On my way to work this morning one of my favorite Christian songs from Kutless came on my Ipod. I wanted to share some of the lyrics with all of you because I have always felt that these lyrics were so powerful. Then I will talk about how they relate to life for my and my weight loss journey.
- You feel like your life’s crashing down all around you. Let me ask if it’s really so bad? Look at the world and it’s suffering, can you honestly tell me that no one else can understand all of the hurting inside.
- Why can’t you see, that freedom is sometimes just simply another perspective away. Who could you be. If your lense was changed for a moment would you still be the same.
- Yestertday you really couldn’t see, by changing your angle a new world will be. Revealed to your once blinded eyes by moving a few degrees.
As I said at the top of this post, these lyrics are very powerful to me. They are not ony relevant for my weight loss journey but for life in general. In fact, it seems that “your perspective” is really all that matters some times. Many times I get really down and blue. During these times I focus on the negatives and fail to even basically believe that any of the positives exist at all. This crushes me for the short period that I am like this. This perspective causes bad food choices, binges, junk food love, sneak eating, negative talk about my body, self-perpectuating cycles of eat/guilt/eat/guilt.
I am in this negative perspective paradigm right now. But what is the true perspective? For all of us, when we feel so down about the journey; WHAT IS THE TRUE PERSPECTIVE? HOW DO WE CHANGE OUR PERSPECTIVE? I think that changing perspectives is a choice albeit a very difficult one. I also think that the more time that you spend in one the harder it is to change to the other. Take my body image for example. I looked at a larger and more obese body for sooooo many years that even though that image is from the past now, it is like a took a still photo of it and I still see it in my persepctive in the mirror at times. It is not the true perspective though and I am slowly (very slowly) coming to terms with the real picture now.
I want to share my present view point and then share the “actual” one.
PRESENT PERSPECTIVE
- I can’t lose the few pounds that I have gained
- I am getting bigger by the day
- Everything is sooo hard
- I am a failure so I should just give in to all temptations
- I am not feeling appreciated
- Food helps me feel better
- Eating healthy is boring
- My job sucks
POSITIVE PERSPECTIVE
- I am very good at losing weight and I have proved that
- I have gained some weight but I am still under WW goal weight
- All things are possible through Him who strengthens me
- I fail sometimes but I am not a failure. I am blessed and healthy
- Even though I may feel unloved, many people and especially God love me.
- Eating healthy makes me feel more healthy
- Eating healthy is a great way to spice things up. Anyone can eat unhealthy junk
- My job is a dream job for many people out there and having a job in general is a blessing.
- I am not a fat blob!
It is so hard for me to look at the positive sometimes especially when I am feeling low and don’t want to put the effort into climbing out of the black hole. But the good is ALWAYS there, it is ALWAYS real, it is ALWAYS there for the taking if I can just remember it. If I can just be thankful and grateful for what I have and for what has happened along this journey.
I am not doing well on weight watchers. Nobody turned on the “difficult” switch when I wasn’t looking. The program is the same. I am still an endurance athlete and “fit as a fiddle” (as Robfitness says). I will ask for God’s help to change my view of what is going on. Change my view on how strong I am with Him. To change my view on what is still and always has been possible.
THIS IS YOUR LIFE!!! ARE YOU WHO YOU WANT TO BE?
My angle on weight loss 
I love seeing this change in perspective. You know what you know works, but we all go through down times. You just can’t let the down time keep you down. Did that make any sense at all? It kind of seems like I was talking in circles, but there really was a point there. Keep your chin up.
You make some good sense my man. I get it. Thanks
I really needed this today. I’ve been having a rough time lately and my whole week reflected it. I only got in half the workouts I normally do. I was skipping some meals and eating crap at others. I just overall felt like junk and like the world was falling in around me. Today I need to make a list like yours and try to look at the other perspective.
Sometimes we feel like the world is falling down around us but we need to look at all things and not just the current challenges. Thanks for the reminder.
sometimes this is all we need but to change is so dang hard.
Jason,
Glad you decided to stick around. 🙂 For completely selfish reasons too! I love this post about perspective. There is always truth and then there is Truth with a capital T. The negative feelings are true in teh moments you are having them and I am willing to bet if you are anything like ummm me or any other HUMAN, no one can tell you any different in that moment. But it is never Truth, and we know which Truth will always win if we just stay in the battle.
Coach said this to me. In the middle of the night I sent an email last night because I couldn’t sleep again (see my latest blog post to get THAT scoop. His response that really hit me was this. “Kim, You’re gonna be fine (but ask for help when you need it).” I realized, while I thought my email was asking for help, it really wasn’t, it was jsut stating the facts of what was happening. I cannot assume people know when I need help, I need to ask for it, directly adn bluntly and well…humbly.
All that to say, let us know when you need help, when you need encouragement, etc.
Thank you much Kim. This is so true about “asking’. So many assume that you know they are asking when really they are not. I and other like to just have a straight forward request rather than a beat around the bush comment that is fishing for the answer they want
Changing your perception is your choice and it is the healthy choice. We all know what happens when one gets down on themselves, it’s not a pretty picture and we aren’t the person we truly are capable of being. It’s almost like having a split personality. We have to put that negative person deep down inside and let the positive Jason come back out so he can regain his strength and continue to fight this battle. Yes, I know it does get tiring at times but the other side of losing is not what we truly desire to be. You are a fighter and runner and fit and loving guy. Your positive qualities surely out way any negatives about you. While it is hard, it is also well worth the energy, time and dedication to achieve what you want and what will make you happy.
I love you like a brother Jason! I know you can do this and know that I am cheering you on and keeping you in my prayers.
I’ll be e-mailing you back as soon as I can. Have to get to bed now. Stay strong, bro. If you need a shoulder to lean on your know our loving and compassionate God is always there for you and loves you know matter what.
As always Rob, thank you so much for your encouragement.
Jason, are you feeling a conflict in regards to priorities of spirituality versus well-being? I sometimes feel that my desire to be fit and healthy tends to take the main focus of my relationship with God away to focus on myself. From there it’s easier to fall into the negative feelings/emotions/reactions to everything around me until I’m just sick of myself. I still am looking for that balance but glad that Someone has made me aware of it. Have you found yourself in the same place? How do you deal with it?
Just a thought
This makes tremendous sense Ehren. It is something that I have been thinking about too. Thanks for bringing this up. I am not sure how to deal with it really as it is something I struggle with and am trying to figure out for myself too. I hope I figure it out because when God does come first in each small area of my life things ARE MUCH BETTER!!! 🙂
Thank you for this post! And what a question — “are you where you want to be?” Yikes. I’m getting there, I think 🙂 Hopefully moving to a place where I can just LIVE without being preoccupied with “getting somewhere else!” (physically, mentally, professionally, etc.)
Maybe you need a psychological break from weight watchers. I certainly needed one!
It is always nice when you comment Fit.
“Eating healthy is a great way to spice things up. Anyone can eat unhealthy junk”
That is a great attitude. Recently ordered my wife and I a Basikbox (basikbox.com) to carry our meals to work. She’s trying to eat better and so am I. It’s a small step but every little bit helps.
Love Kutless! Their music always forces me to think about what I really am and how I want to be.
And your picture of yourself in your mind about your body image is one that I constantly struggle with. I am NOT that same sedentary, isolated, 370 lb, anonymous being anymore. Yet that former image of myself drifts back into my mind more often than I would like. It is a daily struggle to combat what was my reality for such a long time and change my perspective to see the new me that exists.
This journey that we are on – transforming ourselves from what we were into what what want to be is long and hard and is so much more than just the physical. We have to change from the inside out if we really want to wind up being successful for the long haul.
Boy are you right Kimberly. Thanks. 🙂
They might be changes in your life. But always remember keep your heads up no matter what.
Cheers,
Erin
Thanks for the encouragement Erin
Hey Jason! So happy to see another post from you. This topic is very timely for me. I’ve been struggling a bit lately myself and I know that I need to adjust my perspective a bit. It really does make all the difference. Thanks.
That’s right athlete. I’m still goin
Your post gave me chills. On my run this morning I did a lot of “stop and walk”. Tomorrow I won’t you have inspired me to be better!
i am glad I could help Jenn. You keep up the great work.