How I Lost 40lbs (& how you can help me celebrate)

So far this year I’ve lost 40 pounds. Technically 40.8 as of this morning. I’ve had several people ask me what I’m doing. It’s kind of a long story. The funny version of my “plan” goes like this:

1. Get really, really fat.
2. Make small adjustments and watch the pounds fade away

Truthfully that’s how I put myself in position to lose that much weight is having that much to lose. I lived as undisciplined as one could live. I had a nasty Coke habit. Not that coke…the soda. I would throw down 60-100 ounces a day. Sounds crazy right? I’d start the day with a large Coke (28 ounces) then have two more at lunch (56 ounces) and two or three more at dinner.

The first step in my weight loss process was slaying that glaring problem. I haven’t had a soda in at least 4 months. I can’t even remember the last time now. Do I miss it? Yes. Will I drink again? I hope not. That first 15 pounds was easily the soda calories peeling away. But that really wasn’t the first step. The first step came through the nagging (in a good way) of my wife and a hard conversation with a friend.

Misty (my wife) had been concerned with my health for some time and we had a “come to Jesus” conversation about it earlier this year. The next day a close friend called and I decided to tell him about Misty’s insensitivity and garner some guy support. As I told him about it he uttered the sentence that marked the beginning of my transformation. He said:

“You’ve played the funny fat guy long enough.”

You know that Scripture that says “faithful are the wounds of a friend”? Yeah, that’s where that comes in. After I got over that shock my friend gently said (OK…not too gently), “Is Christ the Lord of your life? Have you ever given Him Lordship over the foods you eat?”. Through that conversation I realized I’ve never really given Jesus Lordship over what I eat and the decisions I made when it came to food. I always said the heart wants what the heart wants. And that excuse catapulted me to where I found myself this year.

My friend challenged me to pray that God would change my appetites and that I’d view food and diet as a spiritual discipline. So that’s what I’ve done. I’ve been using an app on my phone LOSE IT to track my calories and exercise. It’s been an invaluable tool in helping me manage what I eat and make healthier decisions. You can jump on there and be my friend. The accountability it provides (weekly email reports, friends on the app) have been another huge support.

One of the biggest eye openers on this journey is seeing how I was leading my family without even knowing. You’d be amazed to see how the family’s eating habits have mirrored my own. My son is trying salads now and the vegetable complaints from both of my kids have zeroed out. It’s been an encouragement to find what other ways I’m leading my family unintentionally and be more intentional about those things. I’m so thankful for my wife and friends that aren’t afraid to tell the truth. I’ve got longer to go on my journey to optimal health but we’re getting there. Forty pounds is nothing to sneeze at!

So now we’ve come to how you can help me celebrate my weight loss.

For those of you that don’t know me I have a passion for the Church; specifically the persecuted Church. I’ve done some work over the last couple of years talking about the viability of social networking as it pertains to spreading the Gospel in closed countries. I received a call a few weeks back inviting me to go overseas and share with believers ministering in a closed country about how they can utilize Facebook, Twitter and blogging to reach people who wouldn’t otherwise hear about Jesus with His Truth and Love. This is a trip that I believe can have long lasting, viable impact and could lead to people who don’t yet know Jesus coming to know and love Him. And isn’t that what it’s all about in the end?

It’s been a dream and prayer of mine to see find a way to be a contributor to the Church in places where the Gospel isn’t welcomed.  I’d love to invite you to help me make this dream a reality. You can donate to this trip by clicking below. If 40 people (one for each pound, see?:) gave $40 that would cover the expenses of my trip and provide some extra training for me so I can be as ready as possible to make the largest impact I can. 

quick update: A donation in ANY AMOUNT would be welcomed and extremely helpful.

Please click below to donate and thanks in advance for helping me celebrate!