I’m a Tub, but I’m Not Alone

I’m fat. Not gonna beat around the bush. I’m a flippin’ tub. And, like most tubs, I’ve tried several thousand times to lose weight. And each and every time, I’ve given up. Even in the last few months, I’ve started and given up about 3 or 4 times to really get this diet train rollin’.

But I think I’m finally on to something. I took a deep, emotional journey. I opened up and started being honest with myself. When I see other people who are thin and attractive, even though that’s who I want to be, my main emotional reactions are of jealousy, resentment, even anger.

And honestly, when you think about it, why would my sub-conscience even allow me to become something that I resent? I’ve got to change my mentality.

I’ve also got to stop dieting. What I need to do is actually develop a real relationship with food. No more cheap floozies (fast food), but instead, enjoying every moment I have with food.

And beyond that, I need to add more exercise, but exercise I will actually do. Little things add up, like parking further away at stores and stuff like that. That’s where I’ve started.

This is one of the biggest issues among Christians today. A lot of us are way out of shape with terrible eating habits, but we rarely say anything about it. I mean, we’re obviously being gluttons and not taking care of the temple of the Holy Spirit (our bodies), but it’s not something we call each other on.

However, from time to time, we sync up. We get brave. We get honest. A friend of mine from church, who is also overweight and sick of it, approached me and another (more physically fit) friend of ours to start working out together, somehow, someway.

This is when church is working at its best. It’s not just people we see on Sundays and then forget about the rest of the week. It’s people who are close enough to feel comfortable asking for help, like a family.

Today was our first day. We spent nearly an hour walking and jogging around a trail. It was terrible but satisfying.

This is how it should be. God is clear in the Bible that we are at our best when we work with others. Iron sharpens iron. A rope of three strands is not easily broken. Where two or more are gathered in God’s name, He is there.

We are not supposed to go through life alone. We often can’t. We just don’t have the strength, the willpower, the desire. And I’m not just talking about exercising. I mean every part of life.

This is the first time in a long time that I feel like I can really get back into a healthier pattern in life, because I’ve got people doing it with me that won’t let me quit, just as I won’t let them.

Thank God for my church family.