A biblical diet....hmmm....that had never crossed my mind. While I leaned on my faith in so many aspects of my life, I never even looked into a faith based program for weight loss. This time last year, my 5 year old son told me that he could walk himself to class during his first week of kindergarten. I was devastated, but pleased because I thought he was expressing his independence. Later, I found out that a few of the kids had called me the "fat mom" when I had dropped him off.

The past few weeks have been momentous for me, and I have had to step back to regroup several times. When this happens, I often find myself reclusive, frustrated, and mentally reaching for answers, solutions and resolve. I've not liked how it's felt but rather than look at it as a place of uncertainty, hopelessness and pain, I'm choosing to look at it as a place to remember all the "w-h" questions that brought me to where I am today, and the opportunity to help others along the way.

I've been over weight ever since fifth grade and things just got out of hand when my husband and I dealt with infertility issues, the loss of our foster daughter and possible adoptions. I remember always surveying the room to see if I was the fattest girl there. I remember finding the biggest baggiest hoodie sweatshirt that I could wear or the nearest pillow to hide behind on the couch. I remember going to the swimming pool or the beach covering my swimsuit with a t-shirt and shorts ...

Being over weight can hold you back from a lot of things in life. Not just physically but emotionally and spiritually, too. When I am blessed with a new client through Grace and Strength, one of the things I like to find out early on is what she looks forward to being able to do once she gets to a healthy weight. In our small group we talk a lot about being "made for more than this"...more than this life of being tired, unhappy, unhealthy, etc.

I find myself in a familiar situation. Unemployed. It is not by fault or choice, it is what it is. The last time I went through this, I was ill-equipped to deal with the emotional and physical drawbacks of such a traumatic experience. I felt pointless, helpless, unwanted and unnecessary. I had become a statistic. It was in the midst of this experience that I discovered The Grace and Strength Lifestyle.