keep pressin on

So 2 weeks have passed...and still eatin' Paleo. I've been learning more and more as I take a more closer look at my health, my diet, and the way that I view eating in general.

Wednesdays are the days where we strip down to shorts and a tanktop, (leave the socks on cause the bathroom floors creep me out), hop on that scale and see if any damage has been done from the way you've lived the past 7 days. This past week I lost 2 pounds, 3 pounds from the beginning. But miraculously with a lot of weight training, and cardio through running, my body percentages have steadily dropped.

I asked Chastity if I should mentally prepare for a plateau? I don't want something like that stopping me in mid stride. If this is something that will naturally happen like it does on The Biggest Loser, I want to prepare myself for this. She told me that if I'm continually eating my meals with no cheats (which I'm proud to say my only cheat was communion bread on Sunday, and I think Jesus' is okay with that) , and if I continue weight training with cardio, I shouldn't plateau. I guess only time with tell.

Someone that's really been encouraging me through this whole process is my *new* friend Anna. She isn't doing the Paleo meals, but she's definitely doing some tough stuff. She has made a commitment to not eat sugars until June, and no carbs until Easter. She has helped me to stick through it. I have someone to talk to about this who understands cravings and choosing to live a different lifestyle (if only till Easter) and dealing with the negative and sometime hurtful comments that people just have to say. She's been a great source of encouragement for me and hopefully I've encouraged her a bit through her journey as well. She's also encouraged me through the struggle of Matt trying to find a job. Their struggles are somewhat similar, although different. She has said so many times "we need to focus more on the giver, than the gift." Or another one is "Are you seeking Jesus' face, or just his hand?" I'm not exactly sure how to do one and not the other, but I'm confident that because I'm asking Jesus how to seek his face and not his hand, and to focus on him as the giver instead of the gifts he would like to give us, I know he'll tell me in due time. I just need to keep spending time with him and he'll let me know. I'm confident in this.

My husband has also been encouraging me, although he hasn't changed his eating habits at all. Although sometimes he'll have tator tots, or ice cream right in front of me (and sometimes he teases me about it) he has done nothing but encourage me. Just the other day we hugged in the morning as he was walking out the door and he stopped and said "woah! that was a skinny hug!" Those type of things keep me going and give me joy that lasts throughout the day.

It's also fitting that Lent is during spring time. New things are growing, I'm getting slimmer. New life is sprouting outside, I feel like a new life is sprouting in my spirit. God makes all things new. He creates new life with new circumstances. He promises that....and the little birds on Moey and I's walk each morning reminds me of that. Sometimes I feel like God has written them a special song to sing just for me....

"You have begun to live the new life, in which you are being made new and are becoming like the One who made you. This new life brings you the true knowledge of God." Colossions 3:10