“If every day were like today…   You’d weigh 158.4 lbs in 5 weeks.”  That is my favorite part of My Fitness Pal.  After you’ve logged all your food and exercise for the day, a statement like this appears.  For me, on most days (like yesterday), the weight it says is 4-10 pounds less than the weight I currently am.  I get excited and am ready to eat well the next day too.  Since we can’t really see change from one day to the next, seeing it in terms of a month is really helpful.  (By the way, did you notice that mine said I’d weigh in the 150’s????  Do you remember when I was excited to hit the 170’s?  Well, now I’m 165.5!  It truly is amazing!!!)

However, there have been 2 days since I started logging on the site (99 days ago) that the weight listed was higher than my current weight.   My eating on those days went over my calorie allotment.  765 calories of zucchini bread… yep I did that.  Now before, my frustration from a day like that would turn into a week like that, then a month like that, and possibly a year or two like that and my weight would indeed go up all the way to 220 pounds!  But I’ve learned that one day does not destroy all your work and make you gain weight.  Rather it’s an accumulation of many days.  So when I’ve had a bad day, I log it, I read that if everyday were like that day I would weigh more in 5 weeks than my current weight, I tell myself that not everyday will be like that day, and then I move on and get back on track.

In the scheme of things, one day doesn’t really matter.  But when you add one day to another day to another day and create a lifestyle, then each of those days do matter.  I recently completed Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred.  It kicked my butt, but I did it.  And, I actually have some muscle definition on my arms… granted they still have the flabby underneath that my 11-year-old loves to play with, but they are getting toned!  I usually don’t finish things that I start, so I am so proud of myself for finishing.  My friend told me, “You’re a finisher now, not a quitter.”  Love her for saying that, because as I’m transforming my body, I know I also need to transform my mind.  Anyway, I now started Jillian Michael’s Ripped in 30.  During the first week’s cool down, she says something that really stuck out to me, and I’m repeating to myself often:

Transformation is not a future event.  It is a present activity.  That is why you must bring everything that you have to bring in every moment.  And it doesn’t have to be perfect.  It’s not about perfect.  It’s about effort.  And if you bring that effort every single day, that’s when transformation happens, that’s when change occurs.

Sounds a lot like what Paul said in Philippians 3:12-14:

Not that I’ve already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.  I do not consider myself yet to have take hold of it.  But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.  

Anyway, being in the middle of that transformation, that change, I can tell you she’s absolutely correct.  In the scheme of things, one bad day or one good day may not matter, but bring that effort every day and then every day adds up.  And now, I have lost over 50 pounds, I can run 5 miles, I can do push-ups!  We need to show up each and every day of our life.  We need to bring that effort, we need to press on every single day in our health, in our parenting, in our relationships, in our finances, in our (you fill this in) and transformation will happen, change will occur.

And the best part is, what I’m afraid that Jillian Michaels doesn’t offer us, is that we don’t have to show up on our own strength.  Sure we can, but usually our will power only lasts so long.  But, as we lean in on Christ, reading His word, pouring our heart out to him, sitting quiet before him, worshiping him, he strengthens us.  And Philippians 4:13 says:

I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me.

I personally include eating healthy and exercising in “all things”.

Pressing on together,

Becki

Can you see the difference?  I certainly can!  I’m down another 10 pounds from the one on the right, but I didn’t have a full body photo to use.