Day 44: Determine Your Ideal Weight

Scripture to Memorize:
She makes coverings for her bed;
she is clothed in fine linen and purple.
Her husband is respected at the city gate,
where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.
Proverbs 31:22-23
Passage to Read:
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made covering for themselves.
Genesis 3:6-7
Prayer:
Dear Lord, I confess that just like Adam and Eve I am tempted by foods that are pleasing to the eye but that are not good for me. By not exercising self-control where food is concerned I have endangered my health and your physical temple to dwell within us. I have purchased foods that are not healthy for my family. Holy Spirit open my eyes to the truth and enlighten my mind to understand how deceptive food can be and give me wisdom to understand my eating habits. Help me to begin eating healthier. Help me to bring healthier foods into my home. Help me to realize that giving into these indulgences I create other problems in my life. Because I have not exercised self-control I have had to purchase new clothes. I am powerless over food and this creates problems in my life which make it unmanageable. Give me the willingness to follow your will in this area of my life. Give me knowledge about my eating habits that promote these unhealthy patterns. Help me to only eat when I am hungry and when I actually need food. Forgive me and heal in Jesus name I pray. Amen.
Personal:
In today's section Donna talks about determining your ideal weight. She tells us that once we have determined and attained our ideal weight then determine the size that best fits it. Then when that size begins to get tight instead of buying new clothes reduce the amount you eat and exercise. She tells us that we should buy only one size, not the multiple sizes that most of us have in our closets (or would if we didn't regularly give away what we can no longer wear). Now she does say that you should first use the Body Mass Index (BMI) to determine the range you should be in. Then if/when you are within that healthy range "Your ideal weight is the healthiest weight you can maintain while leading a sustainable lifestyle". She then gives two examples from her life about unsustainable lifestyles which have lowered and increased her body weight and clothing size. She admits that neither of these two extremes were sustainable. The 120 lbs., size 6 was not sustainable because her diet was way to limited and insufficient. The 150 lbs. was not sustainable because it was unhealthy and involved way to much junk food and inactivity; not to mention negative emotions such as feeling sorry for herself. For Donna her ideal weight is low 130s and a size 8. She also says that we need to be realistic not idealistic.
In my case I must first reach that healthy BMI which I am almost double what I should be. Based on past experience that means that I need to lose 100+ pounds and get back into a size 18. Unlike Donna I would not be health, nor able to sustain long-term, what is would take to weight low 130s and wear a size 8. There are several factors which come to play in determining this my height, my frame, my body type, and so on. I have committed to reach my ideal weight in one and half years and this jump start is part of that plan. However, I do disagree with her only one size in the closet. Because of the way some manufacturers size their clothing and because of my body shape I sometimes have to have two or three sizes in my closet. Tops often have to be a smaller size than skirts or trousers and jeans are always a larger size than my trousers in order to get a proper fit. I have had to learn by many mistakes that for me I have to try things on and not just buy based on size. I also go by the adage to dress for the size you currently are and not your ideal size. This means that you wear what looks good on you now instead of wearing over-sized/under-sized ill-fitting clothes until you reach your ideal size.
Donna did not have an affirmation today but I do. Affirmation: I dress attractively for my current size and not the size I will be one day.
Practical:
From Donna: "Determine your ideal weight and develop a plan to get to it and stick to it. . . . For now put away any clothes that don't fit. . . . Note the date you stowed this bin on the list in your Personal Notebook/Journal. If you are not down to that size within one year (year and half), then you must give away, sell, or consign all those cherished items. Meanwhile, let the impending deadline serve as your incentive to get back to your ideal size." In my case I can't do this because I have long ago given away, sold, or consigned the clothes I had in my ideal size. But hopefully you can. Even when I get back to that size anything I might have had in that size would by now be way out of style and possibly even dryrotted.