Parenting & Weight Loss

Parenting isn\’t always easy, but being overweight can complicate it even more. I speak from experience when I say that being the example for my child has been tough but not impossible. She has and is watching every move that I make in this journey of life and even on this current weight loss journey. I refuse to let her down.

No, it\’s not that your child won\’t love you because the way you look. They adore you no matter what. On the other hand, as they get older it\’s not only painful if you can\’t run, jump and play with them, but it\’s also teaching them cycles or patterns of life that you may not want them to inherit.

They do what you do, not what you say.

When it comes to raising a child, I think we can all agree that they do what you do and not what you say. As a child, my mother smoked cigarettes and I absolutely hated her for it. Every time I got to school people would ask me if I smoked because I smelled like a big ol\’ fat cigarette. As a freshman in high school this was so embarrassing, but that did not stop me from picking one up and lighting it as an adult.

I always tell my daughter to pick fruit at snack time and to choose healthy habits because it will create a strong body and teeth as well as help her to live longer, but how can I expect her to do this if I am giving her the choice of chocolate and candy by having it in the house? If she sees me doing it, she\’s going to feel like it\’s okay. Which brings me to my last point…

The power of Choice can kill you

Yesterday, I ran into a guy on my way into Target and he asked me to sign a petition that gives women the right to be pro-choice. I told him \”NO.\” (I know some of you will stop reading and maybe even unsubscribe at this point, but I am okay with that). It\’s the power of choices that often kill us. First of all, let me say that I will never support a law that legalizes murder. I am pro-life and that\’s that!

I\’ve heard people argue that if you take away a person\’s freedom to choose, they will rebel. This may be true in some cases, however, if people made better choices in life, the world would be a better place. If you are a Bible lover like I am, then you can relate when I mention some of the following examples. There have been many times in history when giving people choices caused doom to the rest of the world.

• Adam and Eve\’s choice to disobey God.
• Cain\’s choice to kill Abel.
• The choices made by the Israelites after God brought them out of captivity in Egypt and into the wilderness.
• Samson\’s choice to disobey his mother.
• King Saul\’s choice to go by His own plan and not the plan of God as according to Samuel.
• David\’s choice to give in to lust.

This list goes on… but the one that stands out to me the most is the choices made by the Israelites after God brought them out of captivity. A journey that was only supposed to take them a few days took them 40 years. How many people have made a goal to lose 50 lbs in less than a year, but it took them like 5 years? So, what does that tell you about the history of giving people the freedom to choose? I mean Adam\’s choice to eat from the tree of knowledge caused us a lifetime of battle with the enemy. So, my question for you is, What choices are you making that are destroying your ideal life?

Decisions Shape our future.

All choices stem from the decisions we make. To de-cide means to kill off the alternative. My decision to follow Jesus and his path for my life causes me to make choices that align with the Word of God, like being pro-life. If you make a decision to rid yourself of the heaviness and the excess weight in your life, your choices will follow. This means you will choose healthy foods, healthy activities and healthy positive thoughts about yourself.

Making conscious decisions and healthy choices are traits that cause me to be a better parent, and these are things that I do not mind passing on to my child.

So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31