Way before arriving at her place of business, I began to brace myself: It’s just one image. It doesn’t tell the whole story.

As my hair stylist wheeled me around, I sighed. How can somebody in the beauty industry be so unaware? The angle, the lighting, and even the quality of the full-length mirror itself, accentuated my body’s ~to put it kindly~ fluffiness.

I’ve struggled with my weight and body image for a long time. I remember when it all began. As part of a regular checkup at my middle school, the nurse recorded my growth.

“Oh,” she gushed, “you’ve grown two inches.” As she recorded my weight her face took on a startled look, “And you’ve gained… well, hmmm… fifteen pounds.” Seeing my stricken face, she immediately added, “which is completely normal.” Leaving me to believe it was anything but.

Over the years I’ve tried and succeeded with many different diets and weight loss programs. Yet here I am again, wondering what went wrong. How did I gain the weight back ~ plus a few extra pounds for good measure?

It’s easy to figure out. Six years ago I transitioned from working as a classroom teacher to a more sedentary role as an instructional coach. As a teacher I walked almost the entire work day. But as a coach, I sat in meetings more than 50% of the time.

Throw in a heel fracture which left me immobile for five months, a time of grieving for the death of a family member, retiring during a world-wide pandemic, and well… it all adds up to the increased weight. It has been a slow, steady gain.

As I wrestle with what to do now, I’m evaluating my past efforts. Previous weight-loss goals, while attainable, had a near-sighted focus. Everything revolved around hitting, and then maintaining, my magic goal-weight number. They didn’t address the underlying habits ~ physical, emotional and spiritual ~ which led to my weight gains. 

I also realize measuring my success solely on when, and how quickly, I reach my goal weight is misleading. The numbers on the scale don’t allow for factors outside of my control, like a slow metabolism and the hormonal changes resulting from aging. 

So I am trying a new thing. In the words of David:

Unless the Lord builds the house,
     the builders labor in vain.

Unless the Lord watches over the city,
     the guards stand watch in vain. (Psalm 127:1 NIV)

This verse makes it clear. As I set goals and work to achieve them, honoring the Lord should be my primary concern. To honor God with my body, I’m setting my sights on a healthy lifestyle. This means choosing foods to boost my energy and optimize my overall health, as well as finding ways to be more active. 

For the moment, I will use tracking, rather than the scale, to monitor both the quality and quantity of my food intake. My husband and I recently joined our local community recreation center and plan to help each get active. Reaching my goal weight will now be a by-product of my focus on becoming healthier.

Setting goals for my weight is really no different from any other life goal. In all things, I seek to honor God and live a life in balance with His will. Whatever goals your road leads you to make, I pray you can do the same.