Transform Me

"And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." 2 Corinthians 3:18

"...who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body." Philippians 3:21

"Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Romans 12:2

About a month ago I got a call from a good friend of mine who is my work out buddy. She tells me of this contest she heard about through the local women's local gym, not Curves but an actual gym. Anyhow, I look into it. It seems legit. I download the application and am right away challenged by the intensity of the questions. I wait to hear anything. I get an invitation to a group interview in front of a panel. Nerve wrecking! I go for the interview and am again challenged by the questions asked, it was a panel interview with four staff and I interviewed with about six other women. It was intense, nerve wrecking and very out of my comfort zone.

Questions such as, what is the accomplishment you are most proud of, who is your biggest supporter, what is your biggest fear or phobia, what is your biggest pet peeve about yourself, and more. They may not seem like hard questions but to sit down and answer them was a stretch. And I was just brutally honest. With it all. Of course a lot of my answers were centered around my weight. That's okay though because a lot in my life revolves around my weight. Everything I do comes down to a will this be a comfortable or uncomfortable activity. Or will I be the biggest wife, mom, woman there? It sucks.

I have been up and down since having Tay. Gaining 100 pounds that pregnancy was not healthy, I am blessed that I have a beautiful and healthy daughter however my health has never fully been the same. I have gotten down and then have been back up, but never 100% were I need to be.

Anyhow, back to the challenge. I am turning 30 in September. I am frustrated. I don't want to celebrate my 30th with the burden of this weight. Yesterday was the launch of the program. Aaron came with me and we sat there anxiously waiting. They had two amazing speakers, one was an owner trainer at the gym and the other is an amazing woman...I'm sure I'll blog on her at a later date. It was great, then came time to announce the eight chosen women. And Guess What?!?!?! I was the first name chosen!!! From there it was kind of a blur...that must be how people feel when they find out they win the lottery. I know I didn't win the lottery.

I basically won a life change, a butt kicking, a group of people who are going to hold me accountable, a team of people who are educated and dedicated to helping me be healthy. Kind of scary actually. So for 12 weeks I am going to be stretched and challenged. And I am so excited!!!

Our progress will be followed in one of the local magazines, I will post that once it all takes place. It is going to kick off this week with Doctor visits, by the way they are completely free. One hundred percent of the program is covered. After the Doctor clears me it will be a grocery store lesson, and then a pantry raid. Yep, the nutritionist will be coming to our house to tell us what is good and bad. I am almost most excited...but the training portion beats by a slim margin...about the nutrition aspect. I want to learn how to eat the right way. I don't want to feel guilty when I do it and I want to know it is okay to eat. It is so weird to have an issue with food, it can be like a drug. But if you are a drug addict the best thing to do is to stop doing drugs. I can't stop eating.

The training will be Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 630-730 am. On top of that I will have cardio to get done at least five days a week. And then pretty much every Saturday will be some sort of seminar. The program is very holistic, which I appreciate. I have about 60 pounds I'd like to loose. On top of that I just want to find my inner athlete, a huge part of me that hasn't fully been around since having kids. One of my biggest obstacles is going to be believing I can find her again, that I can do it, and giving myself the time to do it. I want to leave the guilt at the door and do this for me...and ultimately my family will benefit greatly too. The other awesome thing is I am doing this with other women who have the weight as a similar struggle and that is going to be amazing support. Needless to say I am VERY excited about this opportunity! I am still in awe that I was chosen! So, I will post status updates. But please in the mean time pray for me. I'm gonna need it!!!

Oh and there is a winner chosen at the end of the 12 weeks and I want to win!!!