Joy In The Midst

I have been on a journey for the past month to change my health.  Back in December I found out that my 7 years of being prediabetic were coming to a close and soon I would be leaping into the black hole of full blown diabetes.  I decided then that it was time to change.  I toyed around with cutting back on carbs but wasn't fully committed.  I saw some weight loss but soon I was discouraged because it was hard.  I went back to how I had been eating and gained back what I had lost.  In mid March I decided to try again and this time I fully committed by cold turkey giving up sugar sweetened beverages and treats, potatoes, rice, pasta and bread.  I started eating lower carb foods, mostly wheat free and sugar free, all day.  I began baking wheat free, sugar free treats again so that when I was tempted to snack I would have a suitable option.  I stopped eating out regularly.  I also started checking my blood sugar at home several times a day to see how different meals affected me.

The results of those changes have been great!  I have lost about 16 pounds, several inches off my waist, hips and chest and my cravings for junk have mostly subsided.  I also went back to the doctor for my 4 month recheck and my fasting glucose and Hemoglobin A1c were both improved.  My doctor was quite pleased and is letting me go 6 months before a recheck this time.

But now I am experiencing my first plateau.  The scale has been hovering around the same number for a week now and is actually inching up instead of down.  I feel so discouraged today and do not feel joy at all.  But, as I brewed my coffee this morning, mulling these feelings over, God reminded me of the Bible study I just finished up at church this past week - Choose Joy (Kay Warren).  One of the things I learned in that study is that there are false sources of joy.  Apparently, I've been finding some of my joy lately in the number on the scale.  Now quite honestly, considering that I have been halfheartedly trying to lose weight for several years without success, I don't think it is horrible that I've been joyous over the changes on the scale. However, now that it is not going in the direction I want it is affecting me negatively so I've gone too far.  In one of the videos Kay said that we can experience joy in the midst of trials, circumstances, etc.  Today I am reminded that I need to find my joy in Jesus even when the scale does not make me happy.  He is the only true source of joy!  The full title of the study is Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough.  So true!