This has been quite a week--the kind I enjoy looking back at. It is a good feeling to do what you know is right. I have been on this new eating program for four days; Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. This morning, Friday, I reached my ten-pound goal. Yahoo!!!!!!!

My journey to good health will continue, and my weight-loss counter will turn back to zero. I will start over counting to ten as my jounrney takes me closer to my desired weight.

I am thankful for this good start God has blessed me with. My focus remains on Jesus Christ through all of this. As one of my favorite books so aptly states, "It's not about me."

I can't believe this is Thursday already. I have been on this new eating program for three days and am beginning the fourth day with two more pounds off. I have three pounds to go; my heart is singing.

I am so thankful my cousin shared this new way of eating with me. God's timing is amazing. I started walking again a month ago and was searching for the right "diet" that I could embrace as a lifestyle. Sunday night everything fell into place.

There is something about doing both together that makes each one easier. I don't dread my daily walks, nor do I dread my small portions. I know my batting average isn't good in this area; I've been on a perpetual "diet" most of my adult life. So far, and that's all I have, it is a good fit.

This is a new day. Isn't it wonderful to be able to say that. I had a bump in the road yesterday--you know, the ups and downs of life--and it sent me whirling for awhile with a feeling of "not this again." But a new day dawned, and I praise God for that.

With this new freedom from thinking about my weight loss, I have an energized focus that helps me move through the day without the feeling of being overwhelmed. That is a gift; money can't buy it. For those of you who have been there, you know what I'm talking about. It's a "get out of jail free" card.

My walk this morning was with a full orchestra. Every bird was singing its part, every bird was right on key. They were praising their Creator, and they led me to do likewise. "Be exalted, O God, above the heavens; let Your glory be over all the earth."

My weight loss today was a blessing--one pound. God has brought me halfway to my goal in two days. Who else could do that? I so enjoy food. When I plan what I am going to eat, the sky is the limit (except for the three week restriction on dairy and sugar). I am careful with my portion size and take the time to savor each small bite on my daily journey to good health.

"This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it" was the verse that sang from my heart this morning while I walked. There is nothing like getting your house in order that gives a renewed zest to life.

My first day on this new eating program was empowering; the tail was not wagging the dog. There is freedom in boundaries. I felt successful as I stepped into new territory ready to learn a better way to live. I like the simplicity of this program, allowing me to eat many of the taboo foods I thought could only be enjoyed while "cheating."

Well, this morning was the test. How well did I do? I gingerly stepped onto the scale and found that I have lost four pounds. I would have been happy with two--what a bonus! This tells me ten pounds is possible. It will be wonderful to finally be able to say I've reached my goal.

My Journey to Good Health

This is a new day for me, a new beginning. Yeah, I know I've said that before, but this time I'm seeing something for the first time---ten pounds. Before, when I've lost ten pounds, it was the beginning of my new diet. Now, it is the end. There is something powerful in saying something is completed.

I've been trying to lose 100 pounds for twenty years, but always falling short of about seventy of them. As I'm getting older, (by now I'm 58), my health has started to decline. I'm now classified as a Type 2 diabetic, my blood pressure is still high, my cholesterol needs work, and my joints are now aching most of the time. I'm going to my primary care physican every three months to have all the pills I'm taking checked through blood work to see if my liver and kidneys are being damaged, and to see if I'm losing any weight.

This is not how I imagined my life; I'm not old enough to have all this wrong with me. What will my quality of life be when I'm seventy? Will I even live that long? As I've pondered all of this for the last several months, God has put on my heart the idea of just losing ten pounds.

That is where I am today; starting my journey to lose ten pounds. I found an eating program that I think makes sense, and one that will make me come to terms with my constant preoccupation of food thoughts.

I don't know if anyone else has these struggles, but I don't think I'm that unique. If I have had years of food struggles, maybe there are others who can identify with these same battles. I finally see hope in my need to lose weight.