be a waif if I didn't have such easy access to the food, but better to be thankful for having such good food around, right?! I've put every reminder, motivating picture, goal, etc. on the fridge door, but they still haven't held me back! The only thing that brings me to a screeching halt is the variety of food in there. THAT I have control over. And if I don't bring it home, I'm won't eat it nor will I make an extra trip to buy it. I feel for those of you w/ kids in that regard. With all those "kiddo" foods around, it must be a challenge. I know when I babysat all the time I'd eat way more b/c WOW - there's a box of Chips Ahoy in the pantry! btw . . . cute pantry door!

I think I'll go on over and take a look at the "Operation". I'm all full of motivation this week and I need to keep it going.

You'd be so proud of me - I did turbo kickbox AND hardbody last night. Today I'm sore and lovin it! Already got all my meals planned and tracked for the day.

Now for the ultimate challenge . . . not veering from the path!

Stay strong Jen!

Erin Huggins said...

I do agree with your article too. Just be thankful to god to what we have right now. This one keep s motivated good post! And i like your qoute right up there.

Cheers,

Erin

Michelle said...

"and we all know you can't mess with a thorn without getting STUCK!" LOVE this part!! :)

You are such an amazing inspiration to me - both physically (i.e. health/fitness) and spiritually!

Have a wonderful day!!

Rene' said...

so true. When I get motivated to cook, I know its not always the healthiest...but eating out is even MORE unhealthy! Guess those 3 batches of cookies I baked over the past two days aren't worth mentioning ;)HA