What I Learned On the Other Side of the World

Well, it has been about 3 weeks since my last blog. During this time, I lost a couple pounds, gained them back, and I have been pretty steady at the same weight since the last time I shared with you all. While normally I would throw myself into a pretty big funk over not losing weight, I feel pretty good at where I am right now. I am not saying that I still don't want to meet my goal. I set off on this journey to finish what I started, and if it takes me 5, 10 years to get to where I ideally should be, then so be it. As long as I am making progress.

Anyhoo,while I was in Rome, I gained a new appreciation for life overall. A few observations of the city/country: 1. No one was particularly friendly. While there were some people who were helpful, no one really went out of his/her way to be extra courteous. 2. Central air:non-existent. Okay, it's pretty bad when only a few restaurants have air, and those that do make it a point to display this on their windows. Our hotel room, though cozy, was hot at times. 3. They do not give or receive money in their hands. Funny how I noticed this right away. I even think it may be an offense for your hands to touch during the exchange. 4. No one was particularly overweight. While Italians do enjoy their food and wine, they do a considerable amount of walking, which was to my benefit during my stay. 5. Italians think very highly of themselves. Now I hope I don't offend anyone by saying this. In fact, I admire this quality. The majority of the locals were very fashion forward. The artists and sculptors from medieval times paid very close attention to detail, and worked endlessly on their masterpieces until it was perfect.

Now that you have a little background of my experience in Italy, I will get to my favorite part. I loved, loved, loved the food. The flavors, the texture, the freshness. Dinner was my favorite part of the day, and not just because I was inhaling large amounts of food.The best part was after a long day of walking and sightseeing, I could sit down and really enjoy my meal. The servers were not in a hurry for you to leave their establishments. I guess they figure after you've had a few glasses of wine, you will continue to be hungry and order more food. Just being able to have a long conversation with my girls over great food and wine was relaxing and made the trip worth every penny. For those moments, I forgot I was trying to lose weight. I was just taking in the shear ecstasy of being in new surroundings. I remember our tour guide for the Uffizi Gallery in Florence explained to us how many artists liked to depict religious scenes to display the beauty of God, and how God is love. The human figures were by no means perfect.The idea was that they were perfect in the eyes of God. Beauty was in the eye of the beholder, or the artist. The details that were captured in all the paintings, the subtle nuances, grabbed my attention.

I thought back to everything I have learned in my journey as a Christian trying to lose weight. I am not perfect, but I am a creation made out of love, the love of God. I have probably mentioned this before, but just knowing this makes me want to commit even more so to living healthy. I just feel so blessed that I was able to have this unforgettable adventure. Seeing the world from another view has definitely given me a wonderful new insight on how awesome God is, and the life he has given me!

WEIGHT LOSS: STILL HOLDING STRONG AT 44 lbs lost! If you have not, I recommend everyone visits somewhere out of the country, or even on the other side of the country. You will discover some amazing things!

I'm allowed to indulge a little, right?

This week I am hoping will be one of the most exciting weeks of my life. I am going to Italy! Among the sites and people, I know that there will be a lot of food! While I feel that I have emotional eating under control, for the most part, my biggest fear is eating just because food is there and I can. Part of me says, " I'm paying a lot of money to be on this trip, I might as well just go for it and enjoy it all". But the other part of me says "Remember, everything in moderation..." I've come so far over the last 6 months as far as my ability to overcome temptation, and I have been trying to push myself physically to feel better from the inside out.

I really don't want to allow one week to change the rest of my life in a negative way. Maybe I am being over dramatic, as I tend to be sometimes if you really know me. However, I am just trying to plan ahead. I am grateful that we will be doing TONS of walking, so hopefully most of the calories I consume will burn off quickly. I've also heard that Europeans eat smaller portions, unlike us frivolous Americans, lol. My mother told me that most of the people she observed while over in Europe were not overweight, and that things in general tend to be smaller. She also said that people seemed to be happier. I thought this was interesting.

Here in the United States, we have so much. We have to have the biggest cars, the biggest houses. We waste a lot of resources. Yet, a lot of people hide behind these material things to mask the unhappiness they feel about themselves. I know I have been guilty of this, which has in the past led down the path to unhealthy eating habits. So, the question is can I indulge without suffering the consequences? Well, let me put it this way: I am not going to consume anything that I am going to feel guilty about. I want to take in the whole scene of Rome and Florence, and there is so much more to Italy than food. I plan on indulging in the experience of being on another side of the world. When in Rome, I will do what the Romans do!


WEIGHT LOSS TO DATE: 44 lbs!